They were envisaged from 1883 onwards by Admiral Sir Astley Cooper Key to replace existing sloops as ancillaries for working with the British Fleet and also for trade protection; a total of twenty such ships were planned by him, but only eight were built.

These ships mainly served in the British Empire's foreign fleets being on various stations throughout the north Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans.

On 10 November 1890, HMS Serpent was caught in heavy storm off the northwest coast of Spain.

The ship attempted to reach shelter but ran aground near Camariñas on the treacherous Costa da Morte of Galicia.

[3] The seven other ships of the Archer class would quickly lose their usefulness to the Royal Navy as shipbuilding and design moved at a rapid pace around the turn of the century.