Occupation Listing

Provided by Dan Burrows

Accomptant   Accountant
Almoner    Giver of charity to the needy
Amanuensis    Secretary or stenographer
Artificer    A soldier mechanic who does repairs
Bailie   Bailiff
Baxter   Baker
Bluestocking    Female writer
Boniface   Keeper of an inn
Brazier   One who works with brass
Brewster   Beer manufacturer
Brightsmith    Metal Worker
Burgonmaster    Mayor
Caulker    One who filled up cracks (in ships or windows) or seems to make them watertight by
                 using tar or oakum-hemp fiber produced by taking old ropes apart
Chaisemaker    Carriage maker
Chandler    Dealer or trader; one who makes or sells candles; retailer of groceries
Chiffonnier    Wig maker
Clark    Clerk
Clerk   Clergyman, cleric
Clicker   The servant of a salesman who stood at the door to invite customers; one who received
               the matter in the galley from the compositors and arranged it in due form ready for
               printing; one who makes eyelet holes in boots using a machine which clicked.
Cohen    Priest
Collier    Coal miner
Colporteur   Peddler of books
Cooper   One who makes or repairs vessels made of staves & hoops, such as casks, barrels,
                tubs, etc.
Cordwainer   Shoemaker, originally any leather worker using leather from Cordova/Cordoba in
                      Spain
Costermonger   Peddler of fruits and vegetables
Crocker   Potter
Crowner    Coroner
Currier   One who dresses the coat of a horse with a curry comb; one who tanned leather by
               incorporating oil or grease
Docker   Stevedore, dock worker who loads and unloads cargo
Dowser   One who finds water using a rod or witching stick
Draper   A dealer in dry goods
Drayman    One who drives a long strong cart without fixed sides for carrying heavy loads
Dresser    A surgeon's assistant in a hospital
Drover    One who drives cattle, sheep, etc. to market; a dealer in cattle
Duffer    Peddler
Factor    Agent, commission merchant; one who acts or transacts business for another; Scottish
              steward or bailiff of an estate
Farrier   A blacksmith, one who shoes horses
Faulkner    Falconer
Fell monger   One who removes hair or wool from hides in preparation for leather making
Fletcher   One who made bows and arrows
Fuller  One who fulls cloth;one who shrinks and thickens woolen cloth by moistening, heating, and
             pressing; one who cleans and finishes cloth
Gaoler    A keeper of the goal, a jailer
Glazier    Window glassman
Hacker    Maker of hoes
Hatcheler    One who combed out or carded flax
Haymonger    Dealer in hay
Hayward    Keeper of fences
Higgler    Itinerant peddler
Hillier    Roof tiler
Hind   A farm laborer
Hoslter    A groom who took care of horses, often at an inn
Hooker   Reaper
Hooper   One who made hoops for casks and barrels
Huckster    Sells small wares
Husbandman    A farmer who cultivated the land
Jagger    Fish peddler
Journeyman    One who had served his apprenticeship and mastered his craft, not bound to serve
                        a master, but hired by the day
Joyner / Joiner   A skilled carpenter
Keeler    Bargeman
Kempster    Wool comber
Lardner    Keeper of the cupboard
Lavender    Washer woman
Lederer    Leather maker
Leech    Physician
Longshoreman    Stevedore
Lormer    Maker of horse gear
Malender    Farmer
Maltster    Brewer
Manciple   A steward
Mason    Bricklayer
Mintmaster    One who issued local currency
Monger    Seller of goods (ale, fish)
Muleskinner    Teamster
Neatherder    Herds cows
Ordinary Keeper   Innkeeper with fixed prices
Pattern Maker   A maker of a clog shod with an iron ring. A clog was a wooden pole with a
                          pattern cut into the end
Peregrinator   Itinerant wanderer
Peruker    A wig maker
Pettifogger   A shyster lawyer
Pigman   Crockery dealer
Plumber   One who applied sheet lead for roofing and set lead frames for plain or stained
                glass windows.
Porter    Door keeper
Puddler    Wrought iron worker
Quarrier    Quarry worker
Rigger   Hoist tackle worker
Ripper    Seller of fish
Roper    Maker of rope or nets
Saddler    One who makes, repairs or sells saddles or other furnishings for horses
Sawbones   Physician
Sawyer   One who saws; carpenter
Schumacker   Shoemaker
Scribler    A minor or worthless author
Scrivener    Professional or public copyist or writer; notary public
Scrutiner    Election judge
Shrieve    Sheriff
Slater    Roofer
Slopseller    Seller of ready-made clothes in a slop shop
Snobscat / Snob   One who repaired shoes
Sorter    Tailor
Spinster   A woman who spins or an unmarried woman
Spurrer   Maker of spurs
Squire    Country gentleman; farm owner; justice of peace
Stuff gown    Junior barrister
Stuff gownsman   Junior barrister
Supercargo    Officer on merchant ship who is in charge of cargo and the commercial concerns
                      of the ship
Tanner    One who tans (cures) animal hides into leather
Tapley    One who puts the tap in an ale cask
Tasker   Reaper
Teamster    One who drives a team for hauling
Thatcher   Roofer
Tide waiter    Customs inspector
Tinker    Am itinerant tin pot and pan seller and repairman
Tipstaff    Policeman
Travers    Toll bridge collection
Tucker    Cleaner of cloth goods
Turner   A person who turns wood on a lathe into spindles
Victualer    A tavern keeper, or one who provides an army, navy, or ship with food supplies
Vulcan   Blacksmith
Wagoner    Teamster not for hire
Wainwright   Wagon maker
Waiter    Customs officer or tide waiter; one who waited on the tide to collect duty on goods
               brought in
Waterman    Boatman who plies for hire
Webster    Operator of looms
Wharfinger   Owner of a wharf
Wheelwright   One who made or repaired wheels; wheeled carriages, etc.
Whitesmith   Tinsmith; worker of iron who finishes or polishes the work
Whitewing   Street sweeper
Whitster    Bleach of cloth
Wright    Workman, especially a construction worker
Yeoman    Farmer who owns his own land

Date: Thursday, October 01, 1998 10:34 AM

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