Maritime Archive and Library
From 1854 certificates of discharge were issued to crew members at the end of each voyage, and are the record most likely to remain from a seafaring ancestor. Discharge certificates were originally issued as individual documents and later as pre-printed books. They can be used to reconstruct the service history of a seafarer; information on or photographs of the ships mentioned can usually be found in the collections at the Maritime Archives and Library.
The discharge certificate illustrated on this page was issued to Andrew Anderson in 1871. The full text reads:
'Certificate of Discharge
For seamen discharged before the superintendent of a mercantile marine office in the United Kingdom, a British Consul or a shipping officer in a British possession abroad.Name of Ship: Noranside
Office Number: 52578
Port of Registry: Dundee
Registered tonnage: 608
Name of seaman: Andrew Anderson
Age: 38
Place of Birth: Glasgow
Capacity: Mate
Date of Engagement: 20.12.69
Place of engagement: Amsterdam
Date of discharge: 24.4.71
I certify that the above particulars are correct, and that the above named seaman was discharged accordingly, and that the character described on the other side hereof is a true report concerning the said seaman.Signed and dated by the master and also the superintendent, consul or shipping officer.'