Mariners in Bristol in the seventeenth and eighteen centuries -An analysis based on probate inventories-

The purpose of this research note is to study the mariner occupation in Bristol by analyzing probate inventories from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. A large percentage of people were engaged in the occupation of a mariner, and this was a primary occupation for many in Bristol. In this research note, the general distribution and value of mariners' inventories are determined. It is difficult to define the occupation of a mariner by referring to only one image. Almost all mariners belonged to the middle-income group, but some inventories recorded very high values. High-value inventories were particularly recorded in the seventeenth century. Hence, the mariner occupation belonged to the upper-middle-income group in the seventeenth century; later, this occupation gave way to that of low-wage worker in the eighteenth century. The word gmarinerh has a board meaning, and it cannot be restricted to only one occupation.