Lieutenant Benjamin Westcott, RN
Passing Certificate, 1803

In Pursuance of the Directions of the Right Honourable the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, signified to us by Sir Evan Nepean's Letter of the 31st Janry 1803, we have examined Mr Benjamin Westcott, who by Certificate appears to be more than twenty [1] Years of Age, and find he has gone to Sea more than nine Years in the Ships and Qualities under-mentioned, viz.

Ship	Age at entry [1]	Entry	Quality	Discharge
Impregnable		22 Sept 1793	Capt. Serv.	15 July 1794	with uncle George
Do.	12	16 July 1794	Vol.	28 Sept 1794
Majestic		1 Octr 1794	Vol.	21 Jany 1796	with uncle George
Matilda	13	22 Jan 1796	Boy	30 April 1796
Do.		1 May 1796	Clerk	13 May 1797
Woolwich		14 May 1797	Supy.	16 May 1797
Vanguard		17 May 1797	Supy.	24 Augt 1797
Hydra	15	20 Sept 1797	Able	30 April 1799
Prince of Wales		1 May 1799	Mid	24 April 1800
Hydra		25 April 1800	Able	31 Octr 1800
Do.		1 Novemr 1800	Mid	21 Febry 1801
Powerful	18	22 Febry 1800	Mid	5 July 1802
Lapwing		6 Oct 1802	Mid.	20 April 1803

He produceth Journals kept by himself in the Hydra, Powerful and Lapwing,

and Certificates from Captains Renou, Sir Frans Laforey, Rotheram & Shene

of his Diligence and Sobriety: He can splice, knot, reef a Sail, work a Ship in sailing, shift his Tides, keep a Reckoning of a Ship's Way by Plane Sailing and Mercator; observe by Sun or Star, and find the Variation of the Compass, and is qualified to do the Duty of an able Seaman and Midshipman. dated at the Navy-Office, the 1st June 1803.

[signed]   A S Hamond      H Duncan     F.J.Hartnell      John Wainwright 

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Footnote: [1] There is some doubt about Benjamin's stated age. We know that he was baptized in Holborn on 19 June 1785. If he was born the same year, then the certificate over-states his age by 3 years.

Source: Public Record Office, Kew