Occupations of the past

Our language is changing almost every day and what means one thing today meant something completely different to our ancestors. Occupations are a great example of that , for example take a look at this list of 10:

Carrier – I always think this conjures up an image of Typhoid Mary when I see it but it is in fact a person who had some sort of transport (normally horse drawn) that enabled them to move goods from one place to another. As transport became heavier and it was hauled from place to place – this eventually became what we know today as ‘Haulier’

Cottager – is an interesting one because it is mostly used to mean an agricultural worker living in property provided by his employer but it also has another application, and was often used to describe a coal merchant who had reached a certain level of success and bought his own property , usually a cottage – hence the phrase.

Currier - sounds like a modern day version of Carrier or someone who works with spices but it is in fact a groomer of animals, one who pays particular attention to the coat – normally of a horse but was also applied to the preparation of animal skins and hides in the manufacturing of goods.

Fell Monger – today we use the phrase monger to express an occupation involved in sales or promotion; Fish , Scare or War Monger for example. Fell is an old Norse word that broadly means ‘of the mountain’ and a Fell Monger was typically a dealer in animal hides and skins (of wild animals).

Hawker – Simply a Peddler or street seller, who carried his wares with him. Often used as a term of abuse. More