Old Jobs - Trades
- Professions - Occupations - Rank - Quality
Yes, believe it or not, in many historical registers and documents the column for a persons job, trade or occupation was headed "QUALITY" how's that for a bar to "social mobility" ?
The following list contains simple explanations of past trades & professions that may help family historians & genealogists to understand how their forebears earned a living.
| Accomptant |
Accountant |
| Accoucheur |
man
who acts as a midwife |
| Accoucheuse |
midwife (female) |
| Administatrix |
female
administrator |
| Ag Lab |
(abreved) agricultural labourer |
| Almoner |
giver
of charity (alms) to the needy |
| Amanuensis |
secretary
or assistant |
| Ankle
Beater |
youth
employed to assist drover to herd cattle |
| Aquarius |
ewer;
waterman |
| Artificer |
maker
or fixer of intricate objects; soldier mechanic who does repairs |
| Aurifaber |
goldsmith |
| Avenator |
plantifene;
hay and forage merchant |
| Bailie |
bailiff |
| Bailiee |
bailiff |
| Banker |
digger
of drainage ditches, dykes, flood defences etc. |
| Banksman |
gives
instruction or assistance to a driver; overseer at a mine or pit (often
in charge of the cage or lift) |
| Barker |
tanner |
| Baxter |
baker |
| Belhoste |
tavern
keeper |
| Belleyetere |
bellfounder |
| Billiter |
bellfounder |
| Blacksmith |
one
who shoes horses, forges / works metal |
| Bluestocking |
female
writer |
| Bobber |
carries
fish / unloads fish from ship
metal polisher |
| Boniface |
innkeeper |
| Borsholder |
officer
appointed by the manor or parish, constable. |
| Bowyer |
bowmaker |
| Brasiler |
dyer |
| Brazier |
brass
worker |
| Brewster |
brewer;
beer maker |
| Brightsmith |
metal
worker, often tin or polished iron work |
| Brownsmith |
copper
or brass smith |
| Burgonmaster |
mayor |
| Burl |
cup-bearer |
| Burneman |
carrier
of barm or waters for brewers |
| Burnisher |
metal
polisher |
| Campaner |
bell
maker |
| Cancellarius |
chancellor |
| Cardmaker |
maker
of cards (instruments for combing wool) |
| Carner |
granary
keeper |
| Carnifex |
butcher |
| Carpentarius |
carpenter |
| Carter |
maker
or driver carts |
| Caulker |
filler
of cracks (in ships or windows) to make them watertight |
| Chaisemaker |
carriage
maker |
| Chaloner |
dealer
in shalloon (a material made in Chalons) |
| Chandler |
maker
or seller of candles; retailer of groceries; dealer or trader |
| Chapman |
merchant |
| Chesterman |
guard |
| Chiffonier |
wigmaker |
| Chirugion |
apothecary
or surgeon |
| Cissor |
tailor |
| Clark |
Clerk |
| Clarke |
cleric
or scribe |
| Clericus |
clerk |
| Clerk |
clergyman,
cleric |
| Clicker |
salesman's
assistant who would drum up custom, print worker who would set up the
press for the compositor; one who makes eyelet holes in boots using a
machine which clicked. |
| Cobbler |
shoe
maker/repairer |
| Cocus |
cook |
| Cohen |
priest |
| Collier |
coalminer |
| Colporteur |
peddler
of books |
| Combere |
woolcomber |
| Conveyor |
grantor
or seller |
| Cooper |
maker
or repairer of vessels made of staves & hoops ie. barrels, casks and
tubs. |
| Coppice
keeper |
one
who takes care of small wood |
| Cordewanarius |
shoemaker,
originally any leather worker using leather from Cordiva (Spain) |
| Cordwainer |
shoemaker,
originally any leather worker using Cordovan leather |
| Corvisor |
shoemaker,
originally any leather worker using Cordovan leather |
| Costermonger |
peddler
of fruits and vegetables |
| Cotiler |
cutler |
| Cozier |
tailor |
| Crayman |
driver
of a cart carrying heavy loads |
| Crocker |
potter;
maker of crockery |
| Crowner |
coroner |
| Cuhreur |
currier |
| Culler |
gelder
of male animals |
| Cuper |
cooper |
| Currrier |
tanner
of leather; user of curry comb on horses |
| Cutler |
one
who makes or sells knives etc. |
| Dareman |
dairyman |
| Daunsel |
gentleman
in waiting; groom; squire |
| Delver |
one
who digs ditches |
| Devil |
printer's
errand boy |
| Dexter |
dyer |
| Diviner/Dowser |
one
who finds water (or other substances) under the ground |
| Docker |
stevedor;
dock worker who loads and unloads cargo |
| Dowser |
finder
of water (or other items) using dowsing rods or witching stick |
| Draper |
dealer
in cloth and dry goods |
| Drayman |
"driver
of a dray: a long strong cart without fixed sides, for carrying heavy
loads" (later a brewery delivery team) |
| Dresser |
surgeon's
assistant in a hospital |
| Drover |
driver
of animals to market; dealer in cattle |
| Drummer |
traveling
salesman |
| Dubbere |
cloth
dubber ie. one who raises the nap of cloth |
| Dudder |
probably
a maker of coarse cloaks |
| Duffer |
peddler |
| Dyer |
one
who dyes cloth |
| Dysshere |
possibly
a ditcher, or in some cases a disher |
| Ellerman |
dealer
/ seller of lampoil |
| Elymaker |
oilmaker |
| Enumerator |
census
taker |
| Executrix |
female
executor |
| F.S. |
female
servant; UK 1841 census etc |
| Faber |
smith |
| Factor |
agent,
commission merchant; one who acts or transacts business for another; scottish
steward or bailiff of an estate |
| Falkner |
keeper
/ trainer of falcons |
| Farrier |
horse
doctor, one in charge of horses; blacksmith;
makes / fits horseshoes |
| Faulkner |
Falconer |
| Fell
Monger |
one
who removes hair or wool from hides in preparation for leather making |
| Fence
Viewer |
person
who inspects farmer's fences |
| Feroner |
ironmonger |
| Ferur
/ Ferator |
farrier
or blacksmith |
| Fisher
/ Fishdryver |
victualler |
| Flasher |
glass
maker (specialist) |
| Flax
Dresser |
one
who works with flax fibers |
| Fleshewer
/ Flesher |
butcher |
| Fletcher |
maker
of bows and arrows; arrowmaker |
| Forestarius |
forester |
| Framar |
farmer |
| Frereman |
servant
of the Friars |
| Fuller |
fuller
of cloth; shrinker and thickener of woolen cloth by washing, heating and
pressing; a felter;one who trampled cloth, see also walker,
cleaner and thickener of cloth; |
| Furber
/ Furbour |
furbisher
of armour |
| Furner |
baker |
| Gaoler |
jailer |
| Garcifer
/ Garcio |
groom;
attendant |
| Gatherer |
glassworker
who gathered molten glass from the furnace on the end of a blowpipe (blowiron)
for the glass blower |
| Glassewryght |
glasswright;
maker and mender of glassware |
| Glazier |
fitter
or repairer of windows |
| Glover |
dealer
or maker of gloves |
| Gobar |
jobber |
| Guilderer |
maker
of gold or silver coins |
| Gynour |
engineer |
| Hacker |
hoe
maker |
| Hamberghmaker
/ Hamberow |
horse
collar maker |
| Hansard |
weapon
maker or seller |
| Harper |
musician |
| Hatcheler |
one
who combed out or "carded" flax |
| Hawker |
peddler |
| Haymonger |
dealer
in hay |
| Hayward |
keeper
of fences |
| Headborough |
constable |
| Hedger |
one
who trims and tends hedgerows |
| Hetheleder |
provider
of heather for fuel |
| Higgler |
itinerant
peddler |
| Hillard
/ Hiller |
one
who covers houses with slate; tiler |
| Hillier |
roof
tiler, slater |
| Hind |
farm
laborer |
| Hooker |
reaper |
| Hooper |
maker
of hoops for casks, barrels, tubs etc. |
| Horsler |
hostler
or ostler (stableman or groom), horse servant at an inn |
| Hosteler |
innkeeper |
| Hostler |
a
groom who took care of horses, often at an inn |
| Horse
Marine |
man
used to drag, manhandle barges where horses couldn't work |
| Huckster |
seller
of small articles/wares |
| Husbandman |
a
tenant farmer; (not a land ower) animal husbandry |
| Indentured
servant |
one
who has committed to working for someone |
| Ironmonger |
dealer
in iron goods |
| Jagger |
fish
peddler |
| Jakes
Farmer |
one
who emptied cesspits or privvies |
| Jorman |
journeyman |
| Journeyman |
craftsman
who had served his apprenticeship to a master for a fixed number of years;
often works on a day to day basis |
| Joyner
/ Joiner |
joiner;
skilled carpenter |
| Keeler |
bargeman |
| Keller |
salt
keeper |
| Kellogg |
slaughter
man |
| Kempster |
wool
comber |
| Knocker-Up |
person
employed to wake up factory / mill workers by knocking on their bedroom
windows with a long pole |
| Lardner |
keeper
of the cupboard or store |
| Latouner |
worker
in latten (a metal resembling brass) |
| Lavender |
washer
woman |
| Lederer |
leather
maker |
| Leech |
physician |
| Limeburner |
maker
of lime |
| Limner |
draughtsman
or artist |
| Lokeer |
locksmith |
| Longshoreman |
"stevedor,
docker" |
| Lorimer
/ lormer |
bridlemaker |
| Lormer |
maker
of horse gear |
| M.S. |
male
servant; UK 1841 census etc |
| Macon
/ Macun / Marson |
mason |
| Malender |
farmer |
| Malster |
brewer
of malted beverages (beer) |
| Manciple |
a
steward |
| Marescallus |
marshall |
| Marshall |
horse
servant or groom |
| Mason |
stone
carver, cutter |
| Mayer |
physician |
| Medicus |
leech;
doctor |
| Mercator |
merchant |
| Millow |
miller |
| Millwright |
one
who designs or builds mills |
| Mintmaster |
issuer
of local currency [mintner?] |
| Molendinarius
/ Molitor / Muner |
miller |
| Monger |
"seller
(of goods ie. ale, fish, fruit)" |
| Muleskinner |
teamster |
| Neatherder |
cow
herd |
| Necessary
Woman |
servant
to empty chamber pots & clean privvies; female private personal
attendant |
| Nedder |
needle-maker |
| Nettir |
knitter |
| Oilman |
seller
of lamp oil (similar Ellerman) |
| Ordinary |
innkeeper;
keeper of a fixed price Inn |
| Osler |
bird-catcher |
| Osnard |
herder
of oxen |
| Outrider |
mounted
attendant riding before or behind a carriage |
| Packman |
itinerant
peddler |
| Palmer |
a
pilgrim; one who had been, or pretended to have been, to the Holy Land |
| Paneler |
saddler |
| Pannarius |
clothier
and draper |
| Pardoner |
one
licensed to sell Papal Indulgences |
| Parochus |
rector,
pastor |
| Patton
/ Patten Maker |
a
maker of a clog shod with an iron ring; maker of iron-rimmed pattens for
footware. A clog was also a wooden pole with a pattern cut into the end |
| Peever |
pepper-seller |
| Pelliparius/
Peltarius |
skinner |
| Peregrinator |
itinerant
wanderer |
| Peruker
/ Perukmaker |
wig
maker |
| Pettifogger |
shyster;
lawyer |
| Pinder |
keeper
of the pound or pinfold |
| Piscarius |
fishmonger |
| Piscator |
fisherman |
| Pistor |
miller
or baker |
| Plantifene |
hay
and forage merchant - avenator |
| Ploughwright |
one
who makes or repairs ploughs |
| Plumber |
one
who applied sheet lead for roofing and set lead frames for plain or stained
glass windows |
| Porcher |
pig-keeper |
| Porter |
gate-keeper
or door-keeper |
| Poulterer |
dealer
in poultry |
| Puddler |
wrought
iron worker |
| Pynner |
pin-maker |
| Quarrier |
quarry
worker |
| Quarryman |
stonecutter |
| Quister |
bleacher |
| Revenuer |
officer
enforcing the law against illegal manufacturing of whisky. Exciseman |
| Rigger |
hoist
tackler worker |
| Ripper |
fish
monger |
| Roper |
ropemaker;
maker of rope or nets |
| Rotarius |
wheelwright |
| Rower |
maker
of (small) wagon wheels |
| Saddler |
maker
and repairer of saddles and bridles |
| Safernman |
grower
of saffron |
| Samitere/Samite |
maker
of a type of heavy silk |
| Savant |
servant |
| Sawbones |
physician |
| Sawyer |
sawer
of wood; carpenter |
| Scabbler |
person
who uses a pick (scabbler) to trim the sides of a tunnel |
| Scribbler |
minor
author; person who scribbles wool (coarse first carding) |
| Schrimpschonger |
artist
who carves / etches in bone, ivory, or wood (scrimshaw) |
| Scrivener |
scribe
or clerk; notary public; professional or public copyist or writer |
| Scrutiner |
election
judge |
| Servus |
servant |
| Sevier |
sieve-maker |
| Sewer |
tailor
or shoemaker |
| Sharman
/ Sherman / Shearman |
one
who raised the surface of wollen cloth and then sheared it to a smooth
surface; cutter of woolen cloth |
| Sheather |
see
vaginarius |
| Shepster |
female,
cutter-out of dressmaking material ;
male, sheep shearer (some areas only) |
| Shether |
see
vaginarius |
| Shrieve |
sheriff |
| Sizer |
one
who applies size to textiles |
| Slater |
roofer;
tiler |
| Slatter |
slater
(same as hillard) |
| Slaymaker
/ Sleymaker |
maker
of slays or reeds (instruments to part threads in weaving) for looms |
| Slopseller |
seller
of ready-made clothes |
| Snobscat/Snob |
shoe
repairer; cobbler |
| Soper |
soapmaker |
| Sorter |
tailor |
| Souter |
shoemaker;
cobbler (mainly north england - scotland) |
| Soyor |
sawyer |
| Spicer |
grocer |
| Spinster |
spinner
(female) |
| Spittleman |
hospital
attendant |
| Spurrer
/ Spurrier |
spurmaker |
| Squarewright |
carpenter,
specifically a furniture maker |
| Squire |
country
gentleman; farm owner; justice of peace |
| Stabler |
ostler |
| Stokiner |
maker
or weaver of stockings, hosiery |
| Stuff
Gown / Gownsman |
junior
barrister |
| Sugarer |
dealer
in or seller of sugar |
| Supercargo |
officer
on merchant ship who is in charge of cargo and the commercial concerns
of the ship |
| Sutler |
one
who supplies an army with provisions |
| Tabernarius |
taverner;
innkeeper |
| Tackler |
overseer
of powerloom weavers |
| Tannator |
tanner;
curer of animal hide into leather |
| Tanner |
person
who tans (cures) animal hides into leather |
| Taper |
candlewick
maker or seller |
| Tapley |
one
who puts the tap in an ale cask |
| Tapster |
one
who served ale & beer in a public house |
| Tasker |
reaper |
| Tawer |
one
who taws (makes hide into leather without the use of tanning) |
| Teinter |
dyer |
| Textor |
weaver |
| Thatcher |
roofer
(using thatch) |
| Thirdbororough |
tithing
man or deputy constable |
| Tide
Waiter |
customs
inspector |
| Tinctor |
dyer |
| Tinker |
an
itinerant mender and seller of kettles, tin pots and pans |
| Tipstaff |
policeman |
| Todd |
fox
hunter |
| Tonsor |
barber |
| Travers |
toll
bridge collector |
| Tripper |
dancer |
| Tucker |
cleaner
of cloth goods |
| Turner |
turner
of wood (using a lathe) into spindles |
| Upholder |
upholsterer;
also a cheapjack and seller of secondhand goods |
| Vaginarius |
sheather;
scabbard maker |
| Vatman |
skilled
paper mill worker who lifts paper pulp from the vat and moulds it into
sheets |
| Venator
/ Venur |
huntsman |
| Verderer |
a
Borsholder, Officer administrating Forests, Forest Constable. |
| Victualer |
tavern
keeper, or one who provides an army, navy, or goods |
| Vitner / Vintner |
wine
merchant |
| Vulcan |
blacksmith |
| Wainwright |
wagon
maker |
| Waiter |
customs
officer or tide waiter; one who waited on the tide to collect duty on
goods brought in. servant in hostelry |
| Walker |
fuller;
cloth trampler or cleaner (tucker; in some locations of U.K.) |
| Waterman |
boatman
who plies for hire |
| Webber |
weaver;
loom operator |
| Webster |
operator
of looms |
| Wharfinger |
owner
of a wharf |
| Wheelwright |
builder
/ repairer of wagon wheels, carriages etc. |
| Whitcher |
maker
of chests |
| Whitesmith |
tinsmith;
worker of iron who finishes or polishes the work |
| Whitewing |
street
sweeper |
| Whitster |
bleacher
of cloth |
| Whittawer |
one
who tans skin into white leather |
| Wright |
workman,
especially a construction worker ie. wheelwright |
| Yearman |
a
worker hired by the year |
| Yeoman |
farmer
who owns his own land; freeholder
servant in a noble household
junior naval ranking, assisting or responsible for a particular task,
eg. storekeeping or "yeoman of signals"
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