As you might have noticed, there are many objects of the Royal Navy that have an arrow engraved, burned in, printed etc.. This sign is a broad arrow and goes back to the Crusades, means nothing else than that this object, which could really be anything, from Ships biscuits to glass to clothing also prizes and cannons, belongs to the British goverment.
“Proberty of His Majesty the King” What’s not to be equated with that it belongs to the Royal Navy. The Royal Navy belonged in the figurative sense also to the King, only the East India Company belonged until a certain time to itself and used its own marking.
It was simply used for marking and identification in the event of theft. However, even today it is very popular among archaeologists and historians because it enables us to distinguish private property from goverment property.
Interestingly, this marking did not stop with the end of the 19th century or the age of sail. On the contrary it disappeared 1980.
