Dictionary of Old Occupations
by
Jane Hewitt and Paul Jack Hewitt
SMASHWORDS EDITION
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PUBLISHED BY:
Jane Hewitt on Smashwords
Dictionary of Old Occupations:
Copyright 2011 by Jane Hewitt
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Dictionary of Old Occupations:
Abactor: 19th century US legal term for a cattle rustler.
Abbess: female leader of a religious community based at a Nunnery or Convent; a Mother Superior.
Abbott: male leader of a religious community based at an Abbey or Monastery.
Abigail: early 19th century slang term for a lady's maid in waiting.
Able Seaman: an experienced seaman with more than two years at sea. More skilled than an ordinary seaman and able to perform duties common to all May denote a military or civilian position.
Abram: slang term for a beggar from medieval times until the 1800s who faked insanity.
Academician: an educator, or a member of an academy, university or college.
Acater: supplier of provisions, a Victualer.
Accipitary: falconer, who trained birds of prey for the ancient sport of hunting. Comes from the word accipiter, which is a genus of birds of prey.
Accomptant: alternative spelling of accountant.
Accoucheur: a male obstetrician, who assisted women in childbirth. Essentially a male midwife.
Accoutrement Maker: maker or supplier of military dress and clothing accessories. Derives from the word accoutre meaning to supply military equipment.
Ackerman: alternate spelling of Acreman, a bonded agricultural worker who performed the duties of a ploughman.
Acolyte: layperson who performs minor duties assisting the clergy during a religious services, for example, by carrying crosses or candles.
Acreman: a bonded man working as a ploughman for a manor.
Actuary: Essentially a clerk who handled financial records such as keeping business accounts.
Adjutant: officer who acts as an administrative assistant to a more senior officer. Comes from the Latin verb meaning 'to help'.
Adjutant general: chief administrative officer to a general. The actual military rank of this position varied over different time periods.
Administrator: person appointed by the court to settle the estate of a deceased person who died intestate or without naming an executor.
Advertisement Conveyancer: carried advertisements attached to a Sandwich Board.
Advocate: a professional representative or pleader in court or at a tribunal, or a Scottish Barrister.
Advowee: a patron holding the right of advowsun, meaning the right to present a candidate for a vacant religious benefice.
Advowson: a person holding the right of advowson, i.e. an Advowee.
Aeronaut: trapeze artist in a circus, or an an early aviator / balloonist.
Ag Lab: abbreviation for Agricultural Labourer commonly used on census records.
Agister: person who takes cattle to pasture for a fee, an Official of Royal Forests who collected grazing fees, or a person responsible for New Forest ponies.
Alabasterer: worked with or carved alabaster (white/pastel coloured gypsum).
Alblastere: alternate term for (or misspelling of) Arbalister, a medieval crossbowman.
Alchemist: commonly believed to be medieval Chemist who claimed to able to make gold from base metal. Alchemy was in fact a philosophical or spiritual discipline which had a practical aspect which might be considered an early form of chemistry. Sir Isaac Newton is a famous example of an alchemist.
Alderman: a senior member of a town council ranked below the Mayor, for example the famous Alderman Hewitt of Coventry!
Ale-Conner: appointed by the court-leet to examine beer for quality and checked measures to prevent fraud.
Ale House Keeper: ran an tippling house (a tavern where ale was sold).
Ale Draper: publican or seller of ale.
Ale Founder: alternate term for an Ale-Conner who tested beer for quality and checked measures to prevent fraud.
Ale Taster: alternate term for an Ale-Conner who tested beer for quality and checked measures to prevent fraud.
Ale Tunner: filled the Ale tuns/casks at Breweries. A tun held 252 gallons of ale.
Alewife: female Inn or Alehouse Keeper.
All Spice: seller of foodstuffs, i.e. a grocer.
Almanac Man: according to numerous online lists, this person was employed by the Court of Sewers as an official who monitored water levels and warned of dangerous high tides in the area of the river Trent.
Almoner: a royal officer who dispensed alms (money) to the poor on behalf of the King, or an official dispensing alms on behalf of a religious organisation.
Almsman: usually refers to a man who receives alms (charity), but may occasionally refer to the person who gives alms to the poor.
Alnager: an official who inspected the quality and measures of woollen goods for retail and stamped them with a seal of approval.
Amah: a wet nurse paid to suckle another woman’s child. May occasionally be seen as a generic term for a female domestic servant.
Amanuensis: a secretary or a stenographer, which is a person employed to write another’s words often because they were unable to write for themselves.
Amber Cutter: cut and polished amber (fossilised tree resin) for making into jewellery.
Ambler: worked at as stables as a groom specifically responsible for training horses to walk at an amble. The term 'amble' describes the particular gait of the horse.
Amen Man: nickname for a person working for a parish.
Anchor Smith: a Smith who made anchors, the term also refers to chain makers.
Anchores: female who lives the scholarly life a hermit or religious recluse.
Anchorite: male who lives the scholarly life a hermit or religious recluse. The term may also refer to a member of The Anchorites, a naval fellowship.
Angle Iron Smith: angle iron maker producing a section of steel bent to form a right angle.
Anilepman: tenant of a smallholding belonging to a manor.
Ankle Beater: child who assisted in driving cattle to and from market.
Annatto Maker: produced red dye which was sold to painters or to print houses.
Annuitant: person receiving payment from an annuity, similar to today’s pensioner.
Antigropelos Maker: maker of waterproof gaiters, leggings or boots.
Anvil Smith: maker of anvils and tools for use in a smithy or forge.
Apiarian: beekeeper. Modern beekeepers are called apiarists.
Apothecary: sold patented medicines as well as preparing their own remedies.
Apparitor: an officer who attended an ecclesiastical court, or a Beadle.
Apprentice: apprentices were usually bound to a journeyman / master who was already skilled in their chosen trade, this could happened from as young as 13 years of age. They then trained with their master until the age of 21 when they became Journeyman themselves and could take on their own apprentices.
Appraiser: appraised (valued) goods, or who assessed the authenticity of items such as works of art.
Aproneer: a slang word used in old London, meaning a shopkeeper. May have been related to the shopkeeper wearing an apron.
Apronman: a mechanic, the term may have been related to the mechanic wearing a protective apron whilst working.
Aquarius: carried clean water in ewers (vase shaped pitchers).
Aquavita Seller: sold alcoholic drinks.
Arbalester: alternate spelling of Arbalister, a medieval crossbowman.
Arbalister: a medieval crossbowman.
Arbiter: person with the authority to make judgements and settle disputes.
Archer: a soldier who used bow and arrow; a Bowman.
Archiater: a chief physician retained by the monarch. The term dates back to Roman times.
Archiator: alternate spelling of Archaiter, a chief physician.
Archil Maker: made a violet / purple dye called archil for use in the textile industry. Archil was created by bruising lichens to which were added spirits and quick lime.
Ark Man: worked in the pottery industry producing slip in a tank called an ark.
Arkwright: a craftsman who made of wooden chests called arks.
Armiger: a young nobleman who carried a knight’s armour. The term evolved to include a person entitled to bear a heraldic coat of arms.
Armiger Squire: another term for an Armiger. The term evolved into 'esquire'.
Armourer: made suits of armour and weapons. The term includes the making of firearms, e.g. a Gunsmith.
Arrowsmith: artisan who made arrows, including forging metal arrowheads and fitting them to the shaft. May also include fitting the fletchings, see Fletcher.
Art Ware Maker: cast ornamental articles in the pottery trade.
Artificer: a member of the military skilled in a trade (e.g. carpentry, blacksmithing), a craftsman or an inventor. The term can also be used generically to refer to any skilled worker.
Artisan: a skilled craftsman or artificer, or a person who distresses wooden items to make them appear old.
Artist Painter: artist and expert hand painter who decorated pottery.
Ashery worker: a worker at a factory or ash pit where hardwood was converted in to pear or potash.
Ashman: a refuse collector or street sweeper. May sometimes be a misspelling of Washman.
Assayer: tested metal to check its purity.
Assay Master: was in charge of an Assay Office where metal was checked for purity, and where gold and silver were hallmarked.
Assisor: Scottish legal term for a juror in a court called an assize.
Auger Maker: produced augers which were a type of hand operated drill. The carpenter would operate the auger via a crosswise fitted handle, which required both hands to turn in order to drill holes in wood.
Aulnager: alternate spelling of Alnagewr, an official who inspected the quality and measures of woollen goods for retail.
Aurifaber: a Goldsmith, specialised in working gold and precious metals.
Avenator: according to many, many online lists this is a merchant who sold hay and other forage, presumably for animal feed. Have yet to confirm this.
Avener: an Army Officer under the Master of Horse, in charge of obtaining oats for the stables and managing the accounts.
Avowry: an Advocate who represents another in legal matters, or a Lord of the Manor.
Axel Tree Maker: manufactured axles for use on carts and wagons.
Axel Turner: another term for an axel tree maker.
Back Houseboy: a young male domestic servant working in the kithcen or scullery.
Bag Stitcher: a 19th century occupation, person employed in a saltworks to sew up bags / sacks of salt prior to dispatch.
Back Tenter: often a small child who cleared away loose fibre / rubbish from behind the working weaving looms, this was noisy and dangerous job.
Back Washer: cleaned wool as part of worsted manufacture. Worsted cloth is made from yarn of the same name and is associated with the English village of Worstead in Norfolk.
Backmaker: alternative term for a Cooper. More recently, may refer to someone working in the clothing industry, operating a sewing machine to assemble the backs of jackets and similar items.
Badger: a hawker or seller of food.
Badgy Fiddler: boy trumpeter, a Private in the British Army.
Bagman: travelling salesman.
Bagniokeeper: In England prior to 1740 referred to the keeper of a coffee house which offered Turkish baths. The term evolved to refer to brothel keepers.
Bag Room Boy: odd job boy in the pottery industry who helps sort the bags for the press, which was used to remove moisture from the slip to make clay.
Bailie: alternate term for Bailiff, an officer of the court.
Bailiff: an officer of the court who maintained order in the courtroom, or in charge of a manor, town, castle, county etc. with the power to collect fines or take people into custody.
Baillie: alternate term for Bailiff, an officer of the court.
Bairman: Scottish legal term for a person who is a pauper, i.e. left bare.
Baker Maker: in the pottery industry he hand-pressed clay to produce oval dishes.
Bal Maiden: a female surface worker in the mining industry.
Balancer: worked in coal mines, operating a coal hauling system.
Baler: a person who baled hay, or a mill worker who operated a hydraulic press to bale cotton.
Ballad Monger: alternate term for a Poetaster; a person who wrote or ballads, or who sold printed ballad sheets.
Ballast Heaver: a physical labourer loaded empty ships with ballast, which reduced the chance of capsizing in high winds.
Ballast Master: man in charge of ballasting vessels, in charge of Ballast Heavers.
Baller: measured out balls of clay for the thrower. (pottery industry term).
Baller Up: alternate term for a Baller in the potter industry.
Ballista Archer: military occupation, man who used an early form of the crossbow.
Balloon Blower: late 19th or early 20th century occupation, working in bicycle manufacture. The term balloon refers to rubber inner tubes.
Bandsman: an instrument player in a military band, or a worker in the coal mining industry who operated hoisting gear.
Bandster: seasonal worker (Harvest time) who binds wheat sheaves ready for stacking after the reapers have cut them.
Bang Beggar: a Constable who carried a large stick (slang), or an Officer of the Parish who set a limit to the amount of time strangers could stay.
Bank Manager: supervisor at a Coal Mine.
Bank odd man: odd job man (Labourer) in the pottery industry.
Banker: a surface worker in the coal mining industry, or a drainage ditch digger.
Banksman: unloaded cages when they reached the surface of a coalmine and signalled the descent of the workmen / cage.
Barber-Surgeon: hairdresser / barber who was also a surgeon.
Bard: poet and / or singer.
Bare-Man: alternate spelling for Bairman, a Scottish legal term for a pauper.
Bargee: alternate term for a bargeman, vague term referring to someone involved in working barges.
Bargemane: the owner or skipper of a barge or member of the crew.
Barilla Manufacturer: produced Barilla by burning saltwort. This was then used in the production of glass, soda and soap. Barilla was the primary source of sodium carbonate prior to the 19th century.
Barkeeper: another name for a Tollkeeper (Person who collected money from people using toll roads).
Barker: a person who used colourful talk to entice potential customers into a show, or a person who used tree bark in the leather tanning process.
Barkman: another name for a Barker.
Barleyman: Misspelling of Byrlawman, administered justice in Scotland or north England.
Barm Brewer: yeast grower and supplier.
Barmaster: holder of the lead mineral rights, who granted titles to new mines and noted their names in his book. He also measured out the land in meers, an ancient unit of measurement roughly 29 metres.
Barrel Filer: filed and polished gun barrels.
Barrow Man: a seller of fruit and vegetables from a barrow, or a person who collected baskets or barrows of coal from the coal face and loaded the coal ready to be taken to the surface.
Bartoner: person in charge of a Barton (a Monastic farm or demesne).
Basil Worker: used bark to tan the skins of lambs and sheep, the resulting leather was called basil and could be used to bind books.
Basin Maker: produced basins on a jolley which is similar to a potter’s wheel. A pottery industry occupation.
Basketman: loaded barges with coal using a basket, or produced baskets and other household items from wicker which involved weaving slender willow branches or similar.
Bast Dresser: dressed woody fibres obtained from plants for use in mat making.
Bathing Machine Proprietor: rented out huts at the seaside which were used by bathers to change into swimming costumes. Some of these were horse drawn, with steps so that they could be moved to enable bathers to step straight into the water.
Bat Maker: produced divisions for saggers, which were clay boxes used in the pottery industry.
Batman: an officer’s servant / orderly. (army)
Batt Maker: produced batting the padding used in quilt making, and which was also used for mattresses.
Battledore Maker: made the bats used in the game battledore (which is similar to badminton), or produced the paddles used in early washing machines, or a rug beater maker.
Bauer: a peasant farmer, or a term referring to a neighbour.
Baven Maker: produced kindling.
Bawd: prostitute or brothel keeper.
Baxter: an old name for a baker.
Bayweaver: wove baize or bay as it was known. This fabric is still in use today as a covering on snooker tables.
Bead Piercer: bored the holes in beads.
Beadle: a Parish constable, or a Parish official used to keep the peace or as an usher at weddings.
Beadsman: a person paid to pray for the soul of his employer.
Beamer: threaded the warp yarn onto the loom in preparation for weaving.
Bearer: worked in a coal mine moving coal from the coal face to the shaft ready for lifting to the surface.
Beater: thickened and removed oil and dirt from woollen based cloth by treading it in a solution of water mixed with fuller’s earth. The occupation is also known as a Fuller.
Beatster: fishing net mender (usually a woman).
Beaver: used fur from the beaver to produce hat making felt.
Beck: abbreviation of Becker, a baker.
Becker: Middle English term for a baker operating an communal oven or employed by a large household.
Bedel: alternate spelling of Beadle, a parish constable or official.
Bedesman: another name for a Beadsman.
Bedman: church caretaker or Sexton.
Bedral: church official (Scotland).
Bedwevere: quilt weaver and webbing maker for use on bed frames.
Bee Skep Maker: made beehives, which were woven basket on the inside and often thatched on the outside to keep the bees warm.
Beetler: a textile industry worker who used a beetling machine to emboss fabric.
Belhoste: inn keeper.
Bell Hanger: hung bells in church bell towers.
Bell Maiden: surface worker at a tin mine.
Bellfounder: made bells in a foundry.
Bellman: - a Town Crier, a Watchman or a person who collected coach mail by ringing a bell which attracted people’s attention.
Bellowfarmer: repaired bellows-powered church organs.
Belly Builder: produced and assembled piano interiors.
Belly Roller: operated a machine that rolled and smoothed the surface of the leather / hide taken from the cow’s belly.
Benchman: a type of Sawyer.
Bender: person who cut leather.
Besom Maker: made besom brooms (what modern people call 'Witches Brooms') from short tree branches tied to a wooden stale or handle.
Besswarden: a Parish official who managed livestock.
Bicycle Liner: painted decorative lines on the side of cycles with a fine brush.
Biddy: used mainly in the US referring to an Irish maid servant.
Bill Poster: person who put up posters in public places advertising goods or services.
Billier: alternate term for a Billy Man, possibly a slang term for a cruel taskmaster in the 19th century cotton industry.
Billy Man: many, many internet lists clearly define this as a person who operated a machine called a billy roller which prepared cotton for spinning. I have yet to find evidence to back this up, but I did find a 19th century poem by Thomas Moore which mentions that a billy roller was used in the US cotton industry to beat workers, and I also found reference elsewhere to the term billy roller being historical slang for a long stick used to beat workers in 19th century cotton mills when their strength failed. Finally an 1835 source indicated that a Billy Roller is a long wooden rod which was removed from a slubbing frame in order to beat workers. These sources may indicate that the occupation holder (assuming it is a genuine occupation) was something akin to a slave driver, however it may simply be a slang term.
Binder: a book binder who added the leather binding to books, or a hat binder who applied binding to the hats edges to prevent ravelling.
Bird Boy: employed to frighten birds like a scarecrow.
Bird Catcher: caught birds or wild fowl.
Birds Nest Seller: collected wild birds’ nests containing eggs and sold them for brooding by domestic fowl. The resulting chicks were sold as pets.
Birlyman: the Parish arbiter with the power to settled disputes or ground officer (Scottish).
Biscuit Kiln Man: fires biscuit ware in a kiln. Clay after its first firing is known as biscuit ware. (pottery industry term)
Biscuit Rubber: this person brushed / scoured the biscuit ware to remove loose debris. (pottery industry term)
Black Borderer: applied black varnish to the edges of paper and envelopes. This stationery was then used to inform family and friends of a death.
Black Saddler: short for a black saddle manufacturer, a saddler who specialised in black leather. The occupation dates back to at least the late 19th century. Such saddles were used for carts etc. as opposed to a Brown Saddler who specialised in making saddles for riding.
Black Tray Maker: coated trays with japanning, which was a type of lacquer / varnish.
Blacksmith: produces metal items, such as horse shoes, using a forge, anvil and hammer.
Blackworker: embroidered blackwork. This was a 'counted thread type' of embroidery using black silk on a white background fabric.
Blacking Maker: produced shoe polish commonly made by mixing tallow with lamp black.
Bladesmith: sword maker or Cutler.
Blaxter: alternate term for a Bleacher, who bleached leather, flour or cloth.
Bleacher: a person who bleached flour or cloth, or a leather bleacher in the shoe making industry.
Blemmere: according to many internet lists this occupational title means a plumber. Have yet to confirm this.
Blentonist: - finds underground water or other natural resources by divining or dousing.
Blindsman: - unconfirmed meaning - a postal worker who processed incorrectly addressed mail. Would welcome evidence from anyone with knowledge of Post Office history who can confirm this.
Block Cutter: a person who cut blocks of stone used in the slate industry, or produced wooden blocks used as a base in the hat making industry, or cut patterns for fabric printing into blocks of wood or copper inlaid with felt, or cut letters into wooden blocks for use in the printing Blocker.
Block Maker: carved woodcuts used for woodblock printing..
Block Printer: practiced woodblock printing. This printing technique dates back to 15th century Europe where whole pages are printed from a single block of wood upon which was carved text and images. Woodblock printing itself is an asian practice dating back to the third century and was used to print text onto cloth.
Blocker: alternate term for a Block Cutter.
Bloodletter: practised phlebotomy often using either leeches or a scarificator to let blood as a treatment for many illnesses.
Bloodman: another name for a Bloodletter.
Bloom Smith: worked in a bloom smithy, aka a bloomery or iron smithy, processing iron ore into iron.
Bloomer: alternate term for a Bloom Smith, who processed iron ore.
Blower: a glass worker who blows through a pipe into the centre of molten glass, or someone who pumped bellows to supply the burning coal with oxygen in a smithy.
Blowfeeder: a textile industry worker who inserted fibres into a blowing machine which laundered and separated them.
Blue Dyer: used blue dye to lighten textiles like calico during production or laundering.
Blue Maker: produced the blue dye used to lighten textiles.
Blue Slater: a Slater who specialised in traditional Welsh blue/grey coloured slate such as the traditional Bangor Blue.
Bluestocking: a female intellectual / writer, or a member of the 18th century Blue Stocking Society which encouraged female education.
Bluffer: publican.
Blunger operator: works the blunger machine which produces slip by mixing clay with water in the pottery industry.
Board Liner: person who pastes patterned or plain paper onto cardboard.
Boarder: person who resided and ate meals with the family in return for a fixed fee.
Boarding Officer: checks ships papers and cargo for contraband before permission is granted to enter port.
Boardman: a tenant of a manor who paid for his lodgings by providing his master with food, or an Attendance Officer employed to check up on absent children.
Boardwright: old occupational title for a carpenter.
Boatman: - a person who dealt with the mooring of boats, or who worked on or was in charge of a boat / barge.
Boatswain: member of a ship’s crew in charge of the deck hands and responsible for general ship repairs.
Bobber: used a rotating bob which was covered with felt or leather to polish metal.
Bobbin Carrier: carried bobbins to the looms in the textile industry.
Bobbin Ligger: worked on a machine which filled bobbins with thread for weaving. Their task was to replace full bobbins with empty ones.
Bobbin Turner: cut wooden bobbins on a lathe for use in the weaving industry.
Bobby: slang for Police officer which arose because the founder of the British police force was Robert Peel.
Body Maker: made stiffened women's undergarments called bodices.
Bodger: chair maker.
Bog Iron Hunter: searched for iron ore in peat bogs.
Boiler Plater: produced iron plate used to make boilers.
Boilermaker: a skilled metalworker who produced steel fabrications. Often repaired metal boilers, but in later years may have worked on other metalworking projects such as bridge construction.
Boilersmith: early 19th century term for a Boilermaker, a skilled metalworker / craftsman.
Bolter: sifter of meal or flour prior to bagging.
Bondager: female field worker or farmhand.
Bondman: unpaid servant or a medieval serf. The term may also describe a villager.
Bondsman: person who acts as surety and vouches for someone else.
Bone Button Maker: produced buttons made from bones on a lathe.
Bone Lace Maker: produces lace using bobbins made from bone.
Bone Mould Turner: produced moulds used in button manufacture.
Bone Picker: collected bones for glue manufacture.
Bonesetter: not so much an occupation as a term for a person who set broken bones.
Boniface: publican / innkeeper either employed or on their own account.
Book Gilder: gilded book covers with gold leaf as decoration.
Book Keeper: an accounting clerk who maintained financial records.
Book Marbler: produced marbled paper for use as book bindings. Book marbling is a technique which creates patterns resembling stone or marble surfaces.
Bookholder: worked in the theatre as a prompter holding a complete copy of the script to enable them to prompt where necessary.
Bookman: a scholar.
Boonmaster: responsible for surveying the roads in his Parish and organising their repair using labour provided by local landowners.
Boot Catcher: employed at an Inn to remove and clean visitor's boots.
Boot Clicker: a person who worked a machine that made lace holes in boot uppers, or cut the leather for the different parts that made up the shoe. This job made a distinctive noise from which the name Clicker was derived.
Boot Closer: stitched together the parts which makeup the shoe upper.
Boot Laster: produced leather uppers using a wooden shoe shaped last.
Boot Sprigger: boot maker / mender who was employed to nail soles onto boots using tiny nails known as sprigs.
Bootbinder: used a machine to stitch / bind boot uppers to soles.
Bootleboy: US military term for a Batman, who performed domestic chores such as laundry or cleaning for soldiers.
Boothman: a cowherd. The term is thought to date back to the 13th century or earlier.
Borer: employed to cut holes by hand in pottery, for example to connect the tea pot to the spout.
Borler: alternate spelling of Borreler, who made course cloth for woollen clothing.
Borreler: produced borrel, a rough woollen cloth used for course clothing.
Borsholder: a Parish constable.
Botcher: tailor or cobbler specialising in repairs.
Bottle Boy: assistant to a pharmacist.
Bottler: a maker of leather water bottles or flasks, or a worker in a Bottling Factory or distillery.
Bottom Knocker: assistant to the Saggar Maker in the pottery industry.
Bottom Maker: moulded the bottoms for saggars in the pottery industry.
Bottom-Sawyer: worked in a saw mill. The bottom sawyer stood in the sawing pit and the top sawyer stood above, they used a long two man saw to saw up tree trunks.
Bowdler: worker in iron.
Bower Maiden: a lady-in-waiting or a chambermaid.
Bowker: alternate term for a butcher, person who slaughtered animals for meat.
Bowler: a person who shaped the concave part of the spoon, or who made bowls / dishes.
Bowlman: a man who dealt in crockery / tableware.
Bowlminder: looked after the raw wool washing vats in a woollen mill.
Bowlwoman: female who dealt in crockery.
Bowlturner: maker of traditional wooden plates and bowls.
Bowman: Scottish term for a Cattleman.
Bowyer: bow maker, as used for archery.
Boxmaster: guild treasurer.
Bozzler: a Parish constable.
Brabender: medieval term for either a weaver or an agricultural worker. Derives from Brabant, a region kownn for both.
Brabener: alternate spelling of Brabender, archaic term meaning weaver, or agricultural worker.
Brachygrapher: stenographer / shorthand writer.
Braider: braided materials such as twine or strips of leather to make rope etc. From the 20th century could refer to a person operating a braiding machine to cover electrical wire with insulation.
Brailler: made girdles from elasticated material. From the 1940s may refer to a person operating a Perkins Brailer, a machine similar to a typewriter for producing braille writing for the visually impaired.
Brakeman: a person who operated the brakes on trains, or a mining industry worker who operated winding gear at the pithead to raise and lower the cage. Also known as a Brakesman.
Brancher: describes a miner cutting a new seam at the coal face.
Brasiater: this occupation is defined on several internet lists as a person who brewed ale. Have yet to find evidence to confirm this.
Brasiler: a dyer who used red dye extracted from the Brazilian Red Wood.
Bratman: maker of cloaks or coarse garments.
Brazier: an artisan who worked in brass.
Breech Maker: could describe a person making breeches (clothing akin to knee-length shorts) or a maker of parts for breech loading rifles.
Brewster: brewer of ale. Originally a female occupation.
Brick Burner: worked in a brick works, person in charge of the kiln responsible for ensuring correct temperature during firing.
Brickman: a builder or mason working with bricks; a bricklayer.
Bricksetter: employed in a brick works, loading / stacking bricks in the kilns prior to firing.
Bridewell Keeper: in charge of a house of correction / prison. Derives from Bridewell Palace in London, a former residence of Henry VIII which later became a prison/poorhouse. The term dates back to the 16th century and was eventually used through England and Ireland, and then overseas to the US and Canada.
Bridgeman: a Tollkeeper, stationed at a toll bridge.
Bridger: another name for a Bridgeman.
Brightsmith: a smith who works with white or bright metals such as tin.
Brimstone Refiner: refined sulphur, which was used to make black gunpowder.
Broadcloth Weaver: wove broadcloth. which is an extra wide tightly woven fabric of silk, cotton or wool.
Brogger: an unlicensed wool dealer.
Broker: a person who acts as a salesman on behalf of another, for a fee.
Broom Dasher: a retailer selling brooms.