Dictionary of Old Occupations

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Definitions of jobs Stenterer - Stretcher

Stenterer: a textile industry worker who operated machinery to finish cloth. Fabrics were carefully stretched over a machine called a stenter.

Step Boy: assisted passengers boarding or leaving coaches.

Stepper: a professional dancer.

Stevedore: a dock Labourer who loaded or unloaded cargo from ships.

Stick Finisher: mounts decorative fixings to walking sticks, or polished and dressed them.

Stick Maker: walking stick maker.

Still Room Maid: a maid who worked in the Still Room of a great house. The Distillery Room was known as the Still Room, where drinks and jam were made.

Stock Turner: made buttstocks for rifles.

Stockinger: a Hosier; produced and / or sold stockings and hosiery. Stockings were originally made from woven cloth, then later other materials such as silk or knitted wool etc.

Stoker: shovelled coal into boilers in trains, ships and factories.

Stone Dresser: took quarried stone and cut it into blocks or slabs, which could be used for building or paving.

Stone Hewer: alternative name for a Stone Dresser, or a worker in the mining industry.

Stone Picker: cleared stones from fields prior to the sewing of crops.

Stonewarden: civil engineer or highway surveyor.

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

Stover: made animal feed from dried corn stalks, or a senior worker in the mining industry.

Stowyer: a worker in the fishing industry, responsible for looking after fishing nets.

Stravaiger: a tram, or out of work person.

Straw Joiner: made thatched roofing from straw.

Straw Plaiter: plaited or braided straw for use in making straw hat, which had a large brim and were worn to protect the eyes from sunlight whilst working outside.

Strawman: a professional liar, who bore false witness in trials. He wore a straw sticking from his shoe whilst standing outside courthouses to indicate his willingness to give false testimony.

Streaker: worked for an undertaker, laying out bodies for burial.

Street Boy: young boy who swept streets.

Street Orderly: swept the streets.

Stretcher: a worker in the textile industry who stretched woollen cloth across a wooden frame to ensure it did not shrink whilst drying.

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.

Dictionary of Old Occupations by Jane Hewitt

Interested in history? Researching your family tree and wondering what those old occupations you found on census records actually mean? Maybe you are a creative writer looking for details to give your work authenticity? The Dictionary of Old Occupations explains the meaning of job titles, trades, professions and terms dating back through the centuries.

A handy reference ebook for researchers, creative writers and history buffs. Jane Hewitt is an experienced, professional genealogist. Aided by her husband Paul she compiled the Dictionary of Old Occupations over several years. This A-Z is an informative and fascinating read, giving insight into the day to day experiences of real people from all walks of life over many centuries.