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England (Counties as in 1851-1901) => England => Herefordshire => Topic started by: queencorgi1 on Friday 20 July 18 13:41 BST (UK)
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This is a bit vague but vague questions in the past have sometimes brought amazing answers!
Richard Bull was born in Berrow, Worcestershire in 1803 but moved to Herefordshire. In 1841 he was living in Stretton Grandison.
Question 1:
Richard was described as being a 'cutter' in the census. Does anybody know what this is? I can see it's a general term for (duh) people who cut things but what would he have been cutting in this area at this time?
Question 2:
Why would Richard have moved west to Herefordshire? Was there more work for 'cutters'? He was still a cutter at the time of his death in 1847 so there was clearly a demand for whatever it was he did.
Any thoughts anyone?
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A Tailor's Cutter?
Skoosh.
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No, something agricultural I think ...
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A woodcutter maybe, Berrow in the Severn vale is not over endowed with trees, compared to Herefordshire which is full of them.
Mike
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Best fit I can find is a "Cutterman - Operated coal face cutting machinery"
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From another website (http://www.worldthroughthelens.com/family-history/old-occupations.php):
AMBER & JET CUTTER A person who cuts and polishes amber and jet for jewellery
BLOCKCUTTER or BLOCKER Made wooden blocks used in the hat trade or laid down the blocks on which a ships keel was laid. A blockcutter was also a person who made and cut the patterns into wooden blocks for textile printing
BONE CUTTER Associated with a number of industries but in particular button making, handles for knives and the rigid parts of corsets/stays.
FILE CUTTER A maker of files, which also involved the cutting of grooves on the file surface
RAG CUTTER One who cut up rags into small pieces to be used for making paper etc
WHEY CUTTER Worker in the cheese industry.
Could also be:
WOODCUTTER
GLAZIER (Glass cutter)
HEDGER Hedge Cutter
MASON Stone Cutter
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Thank you for the comment about the difference between Berrow and Herefordshire. I feel sure there was a good reason for moving, whatever it was he was cutting!
As for the other suggestions -- yes, I went on several websites offering explanations of Victorian job titles which I have found useful in the past and there are just too many things which need(ed) cutting! I just wondered if anyone knew if the locality in the Stretton Grandison/Burley Gate area offers an abundance of SOMETHING which regularly needs cutting? Reeds? Willow branches? Hedges??
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Er, I have heard the term used regularly in connection with male animals being emasculated or “cut”
But I would not think it was a full time job.
Mike
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Just a thought - I wonder if he might be a Castrator or Gelder for horses/farm stock :-\
The Burley Gate area has few opportunities for employment that aren't related to agriculture and the area has more fruit trees than woodland
Kay
Added - Sorry - Crossed with Mike
The person might have travelled around the local area offering the service - I see on the 1851 census there were 180 people listed as Castrators
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Well, you both might be on to something there!
His son was always involved with horses later in life (grooming them, riding them, stealing them ...) so he might well have got this involvement at an early age. How interesting. I had just been thinking entirely of ?? pruning fruit trees but 'pruning' horses might be the answer!
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Just a thought - I wonder if he might be a Castrator or Gelder for horses/farm stock :-\
The Burley Gate area has few opportunities for employment that aren't related to agriculture and the area has more fruit trees than woodland
Kay
Added - Sorry - Crossed with Mike
The person might have travelled around the local area offering the service - I see on the 1851 census there were 180 people listed as Castrators
Surprising what what thoughts spring to mind on a Friday afternoon whilst you are cleaning the
windows ;D ;D >:( ;D
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'In the summer a window cleaner's fancy lightly turns to thoughts of ... castration ...'
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;D I have done some in my time with rubber rings on lambs!!
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A lot less traumatic for the animal I am sure than the 19th century 'cutting'! :o