J

 

jack. General term for a male worker (e.g. lumber jack).

jack framer (tenter). Cotton industry worker.

Jack Ketch. A hangman. The name derives from an actual hangman of that name.

jack maker. Maker of stout leather jackets, often reinforced with steel plates. Also a maker of black leather drinking tankards known as black-jacks. Also a manufacturer of a variety of jacks or specialist tools meant to hold or act as a guide for a piece of metal, wood or other material to be worked upon.

jack smith. Maker of machinery for lifting etc. Often self employed.

jack straw maker. Manufacturer of straw dolls, scarecrows and straw woven products. This was generally a job of low esteem and the term ‘Jack Straw’ gradually came to mean a person of low income and worth.

Jack tar. Ordinary sailor, used in later years (but not exclusively) to describe a Royal Navy seaman.

jackadandy. Another name for a ‘dandy’ (i.e. a man who dresses flamboyantly).

jaconet maker. Manufacturer of jaconet, a soft muslin cloth used for dresses, etc.

jaegar. Hunter of game.

jagger. Fish pedlar. Later a name for a general worker in a number of jobs. Also a mine worker in charge of the carriages which hauled the coal or other rocks that were known as jags.

jagger maker. Manufacturer of cog wheels.

jagging iron maker. Maker of a tool with a toothed wheel used for marking and cutting pastry.

jake(s) farmer. Cess pit digger/emptier.

jalousie maker. Manufacturer of a type of blind similar in design to venetian blinds.

jam stitcher. Maker of child’s frocks worn by both sexes and known as jams.

jambee maker. Maker of a particular kind of fashionable walking cane.

jangler. Term used for street traders who called their trade but was applied to any noisy, troublesome or drunken man.

janitor. The term was once only applied to a door-keeper (i.e. it was not a general caretaking or domestic position).

japanner. Person who made ‘japanned’ objects using the Japanese lacquer technique.

jarman. Qualified tradesman (a journeyman). Also, jorman.

jarv(e)y. Colloquial 19th century name for a horse-drawn cab or coach driver. Also known as a jehu.

jasey maker. Manufacturer of jaseys, a worsted wool wig.

J.C.R. See under S.C.R.

jeames. General servant or attendant (often a boy).

jehu. See under jarv(e)y.

jenny operator. Operator of a spinning machine known as a ‘spinning jenny’.

jerk butcher. Seller of pieces of meat cut into thin strips and dried for the use of military expeditions or for ships’ rations.

jerker. Same as jerquer. Custom and excise officer. The act of searching a ship by customs officials was known as jerquing. Also someone who dries meat.

jerkin manufacturer. Maker of a short windproof or weatherproof jacket, often made of leather.

jerquer. Same as jerker.

jersey comber. Raw wool comber.

jess maker. Manufacturer of small leather straps used for securing the legs of hawks when used in sport. See also jesse maker with which the title can be confused.

jesse maker. Manufacturer of large or ornamental candlesticks such as used in churches. See also jess maker.

jester. A court comedian who was often someone simple (hence his other title, ‘fool’).

jet merchant. Someone owning a jet works or jet shop and usually employing jet workers.

jet turner. A jet ornament/jewellery maker.

jet worker. Someone employed in the ‘jet’ (a semi-precious stone) jewellery trade.

jig maker. Engineering worker who designs or manufactures specialised machines or tools for carrying out a specified new task in the process of manufacturing items.

jigger. Owner of a still (usually illegal) who made alcoholic spirits. Also a miner who cleaned and sorted ore in a wire or wooden sieve. Also a potter. Also a dancer.

Jim Crow. Type of street clown who dressed in a standard fashion (probably ‘blacked up’).

jippo maker. Maker of stays for women’s undergarments. Also manufacturer of a kind of very tight uncomfortable waistcoat used to shape the figure of a man or a woman. This was often painful to wear, leading to the expression ‘jip’ or ‘jippo’ for pain, e.g. ‘This bad tooth is giving me jip.’

job coacher, job master. Driver/hirer of coaches for special occasions.

jobber, jobler, jobling worker. A buyer/seller (of anything in small lots) or a casual worker.

joculator. Medieval street entertainer.

Johnny (cake) seller. Street seller of cakes made from cornmeal.

jongleur. Same as gleeman.

Joseph manufacturer. Maker of women’s riding coats consisting of a jacket or habit which was buttoned all the way down to the skirt. Also manufacturer of a special kind of thin, unsized paper.

journeyman. Fully qualified tradesman who had served as an apprentice of any trade. Originally he was employed and paid by the day as opposed to a ‘master’ who would have his own business where he could set his own rates and employ others.

journalist. Originally a record keeper.

jouster. Travelling female fish seller.

jowler keeper. Person who made his money using hunting dogs called jowlers.

joy loader. Coal miner who operated a machine which sent coal to a shuttle car.

joyner. Joiner/carpenter.

J.P. Magistrate (i.e. Justice of the Peace). The term is an ancient one. Ancient ‘Justices’ also acted as policemen.

judas maker. Manufacture of dummy candles for churches, particularly the middle candle used in the seven branched candlestick once used widely at Easter.

judex, judex ordinarius. An ordinary judge in medieval times.

juffer maker. Sawyer or carpenter who manufactured juffers (small squares of wood approximately six inches square) used for road-making, tiling floors, etc.

jump(er) maker. Manufacturer of a kind of light jacket.

jupe maker. Manufacturer of petticoats. Also used to describe a maker of a kind of jacket made from flannel material.

jurat. An official with different powers in different localities, ranging from those of a magistrate to acting as a bailiffs assistant. In some areas, the equivalent of an alderman.

jurisconsult(us). A person well versed in the matters of law in various capacities ranging from judge to personal advisor. Also called a jurisprudent, or juris.

jurisperitus, jurista. Lawyer.

juster. Person who took part in or judged trials by jousting. Probably the origin of the word ‘justice’.

justice. A magistrate or judge.

justice in eyre. One of a group of itinerant judges who would travel to courts in various English counties.

justicier. Judge or law officer. Also called a justiciary.

justifier. Defending lawyer or advisor.

jute batcher. A worker who softened jute by soaking it in an emulsion of whale oil and water.

jute dealer. Dealer in jute, but also hessian, sacking etc.