Description:

Ships’ muster rolls from 1785 – 1786; Society of Merchant Venturers’ archive.
Muster roll no: 102.

Muster roll for the ship, the Lion , sailing from Africa, 1784.
The Lion sailed for Africa and returned directly for Bristol. The ship was owned by Sidenham Teaste, a ship builder, and he sent several wood ships to Africa, to buy tropical hardwood for ship building.

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: 1784

Copyright: Copyright The Society of Merchant Venturers