Big Book - T

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Tabernarius Tavern or innkeeper - from the Latin

Tabler Boarding House keeper

Tackler Overlooker of weaving shed workers

Taker Off / In Unhitched coal tubs from an endless rope system - usually children

Tallow Chandler Candle maker/seller

Tally Clerk As today, tallied goods into and out of warehouses, ships etc.

Tallyman / Tally Fellow 1) Sold goods on instalment plan. 2) Local official who tallied the allowed number of persons in a dwelling for health reasons - usually 3 adults and four children

Tan Bark Stripper Collected tree bark used for tanning leather

Tanner Tanned (cured) animal hides for leather making. Still used.

Tanner's Beamsman Draped part-cured skins over a Tanners Beam, a flat slab of wood or stone, to scrape off the remaining flesh, fat and hair

Taper Weaver Made candle wicks

Tapiter / Tapicer Weaver of worsted cloth

Tapley Put the taps in ale casks

Tapster Barman / woman

Tar Boy Applied tar (antiseptic) to sheep when nicked by shearers

Tasker Reaper

Tasseler Made tassels for furnishings

Taverner Innkeeper

Tawer / Tawyer Made white leather

Teamster / Teamer / Teamer Man Driver of a team horses used for hauling test. (abbreviation)

Teemer 1) Emptied grain brought by cart 2) Poured molten steel into moulds

Teerer/Tierer/Tier Boy Spread a fresh surface of colour on the printer's 'pad' each time he used it to print calico

Tenter / Tenterer 1) Someone who, after cloth was dyed, stretched it on a frame, called a "Tent" for drying. This frame was fitted with hooks known as '"Tenterhooks"' - about which we all know! 2) The term was also used for a person who looked after or watched something. .i.e. Tip tenter - person inspecting finished shuttle tips after manufacture. (Tenter - from Tender, to tend)

Terrier A form of Register of Land belonging to an estate etc..

Testate died leaving a valid will.

Testator man who writes a valid will.

Testatrix woman who writes a valid will.

Testis a witness

Textor Weaver

Thacker / Thatcher Roof thatcher, using straw or, more usually, reeds

Thanage rank of, or land granted to, a thane.

Thane(1) one holding land from the king or crown,by virtue of military service.Ranking between ordinary freemen and hereditary nobles.(2) servant or soldier

Theemaker Shoemaker

Thegn (see thane)

Thirdborough Under-constable

Thresher Separated chaff from grain

Throstle Spinner Attended a spinning machine known as a Throstle, due to the noise it made, which resembled a lark, or throstle. The machine was used for the continuous spinning of cotton (or wool) simultaneously onto long rows of, perhaps 300 or 400, pirns or bobbins.

Throwster / Thrower Textile worker attending machine which twisted together strands of fibre into yarn - cotton, silk, wool etc.

Tickneyman / woman Travelling earthenware seller

Tide Gauger / Surveyor Monitored the state of the tides

Tide Waiter / Tidesman Customs inspector who boarded ship on arrival to enforce customs regulations

Tiger Liveried pageboy / groom

Tiler Worked with roof and floor tiles

Tiller Farmer

Tillman Ploughman

Timekeeper A person responsible for making sure things happened on time e.g. worker arriving or departing, trains, coaches, omnibuses, etc.

Times Ironer Servant who literally ironed The Times newspaper

Timoneer A ship's helmsman (from French, timonier)

Tinctor Dyer

Tinker An itinerant tin pot and pan seller and repairman

Tinner 1) Tin miner 2) Tinsmith

Tinsmith Worked with tin

Tinter / Teinter Artists who tinted photographs before colour was available

TNA The National Archives

Tipper Tipped arrows etc. with metal

Tippler Alehouse keeper - It was also the name for an outside "toilet" (hole in the ground)

Tipstaff 1) Court official 2) Policeman

Tirewoman 1) Female dresser - esp. theatrical 2) Milliner 3) Hairdresser

Tithable a person taxable by law.

Tithe in English law, the tenth part of one's annual increase paid to support noblemen and clergy; amount of annual poll tax.

Tixtor Weaver

Tort breach, a wrong (legal)

Tobacco Spinner Made cigars

Todhunter Employed by the parish to hunt foxes

Toe Rag Worked in the docks as a corn porter

Toilinet Maker / Knotter Made "toilinet" - a kind of quilting - The knotter made the knots at the edges

Toller / Tollie / Tollman / Tollgate Keeper Collected road tolls at a Toll Gate/House

Tonsor Barber - from Latin

Tool Helver Tool handle maker

Topman Seaman - worked in the "tops" (aloft) on sailing ships

Top Sawyer Upper man in a sawpit - using a long two-man saw

Topsman Head cattle drover

Tosher Scratched a living by scavenging the Victorian sewers

Touch holer Worked in gun making

Tow Card Maker Made "tow cards" used in weaving mills

Town Chamberlain Looked after a town's affairs

Town Crier "Cried" public announcements and used a bell to get attention

Town Husband Collected dues from fathers of illegitimate children of the parish for their upkeep

Townsman Commercial traveller

Townswaiter Customs man

Tozer Worked in the mills "tosing" (teasing) the cloth

Trace Maker/Tracer Worked in a draughting office, copying engineering diagrams, using tracing paper. In the days before photocopying, plans and diagrams for mining and manufacturing industries were copied by hand. It required accuracy, patience and a knack for using the pen without producing ink blots

Trammer Young mineworker

Trampler Lawyer

Tranqueter Made barrel hoops

Tranter Peddler, often hiring himself out with his horse and cart

Trapper Opened and shut doors for miners

Traveller 1) A Gypsy 2) Travelling salesman

Travers Toll bridge collector

Treen Maker Made wooden domestic goods

Treenail Maker Made "treenails" - long wooden pins used in shipbuilding

Trencher Maker Made wooden "trenchers" - platters for serving or cutting food

Trencherman Cook

Trimmer 1) Ship's crewman who trimmed coal in ship's bunkers 2) Dockworker who trimmed grain or bulk cargo in ship's hold to spread it out evenly

Troacher Peddler

Troner Official weigher in markets

Trouchman / Truchman Interpreter

Trover Smuggler

Truchman Interpreter

Trugger / Trug maker Made "trugs" - shallow baskets

Trusser Hay baler - made up hay trusses

Tubber Made tubs and barrels - a cooper

Tubedrawer Made tubes

Tubman 1) English barrister 2) Court official 3) Filled tubs in a coalmine

Tucker Cleaned cloth goods

Tucker-in Chambermaid who tucked in the bed-clothing

Turner 1) Lathe worker 2) Gymnast esp. street performers

Turnkey Jailer

Turning Boy Weaver's assistant - turned the loom bar

Turnpike Keeper Collected road tolls

Turnspit Boy who turned the spit handle, roasting meat. (Medieval)

Tweeny / Tweenie Maid employed "between the stairs" assisting cook and housemaids

Twiller Produced a raised diagonal rib appearance in fabric

Twist Hand Used a lace-making machine

Twister / Twisterer Worked a machine twisting the yarns or threads Ring Frame Twister

Tyresmith Blacksmith who specilised in making the iron bands (tyres) around wooden cart wheels before the introduction of rubber, later pneumatic tyres.

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