Vol. 63, No. 3 autumn 2018
180 to the archives in London. T e vast majority of documents you will want to see have never been,
and, it seems, will not soon be scanned for online access. T at said, some letter collections have been abstracted recently for online viewing, and some wills are available in scanned form. For even a modest historical analysis, you simply cannot avoid going to the archives to view contemporary documents.
To access the archives in person, you must fi rst obtain a Readers Card at each archive. You can do so on your fi rst visit, and your credentials will normally be valid for several years. Be sure to bring a government photo ID (such as your passport) and an original bill from a utility company that proves your current address. Also, be sure to check the archives’ websites for latest information on obtaining Readers Cards, opening hours, and similar logistical information.
T e services provided by the British archives are truly amazing. TNA stores something like 32 million documents in their collections that generally can be retrieved for your examination within about forty minutes of your request. For the occasional document in off site storage, plan on two or three days. Fortunately, the vast majority of eighteenth- century Royal Navy documents are stored at the central TNA facility or at NMM.
Given their massive collections, the organization and professionalism of the archives’ staff s are impressive indeed. You will fi nd them helpful, knowledgeable, and effi cient. Generally, you can handle retrieved documents without special training or equipment, and you may photograph original documents as you like. Photographic camera stands and foam support blocks are available at both archives.
Before you go
When there is the potential for so much data, preparing for your trip in advance is essential for success. Prepare your mind to understand and classify information you fi nd before you ever get to the archives. Working eff ectively at the archives requires concentration and attention to detail, and
while working there, you will want to avoid having to think about changing your organization scheme on the fl y.
As a sort of running example, let us assume you want to build a model of one of the Swan-class 6th-
rate
cruisers so ably documented by Antscherl (2004, 2006, 2009) and Herbert (2009). Twenty-fi ve of these ships were built in the American Revolutionary War period. Let us say you select Swiſt of 1777 as your model target, and you want to take a day or two of your upcoming vacation in London to learn what you can about this vessel at the archives. How might you proceed?
Prepare a timeline for your ship
T ere is no better means for understanding the documents you will fi nd than a timeline. Your timeline should cover the period from your ship’s ordering (or fi rst purchase) to the end of its life. If your ship is a Royal Navy ship, fi nd its entry in the appropriate volume of Winfi eld (2007) and use the information there as a starting point for your timeline. Winfi eld will tell much about your ship: its dimensions, armament, complement, and possibly major milestones in its service record. Every time you encounter a new document, check its position on your timeline to be sure you know what you have found.
Winfi eld’s description of your ship’s service record is based on earlier lists of ships (such as Lyon) and a set of notes maintained by NMM called the Warship Histories, augmented by his personal research in the ADM records. T e Warship Histories have been evolving for years; they have been updated by numerous people and may be error prone or contradictory at times. Nevertheless, Winfi eld’s entry for your ship is the best available starting point for your timeline. As you progress, you will be able to correct Winfi eld’s entry and your timeline as needed.
You can read about the Warship Histories at https://
www.rmg.co.uk/discover/behind-the-scenes/ blog.warship-histories-microfi ches, and NMM’s
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