What kind of merchant? from 1851 UK census

[Wiggy]

It has been transcribed as fish on the records - and I will stick with fish having seen the original by looking it up for myself - I think the 'sh' is fairly clear  (actually I think the 'fi' is reasonably clear also!!   ) - and also seems a much more likely occupation given what he moved into.   

Is it possible the Plymouth directory could be incorrectly transcribed Shaun??

Wiggy     

[ShaunJ]

It's clear from the records in the Gazette and in the 1852 Directory that Arthur Pardew was in business in the early 1850's with Henry Holman as "Holman and Pardew" and their business was that of mercers (silk merchants) and linen drapers.

Therefore I would say that the occupation shown on that 1851 census page has been wrongly transcribed by the enumerator from the original census sheet (or possibly just badly written).

[ShaunJ]

Here they are in the 1847 directory http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~terryw/plydirec/plym1847/plymouth/holljenk.jpg

[1pds]

Could he have been involved in two businesses at the same time?  The original posting certainly looks like "fish" and it appears that the Gazette entry is "silk". 

Alternatively, perhaps he made money as a fish merchant, bought his ship after the census and went into silk...?

[1pds]

I see the 1847 Directory has them listed as a linen and woollen drapers, not silk.

[ShaunJ]

I don't know when the shipowning started. Arthur's father John was already a ship owner in the 1852 directory (though in the 1851 census he's listed as a retired inn-keeper).

The Exeter and Plymouth Gazette for 3rd January 1846 has an item concerning fishing vessels owned by Messrs Pardew

I can see newpaper references from the 1850's onwards  to ships named the "John Pardew" and "Arthur Pardew" and others being built for Messrs Pardew.

[Acacia]

Many thanks everyone for your input and for taking to trouble to reference directories etc.  That gives me some more avenues to help sort out these pesky Pardews.  As for the Fish/Silk Merchant - I'm ambivalent - but it does look as though it could be written over.

[1pds]

On closer inspection it looks as if it may have been over-written...