Occupations

There are over a million different occupations recorded in the 1881 census. The most common entry made by the census takers in the occupation column on the census forms was, in fact, to leave it blank.

This accounts for approximately 33% of the population. I haven't made a detailed assessment of the people with nothing recorded for their occupation, but a random sample suggests that the majority were young children not in education and married women who were housewives.

Sometimes, though, the census takers would put "wife" in the occupation column, so it's hard to determine which of the blank entries where housewives and which were simply unemployed. Non-working men were generally recorded either explicitly as "no occupation" or similar, or, for those who didn't need to work (e.g., those supported by their family or in possession of an independent income), the source of their income.

The second most common entry, accounting for 20% of the population, is "Scholar". This was the term used by the census takers for any child in regular (not necessarily full-time) education, either at school or being given private tuition at home. Not all children were listed as scholars - there are entries with other job titles for children as young as 7 - but the vast majority were shown as such.
After the non-working and schoolchildren, the most common occupations recorded are Coal Miner and Agricultural Labourer (or "Ag Lab" as it was usually abbreviated).

 

Agricultural Labourer  

This accurately reflects the social conditions of the time, with industry being almost exclusively coal-fired and steam-powered and farming being as yet almost entirely non-mechanised (and still feeding almost all the population; food imports in 1881 were confined to luxuries only).

The third most common occupation overall, and the most common for women, was Dressmaker. This may seem to be surprisingly high in the list, but a large proportion of these women would have been part-time workers supplementing their household income by utilising their domestic skills to earn money. Another possible reason for the seeming surplus of dressmakers is that this was, allegedly, often used by the census enumerators as a euphemism for prostitutes.

Excluding blank entries and scholars, the ten most common recorded occupations were:

1.      Coal Miner

2.      Agricultural Labourer

3.      Dressmaker

4.      Labourer

5.      Cotton Weaver

6.      Domestic Servant

7.      Laundress

8.      Housekeeper

9.      Annuitant

10.  General Labourer

Most of these are fairly self-explanatory, except for "Annuitant". This was a term used for someone with an unearned income, and included those living off investments or a pension as well as other forms of unearned income such as inherited wealth or young adults supported by their parents.

It was also used to describe people living in institutions (such as Lunatic Asylums) where their costs were paid for by charities or their relatives.

Some of the more interesting and genuine, but rare, occupations listed include:

1.      Chiropodist

2.      Bobbin Carrier

3.      Foreign Correspondent

4.      Blanket Warper

5.      Bucket Maker

6.      Cricket Ball Maker

7.      Purveyor Of Cat Meat

8.      Member Of Parliament

9.      Attendant On The Insane

10.  Toilet Brush Finisher

One particular problem with uncommon occupations is related to those in Christian ministry. The instructions for completing the census form stated that Church of England clergymen should list their occupation as "Rector of [parish]" or some such similar construction, specifying the actual location in their job title.The result of this is that the majority of recorded church occupations are unique, which causes difficulties for a statistical analysis. If all the rectors and vicars were aggregated into a single occupation, they would appear in the top 500 occupations overall, and often appear on the top 50 for individual surnames (especially if curates - trainee or junior clergy - were included).

As it is, they rarely appear in any ranked list - which gives a very misleading impression of their actual frequency. The problem is similar, though less severe, for many academic occupations such as teachers who are often listed as teachers of a particular subject or school.
The 1881 census also recorded some occupations that have less savoury connotations. Although euphemisms were often used for those engaged in illegal activities (see "Dressmaker", above), the census does record a fair number of women with an occupation of "Prostitute" as well as men with an occupation of "Thief" (possibly unsurprisingly, there is a 100% gender divide here, with no female thieves or male prostitutes showing up on the census returns).

Most of these, though, were in prison at the time of the census and their "occupation" was presumably given by the prison service - it would be surprising if someone voluntarily declared their occupation to be something that could land them in court.

Bibliography:http://www.britishsurnames.co.uk/articles/Work_in_1881

Below is a list of some of the occupations that were found during research.

Most of these were gathered from English census’ that have been taken every 10 years since 1841 but, because they cannot be viewed by the public for 100 years, I could only  look at occupations associated with the 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901 and 1911 census. Other sources have come from archived newspaper articles and electoral rolls.Where occupations are obscure or working conditions were unusual there is a more detailed description against each one.

John Fradd, Carpenter 1841, Farmer 1869

John Joseph Fradd, Agricultural Labourer, 1851, Inn Proprietor 1875         

…Someone who worked in the farming industry assisting in the running of a farm to produce livestock, dairy or crops.

Agricultural labouring tended to be seasonal work, helping a harvest time or when calves and lambs were born in the Spring. Labourers worked long hours for very low pay in all weather conditions, not to mention the back-breaking work itself. With the onset of the industrial revolution, machines started to be introduced to farms.

One such example was the threshing machine. Following the example set by the Luddites protesting against machinery in textile mills, the agricultural labourers of 1830 and 1832 sought out and broke these machines.

The riots were known as the Swing Riots and took place mainly across Southern and Eastern England. Whilst the machinery was the main focus of these riots, it was really the catalyst to protest against wages, work conditions and the general poverty of the workers.

Richard Fradd, Farmer, 1861

William Henry Fradd, Butcher, 1867

Catherine M Fradd, Tailoress, 1871

Thomas Fradd, Farm Servant, Carter, 1871

Annie Elizabeth Fradd, Dressmaker, 1881

Richard Fradd, Shipwright, 1882

Martin Fradd, Newspaper Proprietor, 1881

Ann Fradd (nee Bennett), Charwoman, 1891

…or Chore Woman Cleaning woman (Domestic service) who usually worked for hourly wages, often on a part-time basis. They usually had several different employers and unlike maids, did not 'live-in'.

George Pearson Fradd, Fireman, 1891

John E Fradd, Shirt Cutter, 1891

George Stanley Fradd, Hotel Proprietor, 1901

Charles Henry Fradd, Wall Mason, 1901

Josiah Fradd, Wall Mason, 1901

Francis Fradd, Life Insurance Agent, 1901

Leonard Collins William Fradd, Railway Draftsman, 1901

Samuel Fradd, Coachman, 1901

… Someone who drove a coach, a horse-drawn vehicle designed for the conveyance of more than one passenger, and of mail, and covered for protection from the elements.

Alfred Fradd, Clerk Cashier, 1911    

Alfred Clarice Fradd, Decorator, 1911

Eliza Fradd, Servant, 1911

Martin Meredith Fradd, Author and Journalist, 1911

Florence Fradd, Cotton Winder, 1911

…Someone, often a child, who worked in the textile industry who wound thread onto the bobbins, ready for weaving.

Ernest Thomas Fradd, Cotton Weaver, 1911

…A Cotton Weaver is the name of the operative of a loom which actually made cotton cloth.

Grace Fradd, Cotton Frame Tenter, 1911

…Someone, often a child (Grace was 12 at the time), who worked in the textile industry. After cloth was dyed, the tenter stretched it on a frame, called a "Tent" for drying. They also maintained the frame.

The mills were very noisy and dangerous places to work due to the machinery. For example children often crawled on hands and knees under the machine sweeping the cotton while the machine was running. The workers developed a system of sign language to communicate with each other over the din of the machinery. The mills were also very hot and humid places as this climate kept the cotton in good condition. Many people became ill with respiratory and lung conditions caused by breathing in the cotton dust.

The majority of employees were women and children who worked long hours. It was common for adults to work for around 12 to 14 hours a day, and half a day on Saturday, with children working around 6-10 hours a day. These were referred to as half-timers.

Half-timers were children who spent half their day in school and half working in the cotton mills. The system was introduced in 1844 and lasted until 1918 when it was phased out under new legislation that required children up to the age of 14 to receive full time education.
Half- timers were required to attend school for 3 hours every weekday. Because they were not at school full time, they paid a reduced fee. The system was therefore beneficial for the family income as school costs were cheaper and the children were still able to bring in a wage.
Despite the long hours and poor conditions, mill workers were generally better paid than other members of the working class.

Most people had a very different attitude towards child labour than we do today. Sending young children out to work was an economic necessity for most families, and was taken for granted by parents and children. They did not earn much, but even a few pennies would be enough to buy food for the family. Some people campaigned to improve the conditions children worked under, which led to a reduction in their working hours and the introduction of elementary education.

Henry John Fradd, Farmer, 1911
 

James Fradd, Tea Hawker and Grocer, 1911

…Someone who sells tea door to door or on a street, usually on a cart or temporary stall.

Frederick Horatio Fradd, Traveller in Mantle & Costume Trade, 1911

…A person who worked in the tailoring industry selling dresses

John Francis Fradd, Farm Bailiff, 1911

…The farm bailiff oversaw the collection of rent and taxes from the barns and storehouses of the lord of the manor.

John Herbert Fradd, Ironworker, 1911

…Someone who works with iron, possibly in an ironworks where iron is smelted, cast or wrought.

Josiah Oliver Fradd, Electric Car Operator, 1911

William Rawlings Fradd, Secretary, 1911

William Joseph Fradd, 1^st Class Writer (Sailor), 1911

James Henry Fradd, Blacksmith, 1909

Francis Fradd, Miner, Stockman, 1919

Oliver George Fradd, Miner, 1935

Catherine Florence Fradd, Teacher, 1949

Herbert William Fradd, Labourer / Shearer, 1931, Foreman Inspector Water works, 1950

 

Herbert William Fradd And Child Near Dray Loaded With Wool Bales

Kenneth Maxwell Fradd, Boot Maker, 1956, Fitter / Canvas Worker, 1958

Gary Kenneth Fradd, Sailor, 1973, Shipwright, 1983
…A shipwright is a ships carpenter who helps build, launch and repair wooden vessels. A professionally trained shipwright, however, can work with anything from small boats to large naval vessels.