Ships and shipping
Many Post Office directories include shipping lists, being lists of vessels held in a certain city, town or local area. They would usually record the ship's name and also include information on the owner and master.
The lists are also a great resource for researching the size and age of ships.
For example, the 'Dundee directory' for 1809 records a vessel built in 1746 and weighing only 14 tons.
Some directories might also give lists of shipping companies, including details of their agents and managers, as well as the owned vessels and their masters. Occasionally they also give details of the routes and times those ships would sail.
New jobs in the shipping industry
Scotland's 19th-century west coast was particularly famous for its shipbuilding sites and international trading. However, the booming industry created many diverse new jobs all across the country.
One example is William M'Dougall's company, established in 1860 and based in Edinburgh's Fountainbridge. It specialised in making packing cases, producing 'Tin and zinc lined boxes for export' as well as 'Trunks and chests made to order'.
