Registration of conscripts to the navy before 1860

Before 1860 there were no organised/systematic registration of seafarers in Norway. What exists are the so-called sjøsesjonsrullene or sjølegdsrullene, translated to English as “The sea boarding rolls”. These are lists of people who were service proficient, and that could be called in for military service at sea. The people in the rolls were not necessarily seafarers but could just as easily be fishermen used to being out at sea or similar. Information regarding enrolment of service proficient people to the navy can be found in both civilian and military archives at the State Archives, Statsarkivene and Riksarkivet.

The ship “Songdal” asiling on rough waves near Cape Horn. The picture was taken by an American sailor onboard in 1912-1913. The private archive of Hartvig Dannevig. The State Archive in Kristiansand, Dep. number 508, box 19.

Prisoner registries

In 1807, Denmark-Norway was on Napoleon’s side in the war against England. English battleships overtook all the Danish and Norwegian ships they crossed paths with. The crews were put in English prisons. In total, 5000 Norwegians ended up in prison. In the English Admiralty archive in the National Archives you can find protocols with notes of these prisoners of war. Most of this information is available in the database “Norske prisonfanger 1807-14” that is found at Digitalarkivet.