19th century Register Books
This page is approximately a 8 minute read
A rivalry between shipowners and underwriters culminated in 1799 with the production of a Register published by the Shipowners, known as the 'Red Book' due to its red cover, while the Underwriters continued to produce their 'Green Book' so called for its green cover.
The rivalry between the two Registers continued for a number of years and brought both parties to the verge of bankruptcy. In 1834, on the recommendation of a Committee of Inquiry, the two Registers joined forces to become Lloyd's Register of British & Foreign Shipping.
From 1874, the Register Books started to list all seagoing vessels of more than 100 tons, regardless of the classification society. Discover hidden meanings by exploring this page.
19th century Register Books
Classification
In the 19th Century, shipbuilding went through radical changes, from the introduction of new materials such as iron and steel, to the development of steam assisted and steam powered vessels. Lloyd’s Register adapted to the rapid changes developing a series of Rules and Regulations to support surveyors in their work. A variety of notations and glyphs sprang, making the classification column in the Register Books seem somewhat chaotic.
The following helps to navigate the 19th Century notations:
1834: A, Æ, E, and I (A being the best class) for the ship’s hull; 1 and 2 (1 being the best class) for the ship’s equipment; the surveyor also assigned the number of years that class would have been valid (e.g. 11 Æ 1)
1837: Iron ships present the notation built of iron
1854: Iron ships are qualified with a period of 6, 9, or 12 years
1863: The Rules for Iron Ships were developed, and the Register Books see the introduction of the new glyphs* AA1 (best class), AB1, AC1 without a term of years, however subject to Special Survey at intervals of 4, 3, and 2 years respectively
1870: The Rules for Iron Ships are revised, and the notations for iron ships become 100A1 (best class), 90A1, 85A1, and 80A1, based on specific dimensions; the first two classes to be subject to Special Survey every 4 years and the lower classes every 3 years
The dates under the classification notation (month, year) indicate when the ship was last surveyed. When printed in red, they indicate that the survey has reference to the supplies and equipment only.
*The notations AA, AB, and AC are represented by the following glyphs:
For more information on classification notations, see Information guide no.35 - Classification symbols 1764-1994.
About the 19th century editions
The 19th Century was a time of drastic change in shipping as steam gradually superseded sail, and timber gave way to iron and, later on, steel. The ships thus built reached dimensions never seen at sea before. The challenges posed by the new materials and propulsion systems were met swiftly by the surveyors at Lloyd's Register, who started producing a series of rules and guidelines based on their expensive experience in shipbuilding.
Lloyd's Register's cautious approach when examining the application of new technologies in shipbuilding sparked protests, culminating in the institution of an alternative register, the Liverpool Underwriters' Registry for Iron Vessels. This publication was produced between 1862 and 1885 when the Liverpool Underwriters Association was amalgamated with Lloyd's Register.
To overcome previous criticism, new regulations adopted a more scientific approach, and the new figure of engineering surveyor was created in 1874. These accounted for more than a third of the technical staff within ten years, helping to refine the classification standards. By the 1880s, almost half of the sea-going shipping vessels were classed by Lloyd's Register.
The page shown above has been taken from the 1869/70 edition of Lloyd's Register of Ships. The cutter Thermopylae is one of the ships listed.
Researching the earliest Register of Ships
This guide contains abbreviations and advice for researching the early editions of the Lloyd’s Register of Ships.
List of abbreviations
A complete list of abbreviations.