help with definition please

[Cougar]

OK - here is my problem.
Father of my elusive David Stanley is
William - occupation Labourer (according to David's marriage certificate).

David states he was born Coventry 1815.

The only David I have found  has the parents
William & Mary Mowe - William is a maltster.

Question being was a maltster classed as a labourer - or was it a more 'upper rang' position?
Thanks for the input that I hope will follow,.
Cougar in Oz

[peterpiper]

although "Maltster" is a skilled job in it's own right, no apprenticeship is undertaken, the ins and outs of the job being learned as one carried out the everyday tasks, so would come under the heading of labourer.
I used to live close to a maltsters and spent many hours of my youth watching the men at work, quite interesting,hope this has helped,
peter

[Cougar]

Hi Peter,
Thanks for that - tis so hard to know how they termed jobs back then - must be me, but when I think of labourer I tend to think of an ag lab - which is why I have been 'stalling' over this particular William & Mary.
Cheers Cougar

[Hackstaple]

A malster was a highly skilled job and even today apprenticeships are offered. Malsters also needed to be licenced. The word can, of course, carry a wide range of importance from an employee on the floor to the owner of the floor but on censuses these would probably be called - Malster - Master Malster - Malster, Owner.
The job was highly sought after.

[Cougar]

Hi Hackstable
So are you saying you are thinking like I am and that if he is a malster on the census he is unlikely to be a labourer on a marriage certificate?
Cougs

[Hackstaple]

Cougar - marriage certificates are a great mystery. It seemed to be necessary to tell fibs. Two of mine both gave incorrect christian names for their fathers and one said his father was a labourer when he was actually a railway policeman so, go figure that one. But I think that someone who had a proper defined trade would not normally call himself a labourer.