K

 

kalsominer. House painter who used water based emulsion paints known as kalsomine or kal.

kaolin miner. Miner of sedimentary china clay used in the pottery industry. In England this is found only in Cornwall.

kayle maker. Manufacturer of kayles, or skittles used for recreational games.

kedger. Fisherman.

keeker. Coal mine weighing officer.

keelboat operator. Fisherman.

keeler, keelman. Bargeman.

keep gest, keeper. Inn keeper. Also a warden of some kind.

Keeper of the Privy Purse. A royal position, originally the person who carried all of the King’s/Queen’s money, paid for expenses and received monies payable to the sovereign.

keeve maker. Manufacturer of large vessels for holding liquid known as keeves, used by breweries to ferment liquors.

keir (boiler) man. Cloth worker who boiled or bleached cloth.

kelp burner. Maker of fertiliser, etc., by burning kelp seaweed.

kellog(g). Animal slaughterer.

kelt weaver. Scottish manufacturer of rough cloth made from the wool of the native black sheep.

kemper. Cloth or wool worker.

kennel digger. Ditch (or canal) digger.

kerfer. Sawyer (the kerf being the channel cut by a saw).

kermes dealer. Dealer in dyes obtained from a female insect (possibly cochineal). Also known as a scarlet grain dealer.

kern. A lowly poorly-equipped Irish footsoldier. Also used col„„loquially to describe one who was virtually useless in any task.

kersey maker. Manufacturer of a coarse cloth made from wool.

kerseymere weaver. Weaver of a cloth made from rough wool cross woven with fine wool or silk.

kettle-pin maker. Maker of skittles.

keu. Medieval name for an ordinary cook.

khan keeper. Ancient keeper of a plot of land where people could camp for the night. The khans were eventually enclosed with walls and later had a lodging house built upon the land. Khan later developed into the word ‘inn’.

kibble man/lifter. Mine worker who lifted materials up a mine shaft using an iron bucket and lifting tackle or a rope.

kidcatcher. A school truancy inspector.

 

A `kidcatcher’ (school truancy inspector) of 1870 being assisted by a `bobby’ (police constable). The kidcatcher was a product of the 1870 Education Act. This gave local school boards the power to force children to attend school. Though financed by the state, board schools originally charged a small entrance fee. This however was soon dropped and free schooling for all became the order of the day. The kidcatcher constantly patrolled the streets looking for children, forcibly returning them to the school they should have been attending. The system began to die out in the early 1960s when children (and parents) were finally free of the fear of the dreaded truancy officer’s knock at the door.

 

kidder, kiddier. Dealer in goats/goat skins.

Kidderminster weaver. Carpet weaver (originally in the town of Kidderminister).

kilner. Any kiln operator but usually lime kilns.

kin. See under kith.

kine keeper. Cow keeper.

King’s cooper. A cooper who was attached to a customs and excise office. Every custom-house employed one.

King’s waiter. A customs official.

kingsman seller. In Victorian times a street seller of large fancy embroidered handkerchiefs known as ‘kingsmen’.

kinsman. Indicates a relative, but can also indicate one who lives in the same region or even country. (See kith.)

kipeman. Maker or user of basketwork nets for catching fish.

kiper. Fisherman who caught fish using a kind of net basket.

kipper house proprietor. Someone who smokes herring and other fish – sometimes meat. (See herring curer.)

kipper trapper. Salmon poacher (spawned salmon being once commonly referred to as kippers).

kipskin maker/curer. Manufacturer of a medium grade leather, heavier than calf-skin but lighter than cowhide.

kirkmaster, kirkwarden. Churchwarden or vestryman.

kirtle maker. Maker of tunics.

kisser. Polisher (of armour etc).

kitchen cellarer. Powerful position in an abbey just below cellarer. He was master of the abbey’s non-religious staff.

kitchen stuff collector. A kind of rag and bone man who specialised in collecting old used oil, wax and fat.

kitchener. In an abbey, same as coquinarius.

kite maker. Though kites as toys are an ancient idea, military kite makers designed kites to carry incendiary devices or even men over walls when castles were under siege.

kith. A close or adopted relation that is not a blood relative (e.g. a wife would be kith as would her family and her mother and father’s family), as opposed to ‘kin’ which were blood relatives (e.g. sons and uncles on the father’s side). The terms kith and kin have become confused in modern times as is evidenced by the fact that a wife can be next of kin.

kiver. Brewery worker.

knacker. A toy maker.

knacker(er). Dealer in old/dead horses.

knackerman. Sometimes used for a dealer in horse tackle.

knapper. Same as flint knapper.

kneller, knoller. Bell ringer. Also a chimney sweep.

knife-grinder. Sharpener of knives, scissors, shears etc using a grinding wheel (usually itinerant).

 

A knife-grinder at work in 1900. Knife grinders were a regular part of the scene in most towns and cities. Though some would travel around from town to town, many had a particular `round’ or street position. Traders and householders would expect them on certain days and would have their knives and scissors ready at a set time. The screech of metal on sandstone was a familiar one before the Second World War, but from about 1950 onwards, few knife grinders continued to ply their trade. With the coming of cheaper replaceable knives and scissors, and innovations such as cheap stainless steel blades, this once respected trade virtually ceased to exist. The machine shown above is operated by a treadle which in turn operated a large wheel. This turned the grindstone upon which implements were sharpened.

 

knight. Originally someone who had learned horsemanship (see radknight). It was a title of honour, not always conferred by Royalty. Also a member of a religious order (see under Templar and Hospitaller).

knight bachelor. See under banneret.

knight errant. A knight who travelled, earning his living by hiring himself to fight (either as a mercenary or as a tournament ‘champion’).

Knight Hospitaller. See under Hospitaller.

Knight Templar. See under Templar.

knight of the shire. Once any member of the British parliament.

knittle-stringer. Someone who threaded lace, string or rope through garments, hammocks, purses, etc.

knock nobbler. Churchwarden with the job of turning unruly dogs out of church.

knocker-up. Person employed to wake up workers on shifts, particularly in factory areas (sometimes self-employed).

knockout station worker. Man in a car assembly plant who would extract mouldings from their moulds.

knubs winder. Person in a silk factory who would wind silk onto cards ready to be spun.

knuller. Same as kneller. Also a door to door tradesman.

knur maker. Maker of parts for the game ‘knur and spell’. Usually a potter.

kobil fisherman. Sea fisherman who used a small clinker-built open boat.

kobold(er). A miner. The name derives from an elf-like spirit, the kobold, that was supposed to haunt mines (and some houses).

kolinsky furrier. Dealer in rat skin furs.

kramer. Same as cramer.

krang hauler. Person who worked on the flesh of whales (the krang) after the blubber had been taken away.

krooman. Common alternative spelling of the word ‘crewman’, meaning a sailor.

kruller man. Street seller of a kind of crispy fried cake.

kuklos man. A member of the secret society Ku Klux Klan. Though associated with the U.S.A. membership was known in other countries including the U.K. The word ‘kuklos’ is Greek for ‘circle’.

kurkee weaver. Blanket weaver using coarse wool.