Olde Occupations
D - E

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Daguerreotype Artist photographer
Dairyman worker or owner of a dairy farm or seller of dairy products
Damster builder of dams for logging purposes
Danter female overseer in the winding rooms of a silk mill
Dareman dairyman
Dateler casual worker, usually employed by the day
Daunsel gentleman in waiting; groom; squire
Day Man casual worker, usually employed by the day
Daytaleman casual worker, usually employed by the day
Deathsman executioner
Decimer elected by the householders in a street to act as their representative at the borough's Court Leet
Decoyman employed to decoy the wild fowl, animals etc into a trap or within shooting range
Decretist knowledgeable in decrees, decretals
Deemer judge, usually in the Channel Isles or Isle of Man
Deemster judge, usually in the Channel Isles or Isle of Man
Delver dug ditches
Dempster judge, usually in the Channel Isles or Isle of Man
Demster judge, usually in the Channel Isles or Isle of Man
Depater precious metal refiner
Deputy safety officer for the pit crew in the mining industry
Derrickman worked on an oil well handling the tubes and rods used in drilling
Devil printer's errand boy
Deviller operated the devil, a machine that tore rags used in the textile industry
Dexter dyer
Dey Wife female dairy worker
Dikeman hedger or ditcher
Dipper worked in the pottery trade and was responsible for the glazing of items
Dish Thrower made bowls and dishes
Dish Turner made wooden bowls or dishes
Disher made bowls and dishes
Disteller maker of alcoholic beverages
Distributor parish official attached to the workhouse / poorhouse who looked after the secular needs of the poor
Diviner finds water under the ground
Dock Master in charge of a dockyard
Dock Walloper docker; stevedore
Docker stevedore; longshoreman; dock worker who loads and unloads cargo
Dog Leech veterinarian
Doggy man in charge of underground haulage hands
Dog-Whipper drove dogs away in a village
Domesman judge
Domestic household servant
Donkey Boy driver of a carriage for passengers
Donkey Man driver of a carriage for passengers
Door Keeper guard, janitor, or porter
Doubler operated a machine used to twist together strands of fiber (cotton, wool etc)
Dowser finds water using a rod or witching stick
Dozener elected by the householders in a street to act as their representative at the borough's Court Leet
Dragman fisher man who fished by dragging a net along the bottom of the water
Dragoman acted as interpreter or guide in Turkish or Arabic
Dragoon mounted infantryman
Dragsman driver of a small stage coach or carriage used for public transport or private hire
Drainer made drains
Draper dealer in dry goods
Drawboy weavers assistant in the shawl making mills - sat atop the looms and lifted the heavy warps
Drayman drives a long strong cart without fixed sides for carrying heavy loads
Dredgerman collected & sold bits and pieces fallen overboard from other vessels (London occupation)
Dresser surgeon's assistant in a hospital; worked in slate quarry, cut slates to size
Dressing Machine Maker made sewing machines
Drift Makera made drift nets, used in the fishing industry
Dripping Man dealer in dripping (the fat collected during the cooking of meats)
Driver slave overseer
Drover driver of animals to market; dealer in cattle
Drugger pharmacist
Drummer traveling salesman
Dry Salter dealer in pickles, dried meats, and sauces or a dealer in dyes and colors used in the dying trade
Dry Stane Dyker built stone walls without using any cement or mortar and generally not cutting the stone, but being able to see where various stones would fit together
Dry Stone Waller built stone walls without using any cement or mortar and generally not cutting the stone, but being able to see where various stones would fit together
Drysalter made or dealt in salt
Dubbere cloth dubber i.e.. one who raises the nap of cloth
Dudder maker of coarse cloaks
Duffer peddler
Dustbin Man collected domestic refuse
Dusters worked in the tinplate manufacturing industry
Dustman collected domestic refuse
Dyer dyes cloth
Dykeman hedger or ditcher
Dyker stonemason
Dysshere ditcher; disher
Ealdorman acted as the King's deputy taking payment from the profits of the court
Earer plowman
Earth Stopper plugs up animal holes
Ebonite Turner worked with ebonite or vulcanite, making combs or ornaments etc
Egg Factor egg or poultry dealer
Eggler egg or poultry dealer
Elephants Teeth Dealer dealt in ivory ornaments etc
Ellerman sold oil used for lamps
Elliman sold oil used for lamps
Elymaker oil maker
Embosser molded or carved designs that were raised above the surface of the material
Empresario land broker, settlement scheme promoter, showman
Endholdernn inn keeper
Engine Tenter operated the machine which stretched the cloth whilst drying in a woolllen mill
Engineman employed at a mine to be in charge of the machinery used to crush the ore
Ensign commissioned officer in the navy
Enumerator census taker
Equerry officer of the royal household usually responsible for the royal horses
Eremite hermit
Erite heretic
Esquire attended a knight, which later became a title for a man of standing in society
Estafette mounted courier
Ewe Herd shepherd
Examining officer customs service officer - examined imported goods (known as Landing waiter until 1861)
Exchequer revenue collector
Exciseman excise tax collector
Executrix female executor
Eyer made eyes in needles used for sewing (aka Holer)
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© 2000 Rhonda Stolte Darnell