| Ealdorman |
Shire Court official, acted as King's deputy and paid by the
court |
| Earer |
Ploughman |
| Earth stopper |
Stopped up animal burrows - i.e. a fox's earth before the
hunt |
| East India Man |
Employee of the East India Company - either commercially or
militarily |
| Edge Toolmaker |
Maker of knives, scythes - cutting tools |
| Eggler / Egg Factor |
Egg / poultry dealer |
| Elephants Teeth Dealer |
Ivory dealer |
| Ellerman / Ellyman |
Sold lamp oil (oilman) |
| Elymaker |
Oil maker |
| Empresario |
1) Showman 2) Land broker 3) Settlement scheme
promoter |
| Engineman |
In charge of colliery winding machinery under the direction of the
Bankman |
| Engine Smith |
Made parts for and repaired engines using the tools of a Smith - similar
work to that of a Blacksmith. |
| Engine Tenter |
1) Oversaw the operation of the steam engine driving factory machinery.
2) Operated woolen mill machinery stretching cloth whilst drying |
| Engine Turner |
Engraver who produced overlapping geometric (engine turned) patterns on
such items as cigarette cases, ladies compacts etc |
| Enumerator |
Collected and recorded census data from households |
| Equerry |
Personal assistant in the Royal household - originally for the horses -
still exists |
| Erite |
Heretic |
| Eremite |
Hermit |
| Esquire |
Knight's companion - the term later referred to a gentleman of
standing |
| Estafette |
Mounted courier - from French |
| Eweherd |
Shepherd |
| Exchequer |
Revenue collector - Chancellor of the Exchequer is an important English
Government post today, setting the National budget |
| Exciseman |
Tax collector |
| Expressman |
A Messenger. He would collect and deliver letters, packages or
parcels that needed quick service |
| Eyer |
Made the holes in sewing needles. Also called a Holer |
| Faber |
Workman or Artisan |
| Factor |
1) Agent transacting business for merchants 2) Sold goods on commission
3) (Scottish) Steward collecting land rents |
| Fagetter |
Firewood seller - made bundles of faggots |
| Faker |
Photographer's assistant - added hand colouring to monochrome
photographs before colour film was invented |
| Fancy Man |
A pimp |
| Fancy Woman |
A prostitute |
| Fancy-pearl Worker |
Made items, such as buttons, from mother-of-pearl |
| Fanner |
Grain winnower |
| Fanwright |
Made or repaired fans or winnowing baskets |
| Farandman |
Travelling merchant |
| Farm Bailiff |
Made sure a tenant farmer ran the farm properly and was paying the rent
on time. If not the bailiff had the authority to evict. |
| Farrier |
1) A blacksmith who shoes horses 2) Horse Doctor 3) Cavalry NCO
responsible for horses |
| Fawkner/ Faulkner |
Falconer |
| Fear-Nought Maker |
Made thick woollen material called fear-nought for protective clothing
and lining insides the powder magazines of warships |
| Feather Beater/Driver/Dresser |
Cleaned feathers for sale |
| Feather Wife |
Woman who cleaned feathers for sale |
| Featherman |
Dealer in feathers |
| Feeder |
Herdsman |
| Feller |
Woodcutter |
| Fellmonger |
1) Dealer in hides and skins , also recycled inedible animal parts for
glue, fertiliser, offal, horn, bone, gut etc. Basically, he ran the "knacker's yard". More Info. 2)
Tree cutter / woodsman |
| Fellowship Porter |
A kind of uniformed bonded messenger, vetted for honesty etc before
admission to the Guild of Fellowship Porters, to whom they were accountable. You could trust your
valuables to them for transport from your London office to another warehouse, shop or
office |
| Felter |
Worked with felt - normally in the hat trade |
| Fender Smith |
Made and maintained fenders surrounding fires |
| Fent Dealer |
Dealer in "Fents" - cloth remnants, ends of bolts of cloth
etc. |
| Feroner |
Ironmonger |
| Ferreter |
Made or dealt in "ferret" - silk tape |
| Ferur / Ferator |
Blacksmith / Farrier |
| Festitian |
Physician |
| Fettler |
1) Cleaned mill machinery, removing accumulations of fibres, grease etc.
and sharpened fustian cutters' knives 2) Needle maker who filed the points |
| Fever |
Blacksmith |
| Fewster |
Made wooden saddle trees – the “chassis” upon which a leather saddle is
constructed |
| Fewterer |
Looked after the hounds used in hunting or hare coursing |
| Feydur (Feather) Beater |
Feather beater |
| Fiddler |
Used a fiddle (small knife) to remove the flashing from cast clay forms
such as bowls, creamers, cups or pitchers. |
| Field Master |
1) Inspected hedges and fences of a parish and also impounded stray
animals 2) Tended fields set aside to produce hay. Also Hayward |
| File Cutter |
Made files by cutting rows of sharp teeth into a metal blank |
| Filler |
Filled bobbins in textile mills |
| Fine Drawer |
Invisible mender (clothing) |
| Fireworker |
18c. Maker of fireworks. A very dangerous occupation - they often
actually smoked when working with gunpowder! |
| Fire Beater |
Tended factory boilers |
| First Hand |
Silk weaver who owned his own loom. Early silk weaving was largely done
in the home |
| Fiscere |
Fisherman - Anglo-Saxon term |
| Fish Fag |
Female fish seller |
| Fitter |
1) Coal broker 2) Early term for a Joiner 3) From 19c. a skilled
mechanic |
| Flagger |
Lays paving stones etc. also called a Paver or Paviour |
| Flagger & Tiler |
Laid roofing tiles and the rectangular stone flags used in some parts of
the country for roofing |
| Flasher |
Specialist worker in glass making |
| Flatman / Floatman |
Boatman on a flat bottom boat (a flat) used in shallow waters (mainly
rivers and canals) for transport. The term also came to refer to shallow-draft coastal sailing
vessels. More Info. |
| Flauner |
Confectioner |
| Flax Dresser |
Person who breaks and swingles flax, or prepares it for the
spinner. |
| Flesher / Fleshmonger |
1) Tannery worker 2) Butcher |
| Fleshewer |
Butcher |
| Fletcher |
Made arrows - from French, flèche |
| Floater |
Vagrant |
| Flowering Muslin |
Embroidery |
| Flusherman |
Cleaned out water pipes |
| Fly Coachman / Flyman |
1) Drove a "fly" a one horse two wheeled light carriage 2) Flyman also a
term for a theatre stage hand 3) A Fly Proprietor employed fly drivers and usually owned the
flys. |
| Fly Proprietor |
|
| Flying Stationer |
Street broadsheet (newspaper) seller |
| Fogger / Pettifogger |
1) Peddler. 2) Middleman in the nail and chain trade 3) Agricultural
labourer who fed cattle 4) Low class lawyer or "Pettifogger" |
| Foister / Foisterer / Fuyster |
Joiner |
| Foot Maiden |
Female servant |
| Footman |
Male servant |
| Footpad |
Thief (mugger) |
| Foot-Post |
Mail carrier (on foot) |
| Foot Straightener |
Made watch and clock dials |
| Forester |
Looked after woods, normally on gentleman's estate, or major local
forest |
| Forgeman / Forger |
1) Blacksmith or his assistant 2) In 18c Derbyshire -
Coachsmith |
| Forkner |
Falconer (phonetic) |
| Form Fitter |
Fitted "forms" for building. ie formwork for arch building. |
| Fossetmaker |
Made (wooden) taps for ale casks |
| Founder |
Foundryman - casts metal i.e. iron, brass |
| Fower |
Sweeper, street cleaner |
| Foyboatman |
A shore-based seaman who worked a "foy" to give assistance to vessels
entering port - running lines from the ship to shore, towing small vessels etc. Foy is a corruption
of fee, which was what the boatman charged |
| Frame Spinner |
Tended a machine for spinning cotton threads - a Spinning Frame - More
Info |
| Framer |
Constructed the wooden frames of buildings, also in chair
making |
| Framework Knitter |
Operated a hosiery making loom (Abbreviated FWK in census returns) More
Info. |
| (FWK) |
|
| Freedman |
A freed slave |
| Freeholder |
Land owner |
| Freeman |
Held the full rights of citizenship, such as voting and engaging in
business, free of feudal service - a man who had served his apprenticeship and who could then work
at his trade in his own right |
| Freemason |
Stone mason |
| Frieser |
Made rough plaster known as friese |
| Freshwaterman |
Sailed on inland or coastal waters |
| Fringemaker |
Made ornamental borders or fringes in cloth making |
| Fripperer |
Bought and sold old clothes and fripperies |
| Friseur |
Hairdresser |
| Frobisher / Furbisher |
Cleaned and polished metal – i.e. armour |
| Fruitestere |
Female fruit seller |
| Fulker |
Pawnbroker |
| Fuller / Tucker / Walker |
One who "fulls" cloth; the process of cleaning (removing the natural
oils and lanolin) wool in preparation for spinning and weaving, using fuller's earth. In medieval
times, this involved treading the cloth in stale urine for some 8 hours. |
| Fumigator |
During the great plague, Fumigators were employed to disinfect houses by
burning sulphur, saltpetre and urine. Presumably the smell would kill the germs! |
| Funambulist |
Tightrope walker |
| Furner |
Baker |
| Furrier |
Fur dealer - as today |
| Fustian Cutter / Weaver |
A person who lifted and cut the threads in the making of Fustian,
formerly a kind of coarse cloth made of cotton and flax. Now a thick, twilled cotton cloth with a
short pile or nap, a kind of cotton velvet. A long thin knife was inserted into the loops and the
threads cut as it was pulled through, stretched between rollers. The cloth was then brushed to
raise the pile. Fustian is the old name for corduroy / A weaver of Fustian |
| Fustian Loom Jobber |
Otherwise known as a Tackler, he serviced and maintained the Fustian
looms |
| Gabeler |
Tax collector |
| Gaffer |
1) Foreman 2) Elderly man |
| Gaffman |
Bailiff |
| Gager / Gauger |
Collector of alcohol taxes. Measured capacity of barrels to calculate
the duty |
| Gamester |
1) Gambler 2) Prostitute |
| Ganger / Gangsman |
Overseer / foreman - from mid 18c. |
| Ganneker |
Innkeeper |
| Garthman |
1) Fisherman using fish traps 2) Yardman or herdsman 3) Maintained a
"garth" or dam on the river for catching fish |
| Gas Maker |
Made gas by heating coal to produce gas, which was purified to remove
the tar. The coal would be turned into coke. The gas could be used for lighting, heating or
powering a gas engine. The tar was used in road surfacing. |
| Gas Manager |
In charge of detecting dangerous gases in mines |
| Gasser |
See Cotton Yarn Gasser |
| Gater |
Watchman |
| Gatherer |
Glassworker. Inserted the blow iron into molten glass ready for the
blower |
| Gatherer's Boy |
Assistant who shielded the gatherer's face from the furnace with a
shovel |
| Gatward |
Goatkeeper |
| Gaunter |
Glove maker |
| Gaveller |
1) In the Forest of Dean - Crown officer granting "gales" - the right to
work a mine 2) In Suffolk - Female (usually) harvest worker 3) Usurer |
| Gelder |
Animal castrator |
| GP / General Practitioner |
Local medical doctor, a term used today. More Info. |
| Gentleman |
Gentry; Aristocrat, whose income came from his land |
| Gentry |
Families of hereditary rank - the baronets and knights in
England |
| Geometer |
Person skilled in geometry |
| Gerund Grinder |
Latin Tutor |
| Gigger |
Operated a gigging machine - a machine for dressing woollen cloth by
subjecting it to the action of teasels. |
| Gilder |
Applied gold leaf for decoration |
| Gimler |
Made gimp - a kind of card |
| Ginour |
Engineer |
| Ginny / Jenny/ Jenney Tenter |
Minded a Ginny - a stationary engine used in coal mining to haul coal to
the surface |
| Girdler |
Made leather belts & girdles, mainly for the army |
| Glass Coachman |
Drove a two horse carriage for hire |
| Glazier / Glassman |
1) Window glass man / glass cutter 2) Seller of glassware |
| Glover |
Glove maker / seller |
| Goaler |
A keeper of the goal, a jailer |
| Goat Carriageman |
Driver of a small carriage |
| Goldsmith |
1) Banker 2) Worker in gold |
| Gong Farmer / |
Emptied cesspits, ashpits and outside toilets - "middins" - usually
required to work from 9pm to 5am. See also Night Soilman |
| Gong Scourer |
|
| Gooseherd |
Tended geese |
| Gorseman |
Sold gorse and broom, largely for making brooms |
| Grace Wife |
Midwife |
| Graffer |
Notary or scrivener |
| Grainer |
Painted wood grain effect |
| Granger |
Farmer |
| Graver |
1) Engraver 2) Carver or Sculptor 3) Worker in a ship graving dock,
cleaning and repairing ships hulls |
| Grazier |
A person who pastures and raises cattle |
| Greenwich Hospital Pensioner |
A long-serving ex Royal Navy man, awarded an out-pension for age, wounds
or incapacity |
| Grieve / Greave |
Bailiff, Sheriff, Foreman |
| Greengrocer |
Sells fresh fruit and vegetables |
| Greensmith |
Worker in copper - coppersmith |
| Greenwich Barber |
Sold sand from the Greenwich pits |
| Grey Cloth Dealer |
Dealer in Grey Cloth - the unfinished product of the looms before
bleaching, dyeing or printing. The term is still used in the trade. |
| Grimbribber |
Lawyer |
| Grinder |
1) Used a grinding machine, mainly for knife and scissor sharpening,
which was commonly done door-to-door 2) Maintained a carding machine in textile mills 3)
Tutor |
| Groover |
Miner |
| Groundsel & Chickweed Seller |
Street seller of weeds to feed songbirds |
| Guinea Pig |
Roving (freelance) person, whose usual fee was a guinea (One pound, one
shilling) |
| Gummer |
Re-cut old saws, sharpening and improving depth of cut |
| Gun Stocker |
Carves gun stocks from wood and fits them to the metal parts of the
gun |
| Gyp |
College servant to undergraduates |
| Haberdasher |
Seller of clothing and accoutrements |
| Hacker |
1) Woodcutter 2) Maker and/or user of hoes or other cutting
tools |
| Hackler / Heckler / Hackman / Hatcheler |
Combed or "carded" the coarse flax, using a hackle - a toothed implement
- in linen making. |
| Hackney Man |
Horse drawn Cab/Taxi driver - Taxis were originally called Hackney
Cabs |
| Haft Presser |
Employed in the Sheffield cutlery industry pressing bone/horn into knife
handles (hafts). 19c. |
| Hairweaver / Hairman |
Weaver of horsehair cloth |
| Halberd Carrier / Halberdier |
Soldier who was armed with a halberd - a combined spear and
axe |
| Half Timer |
Child who spent half the day at school and half in the mills |
| Hammerman |
Smith, hammerman |
| Handseller |
Street Vendor |
| Handwoman |
Midwife or female attendant |
| Harlot |
1) Vagabond, beggar, rogue 2) 14c male servant / attendant 3) 15c
Prostitute |
| Harmer Beck |
Constable |
| Harper |
Harp player |
| Hatter |
Hat maker / seller More Info. |
| Hawker / Huckster |
Peddler or street seller. Itinerant street dealer who carried his wares
with him. Often used as a term of abuse. |
| Haymonger |
Dealer in hay |
| Hayward |
1) Inspected hedges and fences of a parish and also impounded stray
animals 2) Tended fields set aside to produce hay Also Field Master |
| Headsman |
Executioner |
| Headswoman |
Midwife |
| Heald Knitter |
Made hand knitted textile 'healds' through which the warp threads on a
loom ran so that they could alternately be raised and lowered for the shuttle to pass through with
the weft thread. More Info. |
| Heald/Heddle or Yell Manufacturer |
Manufacturer of Healds, used on looms. The warp yarns are passed through
loops known as Healds, which raise and lower the yarns after the shuttle has passed the weft across
the width of the loom |
| Heck Maker |
Made spinning machine guides for guiding yarn onto reels |
| Hedge Looker |
Oversaw maintenance of hedges and enclosures. Also see Field Master
& Hayward |
| Hedger |
Hedge Trimmer and maker of "grown" hedges - a skilled art |
| Heelmaker |
Made shoe heels |
| Hellier / Hillier |
Roof tiler or Slater |
| Hempheckler |
See Hackler |
| Henchman / Hensman / Hinxman |
1) Squire or page of honour 2) Groom, horseman 3) Chief attendant to a
Highland chief |
| Henter |
Thief |
| Hewer |
Mine face worker - hewed or cut the coal |
| Higgler |
Itinerant peddler. A lot of the Higgler's trade involved barter, rather
than money changing hands and the name derives from the resultant haggling. |
| High Sheriff |
The highest ranking sheriff |
| Highwayman |
Robber, usually mounted, who preyed on travellers on public
highways |
| Hillier |
Roof tiler |
| Hillman / Hillsman |
A man who worked at the pithead; a colliery official, late 17th-early
20th century (Scottish) |
| Hind |
1) Domestic servant 2) A skilled farm labourer (Scotland) |
| Hobbler / Hobler |
1) Towed river or canal boats 2) Casual dock labourer 3) Unlicensed
pilot. More Info. |
| Hodsman |
Mason's assistant - carried the "Hod" in which materials were
carried |
| Hoggard |
Pig drover |
| Holer |
Made the holes in sewing needles. Also called an Eyer |
| Holder up |
1) Rivetter's Mate - whilst the red hot rivet head was formed by the
rivetter, he would hold a heavy hammer or dolly against the other end of the rivet. |
|
2) Assistant to a forger of chains or shackles by holding up the
work. |
|
3) Machinist's assistant, holding up work to the various
machines. |
| Hoofer |
A dancer |
| Hooker |
1) 16c. Reaper 2) 19c. Textile mill worker operating machinery which
laid out fabric in uniform folds to required length |
| Hooper / Hoop shaver |
Made hoops for casks and barrels |
| Horner |
Made horn cutlery handles, combs |
| Horse Courser |
Owner of racing horses |
| Horse Knave |
Groom |
| Horse Leech |
Farrier, veterinarian |
| Horse Marine |
Towed canal barges where horses could not be used |
| Horse Capper |
Dealer in worthless horses |
| Horse-hair Curler |
Prepared horse hair for upholstery stuffing |
| Hosier |
Retailer of hosiery - socks, stockings, gloves etc. |
| Hosteller / Hostelier |
Innkeeper |
| Hostler |
1) Stableman, groom 2) repairer of railway engines |
| Hotpresser |
Worked in textile or paper mills, pressing product between hot glazing
sheets to smooth and glaze it |
| House Joiner |
Made the wooden frames of houses |
| House Wright |
House builder |
| Howdy Wife |
Midwife |
| Hoyman |
Used a "hoy" - a small coastal vessel - to transport passengers and
goods |
| Huckster |
1) Street seller of ale, often a woman 2) Retailer of small wares in
shop or booth |
| Huissher |
Usher or door attendant |
| Hurdleman / Hurdler |
Made wattle fencing "hurdles" |
| Hurriers |
Usually girls from the age of 5, employed hauling coal
underground |
| Husband-Man / Husbandman |
1) Tenant farmer 2) Farmer dealing with animals (14th century From the
Anglo-Saxon husbonda) |
| Hush Shopkeeper |
Unlicensed beer brewer and seller |