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  1. #1
    CanadianCousin
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    Default Researching Customs Service Records at Kew (TNA)

    Hello all -

    I debated whether to start a new thread or just add to an existing one and decided that this might get more attention - my apologies is this is not considered good etiquette.

    My 2xg-gf, Charles Perrott (b. 1816), was listed as a Customs Officer in the 1841 and 1851 censuses, and a Superannuated (retired) Customs Officer in the 1861 census. I have read the TNA guide on researching Customs and Excise Officers and know the file references which may contain relevant information. Unfortunately, living in Canada makes a personal visit to Kew out of the question for the foreseeable future.

    Given that, I have two questions:

    1. Has anyone here hired a professional researcher to find their ancestor's service records and if so, what was the approximate cost (or no. of hours billed)? Did you get the information you were hoping to find?
    2. If anyone has researched these records themselves, how difficult was it to find the information you were looking for? In other words, is it reasonable to ask a friend to look on my behalf if I give them the reference numbers?

    I realize that the effort required for any search will depend on several factors - e.g., skill and experience of the researcher, whether the name is a common one, etc..., but at this stage I'd be happy with a rough idea, just so that I can decide how I want to proceed.

    Any information and/or advice would be most appreciated.

    Thanks -

    Tim

  2. #2
    busyglen
    Guest

    Default

    Hi Tim,

    I'm giving this a nudge in case someone who's on the forum tonight might see this and have an idea.

    I don't have any personal experience of hiring anyone to do this sort of thing, but I would have thought that if someone was armed with the references, and had the time, it wouldn't take `too' long. Having said that, I have never been to the NA so can't speak from experience.

    I hope someone will be able to advise you.

    Glenys.

  3. #3
    CanadianCousin
    Guest

    Default

    Thanks Glenys.

    To illustrate the problem, I've read that the first appointments and later postings of Customs officers can be found in the Customs Board Minute Books (CUST 28); however, this collection consists of 335 volumes (!!), "most" of which have indexes. I don't know if these volumes are on microfilm/fiche or if they're physical books, and since each volume only covers ~3 months, it might take some time to find a particular individual.

    Presumably someone who has looked at these records (or hired someone else to do so) could say if this is a two-hour task or a two-day task - at the moment, I have no idea.

    I'll keep my fingers crossed that some knowledgeable person will eventually read this.

    Tim

  4. #4
    v.wells
    Guest

    Default

    Tim

    Since you know the file reference numbers can you not request an estimate via Documents Online. I have done so for military and you can either pay thru the nose for digital express or just digital. I did digital express and it was about £8.50 and took less than a week.

    Just make sure you provide the full particulars. I'd be interested to know how you make out with them.

  5. #5
    CanadianCousin
    Guest

    Default

    Hi Vanessa,

    Thanks very much for your suggestion. I ordered a digital document from TNA a year or two ago and was quite pleased with the service. Having digital copies of the originals would normally be my preferred choice, but I don't think it will work in this case.

    The problem (I think) is that I know which file numbers to look through, but I don't know which ones will actually contain relevant information. For example, regarding the CUST 28 Minute Books I mentioned in my last post, there's roughly one file (volume) for each three month period:

    CUST 28/114 Vol. M.105 1836 Jan. 7 - Apr. 9
    CUST 28/115 Vol. M.106 1836 Apr. 10 - June 27
    CUST 28/116 Vol. M.107 1836 June 28 - Sept. 7

    ... and so on. Unfortunately, I don't know when my gg-gf first joined the Customs Service, so someone would need to work backwards from 1841 to find his first entry,

    Plus, I imagine that any references to my gg-gf would only be on one page of a given volume - but since I don't know which page, I imagine I'd have to order the whole document (unless TNA staff are willing to find him for me, which I doubt).

    For other types of research, your suggestion is an excellent one, but unless I'm missing something, I'm not sure it will help in this instance.

    Regards -

    Tim

  6. #6
    Geoffers
    Guest

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    Quote Originally Posted by CanadianCousin
    My 2xg-gf, Charles Perrott (b. 1816), was listed as a Customs Officer in the 1841 and 1851 censuses, and a Superannuated (retired) Customs Officer in the 1861 census.
    Do you know which port he worked?........Where was he in 1841 and 1851?

    Also, what was his rank?

    There may be a way of identifying records to order them online - e.g. Outport records in CUST50 to roughly CUST100.....ish. Outport establishment in CUST39 (I think they commence in 1860, so your chap might just be in them) Possibly in the list of Superior Officers also in CUST39.

  7. #7
    CanadianCousin
    Guest

    Default

    Hi Geoffers,

    Thanks for your reply. Charles was living (and presumably working) in London between 1841 and 1861, so I wouldn't expect to find him in the Outport records. By 1862, he had moved back to Devon (where he was born) and eventually opened a grocery and shoe business in Newton Abbot. This leads me to think that he may have been recently retired at the time of the 1861 census, although that's just a guess on my part.

    In 1841, he was listed as an "Officer of the Customs" but in 1851 he was a "Locker, H.M. Customs", which I understand means that he was in charge of a bonded warehouse. He was still a Locker in 1856, according to my great-grandfather's birth certificate. I don't know if Lockers were considered 'superior officers' or not - I'm curious to know how much he earned, just to get a better idea of his social/economic situation.

    The NA catalogue is a bit confusing in places - both CUST 39 and CUST 40 seem to have records of disciplinary offences, superannuation, etc... for the period in question. Even within one series, there appear to be overlaps in the time periods covered, e.g.,

    CUST 39/150 Vol. 2. 1857 Jan. 1 - 1863 Dec. 31
    CUST 39/151 Vol. 6. 1858 Nov. 30 - 1867 Dec. 11

    Hopefully, someone who has researched these records could say whether the same information is likely to be given in both places, or whether it's necessary to check all records to be sure of finding a particular person.

    Thanks again for your interest -

    Tim

  8. #8
    Reputation beyond repute
    Join Date
    Oct 2004
    Location
    Kent
    Posts
    16,792

    Default

    The first place to look for Customs Officers is usually Ham's Yearbooks. This is a quick and easy way to check roughly when and where a person was employed. One can then turn to the catalogue and check which files are likely to yield useful information.

    Unfortunately this isn't something you can do remotely using Shop Online.

  9. #9
    CanadianCousin
    Guest

    Default

    Hi Peter,

    I've been under the impression that Ham's Customs Year Book didn't begin publication until sometime in the 1870's - are you aware of earlier editions? As I mentioned previously, my gg-gf was retired by 1861, so I had discounted Ham's as a source. I'd be delighted to find out differently.

    Thanks -

    Tim

  10. #10
    bobob
    Guest

    Default CUST 60 Series at Kew

    If you knew where your ancestor lived from the census, then he was probably an customs officer i.e boatman, tidewaiter, locker, or even tide surveyor at a customs house at a nearby port. The officers were appraised annually in a series of books held at Kew called Ages and Capacities in CUST60 series, very interesting. There are also letter books to the Port Collector and Controller from the Board, and another series the other way, often mentioning individual officers. There will also be Private Letter Books and Witness Statements and Judgements, mostly about smuggling cases going to court and usually naming the officers and describing the actions. These are all in the CUST 60 series, but you have to find which port customs house he worked at. If you can get someone to look for you, it will probably reveal something that you did not know. Superannuations are to be found in the CUST 39 series.

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