Register Of Wages And Effects, 1859
There were three survivors from the loss of the SS London, in which more than 240 people died
The Register of Wages and Effects of Deceased Seamen (1852–1889) is held by The National Archives at Kew in series BT153. The record has been digitised and is available via Findmypast ( findmypast.co.uk) and Ancestry ( ancestry.co.uk)
1NAME OF DECEASED
This column details the surname and the first name of crewmen who died in a shipwreck. Some other BT series at The National Archives include more details, for example the crewman’s age.
2SUPPOSED LOST
This means that the ship disappeared in 1855, and is assumed to have been wrecked, but wasn’t recorded here until 1859.
3NAME OF SHIP
The entry for the notes its official number underneath, which can help you to identify a wrecked vessel precisely.
4PLACE AND DATE OF DEATH
These are often estimated based on the ship’s last sighting, or the date that the remains of a wreck were found.
5AMOUNT
The final two columns are concerned with any outstanding wages that are due to be paid to the crewmember’s next of kin.
6NOT JUST WRECKS
The register wasn’t only concerned with wreck victims: other causes of death recorded in this record include falling overboard or infection.
Shipwrecks are of interest to genealogists not only because of their victims, but also because of their survivors. However, finding out about survivors is often less easy. Historical newspaper articles, available via the British Newspaper Archive and Findmypast, are a good starting point, and may well list them.
John Munro, David Main and James Wilson were the only passengers to survive the wreck of the SS London in the Bay of Biscay during a violent storm in 1866. They are identified in national and local newspaper accounts of the tragedy, and they each gave interviews.
Munro recounted how he desperately tried to persuade a young woman to abandon ship with him, but she was too frightened. He also had to bid an emotional final farewell to a friend who decided
to stay with the ship. They both knew that it would be the last time that they spoke. Munro fell overboard as they launched the lifeboat but, amazingly, he managed to scramble back. He gave several press interviews later in life, since the wreck of the London was a notorious tragedy. The ship’s few survivors were eventually rescued after more than 20 hours afloat in a small open boat in treacherous and wintry conditions, at constant risk of capsizing. The three passengers were examined as part of the SS London inquiry. Munro criticised the unseaworthy nature of the ship during the storm that took it to the bottom of the Atlantic. He also recounted in detail the heroic yet fruitless efforts made by passengers trying to bail out the stricken ship with buckets during its final hours.