Tracing Warrant Officers
As
noted in my paper on education
within the navy, there were social differences between sea officers
commissioned and those holding warrants. In many respects this was a natural
consequence of sea warfare. In the Mediaeval era when castles were built on
merchantmen, captains and their senior lieutenants as military officers needed
the skills of masters and other skilled senior mariners to navigate and run the
ships themselves. But, by the latter part of the seventeenth century this had
already significantly altered, especially with the oral professional examinations
in seamanship for aspiring lieutenants introduced by Samuel Pepys. While
gunnery and navigation were also within the scope of these executive officers,
specialists in these arts or sciences were retained through the eighteenth
century, along with some others. Nevertheless the structures of expertise
evolved over the long term.
1690s to 1808
Unlike
commissioned sea officers, there has not been much apparent interest in their
compatriots holding warrants. This is possibly because those creating the
modern listings on past commissioned officers, have
themselves generally held commissions in their own lives.
Before summoning up original records there a
few types of publications that may be of help in relation to some warrant
officers.
Although not produced until well into the 19th century, one of these
is The New Navy List containing the
names of all the Commissioned Officers, in Her Majesty’s Fleet; also the
Masters, Medical Officers, Pursers, Chaplains, Schoolmasters and the Officers
on Full Pay of the Royal Marines &c. &c...’ otherwise thankfully
known as the New Navy List. As well as the listings
there is interesting biographical detail on some individuals, arranged by year,
but with no apparent linking to the usual entries. There are various useful
sections in some, but not for others, so it is worth searching through at
necessary. As well as a handful of named masters on superannuation from 1779 to
1794, names and dates of masters’ first ‘commissions’ from 1787 are good
starting points. Medical officers are variously noted from 1777, including
those ‘unfit for sea’ and paymasters (including pursers) again variously from
1777. T.N.A., Kew holds copies, on microfilm, between February 1841 and the
same month in 1856. The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich has some original
copies between 1840 and 1857, but these are very fragile.
As
for commissioned officers, Naval
Estimates
may be of real use in this and relate to pensions (dealt with in more
detail below). But, for those at the early stages of research, these records
might give early info on a small percentage of warrant
officers and therefore, may be worth a search. There are two varieties of these
in manuscript form at T.N.A. (referred to obliquely by Professor Rodger in
relation to one of these). But, the most logical way of dealing with the
problem of identifying exactly which pensions individual sea officers (or their
dependents) were awarded is to find a copy of the printed final versions of the
estimates as put before Parliament. These can be found in various sources
Although
the make up of Britain’s fleets constantly changed,
with build-ups during the almost never-ending wars and immediate cut backs in
the interludes between them, the manning of vessels themselves were highly
regulated. The system allowed for those holdings warrants that were ‘standing
officers’ to remain in their ships as long as they remained in existence
(whether in commission or not). With no half-pay for warrant officers, excepting masters and surgeons (the latter from 1729), other
standing officers on vessels in reserve could therefore depend on ‘employment’
into old age (essentially as shipkeepers). However,
for all sorts of reasons, from the loss through combat, wrecking and scrapping
of vessels to individuals wanting bigger and better ships and more
responsibility there was movement of warrant officers. This required oversight
and there are a number of types of records that can be helpful in creating
detail on these sea officers’ careers.
Notations
of warrants (and commissions for
that matter) were maintained in registers for all the boards, with
confirmations of those awarded abroad by local Commanders-in-Chief shown in the
Admiralty copies. These run from as early as 1695. There are also some volumes
from foreign stations and the like, but these only cover specific periods not
normally comprising more than twenty years. There is a fundamental problem with these records though. There are
no indexes with the originals and instead, were recorded in strict
chronological order. This serious omission has been largely rectified for those
serving until 1789 at least, by the production of two different indexes in the research
enquiries room, at T.N.A..
Certificates
of service
may provide another starting point for
those serving later than 1789. Although those surviving were not compiled until
1802 at least some of these were for pension purposes and hence may show
lengthy past service. Like all other certificates of service these may only show a part of individuals’ service, but are,
nevertheless, an important tool. Pay records may also allow for service to be traced from 1795.
Masters and surgeons are best served (in fact there are a number of pay records
going as far back as the 1680s for surgeons); but there is a series for
boatswains, gunners and carpenters that made out allotments to wives or mothers
from 1795 also. Perhaps not entirely surprisingly, there appear to be no pay records for pursers.
Originally
only introduced for those wishing to walk the quarterdeck in the 17th
century, by 1760 passing
certificates
were also in force for gunners. In time other warrant officers would also
require their own certification, such as masters around 1800.
As
with those with commissions, warrant officers were also noted in leave books. Unfortunately, the earliest surviving
examples date only from 1804.
Succession
books,
as for commissioned officers, were produced
primarily to show that were appointed to particular men-o-war at any one time
and can also be used to build up service histories for warrant officers.
Although a relatively time consuming exercise, most are indexed both by ships’
and individuals’ names. It must be stressed that coverage is sketchy, even if
some go back as far as 1673.
Again
like commissioned sea officers, those holding warrants also made applications for promotion and employment. Unfortunately, these
are very patchy indeed, as well
as also merely being in chronological order.
Although
not of as much use as for members of the ‘people’ below them,
ships’ musters and pay books may, along with succession books and applications
for promotion and employment, allow for problems in warrant officers’ careers
to be resolved. Having said that, if there was a break between individuals
passing professionally as warrant officer and being employed, it may not be
possible find a link to the earlier service.
For
those seeking surgeons the going should be
far easier than all other W.O.s for this period. As of 1744 for surgeons and
1795 for their assistants there are registers of service records. What is more,
they are indexed: externally.
On
the authority of Orders in Council, the Admiralty (through the Navy Pay Office)
paid pensions to individuals, or classes of sea officers, charged to the Naval Estimates and ultimately taken out of taxation.
From 1672 these included a set number of the most senior of warrant officers as
superannuation. (Interestingly, this
was before lieutenants or ‘yellow
admirals’.) Although not entirely clear from the Professor Rodger’s guide (or
other historical works) as to when this was instituted, it would appear from
around 1708 warrant officers wounded received pensions out
of the Naval Estimates. In practice many of the above referred to ledgers
merely relate to payments and no differentiation is made between one type and
another, hence the potential use of the estimates for making sense of these.
Not
confined to those of the lower deck, the Greenwich Hospital took in some warrant officers as in pensioners. And, out
pensions
were also awarded by this charity.
Warrant
officers were also part of the Charity
for payment of Pensions to the Widows of Sea Officers. Partially
contributory, there was a compulsory rate of 3d. in
the pound of their pay (the other funding coming from parliamentary grant).
Pensions were awarded to the widows of all sea officers who were judged poor, no matter how their husbands had died. Two
types of record dealing with this survive from the 1730s onwards.
Widows
of this variety of sea officer (and the people) were entitled to pensions out
of the more ancient Chatham
Chest
if their husbands were killed. In 1803 the Greenwich Hospital subsumed this
fellow charity (as an official way of cutting what was regarded as wasteful
competition). All in naval service
(including commissioned officers) were deducted 1s. per
month for this; only 6d. going to the charity; with
4d. being paid to the chaplain and 2d. to the surgeon. (I have been unable to work out what
happened on smaller vessels without chaplains.)
The
children (especially those orphaned) of warrant officers could gain entry to
the Greenwich
Hospital School, which opened in its first guise c.1716 as part of this
charity’s activities. The surviving papers relate to applications and
potentially can provide much information on the children’s fathers. But, it
should be pointed out that the majority of these are for the 19th
century. It would appear that at this stage, warrant officers were not
considered for any Greenwich pensions (with both historical publications on
this institution and guides less than clear).
For
all those who were killed in action, or died of wounds, there were bounties
paid to their next of kin (not just widows), if claimed, from 1675. Known as the ‘Royal Bounty’ this equated to one off payments of one year’s wages
with additional sums if married with
children. Unfortunately, there are gaps in the surviving records though
- 1694-1703, 1712-19, 1723-46 and 1753 to 1804.
In
relation to widows’ claims for pensions there is a series of marriage and death certificates along with confirmatory
documents beginning in 1801 (and running until 1818). These records can be of
real use genealogically and there is an index in T.N.A.’s research enquiries
room. It should be mentioned that there are marriage and death certificates
also surviving elsewhere in naval paperwork.
Some
holding warrants may have received honours
by the State, although I am not aware of any. If there were, information on
these will not to be found in naval records and should be pursued through
biographies and the like. There were also commemorative medals and medallions
struck for specific actions, but as these were private affairs again are not
recorded in State records. Excepting a general service
medal introduced into the Honourable East India Company, the first naval campaign medals introduced were those for the
Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1793-1815).
And,
just as for commissioned officers, occasionally warrant officers that had been
found guilty of serious misconduct were listed as not to be employed further in
‘black books’. Being compiled by
both Admiralty and Navy Board variously, they give the nature of offence and date.
Arranged by rank and chronologically, they are indexed and for commissioned
officers begin in 1759 stretching all the way through this period.
Interestingly, in some volumes offences committed by ‘inferior’ warrant
officers are also noted.
1808 to 1843
As
already stated in the section on structures of ranks and rates, it was in 1808
that the status of some of the warrant officers was altered significantly.
While masters already occupied an important and respected role on men-o-war,
they along with pursers and surgeons were made ‘Warrant Officers of
Commissioned Rank’. Chaplains, who had also inhabited a strange limbo in petty
officers’ rates, were similarly given this title. Again as already stated, this
meant that those that had not been partly elevated, primarily carpenters,
gunners and boatswains, had in effect had their roles diminished. Cooks’
positions definitely suffered, being rated petty officer in 1838.
Also,
within this period a new variety of warrant officer came into being. Concurrent
with the introduction of screw-driven steam-powered warships, from 1837 there
were warrant engineers.
Not
entirely unlike commissioned officers, where the officially produced Navy List makes tracing individuals’ careers an almost
routine matter from 1814, there are sources for at least getting started for
those warrant officers on their eventual way to the wardroom. The New Navy List also showed chaplains (from 1798 when they were
still petty officers); second masters (and mates) from 1820; and naval
instructors from 1836 (when given status of warrant officers of wardroom rank,
before being commissioned six years later). Intriguingly, there were also other listings for those holding warrants produced
again apparently from 1814, featuring those of ‘Wardroom rank’ and those
without. The handful of these publications that I know to
have survived are in the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich. I would be
surprised if there were not copies of some of these elsewhere though.
Returning
to original records, many types already dealt with in the section from the
1690s to 1808 remained in use. Although far from complete, there are notations of and
references to some warrants all through this period
and beyond. Certificates of service, apparently mostly for
pension purposes, were provided by the Navy Pay Office for this time span and
after. Through
until 1817 the pay records continue as before.
Post war these trail off. Theoretically these are resurrected in 1830, at least
for the ‘Warrant Officers of Wardroom Rank’, but in reality this is not the case (see linked pay records page).
Pursers and chaplains were allowed half
pay
in 1814 and 1817 respectfully. By the end of the Napoleonic Wars passing certificates were also required for
boatswains and pursers, although the surviving records are relatively
fragmentary for this era. As with those with commissions, warrant officers were
also noted in leave books and in constant use
until the latter 1840s, after which there are no more.
Succession books continue in their
imperfect way through the century. Some books of applications
for promotion and employment survive, but not many and not for all classes
of those holding warrants. And, although normally associated with commissioned
officers, from 1814 through this period there are various records dealing with
warrant officer candidates for promotion. There is also reference
to some appointments for masters and boatswains, but these only apply to revenue
cruizers (in relation to coastguard activities)
and even then only partially.
Service
registers
were beginning to be generally created for sea officers near the end of this
period (although warrant officers’ generally began slightly later). However,
there were some precursors, such as for surgeons.
Just
as for commissioned sea officers, massive reductions in the employment of
standing warrant officers were required from 1814 and so these men were also
subject to surveys. Likewise, there were
also analyses resulting from the
surveys. As for black books, if compiled basically
none have survived for those with warrants after 1814.
Although
there were many organisational changes in this period the rules concerning
warrant holders in relation to superannuation remained the same.
Similarly warrant officers wounded continued to receive
pensions out of the Naval
Estimates.
However, the entitlement to pensions
for the widows of warrant officers (unless their husbands’ had been killed
in action) was removed in 1830. Greenwich Hospital continued taking in warrant
officers as in pensioners and awarding out pensions. Entry of warrant officers’
children at the Greenwich
Hospital Schools are well represented for this period.
Administered by the Admiralty there was also the Compassionate
Fund from
1809 (later known as the Compassionate List). And, the ‘Royal Bounty’ appears to have been phased out in
1832. In continuance to the last section for widows’ claims for pensions there
is the series of marriage and death certificates along with confirmatory
documents until 1818.
1843 onwards
As
of 1843, excepting chaplains, the ‘Warrant Officers of Commissioned Rank’ were
properly commissioned and so are subsequently dealt with in the relevant
section. Chaplains were later commissioned, in 1859. At least some warrant
engineers were commissioned in 1847, as befitted an up and coming arm of
service (even if they were seen by those of the executive branch as inferior).
Although not normally mentioned, at least some individual boatswains might have been promoted to the quarterdeck as chief
boatswains: as of 1865. And, much later in 1920, this rank of chief boatswain
was renamed commissioned boatswain. Similarly, in 1903 the rank of carpenter
lieutenant was introduced. At the time of writing, I am not entirely clear if
ratings were commissioned, or if these individuals joined the R.N. specifically
in these ranks. Anyway, those not elevated in the 1840s, such as boatswains and
carpenters, are subsequently dealt with in the section on the people and
ratings.
Go to tracing Commissioned Officers page
Go to tracing the ‘people’ and ratings page