Possible occupation?

[Sue from Southend]

On this Marriage Licence it says at the top " William Webster of the parish of St James Westminster, in the county of Middlesex, ???????? and John Doe"

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/2056/32515_1831101881_0013-00053/267820?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk% 2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3dSurreyMarriage%26rank%3d1%26n ew%3d1%26so%3d3%26MSAV%3d1%26msT%3d1%26gss%3dms_db %26gsfn%3dwilliam%26gsln%3dwebster%26msbdy%3d1767% 26dbOnly%3d_F0006A93%257c_F0006A93_x%26dbOnly%3d_F 0005A5D%257c_F0005A5D_x%26dbOnly%3d_F0006A3D%257c_ F0006A3D_x%26uidh%3dzs8&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults

Can anyone make out what the word might be and is it an occupation? I have an idea but not sure.

Ta

[anne fraser]

I think it is Batch short for batchelor as she is described as spinster.

[Sue from Southend]

Thanks Anne but it's an earlier paragraph I'm looking at. You need to scroll up to the top of the page to see it.

[Jackie H]

I've not come across it before but I think its P?r?hemaker. There's an occupation called perchemear which is a parchment maker so I wondered whether it says perchemaker

http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/p.html

[kiterunner]

Unfortunately the handwriting isn't very consistent but yes, it must be his occupation and is something like Per*hemaker.

[kiterunner]

Ah, I think I have figured it out - Perukemaker.

[Sue from Southend]

Ah, I think I have figured it out - Perukemaker.

Which is what I thought:)
Thank you all.

Another question, my William Webster was probably a hairdresser. How likely was he to be a peruke maker too (peruke being a wig)?

[kiterunner]

If you google for "hairdresser and peruke maker", quite a few hits come up, so it looks possible.

[Sue from Southend]

I've found some references to men who were Barbers and Peruke makers so it's possible that William was both.

Just not sure that he is the right one.

[Sue from Southend]

Snap!

Thanks again, Kite

[Olde Crone]

Sue

A hairdresser in those days was someone who collected and prepared hair and that would be for wigs.

OC

[Sue from Southend]

That's interesting, OC. William's sons and grandsons were hairdressers well into the next century so I just assumed that they were barbers but always thought it odd that they weren't called barbers!

It makes it seem more likely that this William is "mine". I just wish the marriage was nearer to where their children were baptised in Sunbury, Middlesex.

[Sue from Southend]

Just remembered that William and Elizabeth's son Joshua married at St James, Westminster in 1796 so it's looking more likely.;)

[Olde Crone]

It threw me too for a long time, till I read an article which explained that women did not have their hair cut - rich women had a maid who arranged their hair, poor women did their own. All women collected their own hair from their hair brushes and eventually took it either to a "hair dresser" who sold it, or to a wigmaker who made them a hairpiece out of it (or possibly a full wig).

"Hairdressers" in the sense of washing, cutting and dressing women's hair originally visited rich women in their homes and faffed about. It was only really the end of the 19th century that hairdressing salons opened for women and not until after WW1 that they became common, due to the popularity of the bob or shingle and the new Marcel wave.

Men have always had their hair cut and groomed by Barbers until very recently.

OC

[Nell]

Thanks for that OC, very interesting.

[Olde Crone]

Should have also said - a Hairdresser would also clean and sort horsehair, which was sometimes used in wigs or hairpieces.

OC

[Sue from Southend]

Fascinating stuff. I should have investigated further myself as there's plenty available online nowadays but you see an everyday word, like hairdresser, and assume when you shouldn't!

Can always depend on someone on this great forum to put us back on track though!

Thank you, once again, to everyone.