Nelson & His World

In researching in some 18th century Succession books at the National Archives I saw 3 abbreviations - L, C and P against the officers' names. Does anyone know what they stand for?

If the style used in the (specially printed) Navy Lists I have from the post-1815 period is anything to go by, 'L', 'C' and 'P' respectively means 'Lieutenant', 'Commander' and 'Post' (ie '-Captain').

Brian

Thank you Brian - your reply matches one I have had through another route. However, I am still a bit puzzled because the widow of the man I am looking into described him as Commander when she applied for a pension a few years later. I guess I will have to take another trip to London to try to find out more!

Published lists in the 18th Century were not always 100% accurate/reliable as to the spelling of names (in any case many spellings were not "standardised" until the mid to late 19th Century). Officers with the same or similar names were sometimes confused - as anyone who has tried to use Charnock's Biographia Navalis would confirm. Another consideration is the common use of "Captain" as a courtesy title for the officer commanding a vessel, who's substantive rank could have been Lieutenant, Master & Commander or Post Captain. Also, until the late 1790s, the rank of Commander was not recognised as a full or permanent commission, i.e. it related only to a specific commission as the commanding officer of a specific vessel - which commission expired when the vessel was paid off or the mission was completed.