A BRISTOL student has transcribed the logbook of a sailor who served under Lord Nelson during the Napoleonic Wars.

Emily Graham, 19, of Montpelier, transcribed the 200-year-old logbook belonging to Royal Navy sailor Andrew Service while studying as a student at the University of Glasgow.

The 175mm x 410mm log book charts his experiences on board Nelson's 38-gun frigate Medusa as it did battle in the North and South Atlantic in the early 1800s.

He boarded the Medusa in 1801, aged 20, and travelled around the world to the Mediterranean, the East and West Indies and the North and South Americas.

He was present at the battle of Cape Santa Maria off southern Portugal in 1804, the Battle of Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1807 and also escorted the Governor General of India back to the sub-continent in 1805.

The book was donated to the university in the 1980s, and was in such a fragile condition that it was impossible to read.

The majority of logbooks were kept by officers as official documentation of a voyage, but his log provides a valuable historical insight into what life was like below the decks.

Emily said: "I found it fascinating to hear about life in the 19th century from the point of view of a normal person.

"The spelling is erratic and you have to sound out the letters to get the word. There are still a few that we have to crack and I hope that someone reading the logbook online may be able to provide the missing ports of call."

Emily transcribed the work as part of a work experience programme at the university.

Lesley Richmond, Director of Archive Services, said: "We had to have it properly conserved and transcribed so everyone could read Andrew Service's description of his travels as a sailor in Lord Nelson's Navy."

"It is a fascinating read of far-flung places as well as descriptions of sea battles, the seizing of enemy ships and the deaths of fellow shipmates."