The List is a newspaper covering shipping movements, casualties and news items, which dates from 1734. It was not indexed until 1838, though indexes have since been created for some early issues.
The main series of indexes, covering ship movements and casualties 1838 to October 1927, are on microfilm at the National Maritime Museum, the Guildhall Library, Merseyside Maritime Museum and the National Library of Scotland.
Using the Indexes to Lloyd's List
The shipping movements and casualties section of Lloyd's List is indexed from 1838. The main series of indexes runs from 1838 to October 1927, and originally took the form of huge manuscript ledgers which were not for publication. Lloyd’s later microfilmed these ledgers and discarded the originals, with the exception of four sample volumes which are now in the Guildhall Library.
Each index covers one year, and is arranged alphabetically by the names of the vessels, with similar names (such as Marie or Maria) grouped together. Steamers are distinguished by the abbreviation Str., later shortened to /s/, and are usually listed after sailing vessels of the same name.
The name of the ship’s master, if known, is given in smaller letters following the ship’s name. Where there are several vessels of the same name, the name is usually listed only once, and the following entries are arranged roughly in alphabetical order by the names of the masters, with sailing vessels first, followed by steamers.
If the ship’s name is a common one, there may be a few entries at the end for vessels which have not been clearly identified, either because the name of the master was not given in the report, or because the vessel is of a type not ordinarily included in the List, eg. a coaster or fishing vessel. In the later indexes other pieces of information are added to distinguish between different ships bearing the same name, such as the vessel’s net registered tonnage, port of registry, nationality, type or owners.
Because of the manuscript format, the clerks sometimes ran out of space to add information. If they could not fit additional entries into the line above or below the original line assigned to a particular ship, information was sometimes made on an extra folio at the end of the section for that letter of the alphabet.
Before 1908, the index entries refer to issues of Lloyd’s List, and do not give the actual date of the movements or of casualty reports. The earliest entries (1838 to mid-1839) give only the date of the issue. The amount of information included was gradually extended, as the following examples illustrate:
Example 1:
June 2
3
Example 2:
June 2
Liv 3
Example 3:
June 2/3
Liv 1/6
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Example 1 indicates an entry in Lloyd's List for 2 June, column 3, between 1839 and 1847. |
|
Example 2 indicates an event (an arrival, sailing or casualty) occurring at Liverpool, reported in Lloyd's List on 2 June, column 3, between 1848 and 1907. |
|
Example 3 indicates an event at Liverpool which occurred on 1 June and was reported in Lloyd’s List on 2 June, column 3, between 1908 and 1927. |
Several devices were used to distinguish the different types of event: sailing, arrival, speaking, casualty. Between 1839 and 1848, these were put into separate columns. After 1848, a system of colour coding was adopted, initially using black for arrivals and red for the other categories, with a d added over the entries for casualties. Later the casualty entries were written in blue. These colours are unfortunately lost on microfilm, although the entries in red and blue are usually paler than those in black.
The port abbreviation (see below) is sometimes enclosed in brackets. This usually only happens in the case of casualty reports, and indicates that the report was dated from that port, the ship being elsewhere.
In the indexes for 1914–1916, references prefixed by c.c. refer to a series of confidential circulars which have not survived.
Entries in the indexes for 1926–1927, where the column number is replaced by a letter, refer not to Lloyd’s List but to the unpublished Supplementary Mail Advices, which are in the Guildhall Library as part of the Lloyd's Marine Collection.
Recording voyages
Voyage Record Cards, 1927–1975
In the Voyage Record Card system which replaced the Annual Index in 1927, each ship has one or more cards on which its movements, casualties and other incidents are reported. Until 1946, cards were completed by hand. After 1946, they were cut from Lloyd's Voyage Record (see below), pasted onto the card and further amendments were made by hand. The cards can be consulted at the Guildhall Library if requested in advance.
Lloyd's Voyage Record, 1946 to date
Published weekly, it reprints the movements of ocean-going ships (in alphabetical order) from Lloyd’s List, showing all movements on the voyage. From September 1975, it has also shown extra details of tonnage and owner manager. The Record is held on microfiche (mostly available at the Guildhall Library).
Abbreviations commonly used, A–K
ss = signal station
Aar = Aarhus
Abad = Abadan
Abbs = St Abb's Head ss
Adl = Adelaide
Ald = Alborough
Alg = Algiers
Algec = Algeciras
Ali = Alicante
Alx = Alexandria
Amst = Amsterdam
Anc = Ancona
Anj = Anjer
Antof = Antofagasta
Arc = Archangel
Ard = Ardrossan
Arend = Arendal
Ast = Astoria
Auck = Auckland
B A = Buenos Aires
Bah B = Bahia Blanca
Bahr = Bahrain
Balb = Balboa
Balik P = Balik Papan
Balt = Baltimore
Bandar A = Bandar Abbas
Barb = Barbados
Barc = Barcelona
Barranq = Barranquilla
Bat = Batavia
Bchy = Beachy Head ss
Beaum = Beaumont
Belaw = Belawan-Deli
Belf L = Belfast Loch
Berg = Bergen
Belling = Bellingham
Bft = Beaufort
Bly = Blythe
Bms = Beaumaris
Bnk = Bankok
Bom = Bombay
Bor = Bordeaux
Bos = Boston
Bre = Bremen/Bremerhaven
Brehvn = Bremerhaven
Brin = Brindisi
Bris = Brisbane
Brla = Braila (Ibrail)
Brs = Bristol
Bsbtl = Brunsbuttel
Busr = Busrah
Byp = Burryport
Bzta = Bizerta
C Cod Can = Cape Cod Canal
C Pal = Cape Palmas
C Truj = Ciudad Trujillo
C Vds = Cape Verdes
Cagl = Cagliari
Cal = Calcutta
Casa = Casablanca
Cdz = Cadiz
Cey = Ceylon
Cff = Cardiff
Chbg = Cherbourg
Chesa = Chesapeake
Chtn = Charlestown
Ciu Truj = Ciudad Trujillo
Cls = Calais
Coch = Cochin
Con = Constantinople
Coos = Coosaw
Cor = Corunna
Cpn = Copenhagen
Crf = Corfu
Crist = San Cristobal
Crk = Cork
Crnl = Coronel
Cstza = Constanza
Ctga = Cartagena
Curac = Curacao
Cux = Cuxhaven
Cvecchia = Civitavecchia
Dak = Dakar
Dar es S = Dar es Salaam
Dem = Demerara
Dnk = Dunkirk
Dns = Downs (Deal)
Dov = Dover
Dppe = Dieppe
Drt = Dartmouth
Dss = Downs (Deal)
Dthm = Drontheim
Dub = Dublin
Dun = Dunkirk
Duned = Dunedin
Dunnet = Dunnet Head ss
Durb - Durban
Dvpt = Devonport
Dzg = Danzig
E Lo = East London
Elles P = Ellesmere Port
Els = Elsinore
Esbj = Esbjerg
Esquim = Esquimalt
Esthm = Eastham
F de F = Fort de France
Fal = Falmouth
Ferr = Ferrol
Finis = Finisterre
Flam = Flamborough Head ss
Flsh = Flushing
Foo = Foo-chow
Fow = Fowey
Fran = San Francisco
Fre = Freemantle
Garst = Garston
Gat = Gaeta
Gbg = Gothenburg
Gdy = Gdynia
Gee = Geelong
Gen = Genoa
Gib = Gibraltar
Gij = Gijon
Glas = Glasgow
Glg = Glasgow
Gmo = Grangemouth
Grays H = Grays Harbour
Green = Greenock
Grms = Grimsby
Guant = Guantanamero
Guayan = Guayanillo
Hal = Halifax NS
Hald = Halden
Ham = Hamburg
Harw = Harwich
Hav = Havana
Hbg = Hamburg
Hhd = Holyhead ss
H J = Half-Jack
Hkg = Hong Kong
Hlva = Huelva
Hlvt = Helvoet
Hono = Honolulu
Houst = Houston
Hpl = Hartlepool
Hurst = Hurst Castle ss
Hvr = Le Havre
I W = Isle of Wight
Imming = Immingham
Iqui = Iquique
Istan = Estanbul
Ja = Jamaica
K G S = King George=s Sound
Kar = Karachi
Key W = Key West
Khorr S = Khorram Shahr
Koper = Kopervik
Ktn (Ja) = Kingstown, Jamaica
Kurra = Kurrachee (Karachi)
L Ewe = Lock Ewe
Abbreviations commonly used, L–Z
L M = Lourenco Marques
Las P = Las Palmas
Lderry = Londonderry
Leg = Leghorn
Lgrad = Leningrad
Lis = Lisbon
Liv = Liveropol
Liz = Lizard ss
Lndy = Londonderry
Lo = London
Longv = Longview
Los A = Los Angeles
Lth = Leith
Lynas = Point Lynas ss
Lytt = Lyttelton
M V = Montevideo
Mac = Macao
Mad = Madagascar
Mag = Magallanes
Man = Manchester/Manila
Mars = Marseilles
Mau = Mauritius
Mayag = Mayaguez
Mbls = Mumbles ss
Mbro = Middlesborough
Mchr = Manchester
Mda = Madeira
Melb = Melbourne
Mess = Messina
Meth Rds = Methil Roads
Milf H = Milford Haven
Mlt = Malta
Mob = Mobile
Momb = Mombasa
Mon = Monrovia
Mque = Martinique
Mtrl = Montreal
Murm = Murmansk
Mypt = Maryport
N B = New Brunswick
N Fore = North Foreland
N O = New Orleans
N S = Nova Scotia
N S W = New South Wales
N West = New Westminster
Nff = Nieuw Waterweb
N Y = New York
Nap = Naples
Naz = St Nazaire
Need = Needles ss
Newc = Newcastle
Nfld = Newfoundland
Nflk = Norfolk, Va
Npt = Newport
Nts = Nantes
O Cal = Old Calabar
Ods = Odessa
Op = Oporto
Ost = Ostend
P Alb = Port Albert
P Ang = Port Angeles
P au P = Port au Prince
P Cab = Puerto Cabello
P Cost = Port Costa
P Eliz = Port Elizabeth
P Nat = Port Natal
P Said = Port Said
P Stan = Port Stanley
P Talb = Port Talbot
P Town = Port Townsend
Pauill = Pauillac
Pen = Penang
Pensa = Pensacola
Pern = Pernambuco
Phihl = Philadelphia
Pir = Piraeus
Plm = Palermo
Ply = Plymouth
Pmbo = Paramaribo
Pnz = Penzance
Pmoar = Pomarao
Pors = Porsgrunn
Prov = Providence RI
Pres = Preston
Ptld = Portland ss
Pts = Portsmouth
Pwle = Prawle Point ss
Qbro = Queenborough
Que = Quebec
Qtn = Queenstown
R G = Rio Grande
R J = Rio de Janeiro
R Mers = River Mersey
Reu = Reunion
Reyk = Reykjavik
Rn = Rouen
Ros = Rosario
Rott = Rotterdam
Runc = Runcorn
S Diego = San Diego
S Geo = South Georgia
S Ork = South Orkney
Sag = Sagres
Saig = Saigon
Sandh = Sandheads
Sarps = Sarpsborg
Sav = Savannah
Seat = Seattle
Sfd = Seaford
Shls = Shields
Shng = Shanghai
Sill = Silloth
Sing = Singapore
S L = Sierra Leone
Snd = Sunderland
Sou = Southampton
Soura = Sourabaya
Spit = Spithead ss
Spurn = Spurn Head ss
St H = St Helena
Sta F = Santa Fe
Stav = Stavanger
Stet = Stettin
Stkm = Stockholm
Sul = Sulina
Sws = Swansea
Syd = Sydney NSW
Table = Table Bay
Tac = Tacoma
Tail = Tail of the Bank
Takor = Takoradi
Tamp = Tampico
Tarra = Tarragona
Tex = Texel
Tffe = Teneriffe
Tgmo = Teignmouth
Tocop = Tocopilla
Trin = Trincomalee
Trn = Troon
Trnto = Taranto
Trond = Trondheim
Trst = Trieste
Ush = Ushant
Val = Valparaiso
Vanc = Vancouver
Vcruz = Vera Cruz
Vict = Victoria
Villa R = Villa Real
Wab = Wabana
Well = Wellington
Weymo = Weymouth
Wind = Windau
Woo = Woosung
Work = Workington
Xsand = Christiansand
Yar = Yarmouth
Ymui = Ymuiden
Yoko = Yokohama
Zanz = Zanzibar
Zeeb = Zeebrugge
B = Bay
C = Cape
Est = Estuary
Hbr = Harbour
Hd = Head
P = Port
Pt = Point
Rds = Roads
Next steps
Other guides in the series which may be useful for using Lloyd's documents as a research tool are:
Research guide H1: Lloyd's: Lloyd's List: Brief history
Research guide H3: Lloyd's: Lloyd’s Captains' Registers
Research guide H5: Registers held at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide H6: Lloyd's Register survey reports
For general research help see:
Research guide A2: Principal records for maritime research at the National Maritime Museum
Research guide A3: Tracing family history from maritime records
Although care has been taken in preparing the information contained in this document, anyone using it shall be deemed to indemnify the National Maritime Museum from any and all injury or damage arising from such use.