F

 

faber. The word means manufacturer or smith but is often used on its own for a metal smith.

faber aererium. Copper smith or general brazier.

faber chartae. Paper maker.

faber clavarum. Locksmith.

faber clavi, faber clavorum. Nailmaker.

faber cupri. Copper smith.

faber ferrarius. Blacksmith (general iron smith).

faber horologicum. Clockmaker.

 

The faber horologicum was an early clock maker. The scene above shows the typical open type of shop which was in existence in most areas of Britain up until the 17th century. At night, the open windows would be sealed with large shutters.

 

faber lignarium, faber lignarius. Carpenter or general woodworker.

faber rhedarum. Coach builder.

faber rotarius. Wheelwright.

fabler. Author.

fabri. Metal smith.

fabricant. A manufacturer (of anything).

fabricus sericarius. Locksmith.

fabrifer. Blacksmith specialising in wrought ironwork.

fabulist. Inventor. Also a fiction writer.

factor. Originally an agent in a foreign country who acted as a middle man for British businesses. Later a middleman of any sort. Also a steward. In Scotland he was an estate manager/rent collector for the steward.

factotum. A person employed to do a number of different jobs in one place of work.

fag. An English university colloquial term for a student who acts as menial servant (usually under pressure) for an older student. In the U.S.A. the term has come to mean a homosexual.

fag ender. Cloth factory worker employed to trim off loose bits of cloth or thread known as fags.

fagg. A baker.

faggot seller. Firewood seller.

faggoter. Same as faggot seller.

faience potter. Ancient term for someone who produced glazed earthenware.

fairer. Specialised shipwright who lays down the keel.

fairey. Originally an ancient term for a blonde person (who was in some cultures thought to have mystical powers).

fake, faker. In the early days of photography, someone who painted over a photograph to make it look like an oil painting.

fake sweeper. Another name for crossing sweeper (see under that entry). Fake was a slang name for a crossing.

fakement-dodger. Criminal specialising in faking letters and written documents.

false worker. Specialist joiner who constructed wooden arches to support bricks or stones used in arches.

familiarus. Ancient name for a family (or general) servant.

famulist. A servant (particularly in a university).

famulum. Servant.

famulus. Male servant.

fancy man. Victorian cab driver who lived off the earnings of prostitutes, often using the cab in the plying of their trade.

fancy pearl worker. Mother of pearl craftsman.

fane guardian. Caretaker of a fane (i.e. a church, temple or other building signifying a fixed belief).

fanmaker. Makers of fans were once common in Britain. Indeed a Worshipful Company of Fanmakers was set up to cater for their interests.

fanner. Farm worker who sorts wheat from chaff.

fannier. Fan maker/seller.

fantoccini. Street entertainer in Victorian times.

farandams maker. Maker of a mixed wool and silk fabric.

farandman. Travelling merchant selling farm animal skins.

farcing maker. Manufacturer of sausage meat.

fardeller. A factory worker who packaged goods into bundles.

farl seller. Street salesman selling hot thin and crisp oatcakes.

farmer. Apart from the agricultural farmer, the term was also used for a private tax collector or customs officer who had a licence or commission to carry out the work on behalf of authorities.

farrier. Blacksmith who specialises in horse-shoeing.

farthingale manufacturer. Maker of a roll of stuffed cloth used as an undergarment around the waist in the 17th century to force out a top skirt so that it fell in a circle around the legs.

fascinator. Stage hypnotist. Also a supposed witch.

fast harpooner. A newly appointed, qualified harpooner on a whale fishery vessel. (See also specksioneer and lose harpooner.)

fat collector. Collector of waste fat from hotels and restaurants which was sold on, for the making of soap.

father of the chapel. Term fastly disappearing for a leader of a trade union or a group of workers in a place of work.

faulkner. Someone who breeds and trains falcons.

faunist. Professional naturalist.

fearnought worker. Weaver of a thick woollen long lasting cloth called ‘fearnought’.

feather beater. Same as feather dresser.

feather dresser. Cleaner of feathers.

feather worker. Someone (generally a woman) who prepares ordinary large feathers for decorative work and use in clothing using a variety of processes including ironing, dyeing, curling etc. Feathers were divided into ‘white’, ‘half white’ and ‘grey’, white being the best quality. They were sold by weight and often had fine sand added to make them appear to weigh more.

featherer. Stoneworker who drills holes in stone before splitting.

fell monger. Dealer in dead cattle/ hides.

feller. Tree cutter or woodsman.

fellow. Originally an independent governor of a university or society.

fellow commoner. See under gentleman commoner.

felon. Class of criminal who had committed a serious crime (ranging from murder to theft). Before the 19th century a felon could be sentenced to death and before 1870 could have their property forfeited.

felter. Someone who works with felt in the clothing trade, particularly with hats. Also a shipyard worker who places strips of tarred material in place ready for the caulkers.

feltmaker. Maker of felt material in the woollen trade.

femina. Housewife.

fence(r). Someone who knowingly buys or deals in stolen goods.

fencible. A defender (e.g. of a coastline).

fenerator. Moneylender; also someone who hired out „machinery, etc.

Fenian. Member of an Irish, originally secret, society which spread to the U.S.A. In the late 1800s, a number of acts of violence brought it to public notice. An offshoot of the Fenians was the ‘Invincibles’.

feodar(ius). Tenant.

fermillet maker. Manufacturer of buckles and clasps which were jointly known as fermillets.

feroner. An ironmonger.

ferrarius. Blacksmith.

ferrator. Metal smith.

ferreter. Silk dealer. Also someone who uses ferrets to catch rabbits.

ferrier. Iron smith or iron worker.

ferrifaber. Blacksmith.

ferruminator. A welder of metals.

ferryman. Someone who operates a river ferry.

 

A photograph of a rope operated ferry taken at an unknown river location in 1920.

 

ferur. Same as ferrarius.

fettler. A manual worker in many trades (especially in the heavy steel manufacturing industry). Also someone in the light metal casting industry who cleans off the rough edges from castings before they are sent to be machined.

feud holder. Someone who held a piece of land in exchange for being under an obligation to carry out military service.

fewster. Carpenter who made wooden stands.

fiar. Owner of property ‘in fee simple’.

fictor. A clay modeller.

fief holder. Same as feud holder.

field master. Same as field reeve.

field nurse. An army nurse usually on active service in a field hospital.

field reeve. An officer of the manor with jurisdiction over the fields.

field worker. Usually a woman or child who worked in the field alongside the farm labourer, carrying out less heavy tasks.

fieldman. General agricultural temporary worker. Also same as field reeve.

fifer. Musician who played a fife.

fifteen(er). Member of a church select vestry. These were not elected by the congregation and were often drawn from the town dignitaries and gentry.

figulus. Potter.

figurant(e). Dancer in an opera.

figure caster. Astrologer.

figurist. Mathematician.

filaturist. Silk worker who reeled silk from cocoons.

filecutter. Maker of files and rasps for woodworking/metal working etc.

filler. Victorian dustman who filled the high sided wooden cart with refuse. Also a silk industry worker.

filler in. Someone who shovelled refuse into the sieves of sifters. (See under sifter.)

fillibeg maker. Manufacturer of kilts worn by Scottish highlanders.

financier. The term was originally used for a public revenue officer (i.e. tax man).

finder. In Victorian times a scavenger who collected and sold anything.

fine drawer. A mender of garments in the tailoring trade.

finestiller. Distiller (usually of perfumes).

fingrom comber. Producer of fingrom, a combed woollen cloth.

finisher. Factory worker in a number of trades (e.g. railway works finisher).

Finmar furniture maker. Maker of tables, chairs etc, from moulded plywood. A process popular in the 1930s.

fire curtain artist. A title often adopted by background artists (see under that title).

fire curtain manufacturer. Maker of large fire resistant curtains for music halls and theatres.

fire guard. See under fire watcher.

fire man/fireman. Someone who puts out fires with a fire engine. Also someone who stokes fires or boilers (e.g. on a steam train or ship).

 

An illustration showing the change in firemen’s costume in the 70 years between 1822 and 1892. As can be seen, firemen of 1822 acted and dressed more as business men than emergency personnel. Many entrepreneurs saw the opportunity of starting `fire clubs’, where individuals clubbed together to pay for the privilege of having the use of a fire engine or water pump. This movement led to the Fire Insurance companies. Those who were not insured would find a fully equipped, hand-operated fire engine standing idly by their burning home until a subscription was paid by the occupant. Later `badges’ were issued by insurance companies in the form of large decorative lead symbols. These were fixed to the outside of houses to show that the occupants were insured by a particular fire company. A number of such badges on one house was a sure sign of wealth.

 

fire-ward. An official whose job was to direct the fighting of house fires in a town or city.

fire warden. See under warden.

fire watcher. Second World War officer whose duty was to watch for fires breaking out. Later called the Fire Guard. They were organised in ‘street parties’ (to guard one street).

firebeater. Boiler worker in a mill.

firer. Person who lit the boilers in a factory etc.

firmar. Farmer.

firmar(ius). In an abbey, same as infirmarius. Other than in a monastic setting, a farmer.

first hand. A machine weaver.

fiscal. Official treasurer of public money.

fisherman. Apart from the literal meaning, the term was used in the Knights Templar for a knight who had the specific job of obtaining new recruits to the order.

fish fag(ger). Fish seller.

fish girl. Woman (not necessarily a girl) who gutted or packed fish (particularly in the herring fishing days of the 1950s).

fisher. Same as fyshdriver.

fishwife. Wife of a fisherman who gutted fish and baited lines.

fistic. Bare knuckled boxer.

fistuca operator. Operator of a primitive pile driver using a system of pulleys and heavy weights.

fitch brush maker. Manufacturer of artist’s brushes from a fitch (pole cat) and animals with similar hairs.

fistulator. Piper (this can mean a musical pipe player or a water pipe maker).

fitter. Used in many trades, e.g. gas fitter, machine fitter etc. A skilled assembler.

fitter-out. A person who fits out the interior of a basic shell (e.g. canal boat fitter-out, caravan fitter-out, etc).

flabberator. A person who folds cloth or paper products in the shape of a fan or in a backwards and forwards manner.

flackie (maker). Manufacturer of flackies. These were shaped trusses used to protect a horse from injury caused by the load on its back.

flailer. See under thresher.

flang maker. A blacksmith in a mining area who forged double pointed miners’ picks known as flangs.

flashe operator. Someone who operated a sluice on navigable rivers to raise and lower water levels.

flasher. Fitter of lead ‘flashing’ to waterproof gaps in building work. Also a glass worker.

flat bar machine operator. Someone employed in the knitting machine industry.

flat driver. Same as drayman.

flat ironer. See sad ironer.

flatman. Same as flatterman.

flatter(er). House painter.

flatter(man). Operator of a flat bottomed boat used for cargo.

flaun(t)er. Maker of sweetmeats.

flax dresser. Cotton worker employed in the early stages of preparing the flax.

flax retter. Same as flax steeper, an agricultural worker who takes the harvested flax and soaks it in water to obtain the stringy fibres later used for making cloth.

flayer. A worker who stripped skin or hair off animal hide. Also used colloquially for someone who whipped someone for punishment.

fleake maker. A hurdle maker. (One was recorded in Flore, Northants, in the 1891 census.)

fleaker. Thatcher of houses using reeds in place of straw.

Fleet parson. Any parson in Fleet Street debtors prison, London. They were allowed to perform marriages and charge a fee in order to pay off their debt.

flenser. A man in the whaling industry who would obtain blubber from the whales’ carcasses.

flesh ewer, flesher. Butcher.

fletcharius. Same as fletcher.

fletcher. Bows and arrow maker or dealer, also a butcher (flesher) in some areas.

flexarius. Same as fletcher.

flint knapper. Shaper of flint stone (for flint-lock guns etc).

 

Flint knappers at work in Brandon, Norfolk. Flint knapping is perhaps the oldest trade in existence. It dates back to the Stone Age when arrow-heads were chipped from pieces of flint. Later flints were produced for flint-lock pistols. In the above picture taken in 1928, three Brandon flint knappers can be seen carrying on the trade as their ancestors had done for centuries.

 

flither picker. Fisherman’s wife or daughter who had the job of collecting ‘flithers’ (limpets) for bait.

flitter. Rag merchant.

float builder. Maker of floats for machinery such as sea-planes.

float driver. Driver of a special cart designed to carry certain items. (See cattle float driver.)

float maker/manufacturer. Maker of floats for fishing lines.

floater. Colloquial name for a vagrant.

floor cloth maker. Maker of flooring material made from linseed oil thickly coated on hessian etc.

floor walker. Undercover store detective, also sometimes a supervisor of a factory etc.

florist. Originally only a person that grew flowers (not a seller).

flory (boat) man. Operator of a ferry between a steamer and the shore.

flugel man. Soldier who was picked out as having special qualities and positioned in the lead or at the edge of a group of infantrymen as an example for the other soldiers to follow. Also known as a fugelman.

flunk(e)y. A servant who dressed in uniform or livery, later used for any servant whether uniformed or not. Also a snob. The term comes from an old word meaning to flaunt and referred to the impressive uniform or livery worn by such servants as opposed to the plain dowdy dress of others.

flusher(man). Drain cleaner.

flute hirer. Person who hired out a long thin boat known as a flute.

fluvialist. Geologist who studied the effects of streams and rivers.

fly maker. Manufacturer of fishing fly lures for freshwater fisherman.

fly man. Scenery worker in a theatre who worked in the scenery loft or ‘flies’, above the stage.

fly poster (man). A man who for a fee would find empty spaces to paste up advertising posters.

flying. Used to describe any mobile trader (e.g. flying blacksmith).

flying ambulance officer. Army ambulanceman of Napoleonic times.

flying boat pilot. Pilot of an aircraft designed to land on the sea.

flying stationer. See under running patterer.

flyman. Small passenger coach driver.

fobber. Bottle filler (usually in a factory).

fodder maker. Saxon worker who made waterproof covers, particularly for haystacks.

fogger. A pedlar. Also a farm manager. Also a groom or general servant. Also a hardware salesman. Also used colloquially to describe a low class lawyer.

foil stone maker. Manufacturer of artificial gemstones for the jewellery industry.

foister(er). Carpenter.

fool. See under jester.

foot guard. A soldier on foot (i.e. not mounted on horseback).

footman/boy/maid. General servant who wore uniform. His duty was to take care of small unskilled tasks for his master or mistress. The job was seen as the first step towards being a butler or steward. The head footman was usually also the under-butler.

footpad. Common thief who robbed people in the street.

footpost. Letter carrier.

foot stall maker. Manufacturer of a kind of horserider’s stirrup made for women’s use.

forager. Farmer or animal handler who took his animals on to another’s land to eat (with or without permission).

forel coverer. Ancient bookbinder who covered books with forel, a kind of parchment.

foreman of the field. An officer of the manor with jurisdiction over the fields.

forestaller. A businessman who buys commodities cheap, to sell on at a dearer price.

forger. Apart from criminal forging, the term generally refers to a metal worker or blacksmith.

forlorn hoper. Old military term for a soldier appointed to lead an assault on the enemy, or similar dangerous task.

formulus. Attorney or law maker.

forest glass maker. Itinerant glassmaker who made green glass as he moved round from place to place. (See also waldglas manufacturer.)

forester. A huntsman (see huntsman). In an abbey this was a uniformed position, not just a job. He would live outside the abbey with his own family and would have a range of staff under him. By law, foresters and huntsmen were the only persons allowed to carry bows and arrows in the King’s forests in medieval times.

forrestar(ius). Forest worker or forest manager.

Forty-Niner. Colloquial term for a gold digger. A term derived from the goldrush in California in 1849.

fossator. Ditch digger.

fosset maker. Tap maker (particularly beer barrels).

fossicker. Usually a miner of gemstones or prospector but also applied to anyone who ‘grubs’, digs or hunts for anything (including a hunter for information of any kind).

fossilist. Fossil seller or dealer.

foster(er). A child’s nurse, sometimes used for a general nurse. Also known as a foster dam.

fother maker. Same as fodder maker.

foulard dealer. A seller of foulard, a kind of silk material used for ladies’ dresses.

founder. Caster of brass and pewter objects. Also an iron worker.

foundling. An abandoned or ‘found’ baby.

fourth rate captain. Captain of a vessel known as a fourth rater which carried between 50 and 70 guns.

fowerer. Street sweeper.

fowler. Hunter of wild birds (to sell for food).

frail maker. Basket or other weaver who used reeds rather than willow or other wood.

frame spinner. A weaver.

framework knitter. Knitter of fabrics using a machine.

franc tireur. Mercenary sharpshooter. The term is borrowed from free sharpshooters who were utilised as guerilla fighters in France during the war of 1870.

Franciscan. Friar or nun belonging to an order founded by Saint Francis of Assisi.

franklin. Originally an English landowner who held his lands from the crown. Later, an English freehold landowner. Also known as frank tenant.

frater pontifice. A monk specialising in building bridges. They originated in Italy but spread throughout Europe.

frater serviente. Former ‘serving brother’ of the Knights Templar.

freasman. Same as fresher.

freedman. A slave or tied worker given his freedom.

free companion. Same as free lance.

free house publican. A publican who is not tied to selling only one brewery’s products.

free lance. Originally a 15th century mercenary soldier with no master except the one who paid him at any particular time.

free trader. A euphemism for a smuggler.

freeman. A free tenant who paid rent to the lord for his holding and had the right to have his disputes heard in court. Also a free citizen of a city.

freeman of London. Colloquial expression in 18th century London, and possibly in other cities, for a street seller of copper pots and pans.

freezer. Early name for a trader in frozen foods.

freighter. Labourer who loaded and unloaded ships.

French tavern owner. Owner of a high class and expensive type of tavern which became popular during Stuart times.

frere man. Worker in a friary.

frerer. Religious friar.

freser. Same as friezer.

fresher. An old English term for a student in their first term at university. The term is associated with the American university system. (See also freshman.)

freshman. Someone new at a job etc (See also fresher.)

fretworker. Someone who produces decorations on wood or metal objects using a fret-saw to create a design from the holes cut into the object.

friar. A type of monk who generally worked within the community (rather than separated from it in a monastery).

Friend. A member of the Society of Friends, better known as Quakers.

friezer. Specialist plasterer who made decorative friezes.

frieze manufacturer. Maker of a coarse woollen cloth or material with a raised nap on one side.

fringemaker. Furniture trade worker.

fringer. Cloth worker who would take shawls etc home at night to twist tassels on the edges for extra pay.

fripper. Second hand clothing dealer.

friseur/frizzer. Hairdresser.

frizzler. Curler of wigs and hair pieces.

frobisher. Armour polisher and finisher.

frog maker. Manufacturer of fastenings used on cloaks known as frogs.

froise seller. Street food seller of a kind of bacon pancake know as a froise.

fructuary. Anyone who anciently had right to pick fruit on his lord’s land. The right sometimes extended to other produce.

frumentar(ius). Corn dealer.

frunes. Leather tanner.

frunio. Same as frunes.

fueller. Supplier of wood, coal or other fuel.

fugator. Animal drover.

fugger. An early merchant who also acted as a banker.

fugleman. See flugle man.

fuller. Cloth finishing worker.

fume cupboard worker. Early nuclear power industry worker.

fumifugist. Someone employed to rid a building or other place of offensive smells, by fumigation.

funambulist. Performer on a tightrope (as in a circus).

funer(ius). Rope/twine maker.

funicular railway operator. Someone who operates a railcar up and down a steep cliff side. Once popular in seaside holiday resorts.

fur former. Worker employed in the first stage of making a hat from rabbit skin.

fur(ius). Thief.

furber, furbisher. The person who carries out the finishing processes of making armour (polishing etc).

furnarius, furner. Baker.

furrier. Manufacturer of fur clothing.

furze dealer. Same as a gorse dealer.

fustian cutter. Cloth worker who trims corded fustian cloth.

fustian manufacturer. Maker of a coarse, thick twilled cotton cloth called fustian.

fustian weaver. Weaver of corded cloth.

F.W.K. Commonly used abbreviation in textile working areas for a framework knitter.

fyrd man. Anglo-Saxon member of the local militia.

fyshdriver. Victualler, licensee or provider of food to travellers.

fysher. Same as fyshdriver.