Dictionary of Old and Obsolete Occupations - W

The occupations found recorded in documents from prior centuries often appear unusual or foreign when compared to the occupations of today. The following occupations beginning with W are generally now considered old or obsolete, although some of these occupational terms are still in use today. Wabster  - weaver Wadding maker  - maker of wadding (usually made of old rags or cotton) for stuffing upholstered furniture Wafer maker  - maker of church communion wafers Wagoner  / Waggoner  - teamster not for hire. The WAGNER surname is the 7th most common name in Germany. Wailer  - Mine worker who removed impure rocks in a coal mine Wain house proprietor  - owner of a building where wagons could be parked for a fee Wainius  - ploughman Wainwright  - wagon maker Waiter  - customs officer or tide waiter; one who waited on the tide to collect duty on goods brought in Waitman  - Nightwatchman who guarded the gates of a city, usually marking the hours with the ringing of a small bell Waker  - A person whose job was to wake workers in time for early morning work Walker / Waulker  - fuller; cloth trampler or cleaner. The WALKER surname is the 28th most popular name in the United States. Waller  - 1) Specialist in building walls; 2) salt maker. The WALLER surname is one variation of WALL. Wardcorn  - Watchman armed with a horn for sounding the alarm on the event of intruders or trouble. Common during medieval times. Warker  - Specialist at building walls, embattlements, and embankments Warper / Warp Beamer  - a textile worker who arranged the individual yarns which created the warp of the fabric upon a large cylinder called a beam. Water bailiff  - 1) A customs officer who searched ships as they came into port; 2) one employed to protect fisheries from poachers Water carter / Water carrier  - Someone who sold fresh water from a traveling cart Waterguard  - customs officer Wattle hurdle maker - one who made a special type of fence from wattle to contain sheep Weatherspy - astrologer Webber / Webster  - weaver; operator of looms. The WEBER surname is the 6th most common German name. Wet nurse  -  A women who feeds the children of others with her own breast milk (usually for a fee) Wetter - either one who dampened paper during the printing process, or one in the glass industry who detached glass by wetting Wharfinger  - a person who owned or was in charge of a wharf Wheel tapper -  Ã‚  a railway worker who checked for cracked wheels by striking them with a long-handled hammer and listening to their ring Wheelwright  - builder and repairer of wagon wheels, carriages etc. Wheeryman - one in charge of a wheery (light rowboat) Whey cutter  - a worker in the cheese industry Whiffler  - an officer who went before an army or procession to clear the way by blowing a horn or trumpet Whipcorder  - a maker of whips Whipperin - in charge of managing the hounds in a hunt Whisket weaver  - basket maker White cooper  - one who makes barrels from tin or other light metals White limer  - one who painted walls and fences with white lime Whitesmith  - tinsmith; worker of tin who finishes or polishes the work Whitewing - street sweeper Whitster  - bleacher of cloth Willow plaiter - one who made baskets Wing coverer  - a worker who covered airplane wings with linen fabric Wonkey scooper  - person who operated a scoop-type contraption from a horse Woolcomber - one who  operated machines that separate fibers for spinning in the woolen industry Woolen billy piercer - worked in a woolen mill to piece together broken yarns Wool man / Wool sorter - one who sorted wool into different grades Wright  - a skilled worker in various trades. The WRIGHT surname is the 34th most common name in the United States.