Introduction

For a land-locked county, Staffordshire produced throughout its history a surprising number of very successful sailors and people, who were connected with the sea in a number of capacities. The activities of these particular individuals are documented in many of the family and estate collections held by the Staffordshire County Record Office.

Staffordshire At Sea provides a new online resource using selected documents to reflect the activities of five particular people, chosen for their different roles in relation to the sea. These are:

Sir John Leveson (1555-1615), Deputy Lieutenant of Kent, who was responsible for coastal defences during the Spanish Armada.

George Legge, 1st Baron Dartmouth (c1647-1691), Governor of Portsmouth and Lieutenant-General of the Ordnance, who was responsible for the defence of Portsmouth and the evacuation of Tangier, 1683-84.

George Anson, Baron Anson (1697-1762), naval officer and politician, who circumnavigated the world, 1740-1744.

Richard Drakeford (c1709-1757), a ship's purser who later became heavily involved in the administration of naval prize money.

John Jervis, Baron Jervis of Meaford, Earl St. Vincent (1735-1823), a contemporary of Admiral Lord Nelson. Jervis led the English fleet to victory against the Spanish at the Battle of Cape St. Vincent, in February 1797.

As an archive service we are committed to improving accessibility to archives, not just for people locally, but also for those from outside Staffordshire, who are not aware of the broader content and interest of many collections held in county record offices.

The images within this exhibition are made available for private study and educational use only. Any other use or reuse of these resources is prohibited. For further information you should contact staffordshire.record.office@staffordshire.gov.uk