Posserman?

[silkies]

I have a certificate with  a mans occupation as " Posserman" any one have an idea of what it was/is/are?

Silkies

[stanmapstone]

A posser is a stick used to beat or ‘poss’ clothes in a washing tub. There does not appear to be an occupation with this name. Can you post an image?

Stan

[bykerlads]

Maybe he made possers? every household had one- not a bad business to be in, I'd have thought.
Or perhaps he worked in a laundry, doing the possing himself.

[Harold1066]

I also have a person who is listed as a Posserman - but then helpfully says Flour Mill after the word, and somebody has then overwritten "Miller" on the census so I assume its a job within a Flour Mill. 

[stanmapstone]

Is it this one?
Stan

[stanmapstone]

From the  Stamford Mercury - Friday 17 January 1902

[stanmapstone]

The nearest occupation in "A Dictionary of Occupational Terms" appears to be a Washerman who was in charge of a series of machines for cleaning grain by wet processes, as distinguished from a screensman who cleaned grain by a dry process.

Stan

[KGarrad]

Not sure if this is relevant?

A posser was historically a tool used for possing or mixing laundry while hand washing it. Possers come in various forms, there is usually a vertical pole with a handle bar at the top but the base can be conical, with three (or more) legs or sometimes a flat disk.


And, from world-grain.com:

Bagging equipment manufacturers can provide: dust tight bag clamps; bag transfer devices to move the filled bag from the filling spout to the closing system without opening the bag again; interlocked access points; and automatic, motorized height adjustment on conveyors and bag possers, which help settle product in the bag.


From Millsarchive.org:

Posser
Used for filling sacks. A suspended lever carries a wooden or metal ring with sack hooks at one end. Has sufficient leverage to enable the sack to be shaken manually. Steam mills had power driven-possers.


And finally, from flourmilling.co.uk:

Posser   A bumping device to assist filling of sacks.

[Harold1066]

Can't say if it's the same one as the one I saw in Census since you've not included any details of the person / place it refers to.

Is it this one?
Stan