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The Marine Registers held at the UK [[General Register Office]] record births and deaths at sea on ships registered in Great Britain and Ireland from July 1837. They, therefore, contain earlier records than the BT registers held at [[The National Archives]] – although both contain omissions, particularly in earlier years as it was only from 1874 that Ships Masters were legally obliged to report births and deaths at sea to the Registrar of Shipping and Seamen. '''Note that for at least seamen, (and perhaps passengers if their address was known), the records held at the General Register Office may only be in respect of English and Welsh seamen'''. Records which were originally sent to the Registrar of Shipping and Seamen, may subsequently have been forwarded to National Records of Scotland, or General Register Office for Northern Ireland, respectively for Scottish and Irish seamen.<ref>"Tracing Seafaring Ancestors In The Merchant Navy". National Museums Liverpool, Maritime Archives & Library Information Sheet 43, dated 2015. See External links above.</ref>. For Scottish records, try the Scottish Deaths at Sea return on Scotland's People (free to search, pay website).<ref>[https://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/guides/statutory-register-deaths Statutory register of deaths] scotlandspeople.gov.uk</ref>

There are some records relating to events at sea in the RG series of overseas records, see '''[[General Register Office]]''' which details how to access these records, online on pay websites. *The GRO Marine births and deaths indexes are Searchable on [[findmypast]] (pay website). See a comment in The National Archives, the section above, or for more details, see [[Chaplains Returns#Accessing the above British Army Overseas Indexes|'''Chaplains Returns''']].*The GRO marine Marine births and deaths indexes images can be consulted browsed without charge at [http://www. familyrelatives.com/, but it is not possible to search/search_browseoverseas for a specific name, as the images have not been transcribed.php familyrelatives.comSee [[Chaplains Returns#Accessing the above British Army Overseas Indexes|'''Chaplains Returns''']] - assuming one is able for more details about this website and how to download the relevant vieweraccess these records online on pay websites. *The indexes have are also been microfilmed by the available as [[LDSFamilySearch]]microfiches, which perhaps may become digitally available during 2021, or later. Details of deaths are available on fiches See [[http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titlefilmnotes&columns=*%2C0%2C0&titleno=726184&disp=Index+to+marine+death+returns+%28deaths+++ 6137189 -6137266Chaplains Returns#Accessing the above British Army Overseas Indexes|Chaplains Returns]] and births on [http://www.familysearch.org/eng/library/fhlcatalog/supermainframesetfor more details.asp?display=titlefilmnotes&columns=*%2C0%2C0&titleno=731089&disp=Index+to+marine+births+%28births+at+sea++ 6137268 -6137322]

Another source for records at sea, but not part of the National Archives, is the London Metropolitan Archives which contains some overseas records, including records at sea, previously held at the Guildhall Library. These records are explained in the FamilySearch Wiki article, "British Births, Marriages and Deaths Overseas", refer [[General Register OfficeBirths, marriages and deaths at sea# External links| External links below]].

Some of these records are available on [[LDSFamilySearch]] microfilm . Index records from some microfilms have been transcribed and the microfilms have been digitised <ref>LDS Microfilm catalogue entry [https://www.familysearch.org/engsearch/librarycatalog/fhlcatalog/supermainframeset.asp?display=titledetails&titleno=268289&disp=Original+certificates+of+baptisms+and+ma%20%20&columns=*,0,0 Original certificates of baptisms and marriages of British subjects abroad, solemnized or registered at diplomatic representations]</ref>

Note, some records from the London Metropolitan Archives are available on the pay website Ancestry, but not currently (March 2014) the overseas records which include some records at sea. It is not known whether these overseas records will be digitized in the future. Also it is not known whether any of these LDS microfilms have been transcribed.

==Newspapers==See [[Newspapers]]. A number of newspapers in the United Kingdom from 1824 into the 1860s contained a Monthly Military Obituary, being a list of names of officers. Includes deaths overseas or in transit (for example on board ship). Available in online newspaper collections including [[findmypast]].<ref>Clark, Noel. [https://web.archive.org/web/20200507050402/https://lists.rootsweb.com/hyperkitty/list/india.rootsweb.com/thread/113649/ The "Monthly Military Obituary"] ''Rootsweb India Mailing List'' 26 March 2016, archived.</ref> ==See also==*[[Ships' Journals]] ==External Linkslinks==

*[httphttps://www.familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/British_Births,_Marriages_and_Deaths_Overseas British Births, Marriages and Deaths Overseas] Family Search Wiki. There are some references to events at sea*[httphttps://wwwarchives.history.ac.uk/ghguildhallmanuscripts/overseas.htm Guildhall Library Manuscripts Section . Leaflet Guides to Records: Births, Marriages And Deaths Overseas] These records have since been transferred to the London Metropolitan Archives.*[https://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/archive/sheet/43 Tracing Seafaring Ancestors In The Merchant Navy] National Museums Liverpool, Maritime Archives & Library Information Sheet 43, dated 2015. Includes a section on deaths.

*[httphttps://wwwmedia.nationalarchives.gov.uk/podcastsindex.php/bmdtracing-births-and-deaths-at-sea.htm / National Archives Podcast – Tracing Births and Deaths at Sea]by Dr Christopher Watts.

===See alsoHistorical books online===*[[Shipshttps://books.google.com.au/books?id=qI1JAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA183 Pages 183-184 ''Asiatic Annual Register for 1806'' Journals]. Under a heading Deaths, May 1805, "At sea. On board the ''David Scott'', East Indiaman, off the Cape of Good Hope, Mrs Clerk, wife to Lieut. Col. Clark, of the Madras establishment. ... '''Her remains were preserved in spirits''' until the 31st December following, when they were interred at St. Helena... " The date of death of May 1805 is inaccurate, as Mrs Lucy Clarke died 20 December 1804. <ref> findmypast has a burial record for “Mrs Lucy Clark, Passenger, Ship Dav. Scott” for burial on 1 January 1805. Also see Jackson, Helen. [https://web.archive.org/web/20210202224946/https://mlarchives.rootsweb.com/listindexes/emails?listname=india&thread=1661742 INDIA Digest, Vol 5, Issue 235]''Rootsweb India Mailing List'' 20 July 2010, archived.</ref>