Dictionary of Old Occupations

Definitions of jobs Wabster - Watch Examiner

Wabster: Weaver.

Wadding maker: produced wadding from cotton rags which was used for stuffing furniture.

Wafer maker: made church wafers as used in Holy Communion.

Waggoner: a wagon driver.

Wailer: a boy employed to remove contaminants from amongst the coal, such as like slate or pyrites (Coal mining industry).

Wain house proprietor: owner of a wain house, who rented out space inside where carts and wagons could be stored.

Wainius: ploughman.

Wainwright: a wagon maker.

Waiter: a Customs Officer who collected duty on imported goods which arrived with the high tide.

Waitman: night watchman.

Wakeman: another name for a Waitman.

Waker: employed to wake workers in the early morning in time for work.

Walker: another name for a Fuller, who cleaned cloth.

Walkster:: another name for a Fuller, who cleaned cloth.

Waller: a builder of walls constructed from dry stone or brick, or a person who boiled brine to extract salt.

Want Catcher: a pest exterminator who caught moles.

Wanter: another name for a Want Catcher, who caught and exterminated moles.

Warder: a guard in a prison of gaol.

Wardrobe Dealer: a second-hand clothing merchant.

Warper: worked in the textile industry responsible for loading a thread called 'warp' onto looms, or a boat hauler at a docks, port or canal basin.

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

Warrener: essentially farmed rabbits as a source of food. Maintained rabbit warrens and trapped and killed rabbits.

Washman: plated metal items with tin in order to protect them from rust, or improve their look or performance.

Wasteman: a person who removed industrial waste, or someone working in the mining industry responsible for keeping working areas of the mine free from gas, which could be lethal to miners.

My thanks to the The Coventry Watch Museum Project group for their assistance with the following watchmaking job definitions.

Watch Cap Maker: made the internal movement cover of a watch.

Watch Case Joint Finisher: assembled the components of pocket watch cases.

Watch Dial Enameller: enamelled the watch face white and the numbers in black enamel.

Watch Dial Painter: used a very fine brush to paint numbers on the watch face.

Watch Engine Turner: engraved patterns on the backs of watchcases.

Watch Examiner: finished the watch by fitting the hands, regulating the watch.

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.

Watchmaking (Hardcover) by George Daniels

The author's principal aim in writing this book has been to inspire and encourage the art of watchmaking, especially among a new generation of enthusiasts. The making of the precision timekeeper is described, step by step, and is illustrated at each stage with line drawings and brief explanatory captions. Great care has been taken to ensure the text is easy to follow and to avoid complicated technical descriptions. The first and most comprehensive step-by-step guide on the subject, Watchmaking has become a classic in its own right. George Daniels, MBE, DSC (HONS), FSA, FCGI, FBHI, FAWI, is a practicing horologist with fifty years experience in both antiquarian and modern watchmaking, and is a pastmaster of the Worshipful Company of Clockmakers.

Further information