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Scotland (Counties as in 1851-1901) => Scotland => Kirkcudbrightshire => Topic started by: johnstonville on Thursday 12 June 25 04:18 BST (UK)
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On some of the census records for occupation it often says 'journeyman'
An example is
William Smith
Sheet Iron Worker
(Journeyman)
so what does this mean?
Thanks everybody :)
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I googled …
A journeyman is a worker, skilled in a given trade or craft, who has successfully completed an official apprenticeship qualification, and can then be hired by others, often by the day.
Janelle
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It's from French 'journée', which means a day, and reflects the fact that a journeyman was originally paid by the day.
Once an apprentice had completed his training he became a journeyman, and was employed by a master craftsman. In due course he could go on to become a master himself, and could train his own apprentices.
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Journeyman is derived from the French journée, meaning "whole day".
Tony
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It's worth adding what it doesn't mean, for it's one of the most common misconceptions out there and keeps coming back like a weed.
It doesn't mean a travelling worker. Rather it's as described in the previous posts, as in the system of apprentices, journeymen and masters.