Description:

From ships’ muster roll book, 1793 – 1795; Society of Merchant Venturers’ archive. Muster roll no: SMV 178.
Muster Roll of the ship, the African Queen, 1792.
Note on reverse of the Muster Roll, where a Tide Surveyor (either a customs or harbour official) has witnessed the making out of the muster roll for the outward voyage to Africa.

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: 1792

Copyright: Copyright The Society of Merchant Venturers