|
Old Name |
New Name or Meaning |
| Boatswain / 'Bosun' |
Petty officer in charge of the ship's crew, also the ship's rigging and deck maintenance, responsible to the Chief Officer. Still in use today |
| Bobber |
1) Metal polisher 2) Unloaded fishing boats |
| Bobbin Carrier / Bobbiner |
Supplied the looms with bobbins in spinning and weaving More Info. |
| Bobbin Ligger |
Placed the spools for spinning |
| Bobbin Turner |
Made (lathe turned) the wooden bobbins used in the textile mills |
| Bobby |
Police constable - still used today. (Colloquial) |
| Bodeys / Body Maker |
Made the bodices for women's garments |
| Bodger |
A skilled craftsman who made wooden chair legs and spars using a lathe set up in home made workshops in deep woodlands. His work was often produced for chair factories |
| Boilermaker |
Industrial metalworker. More Info. |
| Boiler Plater |
Made rolled steel/iron plate for steam engine boilers etc. |
| Boll |
Power loom attendant |
| Bolter |
Sifted meal |
| Bondager |
Bonded female farm worker |
| Bondman |
As for Apprentice - bonded to his Master to learn a skill or trade |
| Bondsman |
Stood the bond or surety for a bonded person |
| Bone Lace Maker |
Made pillow lace |
| Bone Mould Turner |
Made the moulds for button making |
| Bone Picker |
Rag & Bone Man. Collected rags and bones (originally) later any discarded articles / metals |
| Bonesetter |
Set broken bones |
| Boniface |
Innkeeper |
| Book Gilder |
Gilded book bindings with gold leaf |
| Bookholder |
Theatre prompter |
| Book Edge Marbler |
Decorated the edges of pages in bound books |
| Book Keeper |
As today, looked after business accounts |
| Bookman |
Student |
| Boonmaster |
Surveyed, maintained and repaired roads |
| Bootbinder |
Operated machines in shoemaking, binding uppers to soles |
| Boot Catcher |
Servant at an Inn who pulled off travellers' boots |
| Boot Clicker |
See Clicker |
| Boot Closer |
Stitched the shoe uppers to the soles |
| Boothman |
Corn Merchant |
| Borler / Boreler |
Maker of borel - cheap coarse woollen cloth |
| Borsholder |
Kent regional name for a police constable |
| Botcher |
Tailor or cobbler |
| Bottiler / Bottler |
1) A person who made leather containers for holding liquids eg wine flasks or water bottles. From the turn of the 17c it would more likely refer to a worker in a bottling factory for beer, soft drinks, water etc. 2) In Punch & Judy shows that travelled from town to town in England, the person who collected money from the watching public. They called them 'Bottlers' as they used a glass bottle with a narrow neck so that the bottle could not be tipped upside down to take money out easily. |
| Bottle Boy |
Pharmacist's assistant |
| Bottomer |
Adzed out the finished seat from the rough shape in wooden chair making |
| Bottom Knocker |
Sagger Maker's assistant - See Saggar Maker's Bottom Knocker. |
| Bottom Maker |
Moulded the bottoms for Saggers in the pottery industry |
| Boundary Setters / Layers |
Employed by the Board of Ordnance (Ordnance Survey) for setting out and plotting important boundaries used in map-making. |
| Bowdler |
Worked with iron ore |
| Bowker |
Bleached yarn. Also in parts of Lancashire, a butcher |
| Bowler |
1) Maker of bowls and dishes 2) Made the bowls of spoons before casting |
| Bowlman/woman |
Crockery dealer |
| Bowlminder |
In charge of vats in which raw wool were washed before processing |
| Bow Maker |
1) Made bows for use around Oxens' neck - used to adjoin two Oxen during farming.
2) Made string bows for musical instruments |
| Bowyer / Bower |
Made archery bows |
| Box Shook Maker |
See Shook Maker |
| Bozzler |
Parish constable |
| Brabener |
Weaver |
| Brachygrapher |
Shorthand writer |
| Bradish Man |
A carpenter working in mines; the bradish man was responsible for ensuring a steady flow of clean air is cycled past the working face (especially of coal). He achieved this by closing off old shafts with well-sealed wooden doors. |
| Braider |
Made cord by twisting cords or leather |
| Brailler |
Made girdles |
| Brakeman / Brakesman |
1) Operated pithead winding gear 2) Operated brakes on trains or trams |
| Brancher |
Colliery worker who cuts at the coal face, particularly a new seam or 'branch' from the road |
| Brasiater |
Brewed Ale |
| Brasiler |
Dyer |
| Bratman |
Made rough garments |
| Brazier |
Worked with brass |
| Breakman / Brickman |
Bricklayer |
| Breech Maker |
Made the breeches for guns |
| Brewster |
Brewer |
| Bricksetter |
Worked in a brick works. He worked in the kilns, stacking or 'setting' the bricks ready for firing |
| Brick Burner |
Maintained the firing temperature in a brick kiln |
| Bridewell Keeper |
In charge of a lock-up or jail |
| Bridgeman / Bridger |
Toll bridge keeper |
| Brightsmith |
Metal worker |
| Brimstone Refiner |
Refined sulphur, one of the components of gunpowder |
| Broadcloth Weaver |
Wide(broad)loom operator |
| Broad Cooper |
Go-between for breweries and innkeepers |
| Brogger |
Wool merchant |
| Broker |
Essentially a salesman or middleman to a supplier for arranging sales. |
| Broom Dasher |
Broom dealer |
| Broom Squire |
Broom Maker |
| Brotherer/Broiderer/
Broderer/Browderer |
Embroiderer |
| Brow Girl |
Female employed at the pithead |
| Brown Saddler |
Maker of riding saddles |
| Brownsmith |
Worked with copper or brass |
| Brush Drawer |
Fixed the bristles into the stock or handle of a brush. More Info. |
| Brush Stock / Stale Maker |
Made the handles for brushes |
| Buckler / Bucklesmith |
Made belt buckles |
| Buckle Tongue Maker |
Made the pointed part of a belt buckle |
| Buckram Maker |
Made buckram - used for stiffening lapels, collars, cloth belts etc. |
| Buck Washer |
Laundress |
| Buddleboy |
Used and maintained ore-washing vats in lead and tin mining |
| Buddler |
Women and children employed washing ore |
| Bullwhacker |
Oxen driver |
| Bum Bailiff |
An officer of the court who went to a convicted person's home or business premises and siezed goods in lieu of payment of a fine, in default |
| Bumboat Man |
Seller of goods and foodstuffs from boats to ships at anchor (Typically Suez Canal) |
| Bummaree |
Fish market middlemen - between wholesalers and retailers |
| Bummer |
Army deserter |
| Bunter |
Female rag & bone collector |
| Bureler |
Maker of Borel, a rough woolen cloth |
| Burgess |
Represented a borough official at functions |
| Burgonmaster / Burgomaster |
Mayor |
| Burler |
Clothing quality inspector |
| Burleyman / Byelawman |
Manorial court official who enforced the court orders |
| Burmaiden |
Chambermaid or lady in waiting |
| Burneman |
Carrier of barm or water for brewers |
| Burye Man |
Grave digger - (bury man) |
| Bushel Maker |
Cooper |
| Busheler |
Tailor's helper |
| Busker |
Hair Dresser |
| Buss Maker |
Gunsmith |
| Butner |
Button maker |
| Butter Carver |
Prepared butter for sale |
| Butty |
Supplied labour to mines and negotiated contracts |
