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I have been researching one of my forebears who was a merchants seaman from his apprenticeship in 1830. I have found information about him for the period 1835 to 1846 in the Merchant Seamen Registers but in both the 1851 and 1861 census he gives his occupation as a Running Fitter. As he was elsewhere described as a Seaman, Mate and Master Mariner during the same period I presume a Running Fitter was a role aboard a sailing ship within the Merchant Navy. Can anyone shed any light of what a Running Fitter did please? He seems to have spent most of his working life on Colliers between Hartlepool and London.

Thank you very much diddymiller. We now seem to have accounted with some certainty for 8 or possibly 9 of Lucy Addleton's children namely
Sarah Ann (Selby) b 1863 d 28/12/1878
Emma (Selby) b 5/1865 d 4 June 1865
Louisa Addleton b 1866 d 2/1900
William Henry b 1868 d 1934
Harriet b 1871
Arthur b 1873 d 3/1/1874
Clara b 1874
Eliza Ellen b 1877 d 19/12/1877

and possibly
Elizabeth b 1869 d 1869

So if Lucy herself was correct when she asserted in 1911 that she had had 16 children of whom 3 were living and 13 had died we are still missing 7. There were three living in 1911 (William Henry, Clara and Harriet) so she was right about that at least.

Lucy was 37 when Eliza Ellen was born in 1877 so in theory  she may have had several more years in which she could bear more children. I have not yet been able to analyse all the data to see if there are any other gaps where a full term baby could have been born in the earlier period. Today all children who are born alive have to be registered even if they die within a very short time. Does anyone know what was the custom and practice in the 1860/1870s? Would a baby which was born alive but died immediately after birth be registered or receive a normal burial?

Dusty2 I just read your piece about the site of Saltley Reformatory School. I am astonished to find that it was on Fordrough Lane and that the land was taken over by the Post Office. I used to work for BT and visited the BT factory on Fordrough Lane which may well be on  the same site. Now I am really intrigued! Is there an extant photo of the school?

Thank you very much dusty2. That's fascinating new information. After his mother's death in 1900 John William joined the Army for 12 years and served in NI, Egypt, Sudan and India. I knew the family was troubled but this adds a new slant.  My grandfather who was one of the younger brothers never talked much about his parents and I am beginning to get a flavour of why!!