Genealogy Chat

An ancestor had the occupation 'gold and silver piercer' listed in the 1851 London PO Directory. What job was that? His later jobs were Carter and Scavenger so bit of a come down!

I would have thought that it sounds like someone who pierced the patterns on things like silver salt cellars and those silver baskets that you put fruit in. It must have been a very skilled job. Maybe he had some sort of illness or accident which meant that he couldn't carry on doing that work and had to take any other work that he could get.

I should think he might have had an eyesite problem? Wasn't there very fine piercing inside pocket watches too?? Merry

He ended his days (78yrs old) in Paddington workhouse - listed as deaf & dumb.

Unless he was recorded as disabled on any of the census returns too, I would think he may have been deaf through old age, and dumb perhaps through a bad stroke rather than in the context we think of now, where someone might not be able to speak because of deafness from birth. Poor old chap..... Hubby's rellie was a brushmaker, but ended his days a scavenger, like your chap. In between he was the ''urinal cleaner for the parish'!! Another poor old chap! Merry