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'Riggers' as nickname?
davebarry7
In researching residence of ancestors in Griffiths Revision Books in 1901-1910, I've found an Alfred Riggers at an address I suspect was inhabited by my grandfather, who was carpenter on the lightship at Ballywalter. I suspect that the place was uninhabited often, what with him offshore and his young family spending much time elsewhere. There is no Riggers to be found in the 1901 census, so I wonder if 'Riggers' could have been a common nickname for the coastguards, and thus possibly given by a neighbour in lieu of not knowing his real surname?

Thanks
 
crimea1854
I've never heard the nickname 'Riggers' associated with men in the Coastguard Service. The only occasion where the term 'riggers' is used, is as 'seaman riggers' employed in one of the naval dockyards.

Martin
 
davebarry7
As ever, Martin, thanks. I'm fairly confident that what I suggest about who lived there is correct (having now correlated data from 1901 census, a birth and a marriage record, exhaustive name searching and neighbour matching), so am drawn towards a tentative conclusion that a neighbour referred to him as a Rigger, meaning associated with the small yard that presumably was attached to the CG station. He had only just arrived when his name was given as Riggers.
 
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