A Marine Store Dealer was a licensed broker who bought and sold used cordage, bunting, rags, timber, metal and other general waste materials. He usually sorted the purchased waste by kind, grade etc. He also repaired and mended sacks etc.
Marine Store Dealers were governed by an Act of Parliament 1st. Geo. IV. sec.16 cap.75. Which enacted that every marine-store-dealer shall have his name inserted in legible characters over his shop-door and shall also keep a book in which he shall insert the name and address of any person from whom he shall buy any article.
Apparently Marine Store Dealers were also not allowed to buy full lengths of rope. A search of the "Times" archive brings up many references to them and nearly all were in relation to police courts. In Dicken's "A Christmas Carol" is Joe, a marine store dealer and receiver of stolen goods.
From the OED
3. marine-store dealer, keeper, shop.
1836 DICKENS Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. I. 238 There is not a marine-store shop in the neighbourhood which does not exhibit for sale some faded articles of dramatic finery. 1836 DICKENS Sketches by Boz 1st Ser. I. 91 The marine-store dealer at the corner of the street. 1844 Ainsworth's Mag. 6 112 A marine-store keeper of the pilfered orts and ends of literature. 1851 H. MAYHEW London Labour II. 139/1 Anything that is saleable at the rag-and-bottle or marine-store shop. 1869 Punch 17 July 22/1 They were marine-store dealers. 1922 Econ. Jrnl. 32 308 The improving organisation of the marine-store dealers and other handlers of ‘junk’. 1964 ELH 31 311 William departs with Susan to set up a marine-stores shop.
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