Marine store dealer

In the 1871 census my 2xgt-grandfather gave his occupation as 'Marine store dealer', which puzzled me as I didn't think the family had any connection with the sea. It was only later I learnt that the term often referred to dealers in secondhand goods, and this definition has proved to be the correct one for my ancestor. The family lived in Colchester, Essex, in Magdalen Street which was a busy thoroughfare in the less salubrious part of the town. When I was trying out the online version of the British Newspaper Archive a year ago I did a search using just two terms - the family surname plus 'Colchester'. I couldn't believe the number of hits! Not all were relevant, but the gems included a number concerning my 2xgt-grandparents. Their shop on Magdalen Street did indeed deal in secondhand goods, some of which had been stolen and sold to the shop for cash. In many cases the police caught up with the culprits, my gt-gt-grandfather gave evidence, and the case was reported in the newspapers, naming names. The story has an ironic twist, however, as I found my gt-gt-grandfather in the list of Merchant Navy Seamen on findmypast! He had registered at the age of 17 in 1848 but doesn't seem to have travelled far. His entry however was pure gold as it gave a physical description, including height and colour of hair and eyes.