Hello Celia,
Thanks for the information and indeed for spending the time looking it up, it was very good of you. Yes, it's a great help. The reference to Joseph as a ships store dealer tallies with what I could (just barely) read on the 1891 census return, though Heath and Co are a mystery to me, so that's another angle to follow up. I suppose he must have given up working for Gibson and Co some time before, though he has always been a rather shadowy figure to track down, so this latest developement does not come as a complete surprise. Whilst in Liverpool I hope to go and examine the Customs Bills of Entry at the Maritime Museum there, if he was a ship's merchant in his later years, as this new info seems to indicate he or his employers may get a mention.
As to his burial, I think I might take a trip to Birkenhead to take a look around and see where he lived and perhaps pop into some of the smaller graveyards to have a look around. Perhaps something of a wild goose chase on my part, but it can be quite pleasant to while away an afternoon in that fashion, especially after going over dusty old documents of a morning.
Anyhow, again, do please except my thanks for your help on this matter. If I do find anything more of interest I'll post it here.
Gary