Dictionary of Occupational Terms – 1921 Census

I was first made aware of this publication over 12 years ago and I eventually managed to obtain a copy. It has been invaluable in explaining the various occupational terms that I have found in the Censuses. This CD is exactly what it says in its Title -“A Dictionary of Occupational Terms - based on the Classification of Occupations used in the Census of Population, 1921”. It was the basis for the interpretation of occupations recorded in the 1921 Census and so is definitive. Whilst it relates to the 1921 Census, the occupations are of people of all ages, many who were in later life in 1921 and would have worked in the same occupation for over fifty years and so this dictionary includes occupations that were in existence from around 1860. Clearly occupations that had disappeared completely by the beginning of the twentieth century will not be included. The dictionary is in two parts, an alphabetical index of occupational terms which indicates the code that was used in analysing the Census data, e.g. heald knitter 397; and then the occupational codes are listed in numerical order together with occupations linked to that code. In the second part, each term is followed by an explanation of the tasks entailed and also indicates alternative names for the same employment,

There are many lists of occupations on the internet but they have far fewer entries and should be treated with the respect you give any family trees you find there. When I was first interested in heald knitters, I found the occupation listed in at least eight on-line lists and the definitions provided were almost identical – “operator of a machine which produced a jersey type of fabric as opposed to woven fabric” - all the same and all WRONG. A heald is not a fabric but part of the mechanism of a loom that separates the warp threads to allow the shuttle to pass between them. Currently some of the definitions on-line have been corrected so now there are several different definitions on-line.

This Dictionary is authoritative, a primary source. It is extensive, including almost 30,000 terms and over 15,000 different occupations. It will prepare you for the coming release of the 1921 Census. The Society is to be congratulated on being able to make this Dictionary readily available to us.

Jim Lancaster
(Bury branch LFHHS)

The CD can be purchased online by credit card from the Society’s website shop at www.lfhhs.org.uk or by post from LFHHS 2 Straits Oswaldtwistle Lancs BB5 3LU for £10.00 plus postage £2.70 UK, £3.50 Europe or £4.70 (Rest of World).

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