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  1. #1
    Slapshot21
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    Default Revenue Service records

    Hi all!
    My 5 x great grandfather Norman Chisholm was born in Stornoway, Scotland in 1808. I knew he was in the Coast Guard and the Revenue Service before that, but didn't know much else about those careers. Just recently, I found his Coast Guard records and they told me a lot! (the free downloads from the National Archives) At the time of his nomination to the Coast Guard from the Revenue service in 1842, he was serving on the HMRC Stork. He was stationed at Rickham from 1842 to 1847, when he is moved to the Hartlepool station due to his "wife's misconduct". (what?)
    I know he married his wife Elizabeth Pierce in 1835 in Newhaven, Sussex (2 kids there), the family then moved to Plymouth (3 kids there), then the Rickham/Portlemouth area (4 kids there), and lastly Hartlepool (1 last child there).
    So my questions are; can I find out when and where he joined the revenue service? (I know there was a station in Stornoway) Did he serve on other ships besides the Stork? And will I ever be able to find out what his wife did to get him moved to Hartlepool? (after the wife's misconduct part, it says "R 6638", can that tell me something?) My imagination is running wild with all sorts of ideas for that last question!
    Any help is greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!
    Sylvia

  2. #2
    Valued member of Brit-Gen
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    Silvia

    It is possible to trace his early career in the Revenue Cruisers, but you have to do this in person at the National Archives by consulting their Muster Books. There are two for Stork, ADM 119/120 covers 1824-34 and ADM 119/121 1834-42. Re his wifes misconduct I'm afraid this is likely to remain a mystery.

    What you may not know is that many men in the Coastguard Service were issued with a Merchant Seamen's Ticket. These are available online if you access the pay to view site FMP. I checked and Norman is indexed in BT114, and after a little searching I did finally manage to find his ticket in BT113 (No. 133,443) since it was only indexed by his christian name. This was issued in 1845 while at Rickham, on it his date of birth is given as 8 March 1808, 5' 7 1/2'' tall, black hair, ruddy complexion, blue eyes, first went to sea as a boy in 1822, never served in the Royal Navy.

    Martin
    Coastguards of Yesteryear

  3. #3
    Slapshot21
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    Thank you for that information Martin! I had found his ticket number on Find My Past, but being in America, I am not able to visit the National Archives. I had thought about ordering copies of the Stork's muster books, but after reading up on how I would have to order the whole thing, I knew that could get pretty expensive, so for the moment I will set that aside. But thank you so much for his description! Fantastic! Now I know where my Dad got his black hair, while most of his family is fair.
    Thanks again!

    Sylvia

  4. #4
    Name well known on Brit-Gen
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    May 2010
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    Hello Sylvia

    Check out the dialogue written against Norman's name on this link

    https://www.genuki.org.uk/big/Coastguards/C.html

    J

  5. #5
    Slapshot21
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    Default

    Thanks Geneius,
    I had seen that dialogue a few years ago, and just assumed that Norman's wife didn't want to live on station with him. In light of what I found the other day, maybe she was not permitted to live with him on station. It certainly is interesting. I do know that she died 1 month after the 1951 census; I wonder if Norman was saddened by her death, or relieved....no more wife causing trouble!

  6. #6
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    Sylvia

    I was at the National Archives today, and had a few spare minutes so looked at Stork's Muster Book (ADM 119/121). This shows that Norman first entered Stork from Newhaven on 19 July 1835, as a Mariner, and was discharged on 13 August 1842. There is a note 'Harpy RC in consequence of transfer of the Stork' for one of the preceeding men in the Book, with the rest of the crew dittoed, including Norman, but I suspect it was at this point that he got himself nominated to a landbased Coastguard Station, rather than transfer to Harpy.

    Martin

  7. #7
    Slapshot21
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    Hi Martin,

    Sorry I have taken so long to get back to you. I finally got a job after being unemployed for 2 years and only yesterday log onto this site. So please forgive my delay in getting back to you, it was not intentional.

    Do you know if there is a way to find out what other ships Norman served on before the Stork? If it is at all possible, which I know it might not be. I am just one of those people who need to know as much as possible about my ancestors. And Norman has really intrigued me. It just amazes me that a guy from Stornoway, which is almost at the top of Scotland, made it down to Newhaven, met his wife there, went to Plymouth, Kingsbridge, and finally Hartlepool. He seems to have led quite the life!

    Also, with your knowledge of the Coast Guard; when a man is restationed, how does he get to the new station? Over land (by either train, or another mode) or by boat? And would he go first, and his family follow later? Sorry for all the questions, they have been building up over the past few months.

    Thank you for taking the time to look up the Stork's muster book and relaying that info to me. It is greatly appreciated. I wish I could go to the National Archives in person, but being across the pond makes that a bit of a problem. Hopefully some day soon!

    Sylvia

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