Description:

Ships’ muster rolls from 1794 – 1795; Society of Merchant Venturers’ archive. Muster roll no: 13.

Muster roll for the ship the Europa, from Antigua to Bristol, 1794. With a crew of seven, the Europa is probably typical of the smaller merchant ships trading between Bristol and the Caribbean islands.

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.

Date: 1794

Copyright: Copyright The Society of Merchant Venturers