Description:

Ships’ muster rolls from 1793 – 1794; Society of Merchant Venturers’ archive.
Note about the muster roll for the ship, the Catherine no 201.

The Catherine was bound for Africa and Jamaica, but was taken by a French privateer on the first leg of the voyage to Africa. Hence this note in the muster roll books to say that no muster roll could be obtained.

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