BEDMAN A west country term for a sexton.
BEDWEVERE 1.14c NFK. A weaver of bed quilts, 2. Maker of bed-frame webbing,
BEESKEPMAKER - Bee hive maker, Beeskeeprnalrer .
BEEMASTER Keeper of bees.
BEETLER One who operated a beetling machine, used to emboss fabric. (Textile
industry)
BELLFOUNDER Maker of bells, church, cattle, etc.
BELLMAN 1.17c, Watchman. Part of his office was to bless the sleepers in
houses he
passed, 2.18c Employee of the Post Office who collected letters before the
Mail
Coach departed at night. He walked the streets ringing a bell, carrying a
locked bag
with a posting slit. Also known as a Walking PillarBox. (Service discontinued
1846).
BELLOWFARMER 1617c. Man responsible for the maintenance of church organs
and regals, small portable ones.
BELLY BUILDER Assembler and fitter of piano interiors.
HELTER see Billiter. A Bellfounder.
BERRIER 16c. YKS. A thresher.
BESSWA R DEN An officer appointed by the parish m look after its beasts.
BESOM MAKER 18e. DBY. Broom m aker.
BILLIER Bolton LAN 1830. Operator of the Billy Roller, a heavy roving machine
used in the manufacture of cotton. Children who handled the Billy were often
killed
or maimed The process it performed (flubbing) was eventually incorporated
into other
machinery. By 1840 the Billy was no longer used. (See Slubber).
BILLITER Bellfounder. From billet, an ingot of metal used to cast bells.
HILLYMAN see BiElier.
HINDER Employed in various trades such as hatting, bookmaking, shoemaking.
HIRD HOY One employed to scare birds away from growing crops.
BIRDS NEST SELLER A street seller of wild birds' nests, complete with eggs.
These
were placed under canaries or bantam-fowl for hatching, to be reared as pets.
BLACK TRAY or WAITER MAKER Maker of Japanned tea trays and salvers.
BLACKING MAKER Maker of black substance used for blackening and polishing
shoes.
BLACK BORDERER in papermaking trade, worker who made blackedgcd mourning
stationery.
BLADESMITH A Swordmaker, or Cutler. HLAXTER 17c. NFK. Bleacher of cloth.
BLEACHER One who bleached or whitened cloth by exposure to sun or chemicals.
BLINDSMAN Post Office worker who dealt with improperly addressed letters. ca.
1860.
BLOCKCUTTER/BLOCKER A maker of wooden blocks for shaping hats.
BLOCK MAKER A maker of engraved wooden blocks used in printing.
BLOODMAN A blood-letter.
BLOODLETTER A barber-surgeon (q v.). The letting of blood by opening a vein or
the application of leeches was a common remedy for all manner of complaints.
BLOOMER A worker at a bloomery, or bloom smithy, a smelter of iron.
BLOWER 1. A man who worked bellows in smelting house of an iron works, 2.
Operator of blowing machine which cleansed and separated fibres, in textile
and hat
making industries, 3. A glass blower.
BLOWFEEDER Worker who fed blowing machine with material. See Blower.
BLUE-MAKER A manufacturer of blue dye used by calico printers, it was also
used
in laundries and in the domestic wash for wbiteDiog linen.
BLUFFER 18c. LND Landlord of an Inn
BOARDMAN 1.19-20c. School attendance inspector employed by local School
Board, 2. Tenant of land which lord of the manor kept expressly for
maintenance of
his table, rentals being paid in kind. (Hence bed and board).