Dictionary of Old Occupations

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Definitions of jobs Foot Straightener - Freshwaterman

Foot Straightener: worked in watchmaking, straightened the timepiece dial holding feet and ensured the dial was correctly positioned.

Footboy: a page or a low status attendant in a livery.

Footman: a male attendant who ran behind or alongside carriages running ahead to announce his master’s arrival, or a man who stood at meals to serve food.

Footpad: a highway robber on foot, as opposed to a Highwayman who was mounted. The term fell out of use during the 19th century.

Foreman: a head juror, or a person in charge of workers.

Forestarius: alternate term for a Forester, the person who managed a forest or woods.

Forester: in medieval times patrolled woods and forests on a noble’s property to enforce the law. In later times refers to the person responsible for managing forests.

Forgeman: a Blacksmith or a foundry worker.

Forger: a person who forged metal, e.g. a Blacksmith.

Forkner: alternate spelling of Falkner, a falconer.

Form Fitter: worked in the construction industry, fitted timber formwork during the building process.

Fossetmaker: made faucets or beer taps.

Founder: worked in a foundry, producing metal casings.

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

Fower: person who cleans, for example a house cleaner or street sweeper.

Fowler: hunted fowl for food.

Foyboatman: operated a foy boat, which serviced larger vessels anchored off shore awaiting a favourable wind. The old term for foying was hovelling, which referred to rescuing stranded sailors.

Framar: alternate spelling of Farmer sometimes seen on census records.

Frame Spinner: operated a machine called a spinning frame in the textile industry.

Framer: made wooden furniture frames or picture frames. Also refers to a construction worker who built timber frames for buildings.

Framework Knitter: operated a loom in the textile industry. This was a common job in London and parts of the East Midlands and you may find it abbreviated to FWK in census records. The first knitting frame was invented in the late 16th century, and produced flat, plain knitting. The technology was used to make hosiery until the mid 19th century when trousers became popular.

Franklin: a freehold landowner.

Freebooter: British term for irregular soldiers operating without government authority.

Freedman: a former slave.

Freeholder: a landowner who held the right to lease or sell the land.

Freeman: in medieval times, a person who was not a serf, i.e. not tied to the land.

Freemason: a stonemason or builder.

French Polisher: a labour intensive job, French Polishing became popular from the mid 18th century, and refers to a wood finishing technique which resulted in a high gloss surface.

Freshwaterman: sailed on coastal waters or inland waterways.

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.

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