Dictionary of Old Occupations

Click here to return to the index page of the Dictionary of Old Occupations

Definitions of jobs Ticket Writer - Tippler

Ticket Writer: hand painted signs advertising goods or services for sale. Such signs were displayed in shop windows to attract passing trade.

Tickney Man: itinerant trader in earthenware pottery.

Tickney Woman: female itinerant trader in earthenware pottery.

Tide Gauger: according to a great many online resources this is a person who monitored the state of the tide. Have yet to find evidence to confirm this.

Tide Surveyor: worked in a port as a tax collector, checked for smuggled goods.

Tide Waiter: a customs official. Boarded and inspected boats and ships to check for smuggled goods and to collect duty.

Tidesman: alternate term for a Tide Waiter, a customs official who boarded ships to collect duty and check for smuggled goods.

Tier Boy: employed at a print works in the calico printing trade.

Tierer: employed at a print works in the calico printing trade. Calico is a plain woven textile. Calico prints were popular in Europe from the 17th century.

Tiger: archaic term for a servant such as a groom or Page.

Tiler: laid or made tiles. Can refer to floor tiles, e.g. tiled floors and paving, or to roof tiles. This is a very old occupation.

Tiller: potentially a spelling variation of Tiler, but more commonly refers to an agricultural worker who tilled the land, i.e. prepared the soil for growing crops by ploughing, manuring etc.

Tillman: can refer to a farmer, a Husbandman or more specifically to a ploughman.

Time Ironer: a Domestic Servant who was required to iron the Times newspaper prior to presenting it to his master for reading. Yes, really!

Timekeeper: recorded time spent on activities. E.g. a Clerk who recorded staff working hours, or someone keeping track of shipment delivery times. The exact occupational definition will depend upon the industry in which the individual worked.

Timoneer: ship Steersman or Helmsman.

Tin Streamer: prior to the advent of tin mining, tin was recovered from ore found in river and stream beds. A Tin Streamer would scoop up and search for suitable ore in streams and rivers in a similar manner to the famous Gold Panners.

Tinctor: a dyer in the pottery, photography or textile industry.

Tinker: a travelling Tinsmith who repaired items such as household cutlery, pots and pans. You may also come across historical records using the term to refer to travellers or gypsies.

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

Tinman: merchant who sold tinware.

Tinner: alternate term for a Tinsmith, a metalworker who made or repaired tinware.

Tinplate Worker: alternate term for a Tinsmith, a metalworker who made or repaired tinware.

Tinsmith: a metalworker who made or repaired tinware items, which mostly refers to metallic kitchenware. Items were plated with tin to prevent corrosion. In 16th century Europe, Germany was the major source of tinware production, but over time tinware and tinsmiths spread across European countries and eventually to the US.

Tinter: applied coloured tints to monochrome photographs prior to the invention of colour photography. It is not uncommon to discover such coloured photographs amongst family heirlooms.

Tipper: another very old occupation, a maker of arrowheads.

Tippler: the occupational definition is a person who kept a tippling house, i.e. an alehouse. However the word also crops up in historical documents to mean an habitual drunk - worth bearing in mind if you come across this word in an old newspaper story about one of your ancestors.

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.