Genealogy Chat

One of my greatgrandfather's is listed as a cordwainer which I think was a shiemaker.

I found reference to these in some old documents held in Yorkshire. A Shalloonmaker is a maker of a type of blanket that tops the bedclothes.......... normally made from woolen fabric originating in Chalons France. (see also Chaloner) Also a Stuffmaker makes Stuff!!!! Stuff is a coarse fabric. Mandy

. M-Z MACHINE BREAKER Members of the English labouring class who in the early 19th century revolted and broke threshing machines, spinning machines, and other forms of mechanisation. MADERER A person who gathered and sold garlic. MAID A female domestic servant. Class included Scullery, Kitchen, House, General, Parlour, Nurse, Laundry, Lady's etc. MAIL GUARD An armed guard, frequently an ex-soldier, employed on the mail coach service, inaugurated in 178 [4] Later Post Office guards were officially appointed. MAISE MAKER A person who made measures for weighing herring catch. MAKER-UP [1] Garment assembler, A person who prepared or 'made up' material to customers requirements. [2] Chemist or druggist. [3] Agent for paraffin. MALEMAKER A maker of 'Males' or travelling bags. Term was adopted by the Royal Mail from the bags in which the letters were carried. MALENDER A Farmer. MALER See Malemaker. MALSTER A person who prepared malt for the brewing industry. MANCHESTER MAN also Shrewsbury, Sheffield, etc. Late 18c. A wholesale travelling merchant trading between factory and shopkeeper with goods on packhorses. Sometimes independent, sometimes employed by the manufacturer. MANCIPLE Steward. MANGLE KEEPER A woman who hired the use of the mangle to others for a fee. MANGO A slave dealer. MANTLE FOREWOMAN A highly skilled dressmaker. MANTUA MAKER A Dressmaker. (Mantua = a woman's loose gown). MARBLER A person who stained paper or other material, veined in imitation of marble. MARINE STORE DEALER A licensed broker (N. England and Scotland) (i) buys and sells used cordgae, bunting, rags, timber, metal and other general waste materials; usually sorts waste, when purchased, by kind, grade, etc; repairs and mends sacks, etc., or employs workers for these purposes; (ii) in Scotland, a Ship Candler. MARINER A person who obtained a living on the sea in whatever rank, equivalent to the R.N. rank of Able Seaman. MARSHALL A horse doctor or shoesmith. MARSHMAN A man employed by various landowners to look after marshlands and tend the animals put to graze there for the season. MASHMAKER A maker of the mash-vats or mashels used for mixing malt. MASON A stonecutter or stone-dresser. MASTER One of three grades of skill recognised by the Guild of Crafts. A skilled workman or one in business on his own. MASTER LUMPER A contractor of labourers at cheap rate of pay. Generally a publican who only hired and paid customers who frequented their public houses. MASTER MARINER A Sea Captain. MATCHET FORGER A knifemaker (Machete = heavy axe-like knife used as a chopping tool). MATHER See MAWER. MAWER A mower. MEALMAN A dealer in meal or flour. MECHANIC [1] Manual labourer, working at a trade. [2] Operator of a machine (less skilled than an engineer). [3] A person who uses machinery to produce goods, e.g. frame-work knitter, spinner, weaver, etc. MELDER A corn miller. MERCATOR A merchant. MERCER A cloth seller, chiefly silks and velvets. See DRAPER. METALMAN A worker in metals. METERER A poet. MIDWIFE An experience woman who assists in child birth. MILLER A person who converted materials into another form, e.g. Corn miller, cloth miller, saw miller. MILLERESS A miller's wife. MILLINER [1] Seller of fancy wares and articles of apparel. [2] Maker of ladies hats, bonnets, etc. MILLPECK A sharpener of mill stones. MILLWRIGHT A person who designed or built mills and mill machinery. MILSTONE INSPECTOR A vagrant, a gentleman of the road. MINER A worker in a mine, digging for coal, ironstone, lead, tin miner, etc. MINTMAKER or MINTMASTER An issuer of local currency. MIXER A bartender. MOCADO WEAVER A weaver of woollen cloth used for making clothes 16-17c. Sometimes called mock velvet. MOLITOR A miller. MONDAYMAN See Cottager. A person who worked for landowner on Mondays in lieu of rent. MONGER A dealer in goods (i.e., fishmonger, ironmonger). MONTHLY NURSE A nurse attending women in the first month after confinement. MOULDER A maker of moulds or castings, a brickmaker. MOULDER RUNNER A pottery moulder's assistant, a young boy who ran between master and drying oven, carrying full moulds and returning with empty ones. MOUNTEBANK A seller of ineffectual patent medicines. MUDLARK A sewer cleaner, riverbank scavenger. MUFFIN MAKER A baker who made muffins, round flat cakes of dough which were toasted before eating. [2] Pottery worker who made a specific type of plate, i.e. a seven inch tea plate known as a muffin. MUFFIN MAN An itinerant seller of muffins. MUGGLER See PIGMAN. MUGSELLER A seller of cups, mugs. MULESKINNER A teamster. MULETEER A mule driver. MULTURER A miller. MUSICKER A musician. MUSTARDER see MUSTARDMAN. MUSTARDMAN A dealer in mustard. NAILOR See CARD NAILER. NAPERER A Royal servant in charge of the table linen. NAPIER A person in charge of the table linen in the Manor House. See NAPERER. NARROW WEAVER A weaver of ribbons, tapes, etc. NAVIGATOR [1] A sailor in charge of navigating. [2] A labourer who dug canals and later worked on the railways. The origin of navvy. NAVIGOR See NAVIGATOR. NEATHERD(ER) A cowherder. NECESSARY WOMAN A servant responsible for emptying and cleaning chamber pots. NECKER A worker responsible for the feeding of cardboard into the machine the makes boxes. NEDELLER A needle maker. NEEDLE POINTER [1] In needlemaking a filer or fettler. [2] A person engaged in the craft of needlepoint. NETTER A net maker. NIGHT SOILMAN A person employed to empty cesspits, ashpits and backyard toilets. NIGHTMAN See NIGHT SOILMAN. NIGHTWALKER A watchman or bellman. NIMGIMMER A doctor. 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. NOON TENDER A person who guarded the goods on the quay while the officers were a lunch. NOTARY a person officially authorised to draw up or attest to contracts, wills, deeds, or similar documents, to protest bills of exchange. NOTERER A notary. OCCUPIER A tradesman. OILMAN A person who sold the oil for lamps. OLITOR A kitchen gardener. From Olitory (a kitchen garden). ORDERLY A soldier who functioned as a servant for an officer. ORDINARY KEEPER An innkeeper. ORRERY MAKER A person who made a mechanical apparatus for showing the movements of the planets. Named after the Earl of Orrery the inventor. ORRICE WEAVER A designer of lace patterns to be woven with silk thread and silk. OSIER PEELER A person who removed bark from willow rods or osiers which were used in basket weaving, usually women and children. Also known as withy peelers. OSTIARY A monastery door keeper. OSTLER see HOSTLER. 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. OVERLOOKER A superintendent or overseer, especially in the textile mills. Often an hereditary position. OVERMAN A supervisor in a colliery who checked the miners work and the quality of the mined coal. OWLER A person associated with smuggling particularly a sheep or wool smuggler. OYSTER DREDGER A member of the crew on board an oyster fishing boat. PACK THREAD SPINNER The operator of the machine which made thread or twine. PACKER A person who packs goods such as pickles or herring. PACKMAN A pedlar, a person who travelled around carrying goods for sale in a pack. PAD MAKER A person who made small baskets used for measuring. PAINTER A person who painted things e.g. houses wooden goods, etc or an Artist. PAINTRESS A woman employed in the pottery industry to hand paint the finished articles. PALINGMAN A seller of eels, a fishmonger. PALISTER A Park Keeper, a person wh

A-L ABLE SEAMAN A seaman who reached a standard of skill above that of Ordinary Seaman. ACADEMIC A scholarly person, of a university, etc. ACADEMICIAN A member of an academy, especially of the Royal Academy of Arts. ACATER A person who supplied food provisions, e.g. a ships chandler. Orig. Fr. achateur, meaning buyer. ACCIPITRARY A falconer. ACCOMPTANT An accountant. ACCOUCHEUR A person, not always a qualified physician, who assisted women in child birth. ACCOUNTANT A person involved in maintenance and auditing of accounts and financial matters ACCOUTRE A supplier or maker of military clothing or equipment. ACCOUTREMENT MAKER A supplier or maker of military clothing or equipment. ACKERMAN See ACREMAN. ACREMAN A ploughman or oxherder. ACTUARY An expert in statistics, especially one who calculates insurance risks, a person who kept public accounts of business. ADMINISTRATOR An appointee of the court who settles the estate of a deceased who died without leaving a will, or where an executor is unwilling or unable to serve as executor. ADVENTURER A person who seeks adventures; a mercenary soldier; a commercial speculator; one who lives by his wits. ADVERTISEMENT CONVEYANCER A sandwich board man. ADVOCATE A Solicitor, a Lawyer, a person who acted as a prosecutor in a court of law in Scotland. ADVOCATE DEPUTE A Scottish law officer who could act as public prosecutor. ADVOWEE A person who possessed an Advowson, normally a nobleman, who had the right to present a clergyman to a benefice. AERONAUT A balloonist or a trapeze artist in the circus or music halls. AFFEEROR An official in the manorial courts who assessed the monetary penalty. They also collected taxes and dues and were also called Assessor. AG LAB see ARGICULTURAL LABOURER. AGENT A person who acted on behalf of a company or another person. AGISTER An official of the Royal Forest. In the New Forest, it is the title for the person in charge of the ponies. AGRICULTURAL LABOURER (Ag. Lab.) An unskilled worker on a farm. AGRICULTURIST A person involved with land cultivation or animal husbandry. ALABASTERER A person who worked with alabaster. ALBLASTERE A crossbow man. ALCHEMIST A medieval chemist who claimed to be able to turn base metals into gold. ALDERMAN A senior councillor one position down from Mayor in the local council. ALE CONNER see ALE FOUNDER. ALE DRAPER A seller of ale. ALE FOUNDER An official who tested quality and measure of ale served in public houses ALE TASTER A person who tested ale and beer for quality first recorded in 1377 in London. Appointed by the Manor and forerunner of the Inspector for Weights & Measures ALE TUNNER A worker employed by the brewery to fill ale casks (tuns} with ale. ALEWIFE A woman who keeps an alehouse or tavern. ALL SPICE A nickname for a grocer. ALMANAC MAN An official appointed by the Court of Sewers who warned the inhabitants of the Trent River area of higher than normal tides ALMONER [1] Distributor of charity to the needy. [2] The person in charge of an Almshouse. [3] The title of hospital managers until the 1970's. ALMSMAN A person who received alms or charity. ALNAGER An official who examined the quality of woollen goods and stamped them with the town seal of approval. AMANUENSIS A person who writes what another dictates (words or music) or copies manucripts; a secretary or stenographer. AMBER & JET CUTTER A person who cut and polished amber and jet for jewellery. AMBER CUTTER A person who cut ambergris. AMBLER An officer of the Royal Stable who broke in horses. AMEN MAN A parish clerk. ANCHOR SMITH A person who made anchors. ANCHORESS A female hermit or religious recluse. ANCHORITE A male hermit or religious recluse. ANGLE IRON SMITH A person who made angle iron i.e. flat iron bars bent at right angles lengthways. ANILEPMAN A smallholder (tenant of the manor). ANIMAL & BIRD PRESERVER A taxidermist. ANKLE BEATER A young person who helped to drive the cattle to market. ANNATTO MAKER A person who worked in the manufacture of dyes for paint or printing. ANNUITANT A person who received an annual income not from working e.g. pensioner. ANTIGROPELOS MAKER A person who made waterproof leggings. ANVIL SMITH A person who made anvils and hammers for blacksmiths. APIARIAN A beekeeper. APOTHEECARY A chemist, druggist, pharmacist. APPARITOR An official who summoned witnesses in the ecclesiastical courts. APPRAISER A person who appraised the value of goods i.e. a broker. APPRENTICE A person who was bound to a skilled worker for a specified time to learn a trade. APRONEER A slang term used in London for a shopkeeper. APRONMAN A mechanic. AQUARIUS (EWAR) A waterman. AQUAVITA SELLER A person who sold alcohol. ARBITER A person who judged disputes. ARCHER A person skilled in using a bow and arrow. ARCHIATOR A physician. ARCHIL MAKER A person who made a violet dye from lichens, used in the textile industry. ARCHIVIST A person who kept records of historical value. ARKWRIGHT A skilled craftsman who produced 'arks' (wooden chests or coffers). ARMIGER Someone entitled to bear heraldic arms. A squire who carried the armour of a knight. ARMOURER A person who made suits of armour or plates of armour for buildings or ships etc. ARTIFICER [1] A contriver (q.v.) [2] An army or navy mechanic who does repairs to military equipment. ARTISAN A skilled tradesman. ARTIST IN FIREWORKS A person who prepared fireworks displays. ASHMAN A dustman. ASSAY MASTER The person who determined the amount of gold or silver to go in coins. ASSAYER A person who determined the proportions of metal in ore. AUGER MAKER A person who made the carpenters augers (used for boring holes in wood). AULNAGER See ALNAGER. AURIFABER A goldsmith. AVENATOR (PLANTIFENE) A hay and forage merchant. AVOWRY Another term for the lord of the manor. AXLE TREE MAKER or TURNER A person who made axles for coaches and wagons BACK WASHER A person employed to clean the wool in the worsted manufacturing industry. BACK'US BOY A kitchen servant, (from 'back of the house'). BACKMAKER A person who made 'backs', vats, tubs, a Cooper. BACKSTER A baker. BADGER [1] A 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). [2] A corn miller or dealer. [3] An itinerant food trader. BADGY FIDDLER A boy trumpeter in the military. BAGMAN A travelling salesman. BAGNIOKEEPER A person in charge of a bath house or brothel. BAILIE see BAILIFF. BAILIFF An officer of the sheriff, a land steward acting on behalf of the Landowner or Landlord. In Scotland a magistrate of the burgh, also looked after the fishing rights on certain rivers. BAILLEE see BAILIFF. BAILLIE see BAILIFF. BAIRMAN A pauper, beggar. BAL MAIDEN A female mine worker who worked on the surface (aka Pit Brow Lass). BALANCER A person employed in the coal mines to operate the 'balance' which is a slope with a pulley at the top where empty coal tubs pulled full tubs up the slope. BALER A person who bales of hay. In the mills it was a person who bailed wool or cotton goods. BALISTER An archer most commonly a crossbow-man. BALLAD MONGER A person who sold printed ballads on the street. BALLARD MASTER The person in charge of loading the ballast into the hold of empty ships. BALLAST HEAVER A person who loaded ballast into the hold of empty ships. BALLER A person who assisted the potter by measuring out the balls of clay. BALLER UP see BALLER. BAND FILER A metal worker in the gun making industry. BANDSTER A person 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

see below