Dictionary of Old Occupations

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Definitions of jobs Chamberlain - Chiffonnier

Chamberlain: the officer in charge of running a household.

Chambermaid: a Domestic Servant or Maid.

Chamber Master: a self employed maker or seller of shoes.

Chandler: the head of a chandlery, responsible for candles, soap and wax. See also: Ship Chandler.

Chanty Man: Sailor whose duties included leading shipboard singing of sea shanties.

Chapeler: hat maker, or hat seller.

Chapman: another name for a Ceapman.

Chapper: Knocked on doors to rouse workers from bed.

Char: a female house servant. An abbreviation of Charwoman.

Charcoal Burner: Produced charcoal by piling wood end to form a cone shape, with air flow from the bottom opening up through the centre. The pile was then covered in turf and burnt.

Chartmaster: Negotiated contracts in the mining industry, and supplied manpower.

Charwoman: A woman hired to work around the house - cleaning, tidying, mending etc.

Chaser: an engraver.

Chatelaine: a French name for a woman in charge of a large house.

Chaunter: a busker or street singer.

Cheapjack: a travelling salesman of low price household utensils.

Cheese Factor: a tradesman selling cheese.

Cheese Monger: another name for a Cheese Factor, who sold cheese.

Copyright: Jane Hewitt. This dictionary is authorised for use on www.familyresearcher.co.uk only.

Check Weaver: worked in the textile industry, weaving checked cloth.

Check Weighman: worked in the mining industry, weighing the coal produced by a minor to determine how much the miner was paid.

Chevener: Embroidered silk stockings.

Chiffonnier: Made wigs.

This dictionary is my own work, and copyright Jane Hewitt. I sometimes find unauthorised (i.e. stolen) copies of my website content appearing on other people's websites. If you should read a group of identical glossary definitions elsewhere on the web, consider whether such sites are reputable or not.

Life Below Stairs: in the Victorian and Edwardian Country House (National Trust History and Heritage) by Sian Evans

The largely untold stories of innumerable, rather humble, lives spent `in service' are lying just below the surface of many great houses; the physical evidence can be seen in surviving servants' quarters, the material of their everyday life, even their uniforms and possessions.

This account provides a fascinating glimpse at who's who behind the scenes, from the cook, butler and housekeeper to the footmen, lady's maids, governesses and tutors, nannies and nursemaids.

Giving a fascinating insight into the heirarchy within the servant's quarters - from the power-wielding cook to the ever-discreet butler - this guide describes how relationships were forged and changed as the gap between upstairs and downstairs was bridged. Describing their typical working day as well as the holidays, entertainments and pastimes enjoyed on a rare day off, not to mention the whirl of the social season, this previously `unwritten history' recalls vividly the nature of their lives below stairs.

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