In March 1818 a society was formed at the City of London Tavern to minister to the religious needs of seamen. Originally known as the Port of London Society, the society was renamed The British & Foreign Sailors' Society at a public meeting in July 1833. A board of directors was elected, consisting of forty-five clergymen and twenty-eight laymen, among which were Royal Naval and Mercantile Marine Officers and Members of Parliament. The British and Foreign Sailors' Society continued until 1925 when its name was changed to The British Sailors' Society. In 1995 it became the British and International Sailors' Society (BISS).
From the guide to the British and Foreign Sailors' Society collection, 1914, (Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge)
