chairwoman

[NigelBurch]

I have a relative (and have seen other women) listed in the 1861 census as a 'chairwoman'.
Do they mean charwoman i.e. cleaner or is this some bizarre profession of chair-mending?
Please advise.  Thanks

[stanmapstone]

I would think that it is most likely charwoman

Stan

[Gadget]

Hello Nigel 

As Stan says, it is most likely Charwoman but would it be possible for you to give us the full census reference or put up a small snippet of the entry so that we could have a look at how the word was written, please?

Gadget

[NigelBurch]

Thanks
If you put in 'Ann Burch' birthyear '1825' birthplace 'Walberton' into 1861 England census



then it will come up.

Regards

[Gadget]

Well, it is definitely written 'chairwoman' and, as you say, there are women on the previous page also with this written under occupation. They are all in 'ordinary' working households - i.e. the head or son is an ag. lab.

I'm sure it is really charwoman but maybe it could have been pronounced 'chair' in Arundel and spelt phonetically.

Gadget

[NigelBurch]

I hadn't thought of the phonetic pronunciation and casting my mind back to how my Grandfather spoke, it is plausible that the Sussex lilt turned char into chair.

I couldn't envisage hoards of women in 19th century Sussex going round fixing chairs but just wanted a second opinion.

Thanks

[stanmapstone]

Putting chairwoman as an occupation in the 1881 census gives 2,033 people, and a check on some of the original images shows that  that is how it was written. Under Charwoman in the OED is 1774 Westm. Mag. II. 550 As a Chairwoman was cleaning out an uninhabited house in Blaney's Court.. So it appears that chairwoman was used as a variation of charwoman.

Stan

[stanmapstone]

From Google Book Search.

'Conversations on Nature and Art' 1839;
"...and charwoman, commonly written chairwoman"

'General Rules for the Pronunciation of the English Language' 1792;
"Charwoman, not chairwoman as it is usually called; being from char, menial busines etc."

Stan

[NigelBurch]

thanks Stan - that's good enough for me
Regards