Welcome to my dictionary of old occupations, jobs, archaic trades and similar historical terms. In the course of my research work as a family tree professional I naturally come across many historic records showing job titles, terms or occupations which are no longer in common use.

Below is a list of some of the more obscure occupations that you may find on the English Census during your genealogy research. The English census has been taken every 10 years since 1841 but, because they can not be viewed by the public for 100 years, we only have access to the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 census.

Alternative definition, a horse servant or groom. Marshman Someone employed by landowners to look after marshlands and tend the animals put to graze there for the season.

By the mid-Edwardian era, legislation was introduced to protect the rights of domestic servants, and Lucy Maynard Salmon’s 1901 publication, Domestic Service, covers these legal, social, and employment aspects of domestic servants in both Europe and America.

The groom wears a royal blue robe of a style worn by officials in dynastic times, with a stiff black hat associated with scholar’s or officials. A western style shirt and tie are worn under the robe.