I recently did a Birkenhead census look-up for another member and one of the inhabitants was recorded as being a “Hotting Boy” (try googling that!) in the iron trade. A reasonable suggestion is that he was possibly the lad that heated up the rivets in a shipyard etc.

I have a great aunt who was a “Cart Owner/Night Soil Collector” in Birkenhead – emptying cesspits and privies for a living!

It set me to wondering what other unusual and long-forgotten occupations other members might have come across in their family history research.

I came across this a while ago and just found it again, might be helpful for future reference. I don't think its complete by any means.

http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/

Good link, Bert. Thanks.

Unfortunately nothing really windswept and interesting amongst my lot, mainly Blacksmiths, agricultural labourers and dock labourers, though one of my great grandfathers was an Optician, not sure how qualified one would have to be in 1851 and another relative was a Mathematical instrument maker, what ever that was, maybe rules.

Just last night I came across someone who was a 'Holder Up'. Thought he might have been a highwayman or something but turns out it's to do with boiler-making!

My Uncle George was a riveter, now we have a squad, Riveter, hotting lad and holder up.

...think they used to have different grades of riveters and riveting didn't they bert, depending on whether or not the rivets would remain visible or not?

Like anything else there would have been good and bad riveters, the very nature of the rivet and what it does would be hard to hide, certainly on heavy plate, like on ships and boilers, perhaps on thin sheet work thats not under to much stress it might be possible to grind down and hide.

wikiofftopic

at times in the shipyard a riverting squad would consist of a 4th person. He was the catcher. There where lots of squads in the north yard had a catcher when I started serving my time.

One of my family is shown on the 1911 census as a Stationary Fireman. Can anyone tell me what that job entailed?
Thanks.

i found that one of mine was a ''scavanger''looked it up and it meant he was a street cleaner!!

Stationary Engine Driver Operated steam factory engine, used for all processes, usually linked by a system of shafts, pulleys and belts

The above is a description of a Stationary engine driver,my guess is the engine would have had to be fed coal to heat the water to produce the steam (boiler), The fireman put the coal in, like a fireman or stoker on other steam engines.

I think “Fireman” is used to mean the man responsible for keeping the fire going in a boiler – in other words, a Stoker (Fireman was the term for the Stoker on the old steam trains). A “Stationary Fireman” would stoke a steam engine which was used for pumping water or sewage, or driving machinery in an industrial environment such as a factory, mill or mine.

Just noticed Bert beat me to it!

If that was my fault gypsyjune then I apologise, but the only 'banter' related to the occupations being discussed and generated further contributions to the thread.

Thanks to you both Bert and Nightwalker.
Lyn.

a while ago my cousin was tracing our family tree and discovered that a relative played for liverpool!his name was joe mcque and played 146 games for the club before leaving in 1898!

I have found a circus clown from the United States lodging with my rellies in 1901.

One of my grandfathers so many times 'great' was the Beadle in the Parish of Bexley. Now that brings to mind Mr Bumble in Oliver Twist.
This was 18/19th centuries and he died in 1825. I hope he was a kind man. I'm too frightnened to even think about digging deeper.

I wonder if the man filling in the census raised an eyebrow at that ?

My great grandad ran away with a circus in 1876. But the police made him bring it back!!

So Dave_g would you be any relation to Tommy McQue who I think lived around the Carlton Road area in the sixties.
Moderator, I would PM but he is over his limit. So please don't shout at me

I went to St Hugh's school with Tommy and Timmy his brother in the middle 60's.
Timmy won an ABA TITLE for boxing and his other brother Charlie McHugh was a mate as well.
They did live top of Carlton Road, his mum was tiny and took no messing, i lived in Elmswood Road then and Timmy always came to my house dinner time.

What age would they have been about '61, I remember having a fight with a McHugh in the grounds of St Josephs at the top end of Dingle rd. I was pretty sure it was Tommy.

my grandad was on inventor, we should have been rich, he invented an acid that could eat through anything.....
just couldnt find anything to keep it in

Forgot to reply to this ages ago. Hope you see it mrallen.

Could the circus have been Buffalo Bill's circus. He came to UK and was in Birkenhead (and New Brighton I think) around that time. It could be fun trying to find out! Good luck.