From: hayesstw@telkomsa.net   
      
   On Fri, 20 Apr 2018 01:08:52 +0100, "J. P. Gilliver (John)"   
    wrote:   
      
   >1901 census: Class: RG13; Piece: 4835; Folio: 112; Page: 36   
   >(search for Jane Weightman in Ashington).   
   >...   
   >Jane Weightman                  65   
   >Robert "                33              Coal Hewer Miner   
   >George "                19              Rolleywayman Miner   
   >Isabella Sanderson              23   
   >William         "       26              Blacksmith Striker   
   >Modderina       "               10mo   
   >   
   >I _think_ the final word in the occupations was written in a different   
   >hand, or perhaps by the same hand but on a different occasion.   
   >   
   >I'm wondering: is Striker likely to be a modification of Blacksmith (I   
   >know little of smithing), or is it likely to be recording that he was   
   >(presumably his smithing being part of the coal mine) on strike?   
      
   Blacksmiths usually did a lot of hammering on iron, so I would   
   understand that it meant that in particular. I've also found a lot of   
   the "hewer" in connection with coal miners, and think that is somewhat   
   similar -- what they spend most of their time doing.   
      
   It's interesting that people still use the metaphor of being "at the   
   coalface" (which I presume hewers were), when much of that is done by   
   machinery nowadays.   
      
   --   
   Steve Hayes   
   Web: http://hayesgreene.wordpress.com/   
        http://hayesgreene.blogspot.com   
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