wiver

[macintosh]

Noticed this occupation (I think) on a Scottish gravestone, what was a wiver?


James

[PrueM]

Hi James

What date is the gravestone?  What's the context of the word - does it come after a name?

If it's an occupation, could it be a mis-spelling of "weaver" perhaps?

Cheers
Prue

[GR2]

As a Scot, I can confirm that it's a weaver.

Graham.

[macintosh]

Thanks Prue and Graham,
I was looking for a relative's grave in Whitehills, Banffshire Cemetary when I came across the one with  "wiver" on.
It was in the context thus, James Macintosh aged ** a wiver of this parish  (example)

So I think Graham has the answer though I must say that a weaver  working in the Whitehills area surprised me, I normally associate weaving in Scotland with the Woolen Mills of the Borders area and Glasgow and Central belt weaving  and the jute and flax industries of Dundee, However, as the date was mid 1800s may be he was a home or cottage  weaver, Strange though that nothing came up on google or my Roget's thesaurus nor in the Scots
Thanks to you both


James

[GR2]

You might find it as "wyver" too. Wyve is also used for "knit" and the female members of my family never did any knitting, always "wyvin". The person buried there may not have been from Whitehills itself, as it says "of this parish". There were many handloom weavers in the Abedeenshire/Banffshire area until the middle of the 19th century. Another common home industry at the time was the knitting of stockings. Men went round leaving wool or cotton and came back to collect and pay for the finished work.

Graham.

[macintosh]

Thanks Graham for your input.

James