Help needed with occupation on 1891 census

[Chutzpah]

I've just acquired a copy of the 1891 census return for my great-great-grandmother. Her mother is listed as widowed, with a lodger living in the house.

Unfortunately the copy isn't very good and the handwriting is difficult to read, and I cannot make out his given occupation, it's 'something assistant'. Most of the neighbours are coal miners.



If you wanted to search for it yourself the reference is RG12; Piece: 1927; Folio 36; Page 28, the household of Eliza J Head, with the lodger William Fry.

On a related note, the return doesn't list the addresses for this district, just the street names. Was that common in 1891?

Thank you all in advance 

[Chutzpah]

Sorry to be a pest, but I've realised I need a bit of practice in this handwriting deciphering! The census returns for my great-great-grandfather were easy to read, the ones for my great-great-grandmother aren't! 

This is the 1901 return, the top entry is widowed mother.... 'monthly something'

The entry below is her 15 year old son, 'coal miners horseman b g', I presume the last two letters mean below ground?



The reference for this one is RG13; Piece: 2332; Folio: 79; Page: 27

In my defence, the handwriting in this one is so bad the person transcribing this for the internet has made my great-great-grandmother Florence the name 'Horace' by accident 

[danuslave]

I think the second one is Monthly Nurse - probably someone who looked after young babies.

Above the b g is Below, so I think Below Ground is a safe assumption.  Lots of pit ponies spent their whole lives below ground, only coming to the surface when they 'retired'

Linda

[danuslave]

I think the first one might be Farm Assistant

Linda

PS Welcome to RootsChat 

[Chutzpah]

Linda, that is fantastic, it does definitely look like Monthly Nurse. I've searched for this and you're correct on the definition:

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Monthly+nurse

"a nurse who serves for a month or some short time, esp. one which attends women after childbirth."

The other one could be farm assistant, the chap would have had a little walk to a nearby farm each morning, as despite being a rural area most would have lived about a mile away (or a little less) if they worked on a farm. I'm interested in this chap and definitely want to see if there was any relation to him elsewhere in the family, or where he appears on other censuses.

And thanks for the welcome!

[pandora]

How about mines horseman  below ground== looking after pit ponies below ground

[danuslave]

most would have lived about a mile away

In 1891 I think this would have been considered to be 'just round the corner'.  I'm sure lots of people walked much further to work and school 

Linda

[Chutzpah]

Believe me, I don't doubt that. I recall stories of my grandmother telling me some of the distances my grandfather walked.

I just meant that around here most people seemed to live on, or right next to farms, but if they worked in towns or larger villages worked down the pit.

Just creating stereotypes, that's all 

[Isabel H]

The monthly nurse has "sick" added, so she's nursing sick people rather than babies.