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|L/MAR/8/9||1853-||Quarterly Returns of Europeans in their Order of Station in the Pilot Establishment
Beattie ''On The Hooghly'' by Malcolm H Beattie (1935): This is a personal account of the Hooghly Pilot Service, in which the author served 1878-1913. Of particular interest to family Historians are the appendices:
==External Links==
*[http://www.barnettmaritime.co.uk/index.htm British Maritime History - Realistic genealogical guides to surviving records and more], Len Barnett’s site, has a section on [http://www.barnettmaritime.co.uk/mainbengal.htm Bengal Marine].
*[http://www.telelib.com/words/authors/K/KiplingRudyard/prose/LandandSea/unqualifiedpilot.html "An Unqualified Pilot"] by Rudyard Kipling. An interesting and informative short story depicting the work of a pilot on the Hooghly.
===Individuals===
*[http://www.quivis.co.uk/dum/index.html Arthur David Linklater, Master Mariner] - Duncan Linklater's excellent site contains information on shipping and navigation in the early twentieth century, including details of Linklater's employment by the Calcutta Port Commission. With scans and transcripts of many original documents, exploring the site is recommended, but pages of particular general interest include:
:*[http://www.quivis.co.uk/dum/dum-hooghly2.html Scan of pilot's certificate] for pilotage of the Hooghly
:*[http://www.quivis.co.uk/dum/hooghly.html Some notes about the Hooghly]
:*[http://www.quivis.co.uk/dum/hooghly-pilotage1.html Hooghly Pilotage ca. 1910]
:*[http://www.quivis.co.uk/dum/dana/index.html Dana's ''Dictionary of Sea Terms'' 1841/51]
redirect broken fibis link
[[Image:PilotsPass.jpg|thumb|300px|Pilot's Pass c.1890s]]
The '''Bengal Pilot Service''' was responsible for guiding shipping between along the Hooghly River between [[Calcutta]] and the Bay of Bengaland was part of '''Bengal Marine''' In 1877 the Bombay Marine and the Bengal Marine were combined to form [[Indian Navy|HM Indian Marine]], which became the Royal Indian Marine in 1892 and the Royal Indian Navy in 1935.
Amongst other contributions, this article contains extracts from FIBIS member [[User:Sage|Sage's]] unpublished manuscript of records for Genealogists interested in India.
== Introduction ==
According to Massey,<supref>[[#References|1]http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12617 ''Recollections of Calcutta for over Half a Century'']by Montague Massey</supref>
<blockquote>
"'''THE UNITED SERVICE CLUB'''
== History of the Bengal Pilot Service ==
Brice and Labey<supref name=Brice>[[#References|4]]Labey, Capt G.T. and Brice, Capt R.K.H. (1970), ''The Bengal Pilot Service''. National Maritime Museum, Ref. THS/12/1-9. Some chapters are available online, see Historical books online, above. </supref> give a date of 1651 for the foundation of the service, but according to James Prinsep's Chronological Tables,<supref>Prinsep, James (1836). [[#References|3]http://books.google.com/books?id=BTYGAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA160 ''Useful Tables, Forming an Appendix to The Journal Of The Asiatic Society. Part the Second. Chronological and Genealogical Tables''], page 160. Google Books</supref> the service dates back to 1669:
<blockquote>
[1669 ...] This year also were received orders from home, to institute a pilot establishment at Hoogly, to build a pinnace to be manned with intelligent seamen from the Indiamen, to take charge of the shipping up and down. Thus originated the Bengal Pilot Service.
</blockquote>
The Bengal Pilot Service was abolished on the 15th May, 1948.<sup>[[#References|4]]<ref name=Brice/sup>
== Composition of the Pilot Service ==
'''THS 12 ''The History of the Bengal Pilot Service'' by Brice & Labey'''
This is a unique unpublished history of the Bengal Pilot Service in the Historical Manuscripts Collection of the [[National Maritime Museum]]. It covers a wide range of aspects to do with the service and its employee's e.g. Appendix G ‘Obituaries’ comprises information from various sources for men of the Pilot service and their families. Some chapters of text, but no Appendices are available online.<ref name=Brice/>
'''The Percy-Smith Collection (MS 88/006)'''
:Colonial Certificates of competency; Local (Foreign Trade) Certificates of competency; Local (Home Trade) Certificates of competency; Local Certificates of Service; Local (Inland) Certificates of Service; Local (Inland) Certificates of Competency
*Item (29) - Index Cards : Bengal Medical (1740-1914, surnames A-H only); Bengal Orphans (1780-1840)<ref> The index is arranged alphabetically by name of orphan, with details such as date of birth, baptised, name of father and occasionally more details such as where apprenticed, etc. A cross reference card at the front of the index reads 'see also Alipore schools', which may possibly refer to further material in one of the Percy- Smith collections held in other institutions . "Four Orphan Schools in Calcutta and the Lawrence Military Asylum, Sanawar, Part II" [[FIBIS Journals|''FIBIS Journal'']] No 23, Spring 2010, by Maureen Evers, page 14</ref>; Bengal Marine and Bengal Pilots (1700-1914) . This link, from Len Barnett’s page Bengal Marine. (see below) shows the information available on one of the Bengal Marine [http://www.barnettmaritime.co.uk/bengalsmith.htm index cards]. Note that there are index cards about other topics in the Percy Smith collection at the [[Society of Genealogists]]
=== Asia, Pacific & Africa Collection, British Library (India Office) ===
There are many records of the India Office at the [[British Library]] that pertain to the Bengal Marine and Bengal Pilot Service.
Records marked (#) should appear on [[LDSFamilySearch]] /LDS microfilms: 2028922 - 25; 2029155. [https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog Search the FamilySearch Catalog] and see [[FamilySearch Centres]] for viewing access.
{| border="1" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0"
|-
|L/MAR/8/1-20||1793-1880||Various lists of employees and volunteers in the Bengal Marine and Pilot Service
|-
|L/MAR/C/689||1794-1830||Appointments to Bengal Pilot Service
|}
==== L/MAR/8 Series ====
Most of these records have been microfilmed. The originals are fragile and slowly detoriating so viewing of the microfilms is recommended both for ease of use (especially making printed copies) and for conservation. Note that the hard copy microfilm index file on display at the British Library uses the old L/MAR/C numbering for these records and a translation has to be made using the concordance tables at the back of the L/MAR index file. For example, L/MAR/8/3 used to be L/MAR/C/768 and the microfilm index tells us that L/MAR/C/768 is on IOR NEG 35431. The new numbering is in a different order to the original. Some records are split across two films, for example L/MAR/8/2 is on IOR NEG 35430 and 35431. The following table provides a direct lookup of the film numbers.
L/MAR/8/1-3 provide the most detailed information about volunteers (new recruits). Note that where films are available they are not on the open shelves and have to be ordered using the online system.
{| border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="0"
|-
!width="40%"|Description!!Date!!IOR Shelf Mark!!IOR Film Ref.!!LDS Film Ref.|-|Appointment, baptismal and other certificates of volunteers||1818-1844||L/MAR/8/1||IOR NEG 35410||FHL BRITISH Film 2028926 Item 2|-|Certificates of volunteers||1844-1858||L/MAR/8/2||IOR NEG 35430/1||VAULT BRITISH Film 2028996|-|Certificates of volunteers||1858-1861||L/MAR/8/3||IOR NEG 35431||VAULT BRITISH Film 2028997|-|Nominations||1858-1861||L/MAR/8/4|||||-|List of ranks of volunteers||1838-1861||L/MAR/8/5|||||-|Lists of pilots giving dates of promotion etc., A-M||1796-1858||L/MAR/8/6?||IOR NEG 35408||FHL BRITISH Film 2028925 Items 7-8|-|List of pilots, N-Z||1796-1858||L/MAR/8/7?||IOR NEG 35408||FHL BRITISH Film 2028926 Item 1|-|Certificates and lists of European employees||1793-1852||||||FHL BRITISH Film 2028998|-|European employees||1852-1869||||||FHL BRITISH Film 2028999|-|European employees||1869-1880||||||FHL BRITISH Film 2029000 Item 1|-|Quarterly Returns of Europeans in their Order of Station in the Pilot Establishment||1836-1853||L/MAR/8/8||IOR NEG 35432/3||
|-
|Pilot service entries, AQuarterly Returns||1853-M1862||1796-1858L/MAR/8/9||IOR NEG 35433||FHL BRITISH Film 2028925 Items 7-8
|-
|Pilot service entries, NQuarterly Returns||1862-Z1880||1796-1858L/MAR/8/10||IOR NEG 35433||FHL BRITISH Film 2028926 Item 1
|-
|Appointment, baptismal and other certificates of volunteersQuarterly Returns||18181793-18441833||L/MAR/8/111||IOR NEG 35432||FHL BRITISH Film 2028926 Item 2
|-
|Certificates of volunteers||1844-1855||L/MAR/8/12||IOR NEG 35405||VAULT BRITISH Film 2028996
|-
|Certificates of volunteers||1855-1861||L/MAR/8/13||IOR NEG 35456||VAULT BRITISH Film 2028997
|-
|Certificates and lists of European employees||1793-1852||L/MAR/8/14||IOR NEG 35405||FHL BRITISH Film 2028998
|-
|European employees||1852-1869||L/MAR/8/15||IOR NEG 35405||FHL BRITISH Film 2028999
|-
|European employees||1869||L/MAR/8/16||IOR NEG 35408|||-|||||L/MAR/8/17||IOR NEG 35408|||-|||||L/MAR/8/18||IOR NEG 35408|||-|||||L/MAR/8/19||IOR NEG 35406/7|||-|||||L/MAR/8/20||IOR NEG 35406/7|||-1880|Printed rules & Regulations||1827||L/MAR/8/21|||||-|||||L/MAR/8/22|||||-|||||L/MAR/8/23||||FHL BRITISH Film 2029000 Item 1
|}
=== Society of Genealogists ===
== Index of Pilots ==
* [http://wwwfibis.search.fibisourarchives.org/frontisonline/bin/aps_browse_sources.php?mode=browse_dataset&id=86&s_id=189 Appendices From M.H. Beattie] on FIBIS Search (see details below)
* Index to L/MAR/8/1 (in preparation)
* Pilots and pilot vessels contained in the Marine lists in civil publications such as the East India Register, see the list of [http://wiki.fibis.org/index.php?title=Directories_online Directories]
== Published works ==
:Appendix A comprises a list of serving Branch Pilots (1847-1888)
:Appendix B comprises a list of men joining the Service as Licensed Pilot or Covenanted Pilots (1858-1876) and men who joined the service as recruits from the training ships Worcester and Conway (1877-1893)
:Appendix C comprises a list of men joining the Service (1893-1916)
This book is available online, refer below.
==External links==
*[http://www.barnettmaritime.co.uk/index.htm British Maritime History - Realistic genealogical guides to surviving records and more], Len Barnett’s site, has a section on [http://www.barnettmaritime.co.uk/mainbengal.htm Bengal Marine].
*[http://map-india.org/artwork/shipping-in-the-hooghly-calcutta-kolkata/ Photograph: Shipping in the Hooghly, Calcutta] by Samuel Bourne c 1860. Numbered 1726. MAP Museum of Art and Photography, Bangalore.
*Photographs from the National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Learning Lab website.
**[https://learninglab.si.edu/resources/view/90091 Sailing ships and other boats docked along river in Calcutta], undated, by Bourne & Shepherd. Photograph titled ”Shipping in the Hooghly. 2582”. Same image [http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/s/019pho0000015s1u00085000.html British Library] dated 1890s.
**[https://learninglab.si.edu/resources/view/90145 Sailing ships and other boats docked along river in Calcutta], undated, by Bourne & Shepherd. Photograph titled ”Shipping on the Hooghly. 2583”. Same image [http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/onlineex/apac/photocoll/s/019pho0000015s1u00087000.html British Library] dated 1890s.
**[https://learninglab.si.edu/resources/view/90093 Strand Road with Indians with bullock carts and horse-drawn carriages and sailing ships and other boats on river in Calcutta], undated, by Bourne & Shepherd. Photograph titled ”Strand Rd & The Hooghly. Calcutta. 2599”.
*[http://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/48726/francis-frith-the-strand-calcutta-english-about-1865-1875/ Photograph: The Strand: Calcutta] c 1865–1875 by Francis Frith. The J Paul Getty Museum.
*[http://www.hmsconway.org/Sea%20Career%20Calcutta.pdf "Old Conways & India – Part II: Calcutta & The Hooghly v11"] by Alfie Windsor 2017. hmsconway.org. The Bengal Pilot Service and accounts by Old Conways, old boys from the British training school ship HMS Conway.
===Individuals===
*[https://www.quivis.uk/dum/index_dum.html Arthur David Linklater, Master Mariner] - Duncan Linklater's excellent site contains information on shipping and navigation in the early twentieth century, including details of Linklater's employment by the Calcutta Port Commission. Originally with scans and transcripts of many original documents, exploring the site is recommended, but pages of particular general interest include:
:*[https://www.quivis.uk/dum/images/portrait/675x900/pilot.jpg Scan of pilot's certificate] for pilotage of the Hooghly.
:*[https://www.quivis.uk/dum/hooghly/index_hooghly.html Introduction To Hooghly River Pilotage]
:*[https://www.quivis.uk/dum/hooghly/hooghly-pilotage1.html Hooghly Pilotage ca. 1910-16]
:*[https://www.quivis.uk/dum/dana/index_dana.html Dictionary of Sea Terms 1841/51] Adapted from ''The Seaman's Friend...'' by R. H. Dana 1st ed. 1841, 6th edition 1851.
*[http://sayeedsjournal.wordpress.com/chapter-23-on-the-river-hooghly/ On the River Hooghly] by Khwaja Sayeed Shahabuddin (born 1923). He was a Leadsmen Apprentice with the Bengal Pilot Service for one year in 1946-1947, until he needed to wear glasses, which was not allowed.
===Historical books online===
* ''History of the Bengal Pilot Service'' complied by Captain G. T. Labey and compiled and edited by Captain R. K. H. Brice 1963. National Maritime Museum, Ref. THS/12/1-9, which includes Appendices. [http://remistry.wordpress.com Chapters] (scroll down) are available online (remistry.wordpress.com) as follows, but there are no Appendices online:
**[https://remistry.wordpress.com/2009/01/15/preface/ "Preface"]
**[https://remistry.wordpress.com/2009/01/14/introduction-geographical-historical/ "Introduction : Historical"]
**[https://remistry.wordpress.com/2009/01/13/1-the-early-merchant-adventurers-and-the-hooghly-1534-–-1696/ "Chapter 1. The Early Merchant Adventurers And The Hooghly (1534 – 1696)"]
**[https://remistry.wordpress.com/2009/01/12/2-years-of-expansion-1700-–-1800/ "Chapter 2. Years Of Expansion 1700 – 1800"]. At the end of this chapter is some further text under "Chapter 5. Years Of Consolidation 1800 – 1900".
*''On The Hooghly'' by M H Beattie 1935. [https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.77306 Archive.org mirror version], from Digital Library of India.
*Read about the Bengal Pilot Service in September 1800, Pilot Mr Parry, the perils of shifting sand in the river, with numerous sharks and alligators [http://books.google.com/books?id=mKgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA41 Part 10], page 41 from ''Cursory Remarks, on board the ship Friendship'' by Mary Anne Reid, continues [http://books.google.com/books?id=mKgIAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA249 part 11] Google Books
*The Bengal Pilot Service in 1859. The author was aboard HMS Retribution [http://www.archive.org/stream/cu31924026424196#page/n171/mode/2up ''Memories of the Sea'', page 151] by Admiral Penrose Fitzgerald 1913 Archive.org
*[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.225565/page/n61/mode/2up ''An Unqualified Pilot''] page 57 ''Land And Sea Tales For Scouts And Guides'' by Rudyard Kipling 1923. Archive.org. [http://www.telelib.com/words/authors/K/KiplingRudyard/prose/LandandSea/unqualifiedpilot.html Transcribed version].
:An interesting and informative short story for younger readers depicting the work of a pilot on the Hooghly. The story was first published in 1895 and set in a time 'a good many years ago'. Notes from the [http://www.kipling.org.uk/rg_unqualified1.htm Kipling Society].
== References ==
<references />
{{# [httpwidget://www.gutenberg.org/etext/12617 ''Recollections of Calcutta for over Half a Century''] by Montague MasseyGoogle PlusOne# Beattie, Malcolm H. (1935). ''On The Hooghly''. Philip Allan & Co. Ltd.|size=small# Prinsep, James (1836). ''Useful Tables, Forming an Appendix to The Journal Of The Asiatic Society. Part the Second. Chronological and Genealogical Tables'', page 160.|count=true# Labey, Capt G.T. and Brice, Capt R.K.H. (1970), ''The Bengal Pilot Service''. National Maritime Museum, Ref. THS/12/1-9}}
[[Category:Occupations]]
[[Category:Bengal Presidency]]
[[Category:Naval and Maritime]]
