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Not Brentford
Brentford Occupations A-Z
This page includes notes about occupations you may come across, for example in censuses, parish records, trade directories and wills. The final column, "Resources", includes links to external sites, books, articles as well as pages this site.
Thanks to numerous contributors this site has a lot of material, try a search on the home page for any occupation you are interested in.
Please get in touch if you can contribute any information about a particular occupation.
| Occupation | Details | Resources |
|---|---|---|
| Actor | Life of an actor who lived in Brentford around the end of WW1; describes sources used and some of the challenges in tracing actors and actresses | |
| Almswoman | Ferry Lane and Salutation or St George's Almshouses | Occupants of the Salutation or St George's Almshouses from 1841 to 1939 A closer look at the people who lived in the Salutation almshouses |
| Apprentice | Apprentices learned a trade or craft with a master, usually over a period of five to seven years | There are several sources of apprenticeship records |
| Artist | Maybe the river, canal boats or proximity to London attracted artists? | J M W Turner
External link - Tate Gallery - painting by Brentford-born Frederick Cayley Robinson 1862-1927 |
| Bargeman | See Lighterman | As Waterman |
| Basket maker | Made baskets for transporting fruit & veg (& other goods?) to market; Brentford had osier beds which provided the raw materials | Riverside Crafts & Industries, James Wisdom, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 1985
Photos of the Dawes family basket making business, 306 High St from Andy Dawes Basket and pottle makers in Brentford, 1851 The Willow Business, Val Bott, includes details of local willow growers and basket makers, surnames Bowden, Dawes, Goodwin, Scoggins |
| Beer seller | The Beer House Act of 1830 allowed a householder who paid the local poor rate to obtain a licence, costing 2 guineas, to sell beer or cider but not wine or spirits | See Landlord |
| Boat builder | E C Jones, Brentford boat & barge builder
E C Jones, Brentford boatbuilder Pam Vernon-Roberts, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 2007 Much more information / photos about the E C Jones business prepared by Pam Vernon-Roberts is available at the Local Studies room, Chiswick Library Riverside Crafts & Industries James Wisdom, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 1985 | |
| Brewer | Brentford Breweries included the Beehive Brewery & Royal Brewery | Royal Brewery Brentford Neil Chippendale: Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 2005
Brentford & Chiswick Pubs, Gillian Clegg, published by Tempus, 2005 |
| Brick maker | Brentford brick-makers and potters, Val Bott, from the Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 2011
British History online - Heston and Isleworth, Middlesex - has information about the location of brick fields locally (thanks to Sally Douglas for spotting this) | |
| Bricklayer | Notes about this work dating from 1811; includes links to further information about some of Brentford's bricklayers. | |
| Butcher | Lockyer family notes | |
| Carpenter or joiner | Although the same person often performed both trades, the tasks were distinct, and carpentry was the lesser skilled of the two (LondonLives, see link to right)
A random selection of Brentford carpenters & joiners: William Buckland, John Robert Foord, Henry Hayward, Edison Whitaker Hood, Charles Jackman, John Sims, William Collins Taylor, John Ward, Robert Winkworth |
Records of the Worshipful Company of Carpenters, Volume 1; Apprentices' Entry Books 1654-1694 has records of nearly 3,000 apprentices, their families and places of origin and the member of the Company to whom they were bound. Available free British History Online; includes index of names.
Court/Committee Minute Books for the Carpenters' Company searchable at LondonLives website; 1680s to 1800s. The same website has a useful introduction to carpentry and joinery plus links to other material. |
| Clockmaker | 3 watch / clockmakers living at High Street addresses in 1851; in 1901: 2 watchmakers and a watch repairer | Photos: Gaydon clock and Gaydon family history Upjohn clock Family details Honeybone & Pearce at 231 High Street Parsons at 282 High Street |
| Collarmaker | May be a maker of horse collars rather than anything to do with men's shirts | Joseph Quinion's occupation was collarmaker when he baptised his son in 1817; he described himself as a saddler in his will of 1837 |
| Commercial Traveller | Linked manufacturers and wholesalers to retailers | Travelling salesmen in Britain 1890s-1930s is a useful resource (thanks to Val Bott for sending link) |
| Councillor | Brentford Local Board formed in 1874 | Local councillors from 1874, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1896 and 1908; includes links to biographies researched by Janet McNamara |
| Currier | Curriers took hides from tanners and processed them for shoemakers, saddlers etc. | Notes from 1811 and some local curriers |
| Doctor | British Medical Journal Archive can be searched on-line, 1840-2009; registration is free; includes obituaries and biographical snippets
List of Brentford medical men from 1793 to 1940 Baptisms of those involved in health, Peter Stuart's index 1814-1906 | |
| Excise man | Excise Service details Excise Service in Brentford Baptisms of those involved in the law, Peter Stuart's index 1829-1906 | |
| Fellmonger | Dealer in hides or skins, particularly sheepskins, who might also prepare skins for tanning. The name is derived from the Old English 'fell' meaning skins and 'monger' meaning dealer (wikipedia) | Brentford fellmongers include John Smith (1826, 1836); M. Band (1877). Related occupations: |
| Fireman |
"Fire! 300 years fire fighting in Brentford", Diana Willment, Dandelion Publications, 2003 Brentford Fire Station at 53 High Street List of Brentford firemen, 1879 Photo of ten members of the Brentford Volunteer Fire Brigade, 1890, also appears in 'Brentford As It Was', page 30 Photo of firemen, 1894 Photo of firemen, 1944 Funeral cortege of Frank Davis, 1948 Funeral cortege of Frank Davis, 1948 (2) Clarnico Fire Brigade, London E15 | |
| Fisherman | In 1845 Faulkner wrote about the decline of the Brentford fishery, borne out by the occupations recorded in the 1851 census | Riverside Crafts & Industries James Wisdom, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 1985 An inveterate poacher - William Armitage - news report from the mid 19th century |
| Fishmonger/Fish hawker | List of Brentford fishmongers - mainly 19th century - includes many newspaper articles and links to fishmongering families such as Bates, Dobson etc | |
| Gardener | Likely to have worked in a Market Garden rather than a private property | Beach's jam article by Janet McNamara includes notes on 19th century fruit growing
Growth of Brentford Market by Janet McNamara |
| Garden woman | Term used in the 1851 census and until WW1 | In 1851 Brentford typically an Irish woman who worked in a market garden News articles from the 19th century describe women's work in the strawberrry trade |
| Gas worker | Brentford Gas Light and Coke Co. had extensive premises at the east end of Brentford | The Brentford Gas Company, Eric Kenward, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 1981
Photo of Emily Rebecca Carr, Brentford Gaslight & Coke Company worker, early 1900s |
| Joiner | See Carpenter | |
| Landlord (Pub) | George & Florence Diggins ran the Rising Sun during WW2
Reeve family memories from WW2 of the Bull and Barge Aground Brentford beer sellers and publicans Baptisms , Peter Stuart's index 1813-1905 The Pub Hub, Vic Rosewarne and Jim Storrar's research into pub histories, licence transfers, maps and more | |
| Laundress | Crown & Jersey Laundry staff, 1933 | |
| Leather dresser | Finishes leather by colouring and polishing skins after they have been tanned. | George Band was a leather dresser, part of the family of parchment makers |
| Lighterman | Worked on barges, carrying goods or wares (but not people) up and down the river and from cargo ships to shore | See Waterman |
| Licensed Victualler | See Landlord | |
| Maltster | Brentford had several malthouses | Banks, Cracknell, Gomm, Harrington, Harvest, Jupp, Sadler, Thorogood, Trimmer, Underwood are all mentioned on the site as being maltsters Brief notes from Victoria County History about Brentford maltsters |
| Market trader | Brentford market operated at various sites before moving into a purpose built building in 1893 | Knight family, including links
Growth of Brentford Market by Janet McNamara Non-local traders at Brentford Market, 1922, Claire Noble |
| Master at school | See Schoolmaster | |
| Merchant Navy | Merchant Navy apprenticeship records are available online | |
| Milk carrier | The site has photos showing milk carriers and milk men | Milk cart outside 315 High Street, around 1905, Osborne family Milk cart in South Ealing, probably pre 1914, Bovingdon family Amos Cox, milkman, date 1930s/50s? |
| Miller | Brentford may have had two windmills, hence Windmill Road | Windmill gazetteer by Guy Blythman; scroll down or search for Brentford Sketch of Brentford's smock mill Robert Wallace Johnson was recorded as a miller in 1795 |
| Nurse, WW1 | Family Tree, April/May 2005 Red Cross database, search by name or location (over 100 Brentford volunteers)
Three probationery nurses were dismissed in 1921 from West Middlesex Hospital | |
| Nursery gardener | Seedsmen, growers and sellers of plants, trees etc rather than sellers of produce | Some Brentford Nursery Gardeners, Val Bott Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 2008
Nursery Gardeners gardening in Thames-side parishes 1650-1850 Val Bott's blog |
| Parchment Maker | James Band and Sons were parchment makers and leather dressers in Plough Yard from 1859, the last parchment and vellum works in Europe | Ted Sumner's Ryall family included parchment makers The life of councillor George Band, parchment maker, researched by Janet McNamara |
| Pawnbroker | Brentford had several pawnbrokers during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries: addresses include 121/2, 131/2, 288/9 and 364/5 High Street; surnames include Brooks, Burford, Finch, Folkard, Fuller, Gentry, Potter, Raper, Rattenbury, Seabrook and Taverner | 288,289 High Street: Rattenbury's, 1960s The Folkard family operated from 288, 289 High Street in the 1820s and 1830s 'The Pawnbrokers Shop' by Charles Dickens is a good read |
| Police | Charles Cox was a Brentford PC
Family Tree, August 2005 Brentford Police Station was at no. 60 then no. 42 until the 1960s John Oman Mumford was Sub-divisional Inspector at the old Brentford Police Station in the 1890s Baptisms of those involved in the law, Peter Stuart's index 1829-1906 | |
| Postal worker | Archive Photo Series Brentford includes 1904 photo of staff at the Brentford Post Office (p61)
Postcard 1908+ showing PO and boy workers, at new St Paul's Road site Photos with a possible PO connection: please can you help with names? | |
| Potter | Brentford brick-makers and potters, Val Bott, from the Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 2011 | |
| Printer | Brentford printers include Bohee, Coulton, Jackson, Norbury and Pearce
Photos taken at Bohee's, 1920s - can you identify the young man working there? | |
| Publican | See Landlord | |
| Pupil | See Schoolmaster | |
| Railwayman | Family Tree, February 2005 | |
| Sales Rep | As Commercial Traveller | |
| Scholar | SeeSchoolmaster | |
| Schoolmaster | List of Brentford schools in 1866 | See Rothschild School links
findmypast includes Teacher's Registration Council Registers 1914-1948 (subscription required) Baptisms of those involved in education, Peter Stuart's index 1813-1904 The site has several school photos dating 1910 to 1950s Photo of Boys' National School, The Ham, 1880s and list of its schoolmasters Redevelopment of Sarah Trimmer School, 2016 - London Historians' Blog |
| Seedsman | A developer and seller of varieties of fruit, vegetable and flowering plants | See also Nursery gardener |
| Slopseller | A dealer in cheap working men's clothes | Matthew Collet and Thomas Hopkins were local slopsellers in 1841 |
| Soap worker | Thames Soap Works, Ferry Lane | The Thames Soapworks of Brentford, Ted Crouchman, Brentford and Chiswick Local History Journal 1996 |
| Soldier |
Photo of Crimean War soldier, mid-1850s Includes photo of 3rd Regiment Dragoon Guard, early 1860s? 1925 photo includes men in the Middlesex Regiment | |
| Sportsman or woman | Name index, sporty people | |
| Surgeon | See Doctor | |
| Surveyor (council) | Appointed following the Public Health Act, 1875 | Council surveyors 1875-1937 by Peter King |
| Tanner | Converted animal skin into leather by soaking it in a liquid containing tannic acid or other chemicals | Brentford tanners include Richard Saunders (ca 1650), Samuel Perkins (1793), George Norris (1841) and Charles Evershed (1861). There was a Tan Yard in New Brentford: see the tithe map from 1838. Related occupations: |
| Teacher | See Schoolmaster | |
| Timber Merchant | Brentford had several timberyards |
Brentford Timber Company at 38-39 Kew Bridge Road (link to follow)
The Dorey family was involved in the building trade, one reference found to Dorey timberyard behind 22-25 High Street in 1901 and the sale of timber from Distillery Road in the 1940s Montgomrey's timberyard behind 72-76 High Street Spanton's timberyard at 135 and 136 High Street Riverside Crafts & Industries James Wisdom, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 1985 |
| Umbrella Maker | Often combined with other occupations | Local examples include Goddard, Longinotto and Purches - all operating in the Victorian era |
| Undertaker | Often also a carpenter or builder | Family Tree, December 2005 Local undertakers include Barratt, Healey, Heath and Sims |
| VAD | Voluntary Aid Detachment, during WW1 | Red Cross VAD database can be searched by name or location / hospital name (over 100 Brentford volunteers) |
| Veterinary Surgeon | There appears to be a crossover between farriers and veterinary surgeons in the 19th and 20th centuries | Baptisms , Peter Stuart's 1814-1906 index contains a few references to vets
Brentford's veterinary surgeons include Hinge 230a High Street was described as a 'veterinary infirmary, forge and house' in the early twentieth century |
| Vicar | Reverend T Selby Henrey, of St George's church 1895-1930 Names from 1971 & 1980 parish magazines Search on the home page for vicar will bring up other references | |
| Victualler | See Landlord | |
| Wardrobe dealers | Sellers of second hand clothes, not wooden furniture | See "Nellie's Book": The Early Life of Victoria Wood's Mother by her son Chris Foote Wood (elder bro to Victoria Wood) |
| Watchmaker | See Clockmaker | |
| Waterman | Licensed to navigate and pilot passenger vessels on the River Thames |
Is there a Thames Lighterman in your family? by John Kite
Docklands Ancestor: includes lists, history, images... "My Ancestors were ... Thames Watermen" by James W. Legon pub. 2008 (Society of Genealogists Enterprises Ltd, Second Edition; £7.50 The bargemen of Brentford, David Blomfield: Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 2007; focuses on seven families: Banyon, Clark, Dale, Harris, Layton, Sims, Winter Riverside Crafts & Industries James Wisdom,Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 1985 Brentford Barge Owners, Elizabeth Wood, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 1981 The Past of Brentford's Waterways, Elizabeth Wood, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 1980 findmypast includes records of Thames watermen and lightermen 1688-2010 (subscription required): 869 entries for Brentford including James Clements, bound to Henry Hall Humphreys 13 Sep 1892 - 12 Dec 1899 Over 1600 baptisms of those that worked on the waterways, 1813-1906 transcribed by Peter Stuart Postcard of the Boatmen's Institute which opened in 1904 Memories, eg Harry Langley's, may be helpful; also try searching the site for 'barge -aground' (to exclude the pub The Barge Aground or 'canal' to see photos from the 1890s onwards Spellweaver, a website 'for anyone interested in their canal boat ancestors'; includes newspaper articles, help for family historians and much more |
| Willow grower | Brentford had osier beds which provided the raw materials for basket making | Riverside Crafts & Industries James Wisdom, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Society Journal 1985
The Willow Business, Val Bott, Brentford & Chiswick Local History Journal 2017, includes details of local willow growers and basket makers, surnames Bowden, Dawes, Goodwin, Scoggins The Willow Business, Val Bott, 2019; from her Nurserygardeners.com |
Published 2008; last updated October 2024