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Author Topic: Seafarer's wage in 1890 -- £300 for 5 days work??  (Read 738 times)

Offline Kingsclere

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Seafarer's wage in 1890 -- £300 for 5 days work??
« on: Tuesday 29 December 20 11:31 GMT (UK) »
The attached screenshot taken from from the "Canada, Seafarers of the Atlantic Provinces, 1789-1935" database on Ancestry with details of my great great grandfather. He seems to have been paid an enormous wage of £300 for the 5 day voyage from Exmouth, Devon to Barry in Wales. Surely that can't be correct?
According the National Archives tool that would be over £25,000 now!

Is it probably a case where the database entry should have been 3.00 instead? I found that wages of others in this database are similarly high, so seems to be a systematic error.

Offline davidft

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Re: Seafarer's wage in 1890 -- £300 for 5 days work??
« Reply #1 on: Tuesday 29 December 20 11:40 GMT (UK) »
I assume that is on Ancestry.com because it does not appear to be on Ancestry.co.uk ?
James Stott c1775-1850. James was born in Yorkshire but where? He was a stonemason and married Elizabeth Archer (nee Nicholson) in 1794 at Ripon. They lived thereafter in Masham. If anyone has any suggestions or leads as to his birthplace I would be interested to know. I have searched for it for years without success. Thank you.

Offline Sandblown

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Re: Seafarer's wage in 1890 -- £300 for 5 days work??
« Reply #2 on: Tuesday 29 December 20 12:03 GMT (UK) »
https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/seamen-wages

The bove link gives a short history on Seaman's Wages. A Bosun was a highly skilled Seaman, and wages were comparable to what was required of Their duties on board ships. A monthly wage, indicated that the Bosun was a regular employee of a Shipping Line.
Kirkham, Garlick, Worthington, Shaw, Bamber. Fylde Coast
Naylor/Nailor, Lyons, Wilkinson. Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire
Redfern. Cheshire/Derbyshire
LeFebvere, Lincolnshire

Offline ShaunJ

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Re: Seafarer's wage in 1890 -- £300 for 5 days work??
« Reply #3 on: Tuesday 29 December 20 12:15 GMT (UK) »
£3 seems far more likely.
UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline Bookbox

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Re: Seafarer's wage in 1890 -- £300 for 5 days work??
« Reply #4 on: Tuesday 29 December 20 13:12 GMT (UK) »
Quote from: ShaunJ on Tuesday 29 December 20 12:15 GMT (UK)
£3 seems far more likely.
Agreed.

Look at the Royal Navy pay rates for comparison? In 1912, for example, a boatswain in the RN was getting between 6 and 9 shillings per day (according to length of service).

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~pbtyc/genealogy/Naval.html#Scales

Offline Kingsclere

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Re: Seafarer's wage in 1890 -- £300 for 5 days work??
« Reply #5 on: Tuesday 29 December 20 14:20 GMT (UK) »
Quote from: davidft on Tuesday 29 December 20 11:40 GMT (UK)
I assume that is on Ancestry.com because it does not appear to be on Ancestry.co.uk ?

Oh sorry, didn't realise there might be a difference in available sources. I'm using my library access (in UK).

Thanks to everyone that replied... consensus does seem to be that the quoted wages in that database need to be divided by 100!

Offline ShaunJ

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Re: Seafarer's wage in 1890 -- £300 for 5 days work??
« Reply #6 on: Tuesday 29 December 20 14:31 GMT (UK) »
It is on Ancestry UK but not easy to find https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/9274/
UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk

Offline davidft

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Re: Seafarer's wage in 1890 -- £300 for 5 days work??
« Reply #7 on: Tuesday 29 December 20 15:38 GMT (UK) »
Quote from: ShaunJ on Tuesday 29 December 20 14:31 GMT (UK)
It is on Ancestry UK but not easy to find https://www.ancestry.co.uk/search/collections/9274/

Thanks for that. Yes it is on Ancestry.co.uk but you can not see the details you need the .com subscription for that.
James Stott c1775-1850. James was born in Yorkshire but where? He was a stonemason and married Elizabeth Archer (nee Nicholson) in 1794 at Ripon. They lived thereafter in Masham. If anyone has any suggestions or leads as to his birthplace I would be interested to know. I have searched for it for years without success. Thank you.

Offline ShaunJ

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Re: Seafarer's wage in 1890 -- £300 for 5 days work??
« Reply #8 on: Tuesday 29 December 20 16:35 GMT (UK) »
Not a .com sub necessarily but maybe a worldwide sub.
UK Census info. Crown Copyright, from www.nationalarchives.gov.uk
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