Olde Occupations
T - Z

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Tabernarius taverner; innkeeper
Tabler boarding house operator
Tackler an overlooker of power loom weavers
Tacksman middleman who leased a large piece of land from the owner and sublet it in small lots
Tailor made or repaired clothes
Tallow Chandler made or sold candles
Tally Clerk kept count of goods arriving or departing from warehouses, docks etc
Tallyfellow sold goods that were paid for in installments
Tallyman sold goods that were paid for in installments
Tan Bark Stripper collected the bark that was used in the tanning process
Tannator tanner; curer of animal hide into leather
Tanner tans (cures) animal hides into leather
Taper candlewick maker or seller
Taper Weaver made the wicks for candles
Tapicer wove worsted cloth
Tapiter wove worsted cloth
Tapley puts the tap in an ale cask
Tappiologist taps the wheels of trains to check for cracks and flaws
Tapster bartender or barmaid
Tar Boy applied tar (as antiseptic) to sheep when they were nicked by shearers
Tasker Reaper
Tasseler made tassels used in furnishings or nobleman
Taverner innkeeper
Tawer one who taws (makes hide into leather without the use of tanning)
Tawyer one who taws (makes hide into leather without the use of tanning)
Teamer person in charge of a team of horses
Teamer Man person in charge of a team of horses
Teamster person in charge of a team of horses
Teaser opens up matted wool for carding
Teemer emptied grain from the cart; poured the molten steel into the molds
Teinter dyer
Teinter artists who performs tinting
Tenter stretched the cloth on a machine while it was drying or looked after and maintained the machine used in the process
Tenterer stretched the cloth on a machine while it was drying or looked after and maintained the machine used in the process
Textor weaver
Thacker thatcher; roofer
Thirdborough tithing man; deputy constable; underconstable
Thresher separated the grain from the husks and straw
Throwster in the textile trade - twisted the strands of fiber together into yarn
Ticket Writer hand wrote or painted the price tickets on goods displayed for sale and painted the signs that go up to make a window display
Tickney Man/Woman sold earthenware from town to town
Tide Gauger monitored the state of the tide
Tide Surveyor monitored the state of the tide; customs officer who identified ships and cargoes
Tide Waiter boarded ships to examine cargoes; customs inspector
Tidesman boarded ships to examine cargoes; customs inspector
Tiemaker made wooden railway ties
Tiger small groom or pageboy in livery
Tiler put tiles in place either on the roof or floor
Tiller farmer
Tillman plowman
Times Ironer servant responsible for ironing the daily newspaper
Tinctor dyer or possibly a painter
Tinker itinerant tin pot and pan seller and repairman
Tinman tinsmith or tinker
Tinner tin miner, tinsmith
Tinter artists who performs tinting
Tipper put the metal tips on arrows etc
Tippler kept an ale house
Tipstaff Policeman
Tirewoman female dresser, especially in the theater
Tixtor weaver
Tobacco Spinner maker of cigars
Todd fox hunter
Todhunter employed by the parish to hunt foxes
Toe Rag worked at the docks as a corn porter
Toilinet Manufacturer made toilinet (a kind of quilting)
Toller worked at the toll gate to collect fees for use of the road
Tollgate Keeper worked at the toll gate to collect fees for use of the road
Tollie worked at the toll gate to collect fees for use of the road
Tolman worked at the toll gate to collect fees for use of the road
Tonsor barber
Tool Helver made tool handles
Top Sawyer upper man in a saw pit
Topman sailor who works in the ship's rigging
Topsman head cattle drover
Tosher sewer hunters
Touch Holer worked in the gun manufacturing industry
Tow Card Maker made tow cards, used in the textile industry
Town Chaberlain looked after the towns affairs
Town Crier made public announcements in the streets
Town Husband employed by the parish to collect the money from the fathers of illegitimate children for their upkeep
Townswaiter customs man
Tozer worked in the wool mills employed to tose or tease the cloth
Trammer dragged trams laden with coal in coal mine; young person who worked in the mines
Trampler lawyer
Tranqueter made hoops
Tranter peddler
Trapper employed in the mines to open and shut the doors for the miners
Travers toll bridge collection
Treen Maker made domestic articles from wood
Treenail Maker made the long wooden pins used in shipbuilding
Trenchermaker made wooden boards or platters for serving food from or cutting and slicing food on
Trencherman cook
Trepanger used a circular saw to cut timber
Trimmer trims a ship by re-arranging its cargo
Tripper dancer
Troacher peddler
Troner weighing official at the markets
Trotman messenger
Trott messenger
Trotter messenger
Trouchman interpreter
Trover smuggler
Truchman interpreter
Trugger made long shallow baskets
Tubber made tubs and barrels i.e. a cooper
Tubman English barrister
Tucker cleaner of cloth goods
Tucker In maid who attended the bedroom and "tucked in the bedclothes"
Turner turns wood on a lathe into spindles; gymnast
Turnkey prison warder or jail keeper
Turnpike Keeper worked at the toll gate to collect fees for use of the road
Turnspit operated the spit handle
Tweenie maid who worked "between the stairs" she assisted the cooks and the housemaids
Tweeny maid who worked "between the stairs" she assisted the cooks and the housemaids
Twist Hand operated a lace machine
Twister operated the machine used for twisting yarns and threads together
Twisterer operated the machine used for twisting yarns and threads together
Ulnager appointed to examine the quality of woolen goods to be sold
Under carter helped the carter - would help load on and off, tie the tarpaulin down, light the cart lamps, open/close gates, feed the horses, take them to their stable, shoved the hunk of wood into the wheel to stop the cart rolling
Underviewer junior official in charge of mine in Viewer's absence
Upholder upholsterer; seller of secondhand goods
Upright Worker chimney sweep
Vageler keeper or catcher of birds
Vaginarius sheather; scabbard maker
Valet male servant that attended a nobleman or gentleman
Valuator valued objects
Vassal servant of the lowest order
Vatman put the paper pulp into the molds in paper-making industry; worked with vats
Venator huntsman
Venur huntsman
Verderer tavern keeper; provides an army, navy, or ship with food supplies; official in charge of the royal forest
Verge Maker made the spindles used in clocks and watches
Verger worked with the priest in the running the church
Verrier glazier
Vestmentmaker made the gowns worn by priests
Victualer tavern keeper; provides an army, navy, or ship with food supplies
Viewer worked at the mines in a managerial capacity
Villein paid dues to the lord of the manor in return for use of the land
Vineroon grape farmer, wine maker
Vintager grape farmer, wine maker
Vinter wine merchant
Vintner wine merchant
Virginal Player player of a musical instrument similar to a harpsichord
Vogelaar keeper or catcher of birds
Vogeler keeper or catcher of birds
Vogler keeper or catcher of birds
Vowler keeper or catcher of birds
Vulcan blacksmith
Wabster weaver
Wadsetter (Scottish) a creditor to whom a wadset (a right, by which lands, or other heritable subjects, are impignorated by the proprietor to his creditor in security of his debt) is made
Wagoner teamster not for hire
Wailer employed in the mines to remove the impurities from the coal
Wainwright builder or repairer of wagons
Wait night watchman
Waiter customs officer or tide waiter; waited on the tide to collect duty on goods brought in
Wakeman night watchman
Walker fuller; cloth trampler or cleaner
Walking Stick Filer made walking sticks
Waller built walls either brick or dry stone; worked making coarse salt
Wantcatcher mole catcher
Wanter mole catcher
Warder in charge of prisoners
Warehouseman in charge of or employee in a warehouse
Warper set the warp thread on the looms; 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
Washer worked in the tinplate manufacturing industry
Washman worked in the tinplate manufacturing industry washing the plates between processes
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 Gilder trapped water fowl
Water Leader transported and sold fresh drinking water
Water Leder transported and sold fresh drinking water
Water Loder transported and sold fresh drinking water
Waterman boatman who plies for hire
Wattle Hurdle Maker made a type of fence from wattle to keep the sheep in
Waulkmiller fuller; cloth trampler or cleaner
Way Man surveyor of roads
Way-Maker employed to make roads
Wayter customs officer or tide waiter; waited on the tide to collect duty on goods brought in
Weatherspy astrologer
Webber weaver; loom operator
Webster weaver; loom operator
Weigher customs officer who weighed goods for duty purposes
Well Sinker dug wells
Well Wright made the winding equipment used to raise the bucket in the well
Wellmaster in charge of the local well with the responsibility of ensuring clean water for the village
Wet Glover made leather gloves
Wet Nurse woman employed to suckle the child of another
Wetter dampened paper during the printing process; in the glass industry detached the glass by wetting
Whacker horse or oxen team driver
Wharfinger owner of a wharf
Wheel Tapper railway worker who checked for cracked wheels by striking them with a long handled hammer and listening for a clear ring
Wheeler wheel maker; attended to the spinning wheel in the textile industry; led the pit ponies that pulled the tubs underground in the mines
Wheelwright made or repaired wheels; wheeled carriages, etc
Wheeryman in charge of a wheery (a small light rowing boat)
Whig horse driver (Scottish term)
Whipcord Maker made whips
Whipmaker made whips
Whipperin managed the hounds in a hunt
Whitamer involved in leather tanning/curing/processing trades
Whitcher maker of chests
White Limer plastered walls using lime and water plaster
White Smith tin smith
Whitear hide cleaner
Whitener bleached cloth
Whitening Roll Maker made the whitening used in whitening walls of cottages
Whitesmith tinsmith; iron worker who finishes or polishes the work
Whitester bleached cloth
Whitewing street sweeper
Whitster bleached cloth
Whittawer preparer of white leather; made saddles and harness
Willow Plaiter made baskets etc
Willow Weaver made baskets etc
Windster silk winder
Wonkey-Scoop driver who operates a one horse scoop
Wood Reeve in charge of the forest or woods
Woodbreaker made wooden water casks
Woodranger in charge of the forest or woods
Woodward in charge of the forest or woods
Wool Comber operated machines that separate the fibers ready for spinning in woolen industry
Wool Driver brought the wool to market
Wool Factor wool merchants agent
Wool Man sorted the wool into different grades
Wool Sorter sorted the wool into different grades
Wool Stapler sorted the wool into different grades
Wool Winder made up balls of wool for selling
Woolen Billy Piecer worked in the woolen mills to piece together the broken yarns
Woolsted Man seller of woolen cloth (from worsted man)
Worsted Manufacturer made worsted
Wright made or repaired wheels; wheeled carriages, etc
Wright builder or repairer
Wyrth laborer
Xlographer used and made wooden blocks used in printing illustrations
Yardman rail road yard worker
Yatman gate keeper
Yearman contracted to work for a year
Yeoman farmer who owns his own land
Zincographer designer who etched in relief a pattern on zinc plates used for printing
Zitherist player of a simple, flat many-stringed instrument
Zoetrope Maker craftsman who made zoetropes, an optical toy in the form of a cylinder with a series of pictures painted on the inner surface which gave the impression of continuous motion when viewed through slits in the rotating cylinder
Zoographer described and classified animals
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© 2000 Rhonda Stolte Darnell