When were passports introduced? (in England)

[zoejg]

I've just noticed that Find My Past has an index of passport applications from 1851 to 1903. I was wondering if passports were only introduced in 1851 and, if not, if anyone knows of earlier records. I'm thinking this might be another way of tracking down the father of my John Adams who was born in Belgium/France in 1840. Presumably, if passports had been introduced then, his father would have needed one to travel and there would probably be a next of kin on the application which might lead me to the name of John Adams' mother.

Can anyone help?

I have googled but not found the answer!

TIA
Zoe

[Orangeblossom]

According to this site: History of passports (fifteenth centuryto the present) - Identity and Passport Service the earliest ones are around 1414.

Passports for UK nationals only were introduced in 1858 and were written in English, having previously been written in French.

[Little Nell]

Sir Anthony Babbington (of the Babbington plot) applied for a passport. This was in the reign of Queen Eliz I (1558-1603)

[zoejg]

Thanks! According to the site passports were actually RESTRICTED to UK nationals in 1858 but passports were issued to English nationals beforehand. So it just depends whether the records still exist. It doesn't matter that it would be in French, I can read French fine.

The page you posted the link for says that they still hold records of all passports issued since 1794... question is, will they be obliging and let me have a copy? I suppose it doesn't hurt to ask!

Thanks again!

Zoe

[zoejg]

Thanks Nell! I didn't realize passports had been around for so long!

[zoejg]

Well, I have emailed them and explained the issue. I will let you know what happens... if there is a search and copy service, it might come in useful for other people whose relatives where born to parents were abroad.

[keldon]

TNA's research guide to Passports. Probably will answer your questions.
The National Archives | The Catalogue | Research Guides

[zoejg]

Ah, thanks Keldon... so it looks as if there was no obligation to have a passport. I have no idea what my ancestor was doing overseas, so I don't know whether he'd fit into the merchant category who were more likely to have passports.

[Uncle John]

I don't think true-born Englishmen felt it necessary to demean themselves before WWI and perhaps a bit later. ISTR reading John Buchan books where passports were a bit of a novelty. For tourists, all that was needed was to bellow "Ou est l'homme de Cooks?" when alighting from the packet-boat at Calais.

[zoejg]

LOL! On a serious note, though - I don't think they were tourists as all of my relatives on this branch were quite poor, so I would love to know what took someone who was later an iron shingler to Belgium/France at this time.

[Olde Crone Holden]

A passport was originally a guarantee of safe passage, nothing to do with identity.

If you had a passport, you were under the protection of the monarch, and should ill befall you in a foreign country, the Monarch and his/her troops would be out there demanding satisfaction.

OC

[zoejg]

Isn't it in principle the same thing now? Although obviously we can't depend on the government to help us out

[Caroline]

LOL! On a serious note, though - I don't think they were tourists as all of my relatives on this branch were quite poor, so I would love to know what took someone who was later an iron shingler to Belgium/France at this time.

The French speaking area (Wallonia) was the industrial area which centred around the iron industry and coal - and was very important at that time. Maybe he went out to work in the industry?

Tourist information about the city of Charleroi in Belgium.

Yvoir (Municipality, Province of Namur, Belgium)

Belgium - Google Book Search

I just did a quick google to see if I could find any more and the first hit was this thread .... :D

[zoejg]

Yep, that's happened to me a couple of times when googling!

Thanks for the info - yes, that would be likely, especially since he was an iron shingler later on.

It would be an amazing coincidence if he was in the Charleroi area - I spent a year there when I was 18!

[Janet]

Please do remember that as passports only became mandatory in 1916, that many people would have travelled all over the world without a passport, so you may or may not find one for a person pre 1916. I have never found any passports for my travelling ancestors pre 1916.

Janet

[Olde Crone Holden]

Zoe

Yes, the same principle, but I was just trying to point out that originally a passport was a privilege granted by the monarch and the vast majority of people would travel without that privilege!

OC