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Hi Guys
Anyone know anything about passports in the 1890s? Like: if you were emigrating, did you need a passport, or was there just some kind of "bloc" arrangement with the shipping lines, so you could travel with just some ID like your birth certificate?
I ask because I have a relative who clearly left England in the late 1890s, him and his new wife, proved by his wife returning with their three children to visit her parents, and gettng snapped by the 1911 census, and then shipping out of Liverpool two weeks later [passenger list]; but I can find no sign of a passport application in his or her name [presumably couples could have a joint one?].
Where's the emoticon for "I'm puzzled?"
Rimbaud
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Found this on FMP -
Passport Applications
Background
The Archive of Names of Passport Applicants contains digitised images of the original indexes of Names of Passport Applicants from the Chief Clerk"s Department and Passport Office of the Foreign Office.
The original indexes are held by The National Archives, London, England under the series title FO 611 and are made available here under licence. These indexes cover the years 1851-1862 and 1874-1903.
Note that there are no indexes for 1857 (all surnames), for 1858 (A-G surnames) or for the period 1863 to 1873 inclusive.
For more information see The National Archives’ Research Guide here.
Passports were not mandatory for British travellers until 1914. Until 1858 UK passports could be granted to people who were not British but who requested the protection of the UK whilst travelling; these passports were simply certificates requesting that foreign officials should allow the bearer to travel without hindrance.
Until the 17th century the Monarch had the prerogative right to control the movement of his subjects overseas and passport applications were rarely made.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, passports were issued more frequently
1846 that regulations relating to applications for passports were first formulated
During this period passports were issued to British-born subjects for a single journey and could be used for any subsequent journey with the condition that the passport was countersigned afresh by a Minister or Consul in the country of which the holder intended to visit.
The entries provide details of
the bearer of the passport
passport number,
the date the passport was issued
any observations that may have been noted during the application
It is estimated that around 360,000 applications are recorded between 1851 and 1903. If you have found a gap in your ancestors’ trail, it may be worth checking if they were overseas during that period.
Although the entries found in the passport applications register cannot tell you where or when your ancestor travelled, they may confirm that a passport was issued and, if used in conjunction with our BT27 Passenger List records from 1890 to 1903, could prove a useful tool in attempting to trace hitherto missing lines of your family tree.
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Thanks Lynski
Must remember to look for these little links on websites!
Like the Cat.
Cheers
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