New Spalding Club > House of Gordon > Gordons under arms

THE MAKING OF THE MUSTER. XIX
wisely did not attempt to do it. At best, they would have disclosed
no new names, but would only have added details to our knowledge
of officers enumerated in the printed lists. For e.xample, she pur-
posely abstained from searching Captains' and Masters' Logs syste-
matically, for as they are all arranged alphabetically by ships the
student who is not satisfied with the particulars in the present book
can readily search them for himself What Mrs. Skelton did was to
select certain classes of documents likely to yield information. Many
of these so selected proved extremely disappointing and were soon
abandoned : even then, the mere task of turning over these documents
has demanded a high quality of courage.
It will interest students to know the papers which have given the
most satisfactory yield at the Record Office. They are as follows : —
Admiralty : —
Midshipmen — Register, 1802 ; Returns of Services, 1814.
Lieutenants — Passing Certificates, i6gt-i732, 1744-1819; Letters, 1791 ; Records of
Examinations, 1795-1S07 ; Services, 1813-47; Certificates of Services, 1807-48.
Captains — Letters, 1698 onwards.
Officers appointed by the Navj- Board, 1733-1826 ; Officers' Services, 1S17-22.
Surgeons — Quahfications, 1700-1800; Services, r742-i8i5.
Muster Books.
Accountant General's Half Pay, 1693-1836. Treasurer's Pay Books.
Widows — Pension Papers, 1759-1829 ; Applications for Pensions, 1817-46 ; Compas-
sionate List Register, 1809-36.
War Office : —
Army Lists in MS., 1702, 1709, 1715, 1717, 1722, 1730, 1736, 1745, 1752.
Returns of Officers' Services, i8og-io, 1S28, 1829-31. 1847, 1867-69, 1870-73.
Barrack-Masters— Appointment Papers, 1820-52; Return of Services, 1830-52.
Cadets^Applications, 1819-52.
Medical — Out Letters of the Secy, at War, 17S1-1814 ; Medical Reports, 1799-1803.
Ordnance Registers ; various Commission and Notification Books.
In Letters, Series II., 1756-95 ; Series III., 1793-1815.
Out Letters, Secretary at War, America, 1775-1810.
Permissions to Live Abroad, 1S15-33.
Warrants for Leave of Absence, 1704-94.
Marriages of Officers, 1830-82.
Reports on Petitions and Memorials, 1685-1746.
Pensions — Register, 1812-51.
Widows — Pensions and Bounty, Full Pay Officers, 1735-1811; Half Pay Officers,
1757-78; Widows, 1764-1816; Pensions and Bounty, abstracts of application,
1807-25 ; Pensions and Bounty Register of Claims, 1827-46.
Compassionate Allowances, 1773-1812; Fund, 1803-60; Papers, 1812-13.