On 2 December 1884, the Secretary to the Admiralty stated, "The present Board have been gradually developing, and, as I would venture to say, in an effective manner, our resources for the protection of commerce.

The late Board of Admiralty laid down an admirable type for the purpose in the Leander class.

We have followed in their footsteps by producing the Mersey type, and we now propose to go a step further in the same direction, by laying down vessels of the Mersey class, but protected by a belt in lieu of an armoured deck.

The following table gives the build details and purchase cost of the members of the Orlando class.

Standard British practice at that time was for these costs to exclude armament and stores.