P&O Archive Links

UK Archives & Libraries

The National Archives

The National Archive is the UK government's official archive containing over 11 million historical government and public records. Their vast collections include many records relating to ships, seamen and passengers which are referenced in our research guides.

Southampton City Council Archives

Southampton City Council Archives hold a variety of material relating to shipping and merchant seamen. Most valuable is their collection of crew lists and agreements.

Glasgow City Council Archives

Glasgow City Council Archives hold shipbuilding records for a number of Glasgow-based shipbuilders including Barclay, Curle & Co and A & J Inglis Ltd as well as some shipping companies archives and the Ralston photographic collection.

University of Glasgow - Scottish Business Archives

The Scottish Business Archives records cover almost all types of businesses and industries in Scotland's history including shipbuilding and shipowning.

Maritime and Coastguard Agency

Amongst its various functions the MCA holds the official records for the Registry of Shipping and Seamen.

Guildhall Library

The Guildhall Library in London holds business records for some P&O affiliate companies, copies of Lloyd's List and a variety of family history resources.

London Metropolitan Archives

The London Metropolitan Archives is the largest local authority archive in the UK, covering the whole of Greater London (former counties of London and Middlesex). They hold business records for some P&O affiliate companies, copies of Lloyd's List and a variety of family history resources.

The British Library

Amid the vast collections of the British Library is the original prospectus for the Peninsular Steam Navigation Company published in 1834 (Shelfmark: 1890.b.3.(132.).

Wessex Film and Sound Archive

Wessex Film and Sound Archive holds the majority of the P&O Film archive as well as a number of other useful film, sound and video material. The archive is a specialist regional repository based at Hampshire Record Office in Winchester.

The Royal Philatelic Society London

The P&O Heritage Collection of stamp covers is on loan to the Royal Philatelic Society where it available to researchers by appointment only.

Overseas Archives & Libraries

National Archives of Australia

National Archives of Australia hold a selection of passenger lists for various ports around Australia from 1924-1964.

Maritime History Archive - Memorial University of Newfoundland

They hold a variety of material relating to shipping and merchant seamen. Most valuable is their collection of crew lists and agreements.

Archives New Zealand

Archives New Zealand holds the majority of public records in New Zealand concerning shipping and immigration.

Public Record Office Victoria, Australia

The Public Record Office Victoria in Melbourne hold a shipping index for inward and outward bound vessels to and from Victoria, Australia from 1839-1923.

Sydney Heritage Fleet

Museum and archive preserving information on Australian registered ships and Australian seafarers located adjacent to the National Maritime Museum in Sydney.

Family History Websites & Online Research

See also individual Ship History Websites for online crew communitities.

Access to Archives UK

Part of the UK Archives network, Access to Archives (A2A) is an online database containing catalogues describing archives held locally in England and Wales and dating from the eighth century to the present day.

Ancestry.co.uk

Ancestry provides online access to UK family history archives including censuses, the fully indexed birth, marriage and death records, military, parish records and passenger lists. Inward passenger lists for 1878-1960, which draw on the Board of Trade's records of arrivals into the UK, are fully searchable and accessible online for a small fee.

Ancestors On Board

In association with The National Archives, Ancestors on Board provides online searchable database of the UK Board of Trade's outward passenger lists for ships leaving leaving from UK ports between 1890-1960.

Archives New Zealand

An online search facility for New Zealand Passenger lists

CLIP - Crew List Index Project

Online resource providing information on merchant seafarers on British registered ships between 1861 and 1913.

Find My Past

An online search engine which draws from original sources to locate records of births, marriages and deaths both at sea and abroad. The website also contains a large quantity of other family history resources.

Unassisted Inward Passenger Lists to Victoria

Online Index to Unassisted Inward Passenger Lists to Victoria, Australia 1852-1923.

Mariners - World Ship Society

An online network concerned in all areas of merchant seamen records (not passengers) both at repositories and within merchant communities online.

Maritime History Archive - Memorial University of Newfoundland

The Maritime History Archive holds a variety of material relating to shipping and merchant seamen. Most valuable is their collection of crew lists and agreements which give access to details of 80,000 seafarers on British registered ships.

Merchant Navy Association

The Merchant Navy Association can provide reports on Merchant Seafarers based upon surviving records as well as ship voyages and service medals.

Merchant Navy Memorial

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission lists all the casualties on the Merchant Navy Memorial at Tower Hill in London.

Moving Here

This website explores, records and illustrates why people migrated to England over the last 200 years and what their experiences were and continue to be.

National Archives of Australia

National Archives of Australia hold a selection of passenger lists for various ports around Australia from 1924-1964.

National Library of Australia - Australia Trove

Online search engine providing results for enquiries gathered from a number of Australian Repositories.

Naval-History.Net

Online resource maintained in conjunction with the National Maritime Museum, the British Library and the Library of Congress which lists records from both World Wars, Royal Navy casualty lists and information about the Falklands War.

Seadogs Reunited

Seadogs Reunited is all about the men and women who worked at sea in any capacity and providing a means of reuniting with past crew. Seafarers are listed in alphabetical order for ease in your search. The website also includes brief histories for a small number of historical ships.

Society of Geneologists UK

Provides information and advise for beginners seeking out family history information.

Crew Lists of the British Merchant Navy - 1915

The Crew Lists of the British Merchant Navy from the year 1915 have been digitised and made available to search for free as a result of a National Archives and National Maritime Museum project. Find relatives and loved ones via this database of over 39,000 crew lists.