Muster Rolls taken by shipmasters and providing details of a ship's crew and voyages, were required to be kept under the Act for the Relief of Disabled Seamen passed in 1747. This Act established the Seamen's Fund to provide for the welfare of seamen. Under the terms of the Seamen's Fund shipmasters were responsible for collecting monthly contributions of 6 pence from each crew member. These contributions were collected at the end of each voyage and given to appointed Collectors or Receivers by shipmasters at the port of arrival, at which time the individual ship's muster roll was submitted for filing. Trinity House Hull was responsible for providing Collectors at the ports of Hull, Gainsborough, Goole, Grimsby, and Bridlington, and it is to these ports that the Trinity House Muster Rolls relate.

The following information was required to be entered into the muster roll: Ship name; Ship master's name and place of abode; Ship's tonnage; Port sailed from; Port arrived into. The following information relating to individual crewmen was also required: Name; Age; Place of birth; Place of abode; First ship and master served with; When and where entered current ship; When and where discharged, run, or killed; When and where injured or wounded; Number of months and days on board ship. Muster Rolls also record the amount of money received by the Collector and the date on which this was received. Please note that the information actually provided is not always complete in each instance.

U DTR/3 are the rough muster rolls, pre-printed forms which were completed on board ship from information provided by ships' masters. The information was then copied into the fair copies, which are also held at Hull HIstory Centre (reference C DSTR)