Things Worth Knowing ~ Occupations - Part 4

E & F Lists of Occupations

This is a list of some occupations of which many are archaic although surnames usually originated from someone's occupation.

◦EALDORMAN - n official of the shire courts who acted as the King's deputy taking payment from the profits of the court

◦EBONITE TURNER - one who worked with ebonite or vulcanite, making combs or ornaments etc

◦EARER - plowwman

◦EARTH STOPPER - one who plugs up animal holes

◦EGG FACTOR / EGGLER - egg or poultry dealer

◦ELEPHANTS TEETH DEALER - who dealt in ivory ornaments etc

◦ELLERMAN / ELLIMAN - who sold oil used for lamps and known as an oilman

◦ELYMAKER - oilmaker

◦EMBOSSER - who moulded or carved designs that were raised above the surface of the material

◦EMPRESARIO - land broker, settlement scheme promoter, showman

◦ENGINEMAN - employed at a mine to be in charge of the machinery used to crush the ore

◦ENGINE TENTER - who operated the machine which stretched the cloth whilst drying in a woolllen mill

◦ENSIGN - commissioned officer in the navy

◦ENUMERATOR - who collected the information for the census from the householder and recorded it

◦EQUERRY - officer of the royal household usually responsible for the royal horses

◦EREMITE - hermit

◦ERITE - heretic

◦ESQUIRE - one who attended a knight, which later became a title for a man of standing in society

◦ESTAFETTE - mounted courier

◦EWE HERD - shepherd

◦EXCHEQUER - revenue collector

◦EXCISEMAN - excise tax collector

◦EYER - one who made eyes in needles used for sewing. Sometimes called a Holer

◦FABER - artisan or workman

◦FABRICATOR - maker

◦FACTOR - an agent employed by merchants to transact business of buying and selling and a Scottish term for the steward of an estate responsible for collection of land rents

◦FAGETTER - made up faggots into bundles, seller of firewood

◦FAKER - photographic assistant who added color to photographs by hand before color film was available

◦FANCY-PEARL WORKER - worked in mother-of-pearl making buttons or fancy goods

◦FANCY MAN - pimp

◦FANCY WOMAN - prostitute

◦FANNER - grain winnower

◦FANWRIGHT - maker and repairer of fans or winnowing baskets

◦FARANDMAN - traveling merchant

◦FARMER - often descendant of the gentry and, ultimately, noble classes; usually having servants and farm workers, e.g., husbandmen, groomsmen, etc

◦FARRIER / FERROUR - horse shoer or blacksmith

◦FAWKNER - trainer of falcons

◦FEAR-NOTHING MAKER - weaver of special kind of thick woollen cloth known as fear-nought, used for protective clothing and lining portholes, walls, and doors of powder magazines on board ships.

◦FEATHER BEATER / FEATHER DRIVER - cleanser of feathers

◦FEATHER-DRESSER - who cleaned and prepared feathers for sale

◦FEATHERMAN - dealer in feathers and plumes

◦FEATHER-WIFE - woman who prepared feathers for use

◦FEEDER - herdsman

◦FELLER - woodcutter

◦FELL MONGER - remover of hair or wool from hides in leather making

◦FELTER - worker in the hatting industry

◦FERRETER - dealer in or manufacturer of ferret, ie. silk tape

◦FETTLER - cleaned the machinery in woollen mills, removing accumulated fibres, grease, etc., sharpened the fustian cutters knives or needlemaker who filed the needle to a point

◦FEVER - blacksmith

◦FEWSTER - maker of saddletrees

◦FEWTERER - keeper of hounds, for hunting or coursing

◦FILIBUSTER - American mercenaries in South America, gun runners

◦FILLER - who filled bobbins in mills

◦FINE DRAWER - employed in tailoring to repair tears in the cloth (invisible mending)

◦FINISHER - operated machine giving final touches to a manufactured article in various trades

◦FIREBEATER - tended the boilers that powered the machinery in a cotton mill

◦FIREMAN - inspected for, and removed explosive gasses underground in mining or stoked the boilers on ships and locomotives

◦FIRST HAND - silk weaver who had his own loom (an outworker)

◦FISCERE - fisherman

◦FISHER (FISHDRYVER) - victualler

◦FISH FAG - female fish monger

◦FITTER - coal broker

◦FLAUNER - confectioner

◦FLASHER - specialist process worker in the glass industry

◦FLATMAN / FLOATMAN - navigated a flat, a broad flat-bottomed boat used for transport, especially in shallow waters

◦FLAXDRESSER - prepared flax prior to spinning

◦FLESHMONGER / FLESHER - butcher or one who worked in a tannery

◦FLESHEWER - butcher

◦FLETCHER - arrowsmith (from French fleche).

◦FLOATER - vagrant

◦FLUSHERMAN - who cleaned out water mains

◦FLYCOACHMAN - driver of one-horse carriage hired by the day

◦FLYING STATIONER - street broadsheet seller

◦FLYMAN - driver of a light vehicle hired out for carriage of passenger or Theatre stage hand

◦FOGGER - peddler or low class lawyer

◦FOISTER / FOISTERER - joiner

◦FOOT MAIDEN - female servant

◦FOOT MAN - servant who ran errands

◦FOOT PAD - robber

◦FOOT-POST - letter carrier or messenger who travelled on foot

◦FOOT STRAIGHTENER - one who assembled watch and clock dials in watchmaking

◦FORESTER - game warden or forest ranger

◦FORGEMAN - blacksmith or assistant (coachsmith 18th century Derbyshire)

◦FORGER - blacksmith, worker at a forge

◦FOSSETMAKER - who made faucets for ale-casks, etc

◦FOWER - street cleaner, sweeper

◦FOWLER / FOGLER / FUGLER / VOWLER / VOGELER / VOGLER / VAGELER / VOGELAAR / VOGLER - keeper or catcher of birds

◦FRAME SPINNER - worker on a loom

◦FRAMER - one who frames houses

◦FRAMEWORKER KNITTER - operator of machine which made hosiery

◦FREEDMAN - one released from slavery

◦FREEMASON - stonecutter

◦FRESER - maker of frieze, a rough plaster

◦FRESHWATER MAN - sailed boat on fresh water only or in the coastal trade

◦FRIPPERER - buyer & seller of old clothes

◦FRISEUR - hair dresser

◦FROBISHER / FURBISHER - remover of rust, a polisher of metal, eg. armour

◦FRUITERER - fruit seller

◦FRUITESTERE - female fruit seller

◦FULKER - pawnbroker

◦FULLER - cloth worker who shrinks, beats and presses the cloth

◦FUNAMBULIST - tightrope walker

◦FURBISHER - armor polisher

◦FURNER - baker

◦FURRIER - seller or maker of furs

◦FUSTIAN WEAVER - maker of corduroy