Description:

Ships’ muster rolls from 1794 – 1795; Society of Merchant Venturers’ archive.
Detail of muster roll no: 85.

Detail of the muster roll of the ship, the African Queen, 1794.
One of the crew taken on in Bristol was John Davis, a Black born in Africa. He was discharged in Africa at his own request, on 28th July.

The muster roll is a list of all crew signed on for all or part of a voyage, which was used to calculate the money each man should pay to the Sailors’ Hospital Fund (insurance).

The Society of Merchant Venturers is a Bristol-based organisation, which was formed in 1552 as an elite body of merchants involved in overseas trade. The Society still exists today.

The language used to describe people of African descent in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries is unacceptable in today’s terms. We cannot avoid using this language in its original context. To change the words would impose 20th century attitudes on history.

Date: 1794

Copyright: Copyright The Society of Merchant Venturers