Things Worth Knowing ~ Occupations - Part 6

I,  J, K & L List of Occupations

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

◦ICEMAN - seller or deliverer of ice

◦IDLEMAN - gentleman of leisure

◦INFIRMARIAN - in charge of an infirmary

◦INTELLIGENCER - spy

◦INTENDENT - director of a public or government business

◦INTERFACTOR - murderer

◦IRON FOUNDER - one who founds or iron

◦IRON MONGER - dealer in hardware made of iron (also known as a feroner)

◦IRON MASTER - owner or manager of a foundry

◦IVORY WORKERS - included makers of combs, boxes, billard balls, buttons, and keys for pianofortes

◦JACK - young male assistant, sailor, or lumberjack

◦JACK-FRAME TENTER - cotton industry worker who operated a jack-frame, used for giving a twist to the thread

◦JACK-SMITH - maker of lifting machinery and contrivances

◦JAGGER - carrier, carter, pedlar or hawker of fish; 19th century, young boy in charge of 'jags'or train of trucks in coal mine; man in charge of pack horse carrying iron ore to be smelted

◦JAKES-FARMER - one who emptied cesspools

◦JAPANNER - one who covers with a hard brilliant coat of any of several varnishes

◦JERQUER - custom house officer who searched ships

◦JERSEY COMBER - worker in woollen manufacture (Jersey - wool which has been combed but not spun into yarn)

◦JOBBER - a buyer in quantity to sell to others, a pieceworker

◦JOBLING GARDENER - one employed on a casual basis

◦JOBMASTER - supplied carriages, horses and drivers for hire

◦JOYNER or JOINER - skilled carpenter

◦JONGLEUR - traveling minstrel

◦JOURNEYMAN - one who served his apprenticeship and mastered his craft; properly, one who no longer is bound to serve for years but is hired day to day

◦JOUSTER - fish monger

◦KEDGER - fisherman

◦KEEKER - colliery official who checked quantity and quality of coal output or weighman

◦KEELER / KEELMAN - bargeman (from keel, a flat bottomed boat)

◦KEMPSTER - wool comber

◦KIDDIER - skinner or dealer in young goats

◦KILNER - limeburner, in charge of a kiln

◦KISSER - made cuishes and high armour

◦KNACKER - harness maker, buyer of old horses and dead animals

◦KNAPPERS - dressed and shaped flints into required shape and size

◦KNELLER / KNULLER - chimmney sweep who solicited custom by knocking on doors

◦KNOCKER-UP - man paid to wake up northern mill and factory workers on early shifts

◦KNOCKKNOBBLER - dog catcher

◦KNOLLER - toller of bells

◦LACE-DRAWER - child employed in lace work, drawing out threads

◦LACEMAN - dealer in lace, who collected it from the makers, usually only those who had bought his thread, and sold it in the lace markets

◦LACE-MASTER / MISTRESS - employed workers in factories or in their homes for the production of lace

◦LACE-RUNNER - young worker who embroidered patterns on lace

◦LACEWOMAN - lady's maid

◦LAGGER - sailor

◦LAGRAETMAN - local constable (Law-Rightman)

◦LASTER - shoe maker

◦LATTENER - brass worker

◦LANDWAITER - customs officer whose duty was to wait or attend on landed goods

◦LAUNDERER - washer

◦LAVENDER - washer woman

◦LAYER - worker in paper mill responsible for a particular stage in paper-making process

◦LEAVELOOKER - examined food on sale at market

◦LEECH or SAWBONES - physician

◦LEGERDEMAINIST - magician

◦LEGGER - canal boatman

◦LEIGHTONWARD - gardener (leighton - a garden)

◦LIGHTERMAN - worker on a flat-bottomed boat

◦LIMNER - illuminator of books, painter or drawer

◦LINENER - linen draper, shirtmaker

◦LINER / LYNER - flax dresser

◦LINKERBOY / MAN - one who carried a link or torch to guide people through city streets at night for a small fee (had to be licensed to trade in early 19th century had and term later sometimes applied to general manservant )

◦LISTER / LITSTER - dyer

◦LITTERMAN - groom (of horses)

◦LOADSMAN - ship's pilot

◦LOBLOLLY BOY - ship's doctor's assistant or errand boy

◦LOCK KEEPER - overseer of canal locks

◦LONGSHOREMAN - stevedore

◦LONG SONG SELLER - street seller who sold popular songsheets printed on paper

◦LORIMER - maker of horse gear

◦LOTSELLER - street seller

◦LUMPER - dock laborer who discharged cargo of timber employed by a master lumper (not the Dock Company) or fine-grain saltmaker, from practice of moulding salt into lumps

◦LUM SWOOPER - chimney sweep

◦LUNGS - alchemist's servant whose duty was to fan the fire

◦LUTHIER - maker and repairer of stringed musical instruments