West Country Craft

[toby webb]

Looking through Calne, Wiltshire registers, which often show occupations of fathers, I was struck by the trade 'beaker' . Since there were other trades clearly associated with wool, I imagined this might also be. However my dictionary of obsolete words does not help so I am wondering if readers can do the honours. Thanks, Toby.

[JJen]

Could it be 'beater'?

Beater/Fuller 'Cleaned and thickened cloth by treading it in water with Fuller's Earth'

Source - http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/index.html

JJ

[arthurk]

I'm pretty sure this is a local spelling of 'baker'.

Experience of Wiltshire documents suggests that 'a' and 'ea' were often interchangeable there.

Added later:

My wife has kindly checked some of the Calne registers etc, and around 1757-ish found some spellings which seem to support this idea, such as Meson (= Mason) and Waver (= Weaver).

However, a clincher was the burial in Calne of Mr Abraham White ye Elder on 21 Feb 1757. He is described in the register as a Beaker, but his will (proved in one of the Salisbury Peculiar Courts, and like the PRs, viewable at Ancestry) clearly has "Abraham White, Baker".

[toby webb]

Thank you both. I think I would put my money on baker. Seems so obvious now. T

[arthurk]

There's an earlier thread about this, which I've just updated with a link to this one:

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=780962.0

[toby webb]

Talk about egg on one's face. I had totally forgotten an earlier effort and apologise to everyone whose time has been wasted. Sorry! Toby

[arthurk]

Not to worry - it gave an opportunity to find further evidence.