I wrote last week as below and have received some useful information not posted to MAR, which I would like to summarise, and see if others can help with the outstanding questions. I have learnt that in principal anything over 15tons with a deck should be registered, and boats with similar names can be sorted with their numbers and the use of the 'crewlist' site. Drowned seamen can probably found with others died at sea on British ships at National Archives / BMD Registers / BT159 Or Find My Past. There are two Samuel Mitchell, Master died at sea around 1881 / 1882. 'Mine' seems to have died with all the crew aboard the <Shells of the Ocean> in 1882. To complicate matters, there seems to have been two <Shells of the Ocean> ; one in Grimsby and one in Lowestoft. 'Mine' is the Lowestoft boat. The other - the Grimsby boat, seems to have come to grief, stranded, at Rattry Head in 1888. So, not a lucky name. I have tried googling it, but get bogged down in periwinkles and conch shells. If SKS has access to the Norfolk/Suffolk/East Anglian newspapers I would love to know what happened. Deaths are recorded on 29 April 1882. Irene> > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Irene Read > To: Mary Herbert > Sent: Monday, May 02, 2011 12:51 PM > Subject: Samuel Mitchell, drowned seaman , 1881 > > > My ancestor, Samuel Mitchell is found in the 1881 census as the master of the 'Leading Star' at Lowestoft, on board the ship / boat on the night of April 3rd with four crew members: a mate, two AB seamen and a 14-year-old cook. > > In July 1881, we have the baptism of a Samuel William Mitchell at Stockton, Norfolk ; the son of Samuel and Emma Mitchell ; which has a note "the father lately drowned at sea". > > I cannot find a burial record for Norfolk or Suffolk, which is not suprising perhaps, if he was lost overboard. However, I cannot find a death registered either. Does anyone know the usual procedure in these horribly common C19th fishing tragedies? Would the widow wait 7years for a presumption of death? Can you have a coroner's inquest without a body? There is a Board of Trade Inquiry record of Grimsby fishing deaths through this period on line: was this a national enquiry and are the records at Kew or elsewhere, or even on-line? > > I assume the Leading Star, with a crew of 4+1 idler was something small, like a smack. Are there records for ships/boats that small? Would the master have any registered qualification? > > A lot of questions, I am afraid, but I would be grateful for any information or even hints as to where to look. > > > > Irene > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to MARINERS-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message