Should any like me be chasing a Master Mariner, you might find the following of interest. As mine made a home in Cheshire he might have been in salt. I've had this suggestion put to me before and that Whitehaven was another place where mariners can be found. http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/nof/docks/index2.html# Coastal Trade Coastal trade involves moving goods by boat from place to place. Until the coming of the railways, many people also found it easier to travel by boat. Coastal trade was very important to Liverpool, even before it became a large international port and long before canals and turnpikes were built. Small ships took goods to ports as far away as Scotland, Wales and Ireland. What Was Shipped? Coasters (vessels that travelled these coastal routes) transported many types of food, products and raw materials to and from Liverpool. Coal was transported from Lancashire to power industry and steam ships, and to warm homes. Salt from Cheshire was used in industry, e.g. to make soap. China clay from Cornwall was used for making paper and fine ceramics (pottery). Iron from Furness (Lancashire coast) and stone from North Wales were used for many different purposes including building roads and making machinery. Foodstuffs and animals for slaughter. Manufactured goods for export, such as pottery from Staffordshire and ironwork from Liverpool. Coastal Vessels Flats - Until the end of the 19th century, small wooden sailing vessels known as Mersey flats were used on local rivers and to ports on the North Wales and Lancashire coasts. Many flats were built in Northwich, Runcorn and Widnes, and were ideal for a number of reasons: Flats were strongly built and could carry heavy cargoes. They had a small draught and flat bottoms so they could be loaded and unloaded on the beach and would stay upright at low tide. They only needed a crew of three people. This made them cheap to run and easy to manoeuvre. They could sail with little or no ballast. Schooners - These were larger than flats. They carried almost any cargo to Ireland and beyond. They were strongly built of wood, with two or three masts rigged fore-and-aft. By 1890's schooners were built of iron or steel instead, and some even had steam or diesel engines, e.g. the Merseyside Maritime Museum's three-masted vessel, De Wadden (1917). Coastal steamers - From the late 19th century, steam boats became more popular than sailing vessels as they did not need certain winds or currents, and became more economic to run. They provided vital coastal services from Liverpool until World War II. Back to the map - at the link above. Janet