Hi listers I have been looking for a Dearness ancestor in the Registers of wages & effects of deceased seamen, BT153, at TNA, Kew. These entries I found may be of interest to someone: BT 153/3, p 54. Dearness, Robert Ship - The Dunbar, Official no 159, Port belonging to - London; Master : Green Vessel lost all hands drowned at Sydney, 20/8/1857 Wages paid off at Limehouse 17/12/1857 BT153/4, p145 Dearness, Wm Ship - Hendon, Official no 2.626, Port belonging to -Sunderland, Master : not noted. Drowned W coast of Jutland, 4/10/1860 Effects lost, wages paid off at Sunderland, 29/10/1860, £2.18s.0d Judith _________________________________________________________________ Get Hotmail on your mobile from Vodafone http://clk.atdmt.com/UKM/go/107571435/direct/01/

Judith - a valuable bit of information for someone no doubt ! Google searches reveal Jutland [the site of one shipwreck, wages being paid in in Sunderland] is part of Denmark and Limehouse [where wages were paid off in the Sydney shipwreck] is a borough on the north bank of the Thames near the center of London's footprint. Am not familiar with "Wages paid off at..."...does that mean the deceased seaman's family could collect the wages due him at the time he died ? Did someone have to actually travel to Limehouse or Sunderland to collect ? Would someone from Orkney actually have traveled as far as the northeastern tip of England to collect 2 Pounds Sterling, 18 Shillings or was the deceased's widow or child be more likely living in the Sunderland area ? Too many questions for a short answer maybe, but I'm new to understanding the dynamics of shipwrecks, now seeing its more than solely the horrendous loss of the men aboard. Meg Greenwood / Oklahoma USA ========================= >