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Of Ships and (Wo)Men: Stories from the Crew Agreements

Thursday, Jan. 30, 7:30-9 p.m.

A-1043

Presented by Dr. Julia Stryker

After 1850, every British ship carried a Crew Agreement and Official Log for every voyage it undertook, all of which were returned to the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. Thanks to a healthy mix of bureaucratic inertia, luck, Britain’s benign neglect, and the enterprising Canadians, these records still exist today, at the Maritime History Archives on Memorial’s campus. In addition to unprecedented information on the lives of average, laboring people, they preserve the wild, the weird, the tragic, and the beautiful moments of everyday life at sea at time when that life was undergoing monumental changes.

This talk will describe the context of the archive and its place in Newfoundland and the empire, and share some of those stories, from the remarkable to the ridiculous.

Please be advised that this lecture contains some stories of violence, adult themes and language, and sensitive topics.

Presented by N.L. Historical Society

Event Listing 2025-01-30 19:30:00 2025-01-30 21:00:00 America/St_Johns Of Ships and (Wo)Men: Stories from the Crew Agreements Presented by Dr. Julia Stryker After 1850, every British ship carried a Crew Agreement and Official Log for every voyage it undertook, all of which were returned to the Registrar General of Shipping and Seamen. Thanks to a healthy mix of bureaucratic inertia, luck, Britain’s benign neglect, and the enterprising Canadians, these records still exist today, at the Maritime History Archives on Memorial’s campus. In addition to unprecedented information on the lives of average, laboring people, they preserve the wild, the weird, the tragic, and the beautiful moments of everyday life at sea at time when that life was undergoing monumental changes. This talk will describe the context of the archive and its place in Newfoundland and the empire, and share some of those stories, from the remarkable to the ridiculous. Please be advised that this lecture contains some stories of violence, adult themes and language, and sensitive topics. A-1043 N.L. Historical Society