Dictionary of Old Occupations

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Definitions of jobs Machine Boy - Marbler

Machine Boy: worked in the printing industry, a Printer's Assistant.

Machine Breaker: not an occupation, but a term you might find in historical documents. It refers to a Luddite, a member of a 19th century social movement who violently resisted the introduction of machine technology in the textile industry.

Machine Man: generic term for a man who operated a machine; a machinist.

Maderer: listed on numerous internet sites as a person who collected garlic for sale. Have yet to find evidence to confirm this.

Maid: as an occupational title it refers to a female Domestic Servant. If the term is found in other contexts it may refer to an unmarried girl.

Mail Agent: an employee of the Royal Mail responsible for the safe delivery of mail whilst in transit by ship.

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

Mail Guard: an officer employed to guard mail during transport by train or coach.

Majolica Maker: a pottery industry worker who made ceramic items finished with majolica glaze. Popular in 19th century England.

Maker: worked in the pottery industry, making hollowware on a potters wheel.

Maker-Upper: worked in the textile industry.

Male-Maker: made leather travelling bags.

Mallender: a corn Miller.

Malster: alternate term for a Maltster, who produced malt for use in brewing.

Maltster: worked in a malthouse, soaked grain in water to make malt, which was used for brewing etc.

Manchester Warehouse Man: traded wholesale cloth and linen produced in factories from the Manchester area.

Manciple: responsible for purchasing food, and possibly the preparation of food, for a court, monastery or other institution.

Mangle Keeper: charged housewives for the use of her mangle (wringer) to press linen and cloth.

Mangle Woman: alternate term for a Mangle Keeper, a woman who kept a mangle for hire.

Mangler: operated a mangle, a machine to press cloth or linen. The US name for a mangle is a wringer.

Mango: Latin term which could mean refer to a slave trader or slave dealer, or more generally to a dealer in any product.

Mantle Cutter: may refer to a stone cutter who produced mantles for fireplaces, a person who made mantles from cotton soaked in nitrates to be fitted to gas lamps or a person who made a type of cloak called a mantle, which was worn over other clothes.

Mantle Maker: a person who made mantles from cotton soaked in nitrates to be fitted to gas lamps.

Mantua Maker: made female clothing called a mantua, which was a loose gown or robe worn with a petticoat. Popular from the late 1600s through to the 1700s.

Marble Polisher: possibly a stonemason. May refer to a person who polished stone for fire surrounds or for use in construction.

Marbler: may refer to someone working in the paper making industry who stained paper to produce a marble effect. The term can also generically refer to anyone who stained items in order to produce a marbled effect. This includes marbling stone in order to produce faux marble for use in churches and other buildings.

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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The History Files series presents the people, events and ideas that have shaped our world, through the lens of recent research. Each title covers a single topic and is illustrated with telling images from out-of-the-way sources and a collection of facsimile documents, bringing the past to life in an accessible yet authoritative format.

Focusing on the experiences of those who lived through slavery, James Walvin, a leading authority on the subject, discusses the origins, development, abolition and legacies of the slave trade. The facsimile documents bring the period alive, as do the poignant quotations taken from first-hand accounts, detailed box features and over 150 evocative images.