Dictionary of Old Occupations

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Definitions of jobs Laundress - Lister

Laundress: woman who took in clothes for washing.

Lavender: woman who took in clothes for washing.

Law Clerk: assisted a judge with issues before the court.

Layer: worked in a paper mill, laying wet sheets.

Lead Miner: Excavated galena or lead ore. This process eventually became even more hazardous than ordinary mining when use of gunpowder became common. Miners would chisel a hole, insert the powder and after the explosion further break the rock before it was taken to the surface. Accidents were common.

Leather Currier: stretched and finished tanned leather. When soft enough, the material could then be used by a Saddler or Cobbler.

Leatherman: made or sold leather goods.

Leavelooker: market food inspector.

Lederer: Germanic name for a maker of leather goods.

Leech: derogatory term for a doctor.

Legerdemainist: a stage entertainer who deceives the audience with tricks reliant upon sleight of hand.

Legger: working in pairs, Leggers held a plank across the bows of canal boats and propelled the boat through canal tunnels with their feet pushing against the wall where there was no towpath. Sometimes this job was done by the crew, but longer canal tunnels had professional Leggers.

Leghorn Presser: pressed straw for bonnets and hats. A leghorn is commonly known as a boater hat.

Leightonward: a groundsman or gardener.

Lengthsman: responsible for maintaining a fixed length of canal, railway or road.

Letter Carrier: the official Royal Mail title for a postman prior to the change in 1883.

Letter Founder: another term for a Type Founder, a person who designed or made metal or wooden typefaces for use in the printing industry.

Letterpress Printer: operated a printing press with moveable type.

Licensed Messenger: a courier.

Licensed Victualler: then as now.. Owner or manager of a public house; a Publican, Tavern Keeper or Innkeeper.

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

Lighterman: transported goods to and from ship to shore using lighters, a type of flat bottomed barge.

Lime Burner: burned limestone in a lime kiln to produce quicklime.

Limner: specifically a portrait painter or a book illustrator.

Linen Draper: wholesaler or retailer of linen.

Linener: alternate name for a Linen Draper.

Liner: a textile worker who dressed flax.

Linkerboy: carried a torch to guide people through dark streets.

Linkman: Similar to a Linkerboy, but older. A torch carrier who guided people through streets.

Linman: another name for a Linen Draper, a wholesaler or retailer of linen.

Lister: a Dyer. Lister is a Middle English word meaning ‘dye’. In Scotland it may refer to arrow making.

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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