This is a collection of the job titles or occupations of the people living in London in the 19th Century.
| Back Washer | cleans the wool in the worsted manufacturing industry |
| Backmaker | a Cooper; made backs, vats and tubs |
| Backster / Baxter | baker |
| Backus Boy or Back'us Boy | kitchen servant, abreviation of: "back of the house" |
| Badger | licensed pauper who wore a badge with the letter P on it, or a corn miller or dealer, or an itinerant food trader. |
| Bag Maker, Canvas / Paper | made bags |
| Bagman | travelling salesman |
| Badgy Fiddler | A boy trumpeter in the military. |
| Bagniokeeper | A person in charge of a bath house or brothel. |
| Bailie, Baillee or Baillie | Bailiff |
| Bailiff | officer of the sheriff, a land steward acting on behalf of the landowner |
| Bairman / Bareman | a pauper or beggar |
| Baker | baked bread and pastries |
| Bal Maiden | female mine worker who worked on the surface; Pit Brow Lass |
| Balancer | One who operates the "balance" in a coal mine, which is a slope with a pulley at the top where empty coal tubs pulled full tubs up the slope. |
| Baler | A person who bales hay, and in the mills one who baled wool or cotton goods |
| Balister | archer, or crossbowman |
| Ballad Monger | A person who sold printed ballads(song lyrics) on the street. |
| Ballast Heaver | loaded ballast into the hold of empty ships |
| Ballast Master | A person in charge of loading the ballast into the holds of empty ships. |
| Baller, or Baller Up | measured out the balls of clay for a potter |
| Band Filer | metal worker in the gun making industry |
| Bandster | bound the wheat sheaves after harvest |
| Bang Beggar | An officer of the parish who controlled the length of stay of any stranger to the parish. |
| Banker | dug ditches to allow drainage, placing the surplus earth in banks |
| Banksman or Browman | in charge of the cages at the pit head; aka bank manager |
| Bar Manager, Inn | managed an inn |
| Barber or Barber Surgeon | A men's hairdresser, also a surgeon |
| Bard | a poet or minstrel |
| Bareman or Bairman | beggar or pauper |
| Barge Mate | Naval officer |
| Bargee or Bargeman | worked on or owned and operated a barge |
| Barilla Manufacturer | made barilla; a sodium salt used in the glass and ceramics trade |
| Barkeeper | Tollkeeper |
| Barker | tanner |
| Barleyman or Bylawman | An official of the manorial courts who enforced the courts orders. |
| Barmaid | serves drinks in an inn, public house or tavern |
| Barman | serves drinks in an inn, public house or tavern |
| Barmaster | The arbiter of disputes in the lead mining industry. They were also in charge of the standard measure for the ore. |
| Barm Brewer | A person who made yeast. |
| Barrel Filer | A person employed in the gun manufacturing industry. |
| Barrowman | A person employed in the coal mines to push the barrow from the pit face to the shaft. |
| Bartoner or Barton | in charge of a monastic farm. |
| Basil Worker | worked with sheep and goat skins |
| Basket Maker | made baskets |
| Basketman |
made wicker products, also emptied the baskets of coal from colliers into barges |
| Bass / Bast Dresser | employed in dressing fibre or matting |
| Bathing Machine Proprietor | One who owned and hired the changing huts used by bathers at the seaside in the 18th century. |
| Batman | an officer's servant in the army |
| Batt Maker | A person who made the wadding used in quilt and mattress making. |
| Battledore Maker | made the beaters used on clothes and carpets etc, to remove dust |
| Bauer | farmer |
| Baven Maker | A maker of kindling. A baven (or bavin) is a thin piece of wood or splint, with the end wittled and curled with a knife and used for kindling. |
| Baxter | baker |
| Bayweaver | one who wove bay (a fine woollen fabric also known as baize) |
| Bead Maker | Made beads |
| Bead Piercer | One who drilled the holes in beads |
| Beadle or Beadel | officer of a church or synagogue whose principle duty was to keep order. Also a town cryer |
| Beadman, Beadsman or Bedesman | A person employed to pray for his employer, or the inhabitant of an almshouse, poorhouse or hospital. also, a tenant employed by the manor for a specific service. |
| Beamer | winds the warp on the roller before putting it on the loom in the textile industry |
| Bearer | worked undergrpound carrying the coal to the bottom of the pit shaft |
| Beater or Fuller | washed and thickened the cloth by treading it underwater with fullers earth |
| Beaver | made felt used in hat making |
| Bed Maker | made beds |
| Bedel or Bedell | See Beadle |
| Bedesman | See Beadman. |
| Bedman | sexton |
| Bedwevere | made the webbing for bed frames and also one who wove quilts |
| Beekeeper or Beemaster | A person who kept bees. |
| Beer or Wine House Keeper | usually unlicensed drinking establishments |
| Beerseller | same as above, but more like an off-license |
| Beershop Keeper | one who sells beer, not usually licensed |
| Beeskep Maker | A person who made beehives. |
| Beetler | A person who operated a beetling machine, used in the textile trade for embossing fabric. |
| Beggar | Obvious really! |
| Belhoste | tavern keeper. |
| Bell Hanger | installed bells in churches |
| Belleyetere | Bellfounder |
| Bellfounder | (Billiter) bell maker |
| Bellman | A person employed as a watchman or town crier, or a person who worked for the post office and collected letters for the mail coach by walking the streets and ringing a bell. |
| Bellowfarmer | A person who was responsible for the care and maintenance of the church organ. |
| Bellows Maker | made bellows used for organs or blacksmiths fires |
| Belly Builder | built and fitted the interiors of pianos |
| Belter | See Bellfounder |
| Bender | a person who cut leather |
| Besom Maker | made brooms made of a bundle of birch twigs bound onto a handle |
| Besomer | A person who sweeps with a besom. |
| Besswarden | A person appointed by the parish to look after its animals. |
| Bicycle Repairer | repaired bicycles |
| Biddy | female servant, usually Irish |
| Bill Poster | put up notices and signs |
| Billiard Marker | A person who attends on players at billiards and records the progress of the game. |
| Billier or Billyman | A person who operated a Billy Roller, a machine used in the cotton industry to prepare the cotton for spinning. |
| Billiter | See Bellfounder |
| Billyman | See Billier |
| Binder | bound items, e.g., books, hats etc. |
| Bird Boy | employed to scare away birds from crops |
| Bird Catcher | caught birds for selling |
| Birds Nest Seller | sold birds nests collected from the wild complete with eggs which were then hatched by domestic birds and sold as pets |
| Black Borderer | made black edged stationery for funerals |
| Blacking Maker | made polish for shoes |
| Blacksmith | one who shoes horses |
| Black Tray Maker | made Japanned trays |
| Bladesmith | swordmaker or knife maker |
| Blaxter or Bleacher | bleached cloth or paper pulp |
| Blemmere | A Plumber |
| Blentonist | A water diviner |
| Blindsman | A person employed by the Post Office to deal with incorrectly addressed letters and parcels. |
| Block Maker | engraved the blocks used in the printing industry. |
| Block Printer | printer who used wooden blocks for printing |
| Blockcutter, or Blocker | A person who made wooden blocks used in the hat trade, or a person who laid down the blocks on which a ships keel was laid. |
| Bloodletter, or Bloodman | used leeches for letting blood, thought to be a cure for many ailments |
| Bloomer or Bloom Smithy | A person who produced iron from iron ore. |
| Blower | A glass blower, or a person who operated a "blowing machine" used to clean and separate fibres in the textile trade, or a person who operated the bellows at a blacksmiths. |
| Blowfeeder | A person who fed the fibres into a "blowing machine". |
| Blue Dyer or Maker | A person who worked with blue dye used by calico printers and laundries to stop the white materials from discolouring. |
| Bluestocking | A nickname for a female writer |
| Bluffer | An innkeeper or landlord of a pub |
| Boarder or Lodger | A person who was provided with accommodation and meals. |
| Boarding Officer | inspected ships before entering port |
| Board Liner | One who covers cardboard with plain or ornamental paper by hand, using paste and brush, or one who passes cardboard into a pasting machine. |
| Boardman | truant officer who checked school attendance, or a tenant of manorial land who paid rent by maintaining the manor's table. |
| Boardwright, or Carpenter | made tables and chairs. |
| Boatman | worked on a boat, predominately on rivers and canals, also a boat repairer |
| Boatswain | ship's officer in charge of riggings & ground tackle and looked after the ships stores. |
| Bobber | one who polished metals, or who helped to unload fishing boats |
| Bobbin Carrier | worked in spinning and weaving sections of the mills |
| Bobbin Turner | made the bobbins used in the spinning and weaving industry |
| Bobby | policeman usually of constable rank |
| Bodeys or Bodice Maker | made bodices for women's garments |
| Bodger | craftsman who made wooden chair legs |
| Boiler Engineer | designed boilers |
| Boiler Maker, or Boilermaker | made boilers, or general metalworker |
| Boiler Plater | made rolled iron plate used to make boilers for steam engines etc |
| Boiler Smith | made or repaired boilers |
| Boll | A person who looked after power looms in the weaving industry. |
| Bolter | A person who sifted meal. |
| Bondager | female worker on a farm who was bonded |
| Bondman, or Apprentice | bonded to a master for the purpose of learning a skill or trade. |
| Bondsman | stood bond or surety for another where a bond was required by law |
| Bone Button Turner | made buttons using a lathe |
| Bone Lace Maker | made pillow lace |
| Bone Mould Turner | made the moulds for button manufacturers |
| Bone Picker | collected rags and bones aka Rag and Bone Man |
| Bonesetter | set broken bones |
| Boniface | keeper of an inn |
| Bonnet Maker | made bonnets |
| Bonnet Shape Maker or Wirer | made the wire base which formed the shape of the bonnet |
| Book Binder | bound books |
| Book Finisher | put the finishing touches to books |
| Book Folder | folded paper to make books |
| Book Gilder | decorated books with gold leaf |
| Bookholder | The prompter in the theatre. |
| Book Keeper | looked after the accounts for businesses |
| Bookman | A student. |
| Book Seller | sold books |
| Boonmaster | A surveyor of roads with the responsibilities of maintaining and repairing the road. |
| Bootbinder | A person employed to operate the machines which bound footwear. |
| Boot Black | polisher of shoes |
| Boot Clicker | punched eylet holes using a machine that clicked |
| Boot Closer | worked in the shoe trade stitching together all the parts of a shoe upper |
| Boot Finisher | put the finishing touches to boots |
| Boot Fitter | fitted boots |
| Boot Heeler | put the heels on boots |
| Boothman | A corn merchant |
| Boot Knifer | cut up parts for boots |
| Boot Laster | |
| Boot Machiner or Machinist | |
| Boot Maker | made boots |
| Boot Maker Paste Fitter | |
| Boot Repairer | repaired boots |
| Boot Rivetter | rivetted boots |
| Boot Seller | sold boots |
| Boot Sewer | sewed boots |
| Borler | A person who made cheap coarse clothing. |
| Borer | travelling salesman or peddler |
| Borsholder | officer appointed by the manor or parish, constable. (in Kent) |
| Boss Maker, Wood | made wooden bosses |
| Botcher | tailor or cobbler |
| Bottiler or Bottler | made leather containers for holding liquids eg wine flasks or water bottles |
| Bottle Boy | pharmacists assistant |
| Bottle Machinist | |
| Bottle Washer | |
| Bottler, Cellar | worked in a cellar, bottling drinks |
| Bottom Knocker | A sagger makers assistant in the pottery industry. |
| Bottom Maker | A person who moulded the bottoms for saggers in the pottery industry. |
| Bottomer | A person who worked down the pits moving the ore etc to the bottom of the shaft for removal. |
| Bowdler | worked with iron ore |
| Bower or Bowyer | made bows used in archery |
| Bowker | A person who bleached yarn. Also a local term in some parts of Lancashire for a butcher. |
| Bowler | A person who made bowls and dishes. Also a term used for people who made the rounded part of spoons before casting. |
| Bowlman or Bowlwoman | A dealer in crockery. |
| Bowlminder | A person in charge of the vats used for washing raw wool before processing. |
| Box and packing case maker | |
| Box Maker | |
| Bozzler | A parish constable. |
| Brabener | A Weaver. |
| Brachygrapher | A shorthand writer |
| Braider | made cord by twisting threads or strips of leather |
| Brailler | made girdles |
| Brakeman or Brakesman | operated the brakes on the winch at the pit head or on trains or trams |
| Brasiator | A brewer of ale |
| Brasiler | A dyer |
| Brass Cutter | A person who made copperplate engravings. |
| Brass Finisher | A person who polished brass goods. |
| Brass Fitter | |
| Brass Founder | A person who cast brass. |
| Brass Pole Maker | |
| Bratman | A rough garment maker. |
| Brayer | A person who ground things up in a mortar. |
| Brazier | A person who made or repaired household items made from brass. |
| Breach Maker | A person who made breaches for guns. |
| Breakman | A bricklayer |
| Brewer | brewed alcoholic beverages |
| Brewer's Labourer | assisted - obvious really |
| Brewster | brewer, or female brewer |
| Brickburner | A brickmaker who used a kiln to make bricks. |
| Brick maker, dealer | Made and sold bricks |
| Bricklayer or Brickman | laid bricks |
| Bricklayer's Labourer | assisted - obvious really |
| Bridewell Keeper | The person in charge of a lock-up or jail. |
| Bridgeman or Bridger | A toll keeper at bridges. |
| Brightsmith | Tin metal worker |
| Broad Cloth Weaver | A person who operated a wide loom. |
| Broad Cooper | A person employed as a go between for the brewery and the innkeepers. |
| Broderer, Brotherer or Broiderer | An Embroiderer |
| Brogger | A wool merchant |
| Broom Dasher | A dealer in brooms |
| Broom Squire | Broom maker |
| Brotherer | Embroiderer |
| Brouge Maker | A shoe maker |
| Brow Girl | female employed at the pit head, Pit Brow Girl |
| Brownsmith | worked with copper or brass |
| Brush Dresser | |
| Brush, broom maker, seller | |
| Brushmaker | |
| Buck Washer | A laundress |
| Buckle Tongue Maker | made the metal points that go in the holes of a belt |
| Buckler or Bucklesmith | made buckles |
| Buckram Maker | A person who worked with buckram (used for stiffening cloth etc) e.g. belts, lapels and collars. |
| Buddleboy | Maintained the vats used in the lead and tin mines for washing the ore |
| Bud Stuffer | |
| Builder | built houses and other buildings |
| Builder's Labourer | assisted - obvious really |
| Bullwhacker | oxen driver |
| Bumboat Man | A person who met ships at anchor, with goods for passengers and crew to purchase. |
| Bummaree | middle man between the wholesaler and the retailer at the fish markets |
| Bummer | army deserter |
| Bunter | female rag & bone collector |
| Bureler or Boreler | A person who made borel, a woollen cloth with a coarse feel. |
| Burgess | A person who represented a borough at official levels. |
| Burgomaster | A Town Mayor |
| Burl | Cup Bearer |
| Burler | quality inspector for clothing |
| Burler Mender | A skilled finisher of woven fabrics. |
| Burleyman | See Bylawman |
| Burmaiden | chambermaid or lady-in-waiting |
| Burneman | carrier of barm or water for brewers |
| Burnisher | Metal polisher |
| Burye Man | grave digger |
| Bushel Maker | A Cooper, one who makes barrels |
| Busheler | tailor's helper |
| Busker | hair dresser or a street entertainer |
| Buss Maker | maker of guns |
| Butcher, meat salesman | prepared and sold meat for cooking |
| Butcher's Assistant | assisted - obvious really |
| Butner | Button maker |
| Butter Carver | A person who made imprints in butter pats. |
| Button Burnisher | button polisher |
| Button Clothing | |
| Button Hole Hand | cut and stitched button holes |
| Button Hole Hand Stitcher | cut and stitched button holes |
| Button Holer or Hole Maker | cut and stitched button holes |
| Butty | The person who negotiated mining contracts and supplied the labour. |
| Bylawman | An official of the manorial courts who enforced the courts orders. |
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