Author Topic: Merchant Seaman record (BT112)-decipher/advice request  (Read 2409 times)

Offline PabloC

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Merchant Seaman record (BT112)-decipher/advice request
« on: Tuesday 16 June 15 00:33 BST (UK) »
Evening,

I have just located the following entry within the above Merchant Navy Seaman record series and was wondering if anyone can a.) Decipher the parts I can't and b.) Advise whether further research is possible?

The details are as follows :

BT112/16 Merchant Navy Seamen

First Name: Law
Last Name: Cuddy
Age : 28
Birth Place: Liverpool
Birth County: Lancashire
Place: Liverpool

I believe this may be my x3  Great Grandfather Lawrence Cuddy, (born c.1811 according to 1841 census) who was a Shipwright by trade.

The entry against his name in this record appears to have been recorded in December 1835.

It states he is from Liverpool, Lancs, (although the 1841 census has him as Irish)...and it appears to have the word 'Shamrock' written next? Could this be the name of a ship?

Any clarification would be appreciated and any advice on whether/how I can discover any more on the back of this record would be greatly appreciated.

Paul

Arnold - Liverpool
Bennett-Co. Down, Ireland
Clisham-Liverpool/Ireland
Cox - Shropshire/Flintshire
Cuddy - Liverpool/Ireland
Dunne - Co. Laois, Ireland
Glue -Sussex
Guest - Staffordshire
Hughes - Co.Laios, Ireland
Jordan - Co.Down, Ireland
Lancaster - Cumberland
Manion - Liverpool/Galway, Ireland
Pearson - Cumberland
Vallely - Co.Louth, Ireland

Offline Billiegirl

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Re: Merchant Seaman record (BT112)-decipher/advice request
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 16 June 15 11:13 BST (UK) »

Hi Pablo, I think Shamrock probably is a ship, as there's one of that name on the Liverpool Ships site   (date 1856) which ran between Liverpool and New York. Perhaps yours is an earlier version.
Have you tried to PM Seaweed? He's fantastic at this kind of thing.

Offline PabloC

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Re: Merchant Seaman record (BT112)-decipher/advice request
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 16 June 15 11:22 BST (UK) »
Many thanks Billiegirl. I will contact Seaweed as suggested.

Here's a better resolution scan of the portion of the record I'm concerned with too...

Paul
Arnold - Liverpool
Bennett-Co. Down, Ireland
Clisham-Liverpool/Ireland
Cox - Shropshire/Flintshire
Cuddy - Liverpool/Ireland
Dunne - Co. Laois, Ireland
Glue -Sussex
Guest - Staffordshire
Hughes - Co.Laios, Ireland
Jordan - Co.Down, Ireland
Lancaster - Cumberland
Manion - Liverpool/Galway, Ireland
Pearson - Cumberland
Vallely - Co.Louth, Ireland

Offline seaweed

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Re: Merchant Seaman record (BT112)-decipher/advice request
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 16 June 15 16:01 BST (UK) »
From what I can make out Lawrence Cuddy sailed on the Dublin registered vessel SHAMROCK previous to June 1836. 35 is the port number for Dublin and the number 236 is the vessels port rotation number. No "Key" to port rotation numbers has been discovered.
His rank is given as CR (Carpenter) which would square with the trade of Shipwright.
The month of June would suggest a Half yearly crew agreement for a coastal vessel, possibly trading across the Irish Sea.
Few details of the Dublin registered vessel SHAMROCK are to hand but the entries in Lloyds Register suggest she was built in 1833/34 and was deleted from Lloyds Reg. in 1838/39. She was of 192 tons and her master throughout her career was A Church.
To prove this was the ship your man sailed on in 1836 you need to look at the crew agreements for this year at the National Archive. If it is any where it should be here

http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C4064603

Be aware that many of these documents have been lost or destroyed. A visit to Kew would be your best bet.
Dim ateb yn well nag ateb anghywir. Nid oes dim yn ddall fel rhai nad ydynt yn dymuno gweld

RIP Roger 10 August 2022


Offline PabloC

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Re: Merchant Seaman record (BT112)-decipher/advice request
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 16 June 15 20:11 BST (UK) »
Seaweed,

Many, many thanks! That's great. Having so little information on him as I do compared to other ancestors of this generation, any additional bits are always a fantastic bonus.

As regards the record in question,  clearly there is only reference to one crew agreement (Jun 1836) against Lawrence's name compared to others who have many. (Surely he can't have embarked on just one six month term? )

Are there any common reasons for this? (I appreciate this a bit of an open ended question...)

Thanks again!

Paul
Arnold - Liverpool
Bennett-Co. Down, Ireland
Clisham-Liverpool/Ireland
Cox - Shropshire/Flintshire
Cuddy - Liverpool/Ireland
Dunne - Co. Laois, Ireland
Glue -Sussex
Guest - Staffordshire
Hughes - Co.Laios, Ireland
Jordan - Co.Down, Ireland
Lancaster - Cumberland
Manion - Liverpool/Galway, Ireland
Pearson - Cumberland
Vallely - Co.Louth, Ireland

Offline seaweed

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Re: Merchant Seaman record (BT112)-decipher/advice request
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 16 June 15 20:26 BST (UK) »
The crew agreement would cover the period of the previous six months. During this time the vessel could make several coastal or Home Trade voyages with the same or different crew members.

http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/records/research-guides/merchant-shipping-crewlists-agreements-1747-1860.htm#18962

Having only one vessel mentioned could mean that he may not have made any voyages after June 1836 or more likely it was not recorded on his seamans ticket. The documents from FindMyPast are office records.
The ticketing system was not popular with seamen and was costly to administer hence there are lots of blanks.
If you can get hold of the crew agreement it may tell you his previous ship, if any.
Dim ateb yn well nag ateb anghywir. Nid oes dim yn ddall fel rhai nad ydynt yn dymuno gweld

RIP Roger 10 August 2022

Offline PabloC

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Re: Merchant Seaman record (BT112)-decipher/advice request
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 16 June 15 21:45 BST (UK) »
So, a lack of records does not necessarily indicate that he stopped sailing, merely that he did not adhere to the ticketing system...I get it.
Arnold - Liverpool
Bennett-Co. Down, Ireland
Clisham-Liverpool/Ireland
Cox - Shropshire/Flintshire
Cuddy - Liverpool/Ireland
Dunne - Co. Laois, Ireland
Glue -Sussex
Guest - Staffordshire
Hughes - Co.Laios, Ireland
Jordan - Co.Down, Ireland
Lancaster - Cumberland
Manion - Liverpool/Galway, Ireland
Pearson - Cumberland
Vallely - Co.Louth, Ireland

Offline seaweed

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Re: Merchant Seaman record (BT112)-decipher/advice request
« Reply #7 on: Wednesday 17 June 15 20:05 BST (UK) »
Yes. Merchant seafaring by its very nature, dos not lend itself to accurate personal record keeping.
Dim ateb yn well nag ateb anghywir. Nid oes dim yn ddall fel rhai nad ydynt yn dymuno gweld

RIP Roger 10 August 2022