Nelson & His World

Thanks for that comprehensive reply Brian

Funnily enough I have got a facsimile copy of the Liddel book, but I wouldn't have noticed that if you hadn't said.

From there I thought it was worth looking at the official "Regulations & Instructions" - the edition I have here is 1790 - but I couldn't see anything in there about maintaining letter books (either in or out).

BUT I then found a similar book to Liddel's (by James Roddam Tate) dated 1840 and it looks from that as if the maintenance of a Letter Book for letters both in and out did later become part of the official Naval Instructions. See below.

During Nelson's career it certainly looks as if there was no requirement to submit the Letter Books to the Admiralty as there are a number of Letter Books at Monmouth. I have never seen these but it has got me really intrigued now! Just to see the format of them, whether they included letters both in and out. etc. etc. If anyone on here has consulted these letter books at Monmouth please tell us all about them!

Yes indeed!

I found a 3rd book about Naval book-keeping. By Edward Lawes. 1827. Available to view on Google Books.

This proves conclusively that keeping of Letter Books was eventually built into the official Naval Instructions.

As I said above the Instructions I was looking in were dated 1790.

I wonder if I can find a later copy which has the instructions re Letter Books built in?

I won't hold my breath.

Well done Mark. Another triumph!

Brian

Thanks Mark and Brian for all this info .I never imagined that the Captain would have had so much paperwork to maintain . Up till now I had never heard of the Letter books.

Steve:

as you have gathered, ships' captains had reams of paperwork to deal with. Nelson himself was assiduous in completing his paperwork promptly and even had a pocket at the side of his chair to 'file' papers he was working on. (I'm sure someone could find and post an image of his chair - I'm looking at you, Mark!) He noted in one of his letters to Emma that he had been working on his paperwork for many hours, 'like a horse at a mill' as he put it.

I was in London last week and visited the National Maritime Museum . I joined the library there for a day and showed the people in there Lady Hamiltons Seal via the internet . They were quite interested. I was going to do a bit more research on the 2 names Bawden and Dathan but due to not having much time I did not get far. So the mystery of how they got the seal will I think never be solved. If anyone wants a good hotel for Greenwich you can stay at Ibis -London Excel .Book via late rooms and you get it very cheap for London .You can then go over on the Emirates cable car .Return via Greenwich Foot Tunnel and the DLR .Makes a good day out !
http://www.laterooms.com/en/hotel-reser ... ld=0#rooms