Help with Job Description

ali2511 · Post by **ali2511** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:28 am

Hi

Sorry if this is a really stupid question..

Does anybody know what a Tide Waiter did and where he was likely to have worked around Londonderry in 1850's?

Any help is much appreciated

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:50 am

Hi Ali

A Tide Waiter was part of the Customs and Excise Service. He was the person who climbed aboard every boat that put into a port to ensure that nothing was removed from the boat until the Excise duty had been paid.

Londonderry would need to have had quite a few Tide Waiters as it was quite a busy port.

Effectively they were official guards for the Excise Service covering port arrivals at all hours of the day or night until the valuator arrived to estimate dues.
Some of them were not above taking a bung to turn a blind eye to a barrel of port being dropped over the side into a longboat. They were not well paid and were not at all popular with ships crews or captains since they held up the unloading of cargo.

Russell

ali2511 · Post by **ali2511** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:36 am

Cheers Russell - I didn't think anyone would reply!

I don't suppose you know if Customs & Excise would have records for Tide Waiters from back then?

Thanks again
Ali

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 11:48 am

Hi Ali

I don't know why you thought your question was a daft one ?

The occupational titles used have to be considered in the context of the times. Folk wonder about a 'cattle feeder' in the middle of a city forgetting that cities had open spaces and were surrounded by fields usually. Cows give milk and meat, both essential to the diet at the time. Simple answer.

I have been searching for an answer given some time ago about records relating to Customs and Excise and can't find it. I think my 'key words' must be the wrong ones in Search.
Perhaps someone else will remember

Rabbie Burns (the poet) was an Excise Officer although he was more concerned with illicit stills and whisky production but if you Google along those lines you may find some answers to some of the questions that haven't popped into your head yet

Russell
P.S. There are no 'silly' questions - only silly answers.

ali2511 · Post by **ali2511** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 3:47 pm

Thanks for the info Russell

Post by **paddyscar** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 5:15 pm

This post by LesleyB links to the National Archives information on Custom & Excise records

http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic. ... oms+excise

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 9:16 pm

Thank you Frances

That's the one.

must be getting senile or something. Why couldn't I find it

Russell

Post by **paddyscar** » Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:30 pm

Russell:

Maybe a slip of the digits

I entered customs AND excise in the search facility and it came up with 10 items.
This was listed in Tips to Help Your Searching FAQs General Discussion Research Resources

Frances