Occupation on 1901 census

[sophiamarina]

Hello, can anyone decipher the occupation circled in yellow here?  It looks like maybe "Assistant, book and furniture shop"? 

For context, this was a man in Darlington in 1901.  He later became a pub landlord.

[CaroleW]

Don't think the first word is book but the rest is as you thought.  Could it be Couch?

[sophiamarina]

I did think books and furniture were an odd combination for a shop!  Hmm... the word perhaps looks a bit too short for couch, to my untrained eye.  Though I'm not sure what else is sold with furniture and fits the shape of that writing, so maybe!

[josey]

I think it is Cycle. The downloop of the 'y' disappears into the doodle.

Do you have his marriage certificate of 1900 for his occupation then?
Marriages Sep 1900   
Lord    Herbert        Darlington    10a   30   
Wilson    Emily        Darlington    10a   30

[MonicaL]

Agree, Josey. Looks like Cycle to me. Compare to the C in County top right line.

Monica

[Kiltaglassan]

Agree with josey, i see 'cycle'

KG

And with MonicaL 

[sophiamarina]

Aha, that must be it!  I can definitely see Cycle now.  No, I haven't yet seen the marriage cert - thanks for the tip.  I'm basing his later occupation on the 1911 census (hotel manager, actually, though seems to have also been a pub) and then the family seemed to be living at a pub in Darlington by 1925, based on birth cert of their unmarried daughter's child.  A while since I looked at this branch of the family, so memory a bit dusty. 

[sophiamarina]

Thanks very much all, for solving the mystery so speedily.

[Colin Cruddace]

It still seems an odd combination, but 50 years later there was only one shop that catered for them and that was Clydesdales of Northgate. Could be a red herring but it is certainly a blast from the past.