Hi Nivard, Having just read your message below, I went to Ancestry and selected the Search all records option. I then selected the country as England and the county as Durham, where some of my family were from and where I have mariner ancestors. Of course, as a result of such a broad search, I got quite a list of subjects to choose from. One of these was Master and Mates certificates 1850-1927, looking at those results shows men from various parts of England & Wales who gained their certificates in County Durham. It is well worth making similar searches to yours and mine using other country names to see what comes up as a result of you have mariner ancestors. My husband has some mariners in the Middlesex area in his ancestry so I am going to try a search for that county too. Thankyou for the tip. Regards Jenny DeAngelis <<Surprised its not been mentioned but the lists are rather quiet at present A quick keyword search for Middlesex gets 6,632 hits About Great Britain, Masters and Mates Certificates, 1850-1927 This database contains master and mate certificates issued to merchant seamen by the British Board of Trade. What You May Find in the Records Great Britain has long been known for its maritime prowess in both military and commercial spheres. The certificates and other documents included in this database were issued to merchant seamen who qualified as masters or mates aboard merchant ships. Records include certificates of competency, certificates of service, examination applications, and other documents. Forms vary, but they may include the following details:<<

Hi Jenny One of the good things about Ancestrys search is that you can search for any word or name or place I have found it well worth trying a keyword search for even village names as it may highlight some connected men from the same area as your own , even quite remote places often get a mention And like the WW1 service records it pays to view the images before and after the hit Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 14/09/2012 14:17, Jenny De Angelis wrote: > Hi Nivard, > > Having just read your message below, I went to Ancestry and selected the > Search all records option. I then selected the country as England and the > county as Durham, where some of my family were from and where I have mariner > ancestors. > > Of course, as a result of such a broad search, I got quite a list of > subjects to choose from. One of these was Master and Mates certificates > 1850-1927, looking at those results shows men from various parts of England > & Wales who gained their certificates in County Durham. > > It is well worth making similar searches to yours and mine using other > country names to see what comes up as a result of you have mariner > ancestors. > > My husband has some mariners in the Middlesex area in his ancestry so I am > going to try a search for that county too. > > Thankyou for the tip. > Regards > Jenny DeAngelis

This new database is great! I have had some hits. :o) I just wonder where the date and place of birth comes from as I cant see that it is part of the certificate. Is there more info hidden somewhere?? Thank you for pointing out the new database!! Caroline -----Original Message----- From: Nivard Ovington <[email protected]> To: middlesex_county_uk <[email protected]> Sent: Fri, 14 Sep 2012 14:22 Subject: Re: [MDX] New database on Ancestry Masters & Mates certificates 1850 -1927 Hi Jenny One of the good things about Ancestrys search is that you can search for any word or name or place I have found it well worth trying a keyword search for even village names as it may highlight some connected men from the same area as your own , even quite remote places often get a mention And like the WW1 service records it pays to view the images before and after the hit Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 14/09/2012 14:17, Jenny De Angelis wrote: > Hi Nivard, > > Having just read your message below, I went to Ancestry and selected the > Search all records option. I then selected the country as England and the > county as Durham, where some of my family were from and where I have mariner > ancestors. > > Of course, as a result of such a broad search, I got quite a list of > subjects to choose from. One of these was Master and Mates certificates > 1850-1927, looking at those results shows men from various parts of England > & Wales who gained their certificates in County Durham. > > It is well worth making similar searches to yours and mine using other > country names to see what comes up as a result of you have mariner > ancestors. > > My husband has some mariners in the Middlesex area in his ancestry so I am > going to try a search for that county too. > > Thankyou for the tip. > Regards > Jenny DeAngelis ************************************** Send your List messages using **PLAIN TEXT** and always **TRIM AWAY** superfluous old messages in replies. **MEANINGFUL Subject Lines - who, what, where, when, with SURNAMES in CAPITAL letters** List Admin can be contacted at: [email protected] ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

It certainly does pay to look at several of the images either side of the one that you find for a member of your family. I found the certificate for the brother of my Gt. Grandfather on the mates and masters certificates. Not only did I find the brother's Master Mariner Certificate but I also found his earlier Mate's certificate. I only found this by going back and forth through the images for several pages. I had known for several years that this brother had become a Master Mariner so was pleased to find his records on the Ancestry site. I did find the record of my Gt. Grandfather's Master mariners certificate and his father's Certificate of Service on the site too but I had already bought copies of their records from the National maritime Museum at Greenwich about 10 years ago. The Certificate of Service, gained in 1850, is different to the Master Mariner's Certificates, gained in 1856 & 1871, because it was gained solely on a man's past service at sea. He did not have to sit an examination as his son/s had to do at a later date because he had been at sea for many years before the examination system was set up. My Gt. Grandfather's record shows that he first went to sea as an apprentice to his father on the ship that his father partly owned. His youngest brother is shown in the 1861 census on board the same ship in that 1861 entry as an apprentice aged 14 to his father, my Gt. Gt Grandfather. My Gt. Grandfather was also on board that ship at that time sailing as Mate to his father. My Gt. grandfather later took over the part ownership of the vessel when his father died in 1862. The younger son I believe later became a boatswain, also known as a bosun. Perhaps one day Bosuns certs., will become available or something with which I can prove this is the same younger son. The Mariner's website and accompanying mailing list are very useful to anyone researching mariner ancestors, not only the UK but around the world too. The site will explain the difference between gaining a Certificate of Service and a Master mariners Certificate obtained by sitting the examination. See the site below where you will find the link for subscribing to the mariners mailing list, part of the rootsweb system of lists. http://www.mariners-l.co.uk/ Note, the mariners mailing list "only" deals with mariners and the ships they sailed on and does not deal with passengers. Regards Jenny DeAngelis -----Original Message----- From: Nivard Ovington Sent: Friday, September 14, 2012 3:22 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [MDX] New database on Ancestry Masters & Mates certificates1850 -1927 Hi Jenny One of the good things about Ancestrys search is that you can search for any word or name or place I have found it well worth trying a keyword search for even village names as it may highlight some connected men from the same area as your own , even quite remote places often get a mention And like the WW1 service records it pays to view the images before and after the hit Nivard Ovington in Cornwall (UK) On 14/09/2012 14:17, Jenny De Angelis wrote: > Hi Nivard, > > Having just read your message below, I went to Ancestry and selected the > Search all records option. I then selected the country as England and the > county as Durham, where some of my family were from and where I have > mariner > ancestors. > > Of course, as a result of such a broad search, I got quite a list of > subjects to choose from. One of these was Master and Mates certificates > 1850-1927, looking at those results shows men from various parts of > England > & Wales who gained their certificates in County Durham. > > It is well worth making similar searches to yours and mine using other > country names to see what comes up as a result of you have mariner > ancestors. > > My husband has some mariners in the Middlesex area in his ancestry so I am > going to try a search for that county too. > > Thankyou for the tip. > Regards > Jenny DeAngelis