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British BDMs and Burials at Sea

Marriage | Death | Quarantine | BTW | Burial

"Records of births, marriages and deaths of British nationals at sea, in foreign countries or while serving in HM Forces abroad are preserved at the Register Office of their country of origin, but may also be recorded at the Office of National Statistics in the 'Overseas' section. "Reference: BMD Records information leaflet PRO UK. Births and death events were recorded in the ship's log; the information was copied to Board of Trade Registrar of Births and Deaths and at year end and in NZ. New Zealand required registration of events at sea on arrival. So it is possible to find the event recorded in NZ and the UK with slightly different data. Info. 

 UK Find my past
Pay per view, search the database for free from 1854 to 1890 Registers of Births, Marriages and Deaths at Sea 1854 to 1890. Compiled from the ships’ logs and detailing events for many British and Foreign families at sea, including emigrants, passengers and soldiers. From 1854 to 1858 entries of births all of the information and headers are written by hand. In 1858 the The Registrar General for Shipping and Seamen introduced registers with pre-printed headers although. No births recorded in the registers after 1888. 

NZ BDMs is indexed from 1840 up. If the person you are looking for cannot be found and the event took place in the 1850s or earlier, it is possible that they are on the NSW Index instead even though the event took place in New Zealand.

Many births occurred at sea, and often the infant was named after the vessel, ship's surgeon, captain, arrival port or country. Contributions with a New Zealand connection welcome. E-mail

Births at Sea

Not only infants were named after a vessel but many streets, businesses and farms took the name of vessels. Glentanner Station in the Mackenzie was named by Edward Dark who came out to Lyttelton in 1857 on the Glentanner.  Even grandchildren of passengers have taken on the name of an emigrant vessel. Some children are even named after coastal vessels. Family folklore said my great Aunt Hinemoa was named after the government steamer 'Hinemoa' that Captain John Fairchild commanded in the 1870s to the 1890s. 

Was Elizabeth Corona  DAWSON, folio #778 March 1866 born in Dunedin named after the vessel "Corona"? Dawson births

White Wings Vol. 1 by Brett page 263
Captain Gorn was master on the Waipa when he arrived in Auckland he was duly questioned for particulars, that would enable the shipping office to fill in the usual Board of Trade forms. Yes, there had been one birth, and when asked for a name he reeled off a list almost as long as the dinghy's painter. "Cyclone Four Bells Cape Dove Gorn Bendall Waipa ___" The name duly entered in the Board of trade return. The child was born in a cyclone at four bells off Cape Dove. Bendall was the ship's doctor.

The Times, Monday, Mar 16, 1840; pg. 5
The Adelaide, to New Zealand, put into Table Bay on the 19th December. All the passengers were in good health. Mrs Millar, the wife of one of the passengers, had given birth to an infant abut three weeks before. The Adelaide was to sail from Table Bay on or about the 29th of December. NZ Journal.

The Star, Friday October 17th 1873 pg 2
Birth at Sea. The ODT of Oct. 13th states that on the passage from Lyttelton a mare on board the Taranaki dropped a foal during the night, unknown to anyone. The first intimation of the fact was the foal running butt against one of the watch on deck, who got scared, and thought it was a huge dog, but knowing there was none on board, he wondered where the creature came from. On recovering his composure, he found it was only an innocent that had left its mother. The little animal was cared for, and with its mother safely landed.

Evening Post, 25 February 1891, Page 2
Melbourne, 24th February
During the voyage of the Hauroto from New Zealand an unmarried woman, who was a passenger, gave birth to a child. The Customs Department endeavoured to compel the captain to enter into a bond providing against the infant becoming a burden on the colony. He declined, add it has now been decided that the Customs and Immigration Department has no power to prevent the woman being landed.

Evening Post, 12 July 1910
Mrs. Kiernan, wife of Mr. Frederick Kiernan, member of the Onslow Borough Council, died last evening' at her residence, "Te Kainga," Kaiwarra. The deceased lady was born at sea on the ship British Crown during her voyage from London to Lyttelton in 1863. She leaves a family of five, the eldest of whom is Mr. F. Kiernan, of Napier. Mrs. W. Corbett, of Upper Hutt, is a daughter.


Have you looked for church records of a baptism?

The surgeon's report would list births and those that died on the voyage.  Archives have shipping papers (passenger lists, surgeon's reports, stores etc). The surgeon's report might be found in the arrival port's newspaper sometimes a couple of weeks after the vessels arrival and at archives.  Infant mortality was high on these three month voyages out to New Zealand.  Infants born shortly after arrival in the colony were sometimes named after the vessel.

The official registration system was established in New Zealand, by the Registration Ordinance 1847, it was possible for "the birth of any child, although born at sea, or out of the colony, of parents whose ordinary place of abode is within the colony" to be registered in New Zealand and I suspect this would have extended to include the birth of children to parents who intended to make New Zealand their  "ordinary place of abode".  Registrar-General Office of NZ.  New Zealand registered birth certificate says 'born at sea' and the child is considered a New Zealander.

Register of births at sea of British nationals, 1875-1891, microfilm copy of original records are at the Public Record Office in Kew. The registers contain name of ship, ship's official number, date of arrival; date of birth; name (if any); sex, name and surname of father; rank, profession or occupation of father; name and surname of mother; maiden surname of mother; nationality, last place of abode of father and mother. "Foreign Register of Births, Marriages & Deaths on Ships", between 1854 and 1890 may sometimes be found in BT153-160 PRO at Kew. Board of Trade Registers contain only a percentage of Births and Deaths at sea that occurred.

Dilemma of Stateless Persons, Geneva. March 24 1959, The Times
Contradictions between legal systems of States adhering to the principle of jus sanguinis (the law of descent) under which a child takes its parents' nationality regardless of where it is born. Jus soli (the law of the soil) - foundlings, who when place of birth is unknown, will be presumed to have been born in the country in which they are found. Children born at sea, their birth will be considered to have taken place in the territory of the State whose flag the ship flies or in the territory of the State whose flag the ship flies.

 New Zealand Official Yearbook - Page 105 by New Zealand Dept. of Statistics - New Zealand Yearbooks - 1897
1322 persons were returned as born at sea.

Waikato Times, 7 November 1885, Page 1

Next of Kin.

Native land hadst thou not,
Born out at sea ;
Named for the rocking ship,
Cradle to thee.

Voyage thine verily
Over life 'a wave,
Owing earth barely for
Tiniest grave. ...

James T. McKay. — In the Century.

UK Free BDM

Extract from the shipboard diary of Alfred Osborne Knight, the surgeon aboard the sailing ship "Ashmore" during its voyage to Auckland.  Left Gravesend 18th May 1882 - 1st September 1882. The diary was written in ink pencil on 40 leaves of paper about A4 size. Page 30. Held at the Auckland War Memorial Museum Library. 

pg 30. Tuesday, Aug 15 
I had nearly finished dinner when I was hastily summoned below to the ward & when I arrived found there had been an addition in the population.  A fine boy had been born. I have expected it for sometime, as I wanted him to make up for the loss I had at the start. 

Page 33. Monday August 28th
Just 100 days from the dock disturbed this morning.... This afternoon was held a Grand Christening of the babe born 14 days ago. The Captain, Husband and the mother ------- still weak but getting on well. A few friends were invited & parson gave all good advice. I felt greatly honoured by the parents asking me to give it one of my names, so I gave them Alfred & the Captain gave them James they gave it George Henry now came the name of the ship.
James Alfred George Henry Ashmore Curtis.

1992 IGI Y0055 - World Miscellaneous  Births at Sea 1650-1903  1 fiche, LDS 
Mainly Atlantic Ocean births but the odd one from Indian and Pacific Oceans, some have name of ship. e.g.

WHYTE, Jessie Yates Oamaru
Parents:  David S. Whyte / Agnes Main
Female: Birth 28 May 1877 Pacific Ocean, off coast of NZ

BILLHAM, Ruby Delphicina
Parents: William David Billham /Alexina Brown
21 Oct 1901 Pacific Ocean, between Eng. and NZ

FERGUSON, Ellen Thompson
Parents: John Ferguson /Agnes Thompson
31 Aug 1876 Atlantic Ocean, on route to NZ

McCARTHY, Charles Faustina
Parents: Joseph McCarthy/Mary Ann Burling
16 Feb 1842 Atlantic Ocean, on ship London

McGINLEY, Margaret Mary Josephine
Parents: John McGinley/Mary Ann Goucher
1843 Pacific Ocean, Ship Jane Gifford

PRIEST, Eliza Travencore
Parents: Francis Priest/Margaret Williams
13 Mar 1851 Pacific Ocean

SMITH, Maria Draper Bronte
Parents: Charles Smith/Rachel LaPage
14 May 1851 Pacific Ocean

The GRO Marine Registers record births and deaths at sea on ships registered in Great Britain or Ireland from 1 July 1837, available through LDS libraries. Sometimes you can find a notation in the UK census to place of birth: e.g. On the sea, at sea, on the high sea, axsea, on board ship, on the Atlantic Ocean.

1880 Federal Census Winchendon, Worcester, Massachusetts 
The 1880 census began on 1 June 1880 and was completed within two weeks.
Name:         		George F. Brown
Age: 			10
Estimated birth year: 	1870
Birthplace: 		On Atlantic Ocean on English Ship 
Occupation: 		At School   Race: White 
Relationship to head-of-household: Son 
Father's name: 		Abel A. Brown  birthplace: MA
Mother's name:	 	Jessie Brown  birthplace: New Zealand 
Roll: T9_566; 		Pg: 476.4000; ED: 872 
1881 Census England -  taken on the night of 3 April 1881.
Thomas Elliott 		abt 1844 b. Colne, Wiltshire, England Head of Household Foreman Railway Wagon Works 
Hannah Elliott 		abt 1850 b. London City Of, Middlesex, England Wife 69 Belmont St, St Pancras, London, ENG 
Susan F.M. Elliott 	abt 1873 b. Paddington, Middlesex, England Daughter 
Zebulon J. Elliott 	abt 1871 b. Paddington, Middlesex, England Son 
Percy W. Elliott 	abt 1875 b. Paddington, Middlesex, England Son 6
Florence W. Elliott 	Age in 1881: 5, abt 1876 On Board Ship Between London & New Zealand
Source information: 	RG11/0214    ED 17 Folio: 15 Page: 24 
Registration district: 	Kentish Town, Pancras 
1891 census for England 
Mandell, Margaret Anna abt 1864 New Zealand   London 
Manell, Maude J abt 1880 Off Coast of New Zealand, New Zealand   London

1891 England Census 
Name 			Est. Birth Year Birthplace  		Civil parish County 
Anderson, Jane P 	abt 1877 Ocean, South Pacific  		Lancashire 
Depree, Charles F 	abt 1870 South Pacific Ocean  		Lancashire 
Dickens, Frederick 	abt 1854 Tuan Fernandez, Pacific Oesan  London 
Dugdale, Cara 		abt 1875 On Ship in Pacific B S  	Hampshire 
Dyson, Margaret S 	abt 1863 Pacific Ocean  		Hampshire 
Ellis, Edward T 	abt 1875 On English Ship in Pacific 	Leeds  Lancashire 
Fishwick, Clara M 	abt 1868 Pacific Ocean  		Durham 
Fitzsimmons, Daniel 	abt 1830 South Pacific Ocean  		Durham 
Greet, Reginald T 	abt 1876 S Pacific, Tabite  		London 
Kelly, John 		abt 1873 Pacific Ocean  		Staffordshire 
Lamb, Elizabeth M 	abt 1848 Pacific Ocean  		Lancashire 
Lawes, George A 	abt 1872 South Pacific  		Hampshire 
Pearse, Albert J 	abt 1875 S Pacific, Raiatea  		London 
Pearse, Arthur E 	abt 1876 S Pacific, Raiake  		London 
Saville, Lillie E V 	abt 1869 Huakins South Pacific  	Sussex 
Thorman, Frederick P 	abt 1888 Ireland, South Pacific  	Norfolk, England  Kent 
Thorman, Robert C 	abt 1889 Ireland, South Pacific 	Norfolk, England  Kent 
Warren, Sidney 		abt 1864 Pacific Ocean  		London 
 
1901 Wales Census - taken on the night of 31 March 1901. 
Isabella Rowe 		Age in 1901: 38 b. abt 1863 Scotland Head of household, Canton, Glamorgan 
Eaphemia Rowe 		Age in 1901:  9 b. abt 1892 At sea Off New Zealand, New Zealand Daughter Canton Glamorgan 
Selberhorn Rowe 	Age in 1901:  8 b. abt 1893 At sea Off New Zealand, Australia Son Canton Glamorgan 
Gladys Rowe 		                   abt 1896 Scotland Daughter Canton Glamorgan 
Ecclesiatical parish: 	Canton St John the Divine 
County/Island: 		Glamorgan Wales 
Source information: 	RG13/4985 
Registration district: 	West Cardiff,  Cardiff 
ED: 			11 
Folio: 177 		Page: 38 Household schedule number: 237 
1901 England Census 		Where born:				Census place:
Silberhorn Rowe 	age 8 	At Sea Off New Zealand Australia 	Glamorganshire Canton
John Mainland 		age 12  At Sea Off New Zealand   		Cheshire Liscard

Marriages at Sea

Marriages at sea were quite uncommon.

Ian Nicholson in Logs of Logs Vol. 2 wrote: "Weddings were usually performed by a clergyman amongst the passengers, since marriages ceremonies by ship masters were declared illegal about 1850.  Marriages were recorded in the official log books and any logs with such entries may still be preserved in the record office, Cardiff, Wales, together with those noting deaths and births?"

Otago Witness June 15 1861 page 5
Marriage on the High Seas - From the Dublin Morning News. "The Court of Queen's Bench recently decided the important marriage question whether a form of marriage celebrated on the high seas by the captain of a ship was valid so far as to invalidate a later marriage contracted with all proper religious observances, and with the intervention of a clergyman in holy orders. The court was unanimous in holding that a marriage on board ship, under the circumstances, can only be looked upon as a contract per verba de precentν, or a consentual marriage, and that its ratification by a religious ceremony was indispensable."

Shipboard life seemed conducive to romance during the three months at sea between passengers and crew and passengers e.g. 'Opawa'. William Palmer was a crew member on the 'Isabella Hercus' and that is where he met an assisted immigrant, Ellen Bennett. William was discharged at Lyttelton and they were married three months later in Christchurch.

Otago Witness Saturday 3rd January 1884 page 15 column 5
On the 30th December, 1879, at Knox Church, by the Rev. D.M. Sturart, D.D., Hans August Paul Bemeister, commander of the barque Marie, to Louisa Wilhelmina Augusta Kock, daughter of Captain H.C. Kock, commander of pilots, Tonning, North Germany.

Christchurch   January 19, 1910

 "Alice is married she said she was the pet of the ship when she came out and was engaged to one of the employees of the vessel and was going to be married at once I told her Mr. Sutton nor myself did not think very much of it a man she had only known a few weeks and very likely a married man there are plenty of girls get taken in that way by these stewards on the vessel and when they arrive here they marry live with then for a few days then leave them so she said she didn’t care took a situation as a cook but however he never turned up after arrival she got 1 pound a week she is very industrious and makes the most of every minute of time with her needle I think she will make a good wife, then she got a situation up country and then married the rouseabout"  wrote Mary Beach. Excerpt courtesy of Rob Beach. Posted 15 Oct. 2000

Quarantine Stations in New Zealand

The 1852 Passenger Act was instigated to improve the conditions aboard for emigrants and a qualified surgeon, Surgeon Superintendent, was appointed.  He was to submit a report on arrival to the Port Health Officer. This report often included the names of those who died and any births, details of schooling and religious services on board.  Sometimes vessels also had an assistant surgeon. On arrival the 'Port Health Officer' would come out to the vessel along with newspaper reporters and inspect the vessel, logs and interview a few passengers and the ship's surgeon.  A yellow flag would be raised as a signal for quarantine if necessary.  Quarantine stations made reports.

The Times, Tuesday, Nov 17, 1863; pg. 9
Very great alarm has been occasioned throughout the colony by the arrival of several vessels from England with smallpox aboard. The first ship which brought the disease was the Victory, from Glasgow, which arrived at Port Chalmers on the 12th July. The passengers were put in quarantine, the larger proportion of them being placed on a small island appropriated to the purposes of a quarantine station in the harbour of Port Chalmers. Four deaths in all have occurred among the passengers by the Victory, and 13 cases. After a stay of several weeks at the quarantine station, the whole of the passengers have been released, with the exception of a few convalescent patients whose term of probation had hardly expired. The next infected ship was the New Great Britain, from the Clyde to Bluff Harbour. This vessel had five deaths during the passage from smallpox and 15 cases. The ship has recently been admitted to pratique, and the passengers cleared. The Mataura, arrived from the Clyde at Port Chalmers on the 15tgh of September, had 10 deaths during the passage, and sic passengers were ill on her arrival. The deaths had not all occurred from smallpox, only one having resulted from that disorder. 13 cases of smallpox occurred during the passage, and one patient died. Scarlet fever also prevailed. The most recent case is that of the ship Tyburnia, which arrived at Auckland on the 4th of September. Smallpox broke out ten days from England, and during the passage nine serious cases and 26 mild cases of the epidemic occurred. There was only one death from smallpox. A Vaccination Bill is now in course of discussion by the Otago Provincial Council.

Few of the ill-fated voyages to New Zealand

1842 Fifeshire to Nelson 16 dying of fever
1842 Lloyds to Nelson. 65 children died 
1856 Josephine Willis had a collision in the English Channel, 70 lives lost
1859 Cashmire to Lyttelton - 16 passengers died
1863 Lancanshire Witch to Timaru, 26 deaths
1863 Brothers Pride to Lyttelton, 44 died
1864 Countess of Seafield 10 men lost in hurricane
1869 Matoaka lost with all hands - posted missing
1873 "Punjaub"  to Lyttelton 37 deaths
1872 England London to Wellington. 17 deaths - smallpox.
1874 Cospatrick 429 passengers and 44 crew (out of 473, 3 survived)
1874 Atrato to Otago, 762 immigrants, 32 children and 1 adult died
1876 Bebington to Auckland 16 deaths from fever    
1877 Avalanche lost off Portland, England 60 passengers and plus crew (3 survived)

Evening Post, 12 July 1875, Page 2 (20 deaths)
The following is the list of the deaths on board the Collingwood: —
April 26— Bessie Cartwright, six years, of enteric fever.
May 5 — David Waters, one and a half years, supposed scarlatina
7th - Fanny Barker, three years, scarlet fever
9th — Charlotte Marshall, four years, scarlatina
30th — Alfred Button, twenty-six years, suicide
June 4th — George Petch, seven years; enteric fever
7 th — George Toplis, one year, marasmas
9 th — Lily Skeets, eight years, enteric fever
11th — Ellen Wright twenty one years, typhoid fever
13th — Harriett Button, one year, congestion of lungs
15th — George Cain, one year, congestion of lungs;
18th — Robert Hodson, one and a quarter years, marasmas
18th — Joseph Petch, three years, enteric fever
19th — Henry Sparks, four months, congestion of lungs
21st — Robert Marshall, two years, mumps after measles
23rd — George Cox, one and three quarter years, pneumonia
July 1 — William Sparks, fourteen years, typhoid fever
2nd - Mary Petch, four years, ship fever
6th - Charles Cartwright, three years, congestion of lungs
8th — Landham C. H. Boxall, two months bronchitis.

The Galveston Daily News, (TX) September 05, 1875
The immigrant steamer, Cottonwood arrived at Auckland from London with fever. Twenty had died and fifty were placed in the hospital.

Loss of the Emigrant Ship Josephine Willis is reported in the Otago Witness May 31 1856. Page 2. Full account online.  The collision took place in the Channel, off Folkestone, on Sunday evening, between the Josephine Willis, Capt. Canney, one of the London and New Zealand line of packet ships, and an twin screw steamer called the Mangerton, bound to the Thames from Limerick. The Josephine Willis was a first-class ship of 1,00 tons burden. She belonged to Messrs. Willis and Co. who ran regular monthly line of packets to New Zealand. for a voyage to Auckland. She cleared out from At. Katherine Docks on Friday laden 10 first-class cabin passengers, among them Mr and Mrs Ray and a brother, relatives of the owners, about 60 steerage passengers, a crew, officers and men of some 35 in number. The Josephine Willis was a new ship and had only been one voyage. Her cargo is largely insured.

New Zealand Resources

Australian Resources

BTW

If a place of death is listed as MARINE > VIC you probably won't it find it on a map. Probably means the death occurred at sea, and the death was registered when the ship arrived at port.

Victorian BDMs site, AUD 99cents for a page of up to 20 results, a download record record for about AUD $17
Go to Registry of BDMs
Then: Search Family History Indexes
Then: Search
Then: Historical Indexes or Marine Indexes
 (6,200 BDM entries in the Marine Index on board international and coastal ships coming to Victoria between 1853 and 1920)

Marine Births, Deaths & Marriages. Victoria 1853-1920 CD-ROM: Index contains over 6200 records of BDMs on board international and coastal ships bound for Victoria between 1853 and 1920 accompanied by over 3380 digital images of the original Marine Registers. There are 1350 ships that can be searched using the ship's name. Some records include previously unreleased information such as an inventory of the deceased's belongings or personal papers. Held: State Library of Victoria, National Library of Australia, State Library of South Australia, National Library of NZ etc. Official registration started in Victoria from 1st July 1853, ships were then required to record the above events, if they were bound for Victoria. Prior to that it should have the death may have been recorded at the end of the passenger list. 

WA Registry Indexes available for free online searching. 
Surname 	Given Names 		Father 			Mother 		Reg. 	Yr POB 	Age Reg.  
Weldon 		Sydney Gabo 		Thomas Edward Whittle 	Elizabeth Annie 1899 	at sea 	4Mon.  
Williams 	Hampshire 		unknown unknown 			1887 	at sea HAM 1Day 
Williams 	Leslie Wooranga 	Hugh Edgar 		Leslie Victoria 1897 	at sea 	1Mon. 

Births at Sea
Tait         	Herbert Beatie Abing 	William 		Smith Catherine ABI 		25065 1884 
Wilkinson    	Royal Paroo 		Peter 			Beavis Jane 		at sea PAR 2276 1903 
Williams	Hampshire 		Charles Beasley 	Beftons Agnes Annie 	at sea 131 1887

A child of the sea -- A harbour bouy.

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