OBSCURE OLD ENGLISH CENSUS OCCUPATIONS Below is a list of some of the more obscure occupations that you may find on the English Census during your genealogy research. The English census has been taken every 10 years since 1841 but, because they can not be viewed by the public for 100 years, we only have access to the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 census. Because many of these jobs are no longer in existance there is a brief description against each one. Please note this list is by no means exhaustive and if you would like to add an obscure job to the list feel free to email us with your suggestion and its meaning.

PLEASE NOTE: This list has been checked and verified by ourselves (2012) and unlike some other websites that have a similar occupation list we have removed spurious occupations, added others and improved job description. We hope you find the updated information useful for your research. ABECEDARIAN A teacher of the alphabet

ABLE SEAMAN An unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. Also an Able Seaman was (and is) a naval rank for the lowest but one sailor rank, the lower rank being Ordinary Seaman or Seaman. It indicated a qualified sailor with service.

ACATER A present day caterer. A person who supplied food provisions to various outlets

ACCOMPTANT An accountant

ACCOUCHEUR A professional obstetrician. Assisted women in childbirth. A male physician skilled in the art and science of managing obstetrics. pregnancy, labour and the time after delivery

ACCOUCHEUS A midwife

ACCOUTREMENT MAKER or ACCOUTRER Someone who supplied dress or trappings equipment - i.e. the equipment of a solider other than arms and uniform.

ACTOR A theatrical performer. Performed on stage to audiences. (In the past, only men could become actors. In the ancient and medieval world, it was considered disgraceful for a woman to go on the stage -a belief that continued up until the 17th century.)

ACTUARY An account keeper. An officer or a mercantile or insurance company. Skilled in statistics, especially on the expectancy of life and the average proportion of losses by fire and other accidents

ADMINISTRATOR (ADMINISTRATRIX - female) Someone who directed the affairs of another i.e. A man who manages an intestate estate.

ADVOCATE One who pleads a case for another. To defend. E.g. Solicitor, Barrister.

AERONAUT A Balloonist. In some countries a trapeze artist

AFFEEROR or AFFEERER An official who assesses the monetary penalty due

AGISTER A person who affords pasture to the livestock of others for a price. (e.g. cattle, pigs, sheep, ponies, horses) Can also refer to forest pasturage or herbage.

ALABASTERER A person works with alabaster

ALCHEMIST A medieval chemist who claimed to be able to turn base metals into gold

ALDERMAN A civic dignitary in the local council. Next in rank below the mayor

ALE DRAPER A seller of ale

ALE TASTER An appointed inspector/quality tester of ale and beer first recorded in London 1377. The forerunner of Weights & Measures Act

ALE TUNNER Someone employed by the brewery to fill ale casks (tuns} with ale

ALE-CONNER or ALE FOUNDER An inspector of ale, who tested the quality and measure of ale served in public houses

ALE-HOUSE-KEEPER or ALEHOUSE KEEPER The landlord of a tavern / public house landlord (pub, Inn)

ALE-WIFE A woman who keeps an alehouse or tavern

ALMONER The person who distributed alms or charity to the poor on behalf of the parish

ALNAGER or ALNAGAR or AULNAGAR An officer in England formally appointed to inspect and measure woollen cloth, and fix upon it a seal.

AMANUENSIS A Scribe or a person who takes down dictation. Secretary or stenographer or a manual labourer.

AMBER & JET CUTTER A person who cuts and polishes amber and jet for jewellery

AMBER CUTTER A person who cuts ambergris which is an ash coloured odorous substance used in perfumery.

ANCHORITE or ANCHORET (male) ANCHORESS or ANCRESS (female) Denotes a person who, for religious reasons, withdraws from secular society to lead an intensely prayer-oriented, ascetic and focused life. As a result, anchorites are usually considered to be a type of religious hermit, although there are distinctions in their historical development and theology. Hermit or religious recluse

ANCHORSMITH A person who made anchors for boats and ships

ANGLE IRON SMITH A person who made angle iron i.e. flat iron bars bent at an angle

ANILEPMAN A sub-tenant on a smallholding

ANKLE BEATER A young person who helped to drive the cattle to market

ANNATTO MAKER Someone who worked in the manufacture of dyes for paint or printing, using dye from annatto. This is a dye, yellow or orange in colour and was gained from the achiote trees found in Latin American and the Caribbean.

ANTIGROPELOS MAKER A person who made waterproof leggings

ANNUITANT Not strictly an occupation but something you may come across under the occupation title which indications that the person was able to support themselves financial from their own savings or investments � for example stocks and shares.(See also Fundholder or LOOM)

ANVIL SMITH Someone who made anvils and hammers for blacksmiths

APIARIST A Beekeeper

APOTHECARY Someone who prepared and sold medicines or drugs; pharmacist,chemist

APPARITOR or USHER Formerly an officer to execute the order of the magistrate, judge or court. An official who serves the summons and executes the process of the ecclesiastical court. Also the mace bearer or beadle of a university or similarly functionary.

APPRAISER An evaluator who estimates the value of land

APPRENTICE Someone who was learning a trade by being bound to a skilled worker for a specified time

APRONEER or APRONMAN Commonly refered to a London shopkeeper - or someone who wore an apron to work.

AQUAFORTIST A person who etches or engraves with aqua-fortis - a solution of nitric acid

AQUAVITA SELLER Someone who sold unrectified alcohol (popularly ardent spirits like brandy)

ARBALESTER A crossbow man

ARCHIATOR A chief physician or doctor

ARCHIL MAKER Someone who used lichens to make a violet-coloured dye to use in the textile industry.

ARKWRIGHT A skilled craftsman who produced wooden chests or coffers (Arks)

ARMOURER A person who made suits of armour or plates of armour for buildings or ships etc.

ARMY CLOTHIER One who made clothes / uniforms for the Army

ARPENTEUR A land surveyor

ARTIFICER A highly respected skilled or artistic worker or craftsman or a skilled mechanic in the armed forces, chiefly British. It may also refer to a person who makes artifacts

ASHMAN A dustman

ASSAY MASTER Determined the amount of gold or silver to go in coins

ASSAYER Determined the proportions of metal in ore

ATTORNEY A Lawyer

AUCTIONEER Dealer. Person who sells goods at auction and is usually paid by commission on the sale.

AUGER MAKER Someone who made the carpenters augers (used for boring holes in wood)

AURIFABER A Goldsmith

AWL BLADE MAKER A metal tool used to work on leather / leatherwork. Mainly used by saddlers and cobblers (shoemakers)

AXEMAN or AXMAN One who wields an axe. Woodsman.

AXLE (AXEL)TREE MAKER or AXLE (AXEL) TREE TURNER Made axles for coaches and wagons





BACK WASHER Employed to clean the wool in the worsted manufacturing industry

BACKMANN or BACKSTER or BAXTER or BECK or BECKER A Baker

BACK'US BOY A kitchen servant from the back of the house

BADGER A licenced huckster (peddler (pedlar), hawker). A corn miller or dealer or an itinerant food trader. Travelling provisions dealer. Licensed pauper who wore a badge with the letter P on it and could only work in a defined area (the term "Badgering comes from this"). A petty jobber, or trickster.

BAGMAN Travelling salesman

BAGNIOKEEPER In charge of a bath house or brothel

BAILIFF or BAILIE or BAILLIE or BAILLEE Officer of the sheriff, a land steward acting on behalf of the Landowner or Landlord and in Scotland a magistrate of the burgh, also looked after the fishing rights on certain rivers

BAIRMAN or BAREMAN Pauper or beggar

BAL MAIDEN or PIT BROW LASS A female mine worker who worked on the surface

BALANCER The person, usually a boy, who operated the balance - a pulley where full tubs were pulled up a slope in a mine and emptied

BALER A person who bales hay. In the mills one who bailed wool or cotton goods

BALISTER Archer - most commonly a crossbowman

BALLARD MASTER One in charge of loading the ballast into the hold of empty ships

BALLAST HEAVER or BALLAST MAN Person who used to load ballast into the hold of empty ships

BALLER or BALLER UP Person who measured out the balls of clay for the potter

BAND FILER A metal worker in the gun making industry

BANDSTER One who bound the wheat sheaves after harvest

BANG BEGGAR An officer of the parish who controlled the length of stay of any stranger to the parish

BANKER A person who dug trenches and ditches to allow drainage of the land, placing the surplus earth in banks around the edge

BANKSMAN or BANK MANAGER Employed in the mining industry being in charge of the cages at the pit head

BARBER or BARBER SURGEON A barber who also acted as a surgeon (an Act was passed that limited Barbers to hair-cutting, shaving, dentistry and blood letting in the 18th century)

BARD Poet, writer or minstrel

BAREMAN A beggar or pauper

BARGE MATE Supervise or coordinate activities of crew aboard ships, boats, barges, or dredges: Naval officer

BARGEE or BARGEMAN One who worked on or owned and operated a barge

BARILLA MANUFACTURER Made barilla, a substance obtained from burning saltworts, the resulting mixture of sodium salts being used in the glass and ceramics industry

BARKEEPER Another name for a tollkeeper or tavern keeper

BARKER One who strips bark from trees. Also one who prepared leather with bark, a tanner

BARKMAN Anyone who tanned leather using the bark of trees.

BASIL WORKER Workers who used bark to tan the skins of lambs and sheep. The leather was called basil

BASKETMAN Made baskets and furniture from wicker, a person employed to empty the basket of coal being off-loaded from the colliery into the barges

BASS or BAST DRESSER Employed in dressing fibre or matting

BATMAN Officers servant in the army

BATT MAKER Mattress maker. Made the wadding used in quilt and mattress making

BATTER OUT Sliced a short cylinder of clay and threw it onto a mold shaped for the face of a ceramic plate

BATTLEDORE MAKER A person who made the (usually cane) beaters used on clothes, carpets etc to remove the dust. Very popular at spring cleaning time.

BATTUERE A person who drives game from cover during a hunt

BAUER German for Farmer

BAXTER Baker

BAYWEAVER or BAIZEWEAVER One who wove bay - a fine woollen fabric also known as baize

BEAD PIERCER Employed to drill the holes in beads

BEADLE or BEDEL or BEDELL Officer of the parish whose principle duty was to keep order. Was also the town crier

BEADMAN or BEADSMAN or BEDESMAN Employed to pray for his employer, inhabitant of an almshouse / poorhouse or hospital or tenant employed by the manor for a specific service. Person who carries out prays in accordance to a list. Almsman, Almswoman.

BEAGLE Officer of the law (Policeman)

BEAMER Winds the warp on the roller before putting it on the loom in the textile industry

BEARER Worked undergrpound carrying the coal to the bottom of the pit shaft and placed it in the containers for uplifting to the surface

BEATER Cleansed and thickened the cloth by treading it underwater with fullers earth (sedimentary clay rich in minerals). Also a man employed to rouse game.

BEAVER Made felt used in hat making.

BEDMAN Sexton whose main job in the church was to dig the graves

BEDWEVERE Made the webbing for bed frames and also one who wove quilts

BEESKEEPMAKER Made beehives

BEETLER Operated a beetling machine, used in the textile trade for embossing fabric

BELHOSTE Tavern keeper

BELL HANGER Installed bells in churches

BELLFOUNDER or BELLEYETERE or BELTER or BILLITER Made bells

BELLMAN Employed as a watchman or town crier or who worked for the post office and collected letters for the mail coach by walking the streets and ringing a bell

BELLOWS MAKER Made bellows used for organs or blacksmiths fires

BELLY BUILDER Built and fitted the interiors of a piano. Performs any combination of following tasks to fit and assemble wood soundboard, cast metal plate, and wood bridges to wood frame to fabricate back panel of piano

BENDER Cut leather

BESOM MAKER Made brooms usually from twigs with a centre pole

BESSWARDEN Appointed by the parish to look after its animals

BEVER Beverage maker

BIDDY Female servant usually of Irish stock

BILL POSTER or BILLBOARDER Put up notices, signs and advertisements

BILLIER or BILLYMAN Operated a Billy Roller, a machine used in the cotton industry to prepare the cotton for spinning

BINDER Bound items, e.g., books, hats etc .

BIRD BOY Employed to scare away birds from crops

BIRD CATCHER Caught birds for selling

BLACKING MAKER Made polish (blacking) for shoes

BLACKSMITH Is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal. They produce objects such as gates, tools, agricultural implements, cooking utensils and weapons.

BLADESMITH Swordmaker or knife maker

BLEACHER A bleacher of cloth or paper pulp

BLEMMERE A pre 19th Century term for a plumber. A plumber was also called a plumbum man.

BLENTONIST or DOWSER Water diviner. Finds water using a rod or wooden witching stick

BLOCK ENGRAVER Engraved the blocks used in the printing trade

BLOCK PRINTER Printer who used engraved wooden blocks for printing

BLOCKCUTTER or BLOCKER Made wooden blocks used in the hat trade or laid down the blocks on which a ships keel was laid. A blockcutter was also a person who made and cut the patterns into wooden blocks for textile printing

BLOODMAN or BLOODLETTER Person who opened veins to let blood out of a persons body. Quite often he would use leeches to do this - believed to be a cure for many ailments

BLOOMER A worker in a iron forge or puddling furness. A bloomer extracts wrought iron from ore which is worked with a hammer or rolled. (See also Shingler)

BLOWER Glass blower. A person who operated a blowing machine used to clean and separate fibres in the textile trade. A person who operated the bellows at a blacksmiths. One who is employed in melting tin.

BLOWFEEDER Fed the fibres into a blowing machine in the textile industry

BLUE MAKER Used or made blue dye for whitening fabrics in manufacture or washing (Dolly blue)

BLUESTOCKING A bluestocking is an educated, intellectual woman. A literary woman, usually with the imputation of pedantry.

BLUFFER Innkeeper or landlord of a pub (slang USA)

BOARDING CLERK A clerk in the customs or in a mercantile firm who communicates with the masters of ships on their arrival in port

BOARDING OFFICER Inspected ships before entering port

BOARDWRIGHT A carpenter

BOATMAN or BOASTSMAN A man who lets out boats for hire. Or a person who works or manages a boat, predominately on rivers and canals. Also the name given to a boat repairer

BOATSWAIN or BO'SUN Ship's officer in charge of riggings and sails. On a war vessel a warant officer in charge of rigging, anchors, cables and cordage. On a merchant ship a superior seaman having similar duties.

BOBBIN CARRIER Worked in spinning and weaving sections of the mills

BOBBIN TURNER Made the bobbins used in the spinning and weaving industry

BOBBY Policeman usually of constable rank

BODEYS or BODY MAKER Made bodices for womens garments

BODGER One who used a traditional wood turning craft to make chair legs and spars - usually from green (unseasoned) wood. A carpenter.

BOILER PLATER Made rolled iron plate for use with steam boiler engines etc

BOLL One who looked after power looms in the weaving industry

BOLTER Oversaw the sifting of meal or floor

BONDAGER A cotter bound to render certain services to a farmer. Or a female worker paid by a cotter to render certain services on his behalf to a farmer. Bonded to the farmer. Scottish term for woman brought by ploughman or hind (generally wife,sister or daughter) to work on farm with him.

BONDMAN Peasant bonded to a master for the purpose of learning a skill or trade. Serf, man slave

BONE BUTTON TURNER Made buttons using a lathe

BONE CUTTER Associated with a number of industries but in particular button making, handles for knives and the rigid parts of corsets/stays.

BONE LACE MAKER A person who made pillow lace. Also known as bobbin lace

BONE MOULD TURNER Made the moulds for button manufacturers

BONE PICKER Collected rags and bones also known as a Rag and Bone Man. They also collected 'pure' (dog dung) for use in the tanning industry.

BONESETTER A 'surgeon' - non qualified practitioner who sets fractured and dislocated bones

BONIFACE Keeper of an inn

BOOK GILDER Decorated books with gold leaf

BOOK KEEPER Looked after the accounts for businesses

BOOKHOLDER Prompter in the theater

BOOKMAN A literary man. A lover of reading. Student.

BOOT CATCHER A servant at an inn who pulled off traveller's boots

BOOT CLOSER Worked in the shoe trade stitching together all the parts of a shoe

BOOTBINDER Employed to operate the machines which bound footware

BOOTHMAN Corn merchant

BORRELER Made borrel, a woollen cloth with a coarse feel

BOTCHER A mender or a patcher

BOTTILER or BOTTLER A person who made leather containers for holding liquids eg wine flasks or water bottles

BOTTLE BOY Pharmacists assistant

BOTTOM CAPTAIN A superintendent in charge of the deepest working parts of a mine

BOTTOM KNOCKER Sagger makers assistant in the pottery industry

BOTTOM MAKER Moulded the bottoms for saggers in the pottery industry

BOTTOMER Worked down the pits moving the ore to the bottom of the shaft for removal

BOWDLER Worked with iron ore - a person who expurgates (cleanse, purify or purge) iron ore

BOWKER A person who bleached yarn. English (chiefly Manchester) occupational name for someone whose job was to steep cotton or linen in lye (a strong alkali) to cleanse it. A local term in some parts of Lancashire for a butcher or slaughterer

BOWLER Made bowls and dishes and also a term used for those who made the rounded part of spoons before casting

BOWLMAN or BOWLWOMAN Dealer in crockery

BOWLMINDER In charge of the vats used for washing raw wool before processing

BOWYER or BOWER Made, sells or uses a bow. A maker of bows in archery

BOZZLER Parish constable

BRACHYGRAPHER Shorthand stenographer. Secretary

BRADOON MAKER The bradoon is a double bridle for a horse. It has a snaffle bit, which works in concert with a curb bit to make up the formidable double bridle.

BRAIDER Made cord by twisting threads or strips of leather.

BRAILLER Made girdles

BRAKEMAN or BRAKESMAN Operated the winch at the pit head or operated the braking mechanism on trains and trams

BRASILER Dyer using the dye obtained from the Brazilian red wood tree

BRAZIER Worker with brass

BREWSTER Female brewer

BRIGHTSMITH A person who works with bright metals such as copper, tin or brass

BROOM SQUIRE Broom maker

BROOM-DASHER Dealer in brooms

BROTHERER or BROWDERER or BRODERER or BROIDERER Embroiderer

BROW GIRL Female employed at the pit head

BROWNSMITH Works with copper or brass

BUCK WASHER A person who used to wash or soak clothes or cloth in lye (buck) - a bleaching agent. E.g. Cothing manufacturer, laundry. (see also bowker)

BUCKLE TONGUE MAKER Made the metal pointed (tongue) part of belt buckles

BUCKLER or BUCKLESMITH Made buckles

BUCKRAM MAKER Worked with buckram (a coarse linen cloth stiffen ed with glue) used in stiffening materials such as belts, lapels and collars

BUDDLER or BUDDLEBOY Employed to use and maintain the vats used in the lead and tin mines - washes the ore

BULLOCKY A term for the driver of a bullock team (Australian)

BUMBOAT MAN or BUMBARGE MAN or SCAVENGERBOAT MAN A man who used a bumboat and meet ships at anchor (in port or off shore) with goods / provisions for passengers and crew to purchase

BUMMAREE Middle man between the wholesaler and the retailer at the fish markets (eg Billingsgate, London)

BUNTER Female rag & bone collector

BURGESS Represented a borough at official levels

BURGOMASTER Magistrate or one employed in the goverment of a city e.g. mayor

BURLER A dresser of cloth. Removes small knots or lumps in cloth or thread. In the process of fulling.

BURMAIDEN or BOWERMAIDEN A Chambermaid or lady-in-waiting

BURNISHER A person who polishes or makes glossy

BURYE MAN Grave digger

BUSHELMAN or BUSHELWOMAN Tailor's assistant who repaired or altered clothes

BUSKER A street entertainer

BUTTER CARVER Made imprints in butter pats

BUTTON -MAKER or BUTNER Button maker

BUTTY Middleman who negotiated mining contracts and supplied the labor





CADDY or CADDIE One who waits about for chances to do odd jobs. Errand boy. Messenger

CADGER A market man, peddler or huskster. Beggar

CAIRD Another term for a tinker

CAKE PRESSMAN Person involved with making cattle feed who operated a press to extracted oil from seeds

CALCINER Burnt bones to make powdered lime (Reduced by heat)

CALENDARER A person who complies lists

CALENDERER or CALENDERMAN or CALENDER WORKER Operated a machine (a calender) which pressed cloths or paper between two large rollers in order to makes them smooth and glossy.

CALICO PRINTER A person who prints figured patterns on calico

CAMBIST A banker specialising in exchange rates

CAMBRIC MAKER A maker a fine linen (cambric)

CAMLET or KAMLET MERCHANT Seller of camlet, a costly fabric of satin weave made in Asia of camel's or goat's hair or angora wool

CANAL BANK RANGER Looked after a section and all aspects of the canal waterways eg locks, barges, canal traffic, licences, etc. A towpath warden

CANDLE MAKER On who made and sold candles

CANDLER One who candles eggs

CANER or CAINER Made walking sticks

CANER or CHAIR BOTTOMER Made the seats for chairs out of woven cane

CANNONEER Man who fires a cannon. A solider who serves as a gunner

CANON or CANONESS A member of the chapter of a cathedral. One of the bishop's associate council.

CANTER One who uses cant as a beggar.

CANTING CALLER Auctioneer

CANVAS CLIMBER A sailor

CANVAS MAKER A person who made canvases a course cloth made from hemp. Used for sails, tents, paintings, tapestries.

CANVASER A person whose job is to solict peoples opinions, votes or orders

CAP MAKER Made caps usually worn by the working class

CAPILLAIRE MAKER Person who made capillaire, which is a clear syrup flavoured with orange flower water. Capillaire is added by confectioners to their products.

CAPITALIST Investor. Person of large property.

CAPTAIN In charge of a ship or a group of soldiers and also term for an overseer

CARD NAILER or NAILORA Maintained the teeth (nails) on the carding machine used for preparing wool and cotton for weaving

CARDER Operated or tended machines to prepare industrial or consumer products for storage or shipment.

CARDMAKER A maker of cards or instruments for combing wool

CARDROOMER or CARD ROOM WORKER Term for anyone who worked in the carding room of the mills

CARETAKER Takes care of another's property

CARMAN Drove a vehicle used to transport goods

CARNIFEX Public executioner

CARRY-IN-BOY Took finished bottled (products) to the tempering oven

CART WHEELER OR WHEELWRIGHT Made cart wheels

CARTER Carries or conveys goods in a cart

CARTOGRAPHER A map maker

CARTOMANCER Fortune teller who used cards (USA)

CARTWRIGHT Maker of carts and wagons

CASE MAKER Maker of ornamental/ jewellery cases. Often worked in shagreen leather (Shagreen - leather prepared from the skin of horses, asses, mules)

CASEMAN Amongst printers one who works at the case, or sets up type. A compositor

CASTER One who casts. One who casts in metal. One who mades small bottles used for sprinkling salt, pepper, sugar etc. One who assigns the parts of a play to the actors. One who calculates fortunes. One who computes.

CASTRATOR or GELDER One who castrated farm animals -

CATAGMAN or COTTAGER A tenant who leased a cottage and plot of land where they grew their own produce and often kept a small amount of livestock.

CATCHPOLE or CATCHPOLLA A sheriff's officer or sergeant, especially one who makes arrests for debt. A bailiff

CATECHISTA A teacher of religion

CATTLE JOBBER Buys and sells cattle

CATTLE-MAN One who tends or raises cattles

CAULKER or CALKER Filled up cracks (in ships or windows) or seams to make them watertight

CEILER Puts up the ceilings in buildings

CELLARMAN Looked after the beer, wines and spirits in public houses or the warehouse

CHAFFERER Negotiator

CHAIR BODGER Traveling chair repairman

CHAISE MAKER Made or assembled carts and carriages

CHAMBER MASTER A small master who makes up material at home and sells goods to the shops. (e.g. Shoes, clothes, bric-a-brac)

CHAMBERLAIN A steward to either royalty or nobility, in charge of the household. Or a treasurer.

CHAMBERMAID A female servant attending to bedrooms in houses or inns (domestic Service)

CHANDLER A candle seller, grocer, provisioner, usually associated with small wares. Usually associated with ship provisions - SHIPS CHANDLER

CHAPEL MASTER Head of a chapel of printers

CHAPELER Made and sold hats

CHAPERONE A matron who attends a young lady in public places for protection or propriety

CHAPMAN or COPEMAN or PETTY CHAPMAN or CEAPMAN A dealer or peddler of goods usually itinerant going from village to village. Often sold fabrics such as wool and cotton. Peddler or hawker

CHARCOAL BURNER / MAKER Made charcoal from wood. Charcoal is mostly pure carbon, called char, made by 'cooking' wood in a low oxygen environment. This process took days and burnt off volatile compounds such as water, methane, hydrogen, and tar. Usually the charcoal makers lived near a local wood where trees were regularly cut.

CHARGER One employed in charging or discounting money

CHARLEY or CHARLIE A night watchman

CHARWOMAN or CHORE WOMAN Cleaning woman (Domestic service) who usually worked for hourly wages, often on a part-time basis. They usually had several different employers and unike maids, did not 'live-in'.

CHAUNTER A street entertainer who sung ballads (Busker)

CHECK-TAKER A taker of tickets

CHECKWEIGHMAN Employed by a group of miners paid piecework (by the ton mined) to check coal weight recorded by the mine management

CHEESE FACTOR or CHEESEMAN or CHEESE MONGER A dealer in cheeses

CHIFFONIER A rag picker / gatherer

CHILDBED LINEN WAREHOUSE KEEPER or DEALER Hired bedlinen mostly for childbirth as most children were born at home

CHIMNEY SWEEP Chimney cleaner -In Victorian times he would usually employ young children to ascend the chimneys

CHINGLER or SHINGLER Roofer - who used wooden shingles

CHIP or CHIPPY Shipwright or carpenter

CHIPPERS LABOURER Assistant to a carpenter

CHIROPODIST Treats diseases and conditions of the feet and hands

CHIRUGION or CHIRURGEON Apothecary or surgeon (usually learned by apprenticeship)

CHORISTER A singer - usually in a choir

CHRONOLOGIST Recorded official events of historical importance

CINDER WENCH Female who collected the cinders from gas works and sold them door to door

CLARK Clerk

CLAY CARRIER Assistant to the shot firer in the pits

CLAYMAN or CLEYMAN Worked in the clay pits usually preparing the clay for making bricks and also one who coated the outside of buildings with clay to make them water proof

CLERICUS Clerk or clergyman

CLERK Clergyman or cleric

CLICKER The servant of a salesman who stands at the door to invite customer in. Worked in the shoe trade cutting out the lowers. One in charge of the final stage of layout before printing

CLIPPER Attached the coal carts to the wire or rope which was used to drag the carts to and from the coal face. Sheep shearer. A person who clips - e.g. Chips edges of coin

CLOD HOPPER Plowman (rustic) A clown

CLOGGER Maker of wooden shoes - clogs

CLOISTRESS A nun

CLOTH LAPPER Took the cloth from the carding machine readied it for the next process

CLOTH LINTER or CLOTH PICKER Removed unwanted threads and lint from the finished material

CLOTHIER or CLOTHESMAN or CLOTHMAN Person who made or sold clothes

CLOUTER Made nails and another name for a shoemaker

COACHMAN or COACHER or COACH DRIVER Drove any coach

COAL BACKER Carried the sacks of coal from the coal barge to the coal wagons. A coal porter at ship docks

COAL DRAWER Worked in the mines pushing or dragging the coal carts to the bottom of the pit

COAL FITTER Conducts the sales between the owner of a coal pit and coal merchant

COAL GETTER One employed in digging, or in getting out by digging. Miner who worked at the coal face

COAL HEAVER Unloaded coal

COAL RUNNER Attended the coal carts underground

COAL TRIMMER A coal trimmer was a man who worked as part of a team distributing the coal into the hold of a ship. His job involved dealing with all coal handling tasks from the loading to its delivery to the stoker.

COAL WHIPPER Unloaded coal from ships using baskets attached to a simple form of crane

COALER One who makes a business supplying or transporting coal

COALMAN or COAL MERCHANT or COAL HIGGLER Sold coal usually from a horse and cart, house to house.

COALMETER One appointed to measure the coal

COAST SURVEYOR or WAITER Customs officer who watched over the off loading of goods on the coast

COASTAL-PILOT A pilot who conducted vessels along the coast

COASTGUARD A body of men employed to prevent smuggling around the coast, now also to provide rescuie services at sea (mainly)

COBBLER Shoemaker

COBLEMAN A fisherman who used a flat bottomed boat

COD PLACER Put fire proof containers, which held the pottery for firing, into the kiln

CODDER A gatherer of cods or pease

COINER Worked at the mint stamping out coins

COLLAR MAKER Made either horse collars or male shirt collars

COLLIER Coal miner, a coal merchant or one who worked on the coal barges

COLOUR MAN Preparer and seller of colours. Mixed the dyes in the textile trade and also assistant to a house painter

COLOUR SERGEANT Chief sergeant of a company

COLOURATOR or COLORATORA Worked with dyes

COLPORTEUR Travelling Bible or religious books and pamphlets salesman

COMB MAKER Made combs either for the textile industry for combing wool etc. or the maker of hair combs

COMBER or COMBERE Combed wool during preparation

COMPOSITOR Set the type ready for printing

CONDER or CONNER Gave steering instructions to the steersman and also gave directions to inshore fisherman of fish movements on shoals (usually from the top of cliffs or rocks)

CONEY or CONY CATCHER Rabbit catcher

CONFECTIONER Sweet / candy maker

CONNER Inspector or tester

COOPER or CUPER Maker of wooden barrels

COPEMAN or COPER Dealer in goods and also dishonest dealer. A marketman. Coper - is also a dealer in horses on a limited scale

COPPERBEATER or COPPERBETER Coppersmith

COPPERSMITH Worked with copper. Made household and jewellery items from copper

CORACLE MAKER Made coracles, a small round boat used for fishing

CORDINER or CORDWAINER or CORVINER or CORVISOR Originally term used for one who worked with Cordovan (a special leather from Spain) but later term used for shoemaker

CORK SOCK MAKER A cutter of inner soles of cork for shoes, helping to keep feet dry and comfortable.

CORNET This was the lowest officer rank in the cavalry. (See also Ensign, ordinary seaman and Midshipman)

CORPORAL Lowest none-commissioned officer

COSTER WIFE Female fruit seller

COSTERMONGER Fruit seller

COTILER or COLOTIER or COLETER Maker of Cutlery. Cutler. A knife seller or sharpner

COTTAGER A rural labourer

COTTER or COTTAR In Scotland a peasant occupying a small holding. in Highlands, a farm worker in a crofting parish who occupies a cottage and small holding rent free in return for casual services on landlord's farm or estate; if holding is pasture land, as for shepherd; if arable land, as for small holder; (ii) in South of Scotland, a ploughman, shepherd, cattleman, or woman worker on a farm who lives rent free in a cot house or on the farm as part payment for services. Irish equivalent - cottar.

COTTIER A peasant cottager

COUPER A trader in commodities / goods (In Scotland)

COUPLER A man or boy who worked on the haulage system coupling tubs together in mines

COURANTEER A Journalist

COW LEECH (LEACH) Forerunner of a cattle vet

COWHERDER Cow tender

COWKEEPER Kept one or more cows (a common source of livelihood in cities) when a cow was kept in the back yard of a house, providing milk which was sold at the front door or window, forerunner of the local dairy

COXWAIN or COXSWAIN Ship or boat helmsman

CRATCH MAKER Made cratches e.g. mangers, cribs, or frames

CRIER Law court officer, auctioneer, town announcer

CRIMPER Member of army or navy press gang. One who decoys people to a place where they are robbed or pressed into service.

CROCKER Potter

CROFTER Tenant of a small piece of land

CROPPER or SHARE CROPPER A tenant who works land in return for a share of the yield.

CROSIER or CROZIER Bearer of the pastoral staff of a bishop or the bearer of the cross before the archbishop in the church

CROWNER Coroner

CULVER A person who kept pigeons

CURER Cures various foodstuff (eg ham, fish, tobacco)

CURRIER A man who dresses and colours leather after it is tanned.

CUTLER Knife seller or sharpener





DAGUERREOTYPIST Early name for a photographer using silver plate (from the Daguerreotype method)

DAIRYMAN Worker or owner of a dairy farm or seller of dairy products

DAMSTER Builder of dams for logging purposes

DANTER Female overseer in the winding rooms of a silk mill

DATALER (DATAL MAN)Lancashire, North of England and Somerset term ; a casual labourer who works by the day on any job performed by the ordinary farm labourer.

DARRICKER /DARRIKER A casual worker, or odd man, engaged to assist some other worker and may undertake any work, e.g., piecework, haymaking, hoeing, hedge cutting; obsolescent.

DAY MAN Casual worker, usually employed by the day

DEATHSMAN Executioner

DECOYMAN Employed to decoy the wild fowl, animals etc into a trap or within shooting range

DELVER Someone who used a spade . E.g. Dug ditches

DEPUTY Safety officer for the pit crew in the mining industry

DERRICKMAN Worked on an oil well handling the tubes and rods used in drilling

DEVILLER Operated the devil, a machine that tore rags used in the textile industry

DEW POND MAKER A person who created ponds on the Downs for local famers to water their livestock. (also known as Mist, Cloud or Fog ponds). The pond was an artificial pond usually sited on the top of a hill and used in areas where a natural supply of surface water was not readily available. It is believed that the creation of dew ponds is an ancient craft. Rainfall was believed to be the main source - rather than dew or mist.

DEY WIFE Female dairy worker

DIKEMAN or DYKEMAN Hedger or ditcher. Digger of dykes and drainage ditches

DIPPER One who worked in the pottery trade and was responsible for the glazing of items

DISH TURNER One who made wooden bowls or dishes

DISTILLER Brewer of alcoholic beverages

DITCHER (Also drainage labourer) Digs out the channels of ditches or watercourses on a farm or landed estate; builds up the banks with the soil dug out; cuts thistles and clears weeds with sickle and rake drainage labourer (Related jobs; hedger)

DOCK MASTER Person in charge of a dockyard

DOCKER or DOCK WALLOPER dock worker, longshoreman

DOCTOR'S MAN Person who went from house to house collecting owed doctor's fees

DOFFER Unloaded full bobbins from a spinning machine

DOG LEECH Veterinarian

DOG-WHIPPER Drove dogs away in a village (modern day dog catcher)

DOMESMAN Judge or umpire

DOMESTIC Household servant

DOOR KEEPER Guard, janitor, or porter

DOUBLER Operated a machine used to twist together strands of fibre (cotton, wool etc)

DOWSER or DIVINER Water finder

DRAGMAN A fisherman who used a dragnet. A net that is dragged along the bottom of the sea.

DRAGOON A mounted soldier who carried an infantry weapon such as a `dragon` or short musket,

DRAGSMAN The driver of a drag or coach. A thief who follows carriages to cut away luggage from behind. One engaged in dragging a a river, lake, pond, harbor, or the like, in search of something.

DRAPER Dealer in fabrics and sewing needs

DRAWBOY Weavers assistant in the shawl making mills , they sat atop the looms and lifted the heavy warps.

DRAWER The person who was employed by the collier (mines) to take full tubs from the workplace to the haulage and bring back empty tubs

DRAYMAN: Cart driver

DREDGERMAN or DREDGER One engaged in dredging. (To clean out by means of a dredge - net)

DRESSER One who dresses another. A surgeon's assistant. Also one who operated a machine which prepared threads in the textile industry

DRIFT MAKER Made drift nets, used in the fishing industry

DRIPPING MAN Dealer in dripping - the fat collected during the cooking of meats. Often used to roast potatoes or spread on bread with salt to make a 'dripping butty'.

DRIVER Slave overseer

DROVER Sheep or cattle driver

DROWNER (Also known as a Waterman) A man who understood irrigation. He was appointed to control the watering of the common water meadows, especially in Dorset, Wiltshire, Avon and Hampshire.

DRUMMER Traveling salesman - as in 'to drum up sales'

DRY SALTER A dealer in salted or dried meats, pickles, sauces, etc. Or a dealer in dyestuffs, chemical products / preparations. Drysalters usually sold a number of saline substances and miscellaneous drugs.

DRY STONE WALLER Built stone walls. (Mostly farmers wanting to restrict their livestock) No cement or mortar was used just stones of varying sizes that they fitted together to make a substantial wall.

DUBBERE A cloth dubber - , one who raises the nap of cloth

DUFFER Peddler or hawker of cheap goods. Especially one who takes orders for dress goods by samples. Also one who sells spurious or flashy articles represented as stolen or smuggled.

DUSTMAN or DUSTBIN MAN A collecter/remover of domestic refuse, ashes etc.

DYER Employed in the textile mills to colour fabric prior to weaving





EARER A ploughman or tiller

EARTH STOPPER One who plugs up animal holes e.g. rabbits, badgers, foxes

EBONITE TURNER One who worked with ebonite or vulcanite, making combs or ornaments etc

EGG FACTOR or EGGLER One who gathers, or deals in, eggs. Egg or poultry dealer

ELEPHANTS TEETH DEALER One who dealt in ivory ornaments etc

EMBOSSER A person who moulded or carved designs that were raised above the surface of the material

EMPRESARIO or IMPRESARIO (Former USA) Land broker, settlement scheme promoter, ( Latter UK) showman, organiser of concerts / festivals, Entrepreneur

ENGINE DRIVER Train driver

ENGINE MAN Employed at a mine to be in charge of the machinery used to crush the ore

ENGINE TENTER or TENTER Someone who is in charge of machinery, usually in a factory. The word is closely related to the word "tend" so he is someone who "tends, or looks after� the engine.

ENSIGN The lowest officer rank in the Army in the infantry and navy. The equivalent cavalry rank was Cornet. These were roughly equivalent to a naval Midshipman. The Royal Navy never had Ensign however the United States Navy did, (and still has), as the lowest officer rank.

ENUMERATOR One who collected the information for the census from the householder and recorded it

EQUERRY Officer of the royal household usually responsible for the royal horses

EREMITE or HERMIT A person who chooses to live a solitary life

ESQUIRE A man of standing in society. (Originaly one who attended a knight)

ESTAFETTE or EXPRESSMAN Express courier - usually military. A special messenger who delivered goods quickly.

EWE HERD Shepherd

EWER Water carrier. Man who came round with water.

EXCHEQUER Revenue collector

EXCISEMAN Excise tax collector

EYER or HOLER Maker of eyes in sewing needles





FABER A skilled workman -carpenter, wheelwright, shipwright (Quite often working with wood). Skilled artisan

FABRICATOR A maker of a product - to fabricate something e.g. metalworker, woodworker, ironworker

FACTOR A person who acts for another, notably a mercantile and/or colonial agent. Also a Scottish term for an estate steward responsible for collecting land rents.

FAGETTER Made up faggots into bundles, seller of firewood

FAGOT A man formerly hired to fill a vacancy in a military company on a muster day.

FAKER A person who dressed up black and white photographs by a hand in colour before colour film was available. Photographic assistant

FALCONER or FAWKNER Trainer / handler of falcons - birds used for hunting. A person skilled in the art of falconry

FANCY MAN A pimp. An agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings for services rendered.

FANCY PEARL WORKER Made fancy goods in mother-of-pearl

FANCY WOMAN A prostitute. Offering sexual favours for money

FANNER See grain winnower

FANWRIGHT A maker and repairer of fans or winnowing baskets

FARMER Farmers work the land, either arigulturaly or with livestock. In the past they were usually descendants of gentry and noble classes. Besides farm workers they often having servants.

FARRIER or FERROUR Horse shoer -often referred to as a blacksmith

FAWKNER Trainer of falcons

FEAR NOTHING MAKER A weaver of special kind of strong thick woollen cloth known as fearnought (or dreadnought) - a heavy overcoating that is made of wool often mixed with shoddy. Used as protective clothing, also as lining for portholes, walls, and doors of powder magazines on board ships.

FEATHER BEATER or FEATHER DRIVER Cleaner of feathers

FEATHER-DRESSER One who prepared feathers for sale

FEATHERMAN Agent who dealt in feathers

FELL MONGER A dealer in fells or hide. Someone who sells or works with animal hides and skins. A dealer in fells or sheepskins, who separates the wool from the pelts

FELLER Woodcutter

FELTER Worker in the hatting industry

FERONER See Ironmonger

FERRETER A manufacturer or trader dealing in ferret - a narrow piece of tape used to bind or edge fabric. Or a ferret keeper/dealer

FETTLER Someone who keeps things in good order (fettle), neat and tidy. Applied to several occupations such as; one who cleaned the machinery in woollen mills, removing accumulated fibres, grease, etc. One who sharpened the fustian cutters knives or needlemaker who filed the needle to a point. One who grinds and sands ceramic products (eg tiles) to remove defects or rough spots. This could be done using wire or stiff brush or power grinder. Smooths (fettles) edges and surface of product, using sandpaper or handstone. Discards broken or poorly pressed tile. Stacks ceramic tile or clay slates in specified pattern on boards, plates, trays, or in saggers. May measure dimensions of tile for conformance to specifications, using gauge. May tend machine that automatically fettles tile.

FEWSTER A worker in wood, and specifically one who made the wooden framework of the saddle-tree - the wooden frame part of the horse saddle before being covered with stretched leather

FEWTERER or FEUTERER A keeper of hounds, for hunting or coursing

FIDDLER A person who used a small knife (fiddle) to remove the flashing from cast clay forms such as bowl, creamers, cups or pitchers. Pottery occupation

FILE CUTTER A maker of files, which also involved the cutting of grooves on the file surface

FILIBUSTER A lawless military adventurer, especially one in quest of plunder; a freebooter.

FILLER Person who filled bobbins in mills

FINE DRAWER Invisible mending. A person employed in tailoring to repair tears in the cloth.

FINISHER Operated machine giving final touches to a manufactured article in various trades

FIREBEATER Looked after the boilers that powered the cotton mill machinery

FIREMAN inspected for, and removed explosive gasses underground in mining or stoked the boilers on ships and locomotives

FISH FAG A female fish monger

FISHER or FISHDRYVER A provider of fish (especially dried fish)

FISHMONGER A seller of fish - usually via a shop

FITTER One who fits or adjusts. Eg clothing, machinery, gas etc

FLASHER Specialist process worker in the glass industry

FLATMAN or FLOATMAN Person who navigated a flat, a broad flat-bottomed boat used for transport, especially in shallow waters

FLAXDRESSER Prepared flax prior to spinning

FLESHEWER Butcher

FLESHMONGER or FLESHER Butcher or a person who worked in a tannery

FLETCHER Arrowsmith (from French fleche)

FLOATER A person who irrigates or floods land to regulate its water content - eg marshes, fields, watermeadows

FLOGGER To flog. Door to door salesman, peddler

FLOWER GIRL or FLOWER WOMAN Female who sold flowers on the street

FLUSHERMAN A person who cleaned out water mains

FLYCOACHMAN A driver of one-horse carriage hired by the day

FLYING STATIONER A street broadsheet seller

FLYMAN One who drives a fly (a single horse carriage). One who works the ropes in the flies of a theater

FOOT MAIDEN Female servant

FOOT PAD A thief who preys on pedestrians. A highywayman who robs on foot.

FOOT POST Messenger who travelled on foot delivering letters

FOOT STRAIGHTENER Watchmaking industry. One who straightens timepiece dial, holding feet by using holding device and gauge

FOOTMAN Servant who ran errands

FORESTER Game warden or forest ranger

FORGEMAN Blacksmith or assistant

FORGER Blacksmith, worker at a forge

FOSSETMAKER Man who made faucets for ale-casks, etc

FOWER One who cleans (fows); as in cooking utensils or house maintenance or street cleaner

FOWLER or FOGLER or FUGLER Keeper or catcher of birds

FRAME SPINNER Loom worker

FRAMEWORKER KNITTER An operator of hosiery machinery. (Associated occupations within the hosiery industry; Frame Maker, Frame Smith and Frame Mender)

FRESHWATER MAN Boatman who plied his trade via fresh water (rivers)

FRISEUR A hairdresser

FRUITERER Fruit seller

FRUITESTERE Female fruit seller

FULLER Fabric worker who shrinks, beats and presses the cloth (also see WALKER)

FUNAMBULIST A tightrope walker

FUNDHOLDER Not strictly an occupation but something you may come across under the occupation title which indications that the person was able to support themselves financial from their own savings or investments � for example stocks and shares.(See also Annuitant or LOOM)

FURBISHER One who or that which furbishes, or makes bright by rubbing; one who or that which cleans or polishes. E.g. sword cutler, who finishes sword blades and similar weapons. A polisher.

FURRIER A worker, seller or producer of furs





GABELER Tax collector. A collector of gabels or taxes.

GAFFER Foreman of a work crew. Or in glass factory, one who smoothed, reheated the neck of and formed lip on a bottle

GAGER An exciseman. Collector of liquor taxes. One who gages (gauges); specifically, an officer whose business is to ascertain the contents of casks and other hollow vessels.

GALVANISER Iron worker who handled process of coating metal with zinc, to inhibit formation of rust

GAMESTER Gambler or prostitute

GANGER Overseer or foreman

GANGSMAN or GAFFER Foreman

GAOLER Jailer, prison officer

GARLEKMONGER or GARLICMONGER Dealer in garlic

GARTHMAN The proprietor of an open weir for taking fish. Owner or worker of a fish trap.

GAS MANAGER Mining occupation: Forman in charge of checking for poisonous gas in coal mine shafts

GATER Watchman, Security

GATHERER Glassworker who inserted the blow iron into the molten glass ready for the blower

GATHERERS BOY Held a shovel to shield the gatherer's face from the heat

GAUGER Customs duty officer who measured the capacity of imported barrels of liquor in order to calculate the payable duty

GAUNTER Maker of gloves

GAVELLER or GAVELMAN or GAVELKINDER "Someone who pays gavel for rented land. In coal-mining, the agent of the crown having the power to grant gales to the free miners. A harvest worker, usually female. "

GELDER Castrator of animals, especially horses

GEOMETER Trained in geometry

GILDER Applies gold leaf to objects such as books, ornaments, jewellery, pottery etc,

GIRDLER Maker of leather belts and girdles, mostly for the forces

GLASSWRIGHT A glassmaker and mender of glassware

GLAZIER A glass cutter or window glassman

GLOVER Someone who makes or sells gloves

GOLD BEATER Beats gold into a specific shape

GOLDSMITH A person who makes gold articles. Or a banker

GOOSE HERD One who looks after geese

GORZEMAN A seller of gorse or broom

GRACE-WIFE Midwife - nurse who delivers babies

GRAFFER Notary or scrivener (legal document writer / lawyer)

GRAIN WINNOWER An agricultural worker who separated the grain from chaff. The method of winnowning was also used to remove weevils or other pests from stored grain.

GRAINER Painted grain on wood to make it look good

GRANGER Farmer

GRAVER Engraver, carver, sculptor. Or a dockside worker who burned and tarred the underneath of ships to clean them

GRAZIER A rancher who grazes cattle or sheep for market

GREEN GROCER A fruit and vegetable seller, usually with stalls set up outside the shop

GREENSMITH Worker in copper or latten ( a kind of brass type alloy hammered into thin sheets)

GREEVE or GRIEVE or GREAVE Overseer, steward, Bailiff, foreman, sheriff

GRIMBRIBBER Lawyer

GROOVER A miner

GUINEA PIG (Slang) A person rendering services more or less for a nominal fee of a guinea e.g. company director, juryman, deputy clergyman, officer on special duty

GUMMER A workman whose business it is to use the gummer in widening the spaces between the teeth of a saw. A person who improved old saws by deepening the cuts.

GUNPOWDER MAKER Made gunpowder in a gunpowder mill

GUTTA-PERCHA MANUFACTURER Makes a white to brown substance resemblimg rubber but containing more resin (Latex). Often used in dentistry and insulation.





HABERDASHER Dealer in small wares; tapes, pins needles, thread, linen.(Formerly also hats)

HACK A person who hires himself out for any sort of literary work

HACKER or HACKNEY MAN A man who lets out horses

HACKLER or HACKMAN or HECKLER One who separated the coarse part of flax or hemp with a hackle, an instrument with teeth in the linen industry

HAIR DRESSER A maker of wigs who also dressed the hair (e.g. put in curls, tassels,bows etc)

HAIR SEATING MERCHANT Dealer in horse-hair stuffing used in upholstery

HALBERT CARRIER A soldier or halberdier, armed with a halberd, a combination spear and battleaxe (a ceremonial officer)

HAMMERMAN Hammerer, a blacksmith or whitesmith

HAND FLOWERER Ladies living mainly in rural locations who embroidered flowers or similar designs on muslin or cambric

HANDLE STICKER Put handles on cast ceramic cups, pitchers, etc

HANDSELLER or STREET SELLER Person who sold their wares in the street. Street vendor

HANDWOMAN A handmaid. Female attendant

HANGER-ON or HOOKER-ON or ONSETTER Mining industry. Hung corves (originally baskets) on rope at the pit-bottom

HANKYMAN A travelling magician in Victorian/Edwardian England

HARBOUR PILOT A person who directs or steers ships into the harbour.

HARLOT A vagabond, beggar, rogue.

HARMER BECK A parish constable or beadle

HARPER Harp player

HATCHLER A person who combed out or carded flax

HATTER A maker or dealer in hats

HAWKER or HUCKSTER Peddler

HAY COLLECTORS Collected hay ready for sale to stables dairies, horses and cows. Often transported by canal

HAYBINDERS Farm labourer. Bound hay ready for collection (Related occupation - hay cutter, Hay tier (haytier), straw binder, straw trussera, haytrusser etc)

HAYMONGER A dealer in hay

HAYWARD A parish or town officer in charge of fences, enclosuers, commons etc, and who is responsible for the impounding of stray cattle etc.

HEADSMAN One who cuts off heads. Executioner. A labourer who conveys coal from the work face to the horseway. Also pertaining to whaling and is the man who takes charge of the boat after the whale has been struck.

HECK MAKER A maker of a part of a spinning machine by which the yarn is guided to the reels

HEDGER (Also hedge caster, hedge cutter, hedge layer, ditcher) Work on hedges. For example; banks up earth with a spade to form hedge foundation; plants branches of hawthorn and other hedge plants; prunes hedge at appropriate seasons and repairs it by inserting bundles of cuttings from pruned hedge into gap; closes gaps in hedge with barbed wire or wood; ditch making. May also assist in estate work, including forestry. Hedge cutter/ trimmer

HEDGE LOOKER Supervised repairs of fence and enclosures

HEELMAKER Made shoe heels

HELLIER or HILLIER or HILLARD A roofer; a tiler or slater.

HENCHMAN or HENSMAN A squire, a page, a servant, a groom, a footman or an attendant.

HENTER or HENDER A person who seizes or gets possession of something. Eg baliff, or thief

HEWER A mine face worker who cut coal

HIGGLER A person who haggles or bargains or an itinerant dealer, similar to a cadger

HIGHWAYMAN Robber, thief, who preys on public roads

HIND Farm servant. Agricultural worker. One in charge of two horses and alloted a house on a farm. A rustic, a peasant, a boor, a menial

HIRED MAN A person who hires themselves out - e.g. gardener, farmhand, or labourer

HODSMAN or HODCARRIER A labourer who carried bricks or mortar in a hob

HOGGARD Pig drover

HOLDER UP Was an assistant at a forge or smithy who was involved with holding hot metal rivets in place with a long handled hammer/tool whilst the smithy (or riveter) and his mate hammered them into place. Often a 'holder up' worked on the inside of ships, whilst the hammerers/riveters (usually one left hander and one right handed) worked on the outside taking turns at hammering the rivet into place. It was hard, hot and sometimes dangerous work if they had to hold the rivets in place above their heads. (In Scotland known as: 'Hauder Oan')

HONEY DIPPER (slang) A person who collects household sewage. A person who extracted raw sewage from catch basins and out-houses

HOOFER A professional dancer, especially a tap dancer.

HOOKER A worker that hooks or uses hooks e.g. In woolen, cotton industry

HOOPER Makes hoops for casks

HORNER Worker using horn to make items such as spoons, combs, or musical horns

HORSE COURSER Race horse owner

HORSE KNAVE Groom

HORSE LEECH Veterinarian, farrier

HORSE MARINE Man-handling barges on canals where horses can't be used, e.g. Long tunnels

HORSE-CAPPER A dealer who sells worthless horses for good prices.

HOSIER Retailer of stockings, socks, gloves, nightcaps

HOSTELLER Innkeeper

HOSTLER or OSTLER Cares for horses, stableman, groom, repairer or railway engines

HOTPRESSER A worker in paper or textile industries where product was pressed between glazed boards and hot metal plates to obtain a smooth and shiny surface

HOURGLASS MAKER The hourglass (time piece - also called a sand glass or sand clock) was made by using two globes of glass connected by a narrow funnel so that the sand flowed from the upper globe to the lower over the course of an hour. A frame usually enclosed the globes to allow inversion of the hourglass to start the flow of sand again.

HOUSE JOINER House framer

HOUSEWRIGHT House builder

HOWDY or HOWDIE A midwife (chiefly used in Scotland)

HOYMAN A person who carries goods and passengers by water on a hoy (type of boat)

HUCKSTER Seller of small wares

HUNTSMAN Employed on large estates. The person was responsible for handling the hounds and organising the day's hunting as required by the Master of the Hunt. He would be assisted by whippers-in, who helped him look after the hounds in the kennels. During a day's hunt, he was the man who helped to keep the hounds together, counting them and relocating any that get separated from the rest of the pack.

HURDLEMAN A man in charge of a hurdle (fence) or fold; specifically, a keeper of new-born lambs

HURRIER One who draws a corf or wagon in a coal-mine. A young boy or girl employed in a coal mine to drag baskets or small wagons full of coal from the coal face where it was mined, up to the surface.

HUSBANDMAN A tenant farmer

HUSH SHOP KEEPER Person who brewed and sold beer without a license (usually as a side line)





ICEMAN A seller or deliverer of ice

IDLEMAN: A gentleman of leisure

INFIRMARIAN Person in charge of an infirmary

INTENDENT Director of a public or government business

INTERFACTOR Murderer

IRON FOUNDER A person who made iron castings.

IRON MONGER Dealer in hardware made of iron

IRON TURNER An iron turner was a metal machinist. The lathes were driven by a belt attached to a pulley wheel on a line shaft up at ceiling level which was driven by an engine. The 'Turners' turned (machined) cast iron, brass and bronze castings.

IRRIGATOR (Also drowner, floater)Looks after watercourses, sluices, etc. and keeps clear of weeds; at proper seasons lets water into watercourses and floods meadows (called "floating").

IVORY WORKERS Makers of combs, boxes, billard balls, buttons, and keys for pianofortes in ivory





JACK Lumberjack, young male assistant, sailor

JACK-FRAME TENTER A cotton industry worker who operated a jack-frame, used for twisting thread

JACK-SMITH A maker of lifting machinery and contrivances

JAGGER A carrier, carter, pedlar or hawker of fish; 19th century, young boy in charge of 'jags'or train of trucks in coal mine; man in charge of pack horse carrying iron ore to be smelted

JAKES-FARMER One who emptied cesspools or cesspits. One who contracted to clean out privies; a scavenger.

JAPANNER One who applies a hard brilliant coat of any of several varnishes to objects

JERQUER A customhouse officer who searches ships for unentered goods.

JERSEY COMBER A worker in woollen manufacture (Jersey: wool which has been combed but not spun into yarn)

JIGGERMAN Operated a spinning wheel (Jigger) to form the foot (back side) of a ceramic plate

JOBBER One that buys merchandise from manufacturers and sells it to retailers. One that works by the piece (piecework)or at odd jobs. A middleman in the exchange of stocks and securities among brokers. One who does small jobs or chance work - for example farm work.

JOBMASTER A person who supplied horses and carriages and drivers for hire

JONGLEUR A wandering minstrel, poet, or entertainer, who went from place to place singing songs, generally of his own composition and to his own accompaniment

JOURNEYMAN or JORMAN A master craftsman. One who served his apprenticeship and mastered his craft; properly, one who no longer is bound to serve for years but is hired day to day (Often self employed)

JOYNER or JOINER Carpenter





KEDGER Fisherman

KEEKER or WEIGHMAN A colliery official who checked quantity and quality of coal output

KEELER or KEELMAN Bargeman (from keel, a flat bottomed boat)

KEEPER An attendant, a guard, a warden,or gamekeeper. A person who of anything. E.g. One who keeps control of the quantities of ore and fuel, regulated the blast and tapped the molten metal from the furnace.

KEMPSTER Wool comber

KIDDIER Skinner or dealer in young goats

KILNER Limeburner, in charge of a kiln

KISSER A person who made cuishes and high armour

KNACKER A harness maker, buyer of old horses and dead animals. 'Knacker's Yard'

KNAPPERS A person who dressed and shaped flints into required shape and size

KNOCKER-UP or KNOCKER-UPPER Person paid to wake up northern mill and factory workers on early shifts

KNOLLER Toller of bells





LACE-DRAWER A child employed in lace work, drawing out threads

LACEMAN A dealer in lace, who collected it from the makers, usually only those who had bought his thread, and sold it in the lace markets

LACE-MASTER or MISTRESS A man who employed workers in factories or in their homes for the production of lace

LACE-RUNNER A young worker who embroidered patterns on lace

LAGGER Sailor. One who installs lagging.

LAMPLIGHTER A man who would put out or turn on, the gas street-lights.

LANDWAITER Customs officer who checked landed goods

LARDNER Keeper of the cupboard / larder

LASTER One who worked or shaped shoes on a last (the mould of the human foot made of wood and used to shape footwear).

LATH RENDER A person who split wood into lath. These thin strips of wood would often be used for lath and plaster walls, to form lattice-work, or for blinds or shutters.

LATTENER Brass worker. A worker in latten

LAUNDERER Washer of clothes

LAVENDER A washer; a washerwoman; a laundress.

LAYER A worker in paper mill responsible for a particular stage in paper-making process

LEAVELOOKER A municipal inspector of markets in an English town (as in Lancashire) - an examiner of food on sale at market

LEECH or SAWBONES Physician, doctor

LEGERDEMAINIST A person who practices or performs sleight of hand. Magician

LEGGER A man employed by the owners of a canal to push boats through narrow canal tunnels. The legger would lie on his back on a piece of wood on the boat with his feet reaching to the tunnel wall, and walk it along. This could be done by the boat's crew, but the canals employed men specifically for the task because they could do it faster and prevent a tunnel becoming a bottleneck for traffic

LEIGHTONWARD A gardener

LIGHTERMAN Someone who operates a flat bottomed boat used in loading or unloading ships.

LIMNER One who limns; an artist or delineator; more especially, one who paints portraits or miniatures.

LINENER A dealer in linen; a linen draper. A shirtmaker.

LINER or LYNER One that makes or puts in linings.

LINKERBOY or LINKERMAN One who carried a link or torch to guide people through city streets at night for a small fee.

LISTER or LITSTER A preaching friar; a lector. A person that creates or maintains lists.

LITTER BEARER The carriers of an enclosed or curtained couch mounted on shafts and used to carry

a single passenger.

LOADSMAN A ship's pilot

LOBLOLLY BOY or LOBLOLLY MAN In 18th and 19th century warships, a non-professional assistant to the ship's surgeon, or errand boy

LOCK KEEPER An overseer of canal locks

LONG SONG SELLER A street seller who sold popular songsheets printed on paper

LONGSHOREMAN A stevedore

LOOM Although not an occupation you may come across this in the occupation column with is short for 'Living Off Own Means' Which meant they could financial support themselves, usually due to savings, investment or inheritance. (See also Annuitant and Fundholder)

LORIMER or LORINER A maker of small iron work - e.g. horse gear; bits, spurs, stirrup-irons and other horse equipment

LUMPER A laborer employed to load and unload vessels in port; a dock-hand; a longshoreman; a stevedore.

LUTHIER A maker and repairer of stringed musical instruments





MAID A female domestic servant

MALSTER A brewer, maker or seller of malts

MANCIPLE A steward or purchaser of provisions, as for a monastery or college, or inn or court

MANGLE KEEPER A woman who offered use of the mangle for a fee

MANGLER Works a mangle for pressing water out of clothes (Wringer)

MARBLER One who stained paper or other material, veined in imitation of marble

MARSHALL A military officer of the highest rank in some countries.

MARSHMAN A person paid by various landowners to look after marshlands and tend the animals put to graze there for the season

MASHMAKER Brewing industry. A maker of the mash-vats or mashels used for mixing malt

MASON A stonecutter

MASTER One of three grades of skill recognised by the Guild of Crafts

MASTER COACH PAINTER A person who painted the inside and outside of railway coaches. Usually highly skilled decorative work, sometimes including artwork gilding.

MASTER MARINER A ship's captain

MEALMAN A dealer in meal or flour

MELDER A corn miller

MERCATOR A merchant

MERCER A cloth seller

MESSENGER (see Foot Post above)

METALMAN A man employed to service the tunnels and rails in the haulage system of the mine.

METERER One who writes in metre; a poet.

MIDSHIPMAN A midshipman is an officer of the junior-most rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. It a term used historically in the 19th century to describe a midshipman who had passed the lieutenant's exam and was eligible for promotion to lieutenant as soon as there was a vacancy in that grade. (See also Ensign, ordinary seaman and cornet)

MIDWIFE An experienced nurse specialising in child birth

MILESMAN or LENGTHSMAN A railway worker who had a set length of railway track to keep in good order

MILLER A corn miller, cloth miller, saw miller

MILLERESS Female miller

MILLERS CARMAN One who drove carrier to deliver the flour or seed to the customers

MILLINER A maker of hats

MILLWRIGHT A designer and builder of mills or mill machinery

MINER A worker in mines (most commonly refers to coal pit). Coal miner. Collier.

MINTMAKER or MINTMASTER An issuer of local currency

MONGER Dealer

MONTHLY NURSE Someone who assisted women during the first month after giving birth

MOULD BOY One who held the mould for glassblower, also weighed the bottles

MOULDER A maker of molds or castings, brickmaker

MOUNTEBANK A hawker of quack medicines who attracts customers with stories, jokes, or tricks. A quack doctor. A charlatan

MUDLARK A sewer cleaner or riverbank scavenger - one who scavenges in river mud for items of value, especially in London during the Industrial Revolution.

MUFFIN MAKER A baker who made muffins (barmcakes, oven bottoms)

MUFFIN MAN An itinerant seller of muffins

MUGSELLER A seller of cups, mugs

MULE MINDER A minder of the spinning mules in the cotton mills

MULETEER A mule driver

MULTURER A person who has grain ground at a certain mill. Multurers are or were of two kinds � first, such as were thirled (thralled) to a certain mill by the conditions on which they occupied their land; and, second, those who used the mill without being bound by the tenure to do so. The former were termed insucken multurers, the latter outsucken multurers.(German) MUSTARDER or MUSTARDMAN One who made and dealt in mustard





NAGSMAN A person who schools horses, usually for his employer NARROW WEAVER A weaver of ribbons, tapes, etc

NAVIGATOR A person who navigates e.g waterways, seas and oceans

NAVVY A labourer building canals, roads or railways

NEATHERD A person who has the care of cattle; a cow-keeper.

NECESSARY WOMAN A servant responsible for emptying and cleaning chamber pots

NEDELLER A needle maker

NETTER A net maker

NIGHT SOILMAN or NIGHTMAN One who emptied cesspits, ashpits and backyard toilets

NIGHTWALKER A watchman or bellman

NIPPER A lorry boy, a young person employed by the carter or wagoner to assist with the collection and delivery of goods

NOB THATCHER A wig maker

NOTERER A notary





OAT HULLER A person who removed the hull (the dry outer covering of a fruit, seed, or nut; a husk, a shell) from oats. This could be done by grinding the oats between two stones (older method- miller) or by heating the oats and then spinning them in a container to remove the hulls (newer method 1900s). Either could be on census. The latter method could be done at home. (Huller - a person who removes the hulls)

OILMAN One who deals in oils; one who is engaged in the business of producing or of selling oil. One who sold oil specifically used for lamps. A retailer who sells vegetable oils, and food preserved in oil. A person who sold the oil for lamps

ORDERLY A soldier who functioned as a servant for an officer

ORDINARY SEAMAN An ordinary Seaman was originally, a sailor of the �Ordinary�, or ships in reserve and not seagoing. As such these men were considered not to be as skilled as an Able Seaman, who was qualified in seagoing ships. Later, Ords served at sea, under training.

ORRA MAN Scottish and North of England term ; a skilled handyman on a farm who did odd jobs that did not fall strictly within duties of shepherd, ploughman, thatcher, cattleman etc. (Odd job man) Related jobs: onehanded man ; freehanded man; oddman

ORRICE WEAVER A designer of lace patterns to be woven with silk thread and silk

OSIER PEELER or WITHY PEELER Person who removed bark from willow rods or osiers which were used in basket weaving, usually women and children

OSTLER Originally applied to an innkeeper/taverner or one who received guests especially in an monastery (13th century) but later on it came to mean stableboy or a person who looked after horses, coming from the old French 'hostelier'

OUT CRIER An auctioneer

OUTWORKER A worker who carried on their occupation at home, e.g., cotton or woollen weavers but it applies to many occupations. Also refers to a casual female worker on a farm, thinning turnips, planting potatoes, haymaking, who lived in immediate neighbourhood.

OVERLOOKER A superintendent or overseer, especially in the textile mills (sometimes refered to as 'looker')

OVERMAN An official below Undermanager but above Deputy in mining who checked the miners work and the quality of the mined coal

OWLER A sheep or wool smuggler

OYSTER DREDGER A member of the crew on board an oyster fishing boat





PACK THREAD SPINNER Operator of the machine which made thread or twine

PACKER A packer of goods such as pickles or herring

PACKMAN A person who travels with a pack, especially a travelling salesman.

PAINT STAINER A person who hand-printed wallpaper and usually offered a paper-hanging service as well.

PAINTRESS A woman employed in the pottery industry to hand paint the finished articles

PANNIER A robed waiter

PANTER Keeper of the pantry

PANTLER The servant in charge of the bread and the pantry in a great house

PAPER IRONER or TIMES IRONER A servant responsible for ironing the daily newspaper

PAPER RULER Operated a machine in the 19th century printing industry who was a skilled worker/operator who set up several inking pens in a machine,by the same name, designed to draw or ink lines on paper

PAPERER One whose occupation is decorating walls with wallpaper.

PARFUMIER or PERFUMER A manufacturer and purveyor of scents such as perfumes, colognes and even incense

PARGETER One who pargets; a plasterer - walls, ornamental reliefs, chimneys

PARITOR A church officer who attended the magistrates and justices at court for the pupose of executing their orders

PASSAGE KEEPER A person who kept passages and alleys clean

PASTELER A pastry chef

PASTOR The word pastor usually refers to an ordained leader of a Christian congregation

PATTEN MAKER A clog or shoemaker.

PAVER or PAVIOUR A person who laid paving stones

PEDASCULE A schoolmaster. One who educates, guides, or instructs

PEEL (OR PADDLE) MAKER A peel maker made the long handled shovels known as peels that were used (and still are) to slide bread dough in and out of an oven quickly and efficiently to avoid losing too much heat from the oven and, for deeper ovens, to allow for easy delivery and collection from the farthest corners of the oven. Also sometimes referred to as paddles

PEELER The first policemen in London

PELTERER A person who worked with animal skins

PESSONER A fisherman or fishmonger

PEWTERER Someone who made pewter utensils

PHLEBOTOMIST A person who practices the opening of a vein for letting blood. (see bloodletter)

PHRENOLOGIST A diviner of a person's character based on the bumps on a person's head

PICKER or PICKER MAKER A person who cast the shuttle on a loom. Made the "Pickers" � strong, leather attachments fitted to each side of a weaving loom, to drive the shuttle across the loom.

PIECENER or PIECER Someone who worked in a spinning mill, employed to piece together any threads which broke (usually a child or woman)

PIGMAN A farm worker who looks after pigs. One who sold crockery

PIKELET MAKER A baker who specialised in making pikelets (a small teacake or crumpet)

PIKEMAN A miner who works with a pike or crowbar. A keeper of a turnpike gate. A solider armed with a pike.

PIKER A cautious gambler. A tramp or vagrant

PILOT A ship steersman

PIMP An agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings

PIMPMAKER or BAVIN MAKER A man who made up bundles of waste wood in coppices or forests to be sold for use as fuel. (Bundles of Kindling or firewood.)

PINDER An officer appointed by a parish to impound stray beasts - e.g. dogs, cattle.

PINNER A pin maker

PIPER One who plays upon a pipe - especially a strolling player, or the bagpipes.

PIRN WINDER Someone who wound the yarn onto large wheel like bobbins which were then ready to feed the looms in a cotton mill

PIT BROW LASS A female worker who worked on the surface of the mine sorting coal

PITMAN A coal miner

PLAIN WORKER One who performed plain sewing or needlework as opposed to an embroiderer

PLAITER A person that plaits or braids; especially, an implement for producing plaits of regular size, as in cloth. A maker of straw plaits used in the making hats etc

PLANKER One who planks or kneads the body of the hat during felting

PLANTER Someone who plants - specifically a pioneer colonist. Or an owner of a plantation

PLATELAYER A railway employee who inspects and maintains the permanent way of a railway installation.

PLEACHER or PLAICHER or PLATCHER or PLASHER To plait or interlace (branches or vines, for example), especially in making a hedge or an arbor. A hedge layer

PLOUGHMAN or PLOWMAN A farmer or farm worker

PLOWWRIGHT or PLOUGHWRIGHT A maker or repairer of plows

PLUMASSIER or PLUMER A person who makes ornamental feathers

PLUMBUM WORKER A plumber

POINTER A person who sharpened needles or pins or lace maker

POINTMAKER or POINTMAN Someone who made the tips of laces

POINTSMAN or SIGNALMAN A railway worker who operated the points (and / or signals), that changed the line on which the train was travelling

POLDAVE WORKER: One who made poldave, a coarse fabric

POLEMAN A surveyor's assistant

POLLER or POWLER One who shaves persons or cuts their hair; a barber; a hair-dresser.

PONY DRIVER A person (usually a boy) in charge of a pony which pulled coal tubs along the haulage roads.

PORTER A door or gatekeeper

POST BOY A person who carried mail from town to town, guard who travelled on the mail coach or outrider who travelled with the stagecoach as a postillion

POSTER One that posts bills or notices.

POSTILLION One who rides the near horse of the leaders when four or more horses are used in a carriage or post-chaise, or who rides the near horse when one pair only is used and there is no driver on the box.

POT BOY or POT MAN One who worked in public houses collecting and washing dirty pots also did other menial tasks

POTATO BADGER A seller of potatoes

POTTER A maker or seller of pottery POTTER THROWER A potter who used a wheel and therefore had to throw the clay POULTER A seller of poultry POWER LOOM TUNER One who maintained the loom in mills

PRECEPTRESS A female instructor or teacher

PRENTIS An apprentice

PRINTER'S DEVIL Printer's errand boy. A printer's devil was an apprentice in a printing establishment who performed a number of tasks, such as mixing tubs of ink and fetching type

PROCTOR A supervisor especially of an examination or dormitory in a school.

PROP BOBBY A person who worked in mines checking the pit props

PROPMAN Carpenter / Joiner who cut and fixed the props in the mine to shore up the roof and sides of the pit.

PROSTITUTE A person (usually a woman) offering sexual favours for money

PUBLICAN An innkeeper

PUDDLER An iron foundry worker. Or a man who worked clay into 'puddle', to make things water tight e.g. canal walls

PUG MILL OPERATOR Man who operated a machine for mixing clay and water which then produced a pug of clay

PUMPMAKER Denotes a maker of canal locks

PUREFINDER or PURE GATHERER or PUERFINDER Old women and young girls who collected dog droppings from the streets for use in the tanning industry. In tanning, an infusion of the dung of dogs, fowls, or pigeons, used to soften the skins after liming and preparatory to tanning. Also known as bate. The soaking in such an infusion is called puering or bating.

PURSER A ship's officer in charge of provisions & accounts





QUARREL PICKER A glazier

QUARRIER or QUARRYMAN A quarry worker

QUILLER: One who operated a machine that wound yarn onto spools

QUILTER or QUILTRESS One who makes quilted items





RACK MAIDEN A girl employed in the tin mines of Cornwall to dress the ore

RAFF MERCHANT A seller of fibre used to make raffia bags etc

RAFFMAN One who dealt in raff (saleable rubbish)

RAFTER One who is employed in rafting timber, or transporting it in rafts, as from a ship to the shore.

RAG AND BONE MAN or RAG TROTTER One who went from street to street with a cart collecting any old rubbish, usually in exchange for a small item, e.g. a block of soapstone (also known as donkey stone) which women used to put on their frontdoor step

RAG CUTTER One who cut up rags into small pieces to be used for making paper etc

RAG GATHERERS Employed to clear the rags from the machinery in the mills (usually children)

RAG MAN One who went from street to street collecting and selling old clothes and rags

RAG PICKER Someone who sorted through the left over rags to find re usable ones

RAKER A street-cleaner or scavenger.

RATONER or RATTENER A ratter or rat-catcher.

RECTIFIER One who distilled alcoholic spirits

REDSMAN or REDDSMAN or REDESMAN Person who was employed in maintaining mine haulage ways

REDSMITH or COPPERSMITH A person who worked with copper.

REEDER One who worked with reeds for hedging or thatching

REEDMAKER One who made the pipe for a musical instrument or made a weavers implement (a reed) or reed cloth or the comb used in tapestry

REELER One who operated the machine that wound the yarn onto the bobbin

REEVER One who was a clerk or scribe.

REGISTRAR An official who registered events such as land purchases, births, deaths, marriages etc

RELIEVING OFFICER These were officials of the Workhouse who were responsible for assessing the poor of their districts for eligibility for assistance.

RENOVATOR One who repaired clothing

RENT MAN Collector of rents for landlord

REVENUER or REVENUE OFFICER A taxman who enforces tax laws

RIGGER A hoist tackle worker; works on a ship's rigging

RIPPER One who brings fish inland from the coast to market

RIVERMAN A worker on a river boat

RIVETER (Glass and China) A person who repaired damaged / broken items by drilling and inserting metal rivets in order to join the broken pieces together. (Looked similar to a modern staple)

ROCKMAN A person who worked in a quarry usually placing the charges on the rockface

RODMAN A surveyor's assistant

ROLL TURNER A carder of wool, cotton etc into rolls prior to spinning

ROLLER COVERER One who covered the rollers for the spinning process

ROLLEYWAY MAN One who maintained the underground road in the mines

ROMAN CEMENTER or PLASTERER One who worked with roman cement used in stuccoing

ROPER A maker of rope or nets

ROVER An archer or operator of a machine used in cotton mills which prepared the carded fibre into rolls

RUBBLER A person who sorted the small stones in the quarries

RUGMAKER One who makes rugs

RUGMAN A dealer in rugs

RUNNER A smuggler. Messenger and ironically one who worked for the magistrate best remembered as Bow Street Runners

RUSTLER A livestock thief. E.g. Cattle, sheep etc.





SADDLE TREE MAKER A person who makes the wooden frames for the horse saddle before being covered with leather.

SADDLER One who makes, repairs or sells saddle or other furnishings for horses; harnesses, horse collars, bridles etc.

SAGGAR MAKER or SAGGER MAKER One who made the fireclay containers in which the stoneware was placed ready for firing

SAGGAR MAKER'S BOTTOM KNOCKER The saggar maker's assistant who tapped the bottom off the pots

SALT BOILER One who obtained salt by boiling sea water

SALTER or DRYSALTER or SAUCER One who made or dealt in salt

SANDESMAN An ambassador or messenger

SANDHOG A laborer who works inside a caisson, as in the construction of tunnels underwater.

SANDWICHMAN: A person who wears a sandwich billboard for advertising

SARCINET WEAVER A silk weaver

SAW DOCTOR Made, repaired, maintained and sharpened a wide range of cutting tools and saw blades and also maintained and aligned mechanical parts of a range of production machines

SAWYER A person who saws timber

SAY WEAVER One who made Say, material used for table cloths or bedding

SCAGIOLA MAKER One who made imitation marble

SCHRIMPSCHONGER An artisan who carves in bone, ivory, or wood

SCREENER One who screened the ore at the mines surface

SCRIBBLER Employed in a scribbling mill where the wool was roughly carded before spinning

SCRIBE A clerk

SCRIMER One practised in the use of the sword; a skilful fencer.

SCRIPTURE READER Employed by the local clergy to go from house to house reading parts of the bible to try and encourage people to attend church, also read scriptures during some services

SCRIVENER A clerk, notary, wrote out legal documents

SCRUTINEER One who scrutinizes; specifically, one who acts as an examiner of votes, as at an election, etc., to see if they are valid

SCULLION or SCULLERY MAID Female servant who performed all the menial tasks

SCUTCHER A person that beat flax to soften the straw in the bundles

SEARCHER Customs officer whose business it is to search ships, baggage, goods, etc., for prohibited or undeclared articles liable for duty, etc.

SEDGEMAN The skilled workman who applied sedge (type of grass) which was used as an early roofing material

SEEDSMAN Sower of seeds

SELF ACTING MINDER One in charge of the automatic spinning mule in the mills

SEMPSTER or SEWSTER A man or woman (Sempstress )employed in sewing: in early use applied to those who sewed leather as well as cloth.

SEWER HUNTER A scavenger who concentrated on the sewers trying to find valuable objects

SEXTON An employee or officer of a church who cared and upkept church property and sometimes rang bells and dug graves

SHAGREEN CASE MAKER or CASE MAKER Worked with shagreen leather (the skin of a shark, ray etc) or, a granular leather made from horse's or ass's hide.

SHAMBLER A butcher. Slaughterman. (A shamble is a butcher's abattoir)

SHANK MAKER Made shanks of wool

SHEARER or SHEARMAN or SHERMAN Removed the fleece from sheep. A shearer (cutter) of cloth or metal. A barber

SHEARGRINDER Person who sharpened shears, scissors

SHEATH MAKER One who made scabbards for swords

SHEEPMAN Sheep herder, shepherd

SHEET METAL WORKER A person who fabricates products from all types of sheet metal in a workshop. (Skilled man - a time served apprentice)

SHIFTER Miner paid day rate per shift, usually on repair work

SHINGLER An occupation in the iron foundries. Shingling was the process of hammering puddled iron and as with many iron-making terms it is derived from the French language in this case the word - cinglage. Can also refer to ' Tin Plate Works' And can also be a roof tiler (roofer) who used wooden tiles (shingles). See Bloomer also.

SHIP HUSBAND A repairer of ships while in harbor

SHIP MASTER Owner and / or captain of a ship

SHIPWRIGHT A constructor or repairer or ships

SHOE WIPER or BOOT POLISHER Servant who polished shoes

SHOESMITH cobbler, one who shoed horses

SHOT FIRER One in charge of blasting in mines or quarries

SHUNTER One who moved rolling stock around the railway yards

SHUTTLE MAKER One who made the shuttles for the weaving mills

SICKLEMAN A reaper

SIDESMAN A churchman

SILK DRESSER One who prepared the silk for weaving

SILK MERCER One who sold cloth and other items made from silk

SILK THROWER A worker in the silk industry

SILK TWISTER A silk spinner

SILKER A person that sewed the ends of the fabric to prvent the layers from separating

SILVERSMITH A person who worked with silver

SIMPLER One who collects simples, or medicinal plants; a herbalist; a simplist.

SINKER (PIT SINKER) A skilled man who was contracted to sink new shafts in mines.

SISSOR or CISSOR Tailor

SIZER A persion that applied size to cloth or worked in a paper mill

SKEINER A worker who winds unfinished cloth into skein form for boiling off

SKEPPER or SKELPER or SKEPPRNE or SKEPPERNE A person who makes and sells woven beehives

SKINKER One who draws or pours out. A server of drink; the landlord of an alehouse or tavern. (incidently 'Schenken' in Dutch translates as 'Pour Out' and is pronounced skenken)

SKINNER A dealer in hides

SKIPMAKER: One who made the skips used in mining and quarrying for moving men or materials to the surface

SKIPPER A master of a ship

SLAPPER or SLAPER One who worked in a pottery preparing the clay for the potter

SLATER Roofer

SLAYMAKER A maker of slay's - The reed of a weavers' loom

SLINGER Cornish term ; a casual labourer employed for short periods on different farms; rarely works regularly on one farm.

SLOPSELLER A dealer in cheap ready-made clothing

SLUBBER Operated the machine used to prepare cotton for spinning

SLUBBER DOFFER Removed the bobbins from the spindles in the mills

SMACKMAN One worked on a sailing ship (a smack, as a sloop or cutter, that was used chiefly in coasting and fishing

SMALLWARE MAKER Made smallware, e.g. tapes, braids etc

SMELTER Worker in a metal smelter, smelt fisherman

SMIDDY Dialectal variant of smithy - A smith

SMITH Metal worker

SNAFFLE MAKER A snaffle maker makes the snaffle bit - the most common type of bit used while riding horses. It consists of a bit mouthpiece with a ring on either side and acts with direct pressureThe snaffle bit works on several parts of the horse's mouth; the mouthpiece of the bit acts on the tongue and bars, the lips of the horse also feel pressure from both the mouthpiece and the rings.

SNAPPER Worker in glass factory who placed molded bottle (by neck) into furnace hole

SNOB A shoemaker; a journeyman shoemaker

SNUFFER MAKER Made the candle snuffer

SOAP BOILER (SOPER) Soap maker

SOJOURNER CLOTHIER A travelling clothes salesman

SOLICITOR Lawyer

SORTOR Tailor

SOUTER Shoe maker or cobbler in Scotland

SPALLIER or SPALDER Tin worker who performs chiefly menial tasks

SPICER Grocer or dealer in spices

SPINNER Spins yarn

SPLITTER Operated a splitting machine or one who split things by hand, e.g. stone, timber etc

SPOONER Made spoons

SPRING MAKER Maker of springs for coaches etc.

SPURRER or SPURRIER A maker of spurs

SPUR ROWEL MAKER Mades the rowel that attaches to the spur - a revolving wheel or disk with radiating "points" at the end attached to the shank of the spur.

SQUIRE Practitioner of a profession, a gentleman

STABLER Ostler

STAITHMAN A man employed in weighing and shipping at a staith (a landing place: an elevated staging upon a wharf, bank, shore).

STALLMAN Keeper of a market stall

STATIONER Bookseller, seller of paper & writing implements

STATIST A statesman; a politician; one skilled in government. A statistician

STAY MAKER A corset maker

STEEPLEJACK One who climbs steeples (churches) etc to do repairs etc. Also commonly employed in the north of England to repair the tall chimneys attached to cotton mills

STEERSMAN A ship's helmsman

STENTERER One who operated the cloth finishing machine

STEP BOY Employed to help passengers to enter or leave the coach

STEVEDORE A labourer who unloads and loads ships' cargoes

STEWARD Manager of property, purveyor of supplies or someone who attended passengers on conveyance

STOCKINGER A knitter, weaver, or dealer in stockings

STOKER One who tends the fire of an steam engine boiler originally

STONE GETTER Worked in quarry

STONE PICKER A man employed to remove the stones from the farmers fields before planting

STONE WORKERS A person who worked with stone eg masons, quarriers etc

STOREMAN A person responsible for stored goods

STOVE GRATE PATTERN MAKER Manufactured and installed stove grates. In 1901 there were many stove grate works.

STRAPPER a casual labourer, employed to do odd work in fields or about the farm.

STRAW JOINER One who thatched roofs

STRAW PLAITER One who made straw braids for the hat industry

STREET ORDERLY Street cleaner

STRINGER One who strings. One who makes or furnishes strings for a bow

STUFF WEAVER Wove stuff (the coarse part of flax)

SUMPTER The driver of a pack horse

SUTLER An army camp follower who peddled provisions to the soldiers

SWAIN Herdsman

SWEEP Chimneysweep

SWINEYARD or SWINEHERDER Pig keeper

SWINGLER One who beats flax to remove woody parts

SWORD CUTLER A sword maker





TABLER One who keeps boarders.

TACKLER An overlooker of power loom weavers

TACKSMAN A middleman who leased a large piece of land from the owner and sublet it in small lots

TAILOR One who made or repaired clothes

TALLOW CHANDLER One who made or sold candles

TALLY CLERK One who kept count of goods arriving or departing from warehouses, docks etc

TALLYMAN or TALLIER One who sells by sample goods to be delivered afterward, or who takes orders for such goods. One who keeps a tally-shop, selling goods on short credit, the accounts of which are kept by a system of tallies, without regular book-accounts

TAN BARK STRIPPER One who collected the bark that was used in the tanning process

TANNER Tanned (cured) animal hides for leather making

TANNEY A leather worker

TAPE WEAVER Person who weaves cotton tape - up to a couple of inches wide

TAPER WEAVER One who made the wicks for candles

TAPITER or TAPICER One who weaves worsted cloth

TAPSTER One who puts the tap in an ale cask

TAVERNER An innkeeper

TAWER or TAWYER One who taws (bleaches) skins; a maker of white leather.

THATCHER One who covered roofs with straw or reeds. (Also rick crowder)

THIRD-BOROUGH A constable, or an under-constable.

TIDE GAUGER or SURVEYOR Person who monitored the state of the tide

TIDESMAN or TIDE WAITER A customs official

TIEMAKER One who made wooden railway ties

TIGER A liveried groom attending in a light vehicle. For example he could be a tiger in a dogcart - a light horse-drawn vehicle, originally designed for sporting shooters, with a box behind the driver's seat to contain one or more retriever dogs. The dog box could be converted to a second seat. A young or small groom called a "tiger" might stand on a platform at the rear of a dogcart, to help or serve the driver.

TILER: One who put tiles in place either on the roof or floor

TILLER A farmer

TILLMAN A ploughman

TIN BASHER Slang for a Sheet Metal Worker.

TIN DRESSER (or copper dresser) Women and younger girls who dressed the ore brought up from underground. It was hard, physical work and a dirty job which took knowledge and considerable concentration.

TINCTOR A dyer

TINKER A travelling repairman or salesman (not well respected)

TINMAN A tinsmith or tinker

TINNER Tin miner, tinsmith

TINTER OR TEINTER Artists who performs tinting

TIPPER or FLETCHER One who put the metal tips on arrows etc

TIPSTAFF An officer who bears a staff tipped with metal; a constable.

TIREWOMAN A woman employed to dress, or to attend to the dressing or dresses of, others; a lady's-maid; a female dresser in a theater; a tiring-woman

TOBACCO SPINNER Maker of cigars

TOBBACO PACKER or TOBACCO MOULDER Packed or moulded tobacco leaves

TOLLER or TOLLGATE KEEPER or TOLLIE or TOLMAN or TURNPIKE KEEPER Worker at the toll gate to collect fees for use of the road

TOOL HELVER Made tool handles

TOP SAWYER Upper man in a saw pit

TOPMAN Sailor who works in the ship's rigging

TOSHER Was someone who scavenged in the sewers, especially in London during the Victorian era

TOUCH HOLER One who worked in the gun manufacturing industry

TOW CARD MAKER One who made tow cards, used in the textile industry

TOWN CHAMBERLAIN One who looked after the towns affairs

TOWN CRIER One who made public announcments in the streets

TOWNS WAITER Customs man

TOZER Worked in the wool mills employed to tose or tease the cloth

TRAPPER Employed in the mines to open and shut the doors for the miners

TREENAIL MAKER One who made the long wooden pins used in shipbuilding

TRIMMER A person who trims a ship by re-arranging its cargo to distribute the weight properly

TRIPE DRESSER A butcher . One who prepares tripe for sale. (The lining of the stomach of a ruminant (especially a bovine) used as food)

TRONER A weighing official at the markets

TROTTER A messenger

TUBBER or COOPER One who made tubs and barrels

TUBMAN A barrister in the Court of Exchequer in England who had a precedence in motions.

TUCKER IN A maid who attended the bedroom and "tucked in the bedclothes"

TRUG MAKER One who makes baskets with wooden strips, as in the Sussex Trug. Mostly Sussex, Kent, Surrey and Wiltshire. People used them to carry flowers, grains and for vegetables and fruit gathering. It was Queen Victoria who made them popular as garden accessories after she saw them at the Great Exhibition of 1851

TURNER A lathe worker

TURNKEY A prison warden or jail keeper

TURNSPIT One who operated the spit handle

TWEENIE or TWEENY A servant who works between two others, or assists both. A between-maid, or maidservant who helps the cook as well as the housemai. A maid who worked "between the stairs" she assisted the cooks and the housemaids

TWISTER or TWISTERER A person who joined the ends of a fresh beam of threads onto the warp already on the loom. A sitting-down job, sometimes done by people who were crippled.





ULNAGER One appointed to examine the quality of woollen goods to be sold

UNDERVIEWER A junior official in charge of mine in 'viewer's' absence

UPHOLDER or UNHOLSTERER Furniture seller - mainly chairs and couches





VALET A male servant that attended a nobleman or gentleman

VALUATOR One who valued objects

VASSAL A servant of the lowest order

VATMAN One who put the paper pulp into the moulds in paper-making industry or worked with vats e.g. in beer and wine making

VENATOR or VENUR A huntsman

VERGER Church official, acting as usher or pew opener

VERMIN DESTROYER Rat catcher. Pest controller

VICTUALER or VICTUALLER A seller of food/drink - Usually refers to an Innkeeper

VINTAGER A harvester of grapes

VINTNER or VINTER A wine merchant

VULCAN A blacksmith





WABSTER A weaver

WAD MAN A person who supplied wadding for packing, stuffing, padding

WAGONER Wagon or cart driver

WAIN HOUSE PROPRIETOR Owner of a building where wagons could be parked for a fee

WAINWRIGHT Builder or repairer of wagons

WAITER or TIDE WAITER or CUSTOMS OFFICER One who waited on the tide to collect duty on goods brought in

WAITMAN or WATCHMAN Night watchman who guarded the gates of a city, usually marking the hours with the ringing of a small bell

WAKER Person whose job was to wake workers in time for early morning work

WALKING-STICK FILER One who made walking sticks

WALLER One who built walls either brick or dry stone - also a person who worked making coarse salt

WARDER Person in charge of prisoners

WAREHOUSEMAN A person in charge of a warehouse

WARP DRESSER Warping-mill operator. Operated a machine to wind yarn from packages onto reel and from reel onto loom beams to prepare multiple colored warps for weaving

WARPER or WARP BEAME A textile worker who arranged the individual yarns which created the "warp" of the fabric upon a large cylinder called a beam. A beamer. A person who set the warp thread on the looms or employed to move boats by hauling on the warps (the ropes attached to the boats)

WARRENER In charge of a portion of land used for breeding rabbits and other small game

WASTEMAN Checked the old workings for gas and maintaining them in the mines or employed to remove waste

WATCH FINISHER Assembled watches and clocks

WATCHMAN Town official who guarded the streets at night

WATER BAILIFF Official in charge of the fishing rights on a stretch of water

WATER CARRIER Carted and sold fresh water

WATER LEADER or LEDER or LODER A person who transported and sold fresh drinking water

WATERGUARD A customs officer

WATERMAN Worked with or on boats usually on rivers

WATTLE HURDLE MAKER Made a type of fence / enclosures from wattle to keep sheep in

WAY-MAKER One employed to make roads. One who makes a way; a pioneer; a pathfinder.

WEAVER A person who runs one or more looms to weave cloth. The more looms, the more money. Weaving is a very noisy operation, leaving many weavers deaf. Whether deaf or not, most weavers will have learned to lip-read since this is the only way to hold a conversation in the weaving shed.

WEBSTER Weaver (originally a female weaver)

WEIGHER Worked on the docks to weigh the cargo as it was unloaded

WELL SINKER Someone who dug wells

WELL WRIGHT Made the winding equipment used to raise the bucket in the well

WELLMASTER One in charge of the local well with the responsibility of ensuring clean water for the village

WET GLOVER Leather glove maker

WET NURSE Woman employed to suckle tthe child of another (common practice with the rich)

WETTER Dampens paper during the printing process or in the glass industry who detached the glass by wetting

WHARFINGER One who owns or manages a wharf.

WHEELWRIGHT or WRIGHT A maker of wheels for carts

WHEY CUTTER Worker in the cheese industry.

WHIFFLER A herald or usher; a person who leads the way, or prepares the way, for another: probably so called because the pipers usually led the procession.

WHIPCORD MAKER or WHIPMAKER One who made whips

WHIPPER-IN Involved in the hunting on large estates. Managed the hunting hounds and came under the command of the Huntsman.

WHITE COOPER One who makes barrels from tin or other light metals

WHITE LIMER A person who plastered walls using lime and water plaster

WHITE SMITH or WHITESMITH A whitesmith is a person who works with "white" or light-coloured metals such as tin and pewter. Their majority of their work is with cold metal

WHITENER or WHITESTER or WHITSTER One who bleached cloth

WHITEWASHER Whitewashed the walls of cottages

WILLOW PLAITER or WEAVER One who made baskets etc

WINDER Either a Beamer, or someone who winds thread onto the spindles used in shuttles

WINDSTER Silk winder

WOOL DRIVER One who brought the wool to market

WOOL FACTOR Wool merchants agent

WOOL MAN /WOOL SORTER or STAPLER One who sorted the wool into different grades

WOOL WINDER One who made up balls of wool for selling

WOOLCOMBER Operated machinery that separates the fibres ready for spinning in woollen industry

WOOLEN BILLY PIECER Worked in the woollen mills to piece together the broken yarns

WOONTCATCHER A mole catcher (North Staffs dialect "oont" or "woont", meaning mole

WRIGHT Builder or repairer. A skilled worker in various trades





XYLOGRAPHER One who used and made wooden blocks used in printing illustrations





YARDMAN A rail, road or yard worker

YEARMAN One contracted to work for a year

YEOMAN A farmer who owns his own land





ZINCOGRAPHER A designer who etched in relief a pattern on zinc plates used for printing

ZOOGRAPHER One who classifies species of animals

ZUMOLOGIST One who is skilled in the fermentation of liquors

ZYTHEPSARIST A brewer