Arthur and the Mermaid Woman

[antonymark]

Afternoon all,

My entry for inspired transcription of the week. 

I was looking for Arthur Macilroy in 1939 on findmypast and two likely looking ones came up in the search results. Looking at the first one (RG101/1557B/010/14 DDBH) in Coggeshall, Braintree, Essex I could see that this was my man as his occupation of 'Isinglass Roller and Cutter' matches his trade when I last found him in 1911. The transcription shows several unrelated people, mostly working with isinglass, and heading the household is Nora B Jackson whose occupation is given as

Mermaid Woman .

Cue an attack of the giggles and a look at the image!

The original reveals that the occupation of Mrs Jackson is .... 'married woman'. There is also a Harold Jackson who has not made it onto the transcription at all. He is a 'Company Director' and not  a merman!

Then for thoroughness I looked at the other result (RG101/1312B/010/14 CMBL) at Richmond Upon Thames, Barnes and here is the oddest thing. It's a slightly different transcription of the same people! This time Mrs Jackson is a 'Marmed Woman' (not nearly as much fun!), Mr Jackson is still missing and Arthur's birthdate is different. The image is of the same page and shows the Braintree location to be the correct one.

I'm not at all sure what has happened here but it has had me smiling all afternoon.

  Tony 

[Milliepede]

Good one 

[andrewalston]

It looks like more than one person had an off day!

Barnes is on the opposite side of London from Braintree. The place name is clear enough at the top of the sheet!

Others on the page seem to have been allocated second homes too, as have those on following pages, but not the preceding one.

It makes a change from the chap in my research who was registered in two places. He had his correct year of birth in his wife's residence, and two years out at his digs near his place of work. There are notes in the margin!

[brigidmac]

That gave me a laugh
It would be great to say you are related to a mermaid

I was expecting a theatrical connection where she dressed as a mermaid on stage

It is an actual job at some sea world places these days 😂

[antonymark]

If Mrs Jackson had really been a Mermaid Woman I wonder what she would have made of what Arthur and the others were doing for a living. 

Looking at things in more depth I've learnt that isinglass is obtained from the dried swim bladders of fish and used today mostly for clarification and fining of beer and wine. It can also be cooked into a paste to make glue. Before the more widespread use of gelatine isinglass was used in confectionary and desserts like jelly and blancmange.

Given that Coggeshall address I think it probable that Arthur worked at Swinborne's on West Street.

https://coggeshallmuseum.org/isinglass/

Tony.