1881 census 'Fancy sex'

[arcadian_dream]

I have the 1881 census for some ancestors in Cheltenham. In the occupation section for one of the daughters, aged 29, she is listed as 'Shopwoman' but just above it in different handwriting are two words that look like 'Fancy sex'. A couple of entries below, there is another woman from a different family, aged 30, and again the words 'Fancy sex' in the same handwriting as above. Has anyone else found this? Is it a pervy census-taker?

[sillgen]

Tex short for textiles??
Andrea

[davidft]

This is one of the entries that has it on

RG11/2577/111 p 24

It has been transcribed as Fancy Tex - perhaps that was the name of the firm. (As already mentioned Tex could be short for textiles).

might be worth searching directories of the period for a firm called Fancy Tex

[jds1949]

I suspect that it is the clerk's short hand way of listing those worker who work in the "fancy" textiles industry and I would suggest that the entry refers to the dress maker on the line above and the second note refers to the Art Needlework designer - both of whom could be classed in such a way. The shopwoman in "artists"? repository would not seem to be in the same category.

jds1949

[stanmapstone]

1881 Census: Occupations of Males and Females in England and Wales.
Class V. Order 17, Persons Working and Dealing in Textile Fabrics. Among the categories listed under Sub-Order 5 Mixed or Unspecified Materials is Fancy Goods (Textile), Manufacturer, Worker, Dealer. There are 147,874 persons listed under this heading.


Stan

[TedDee]

In coventry i have found entries refered to as the same but the writing can be mis contrued.
Should anyone be looking at the 1891 for west ham i am trying to find a Albert Henry Page of 1yrs father william and Mother Clara Louise known as Louisa mostly.
many thanks
Dee