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Ireland (Historical Counties) => Ireland => Down => Topic started by: christiek on Tuesday 23 October 12 23:13 BST (UK)

Title: Dauffer - what does this mean?
Post by: christiek on Tuesday 23 October 12 23:13 BST (UK)
Searched 1911 Northern Irelands census and listed under occupation for two of my relatives is the word dauffer. Does anyone know what this means?
Google searching just tells me it's old french for sodomiser lol.
Title: Re: Dauffer - what does this mean?
Post by: PrueM on Tuesday 23 October 12 23:28 BST (UK)
Hi Christie,
Can you give us the references for these entries, or post a clip of the image so we can have a look?
Title: Re: Dauffer - what does this mean?
Post by: suzard on Tuesday 23 October 12 23:32 BST (UK)
Hi,

Could it be "dauber"? = made Wattle & Daub walls using Lute- a tenacious clay

Suz
Title: Re: Dauffer - what does this mean?
Post by: Seoras on Tuesday 23 October 12 23:33 BST (UK)
I can only think of a doffer, which I think is someone in the linen/cotton industry. Agree with Pru Christie, can you post the section.
Title: Re: Dauffer - what does this mean?
Post by: aghadowey on Tuesday 23 October 12 23:36 BST (UK)
1911 census transcriptions aren't always accurate but sometimes it's the spelling on the actual form that is incorrect. Search for 'dauffer' in 1911 as the occupation brings up 6 entries for 'dauffer', 'mill worker dauffer' and 'flax dauffer.'
It should read doffer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/work/northern_ireland/ni_8/article_1.shtml

It's also explained here- "Doffers: the name given mostly to women who doffed or tied up the full spindles of linen thread and quickly replaced this with a fresh empty spindle."
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,280933.0.html

Think these are your relatives?
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002190399/
Title: Re: Dauffer - what does this mean?
Post by: suzard on Tuesday 23 October 12 23:40 BST (UK)
Quote from: suzard on Tuesday 23 October 12 23:32 BST (UK)
Hi,

Could it be "dauber"? = made Wattle & Daub walls using Lute- a tenacious clay

Suz

I agree it should be "doffer" -  I assumed (incorrectly) that the relatives were male -

Suz
Title: Re: Dauffer - what does this mean?
Post by: Seoras on Tuesday 23 October 12 23:54 BST (UK)
Possibly it's written down in by the enumerator as they heard it pronounced.

Just a hunch, I can't get my friend from Northern Ireland to answer the phone to see how he would pronounce it  ;D
Title: Re: Dauffer - what does this mean?
Post by: aghadowey on Wednesday 24 October 12 00:16 BST (UK)
Quote from: Seoras on Tuesday 23 October 12 23:54 BST (UK)
Possibly it's written down in by the enumerator as they heard it pronounced.

The head of household, unless illiterate, filled in the census form but spelling wasn't always perfect.

Searching for the correct spelling of 'doffer'- 753 are male and 2183 are female.
Title: Re: Dauffer - what does this mean?
Post by: christiek on Wednesday 24 October 12 14:14 BST (UK)
http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai002146629/

Though I must apologise, I've realised I should have posted this in the County Down forum instead, had this one up because they later moved to Belfast. Thank you ever so much for your help!
Title: Re: Dauffer - what does this mean?
Post by: david Rainey on Monday 11 November 13 17:20 GMT (UK)
Hi,
   Were you researching the name McIntyre.
Best Wishes,
sonoftherock
Title: Re: Dauffer - what does this mean?
Post by: christiek on Friday 29 November 13 22:36 GMT (UK)
Quote from: sonoftherock on Monday 11 November 13 17:20 GMT (UK)
Hi,
   Were you researching the name McIntyre.
Best Wishes,
sonoftherock

Hello! No, I've been researching the Surnames Poots and Hyde in this area.