Hi, I'm hoping someone could point me in the right direction on how to look up an elusive archaic occupation -- I've had no luck with any of the online dictionaries accessible through family history & genealogy websites, including genuki, and don't know where else to look. My reference comes from a will extract transcribed by 2 apparently scrupulous editors over 2 editions of a Yorkshire pedigree, so I'm wary of automatically assuming both have just misspelled the word: 1639 Jan. 3. John Bedford of Doncaster "Rough man". ... Proved April 1640. The quotation marks are the editors', not mine. John Bedford leaves sums of £10 [abt £1,130.30 in 2005] & £20 [abt £2,260.59] to various grandchildren, as well as remembering the poor of Doncaster in his will, so he seems to be fairly well off himself. The main occupation for Bedfords/Bedforths is centred around the cloth industry, starting off as merchants in my earliest references, & ending up as weavers by the early 19th c. I'd be very grateful for any tips on how to find out what "rough man" could mean. Many thanks for your help, Kristina Bedford (London)

Hi Kristina, The OED has the following for the verb 'rough': rough [f. the adj.] I. 1. trans. a. To raise a nap on (cloth); = row v.7 Obs. 1483-­4 Act 1 Rich. III, c. 8 §13 Tayntours..for evenynge of cloth onely after it commeth from the Mille and before it be roughed [AF. text roughez].rougher And for 'row verb 7': row, v.7 Now dial. Also 6­7 rowe; pa. pple. 5 rowen. [f. row a.1] trans. To raise a nap on (cloth). Cf. nap v.2 2. In quot. 1604 confused with the shearing process. 1487 Rolls of Parlt. VI. 403/1 An Act that no Stranger or Denizen shall carry any Woollen Clothes out of this Realme, before they be Barbed, Rowed and Shorne. 1511-­2 Act 3 Hen. VIII, c. 6 §1 The Walker..shall not rowe nor werke any Clothe or Webbe with any Cardes. 1543 Act 1 Rich. III, c. 8 §13 (Publ. Gen. Acts), Teyntours whiche hereafter shalbe vsed..for due stretchyng of cloth onely, after that it commeth fro the myll, and before it be rowen. 1557 in Hakluyt Voy. (1599) I. 298 Whether our set clothes..be rowed and shorne; because ofttimes they goe vndrest. 1604 Maldon Borough Deeds (Bundle 126, No. 1), Ad eskurand. et tondend. (Anglicè, to thick and to rowe) apud molendinum suum. 1624 in Strype Stow’s Surv. (1720) I. 130 My twelve Cloth-workers, that usually row and sheere my Clothes. 1886 Elworthy W. Somerset Wd.-bk., Row, to roughen cloth, i.e. to comb or teaze out a nap on it, as on a blanket. So that would fit in with the weaving industry. Cheers, Liz in Melbourne > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of > [email protected] > Sent: Sunday, 12 November 2006 4:24 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [OEL] A "Rough Man" in Doncaster in 1639 > > > Hi, > > I'm hoping someone could point me in the right direction on how to look up > an elusive archaic occupation -- I've had no luck with any of the online > dictionaries accessible through family history & genealogy websites, including > genuki, and don't know where else to look. > > My reference comes from a will extract transcribed by 2 apparently > scrupulous editors over 2 editions of a Yorkshire pedigree, so I'm wary of > automatically assuming both have just misspelled the word: > > > 1639 Jan. 3. John Bedford of Doncaster "Rough man". ... Proved April > 1640. > > The quotation marks are the editors', not mine. John Bedford leaves sums of > £10 [abt £1,130.30 in 2005] & £20 [abt £2,260.59] to various grandchildren, > as well as remembering the poor of Doncaster in his will, so he seems to be > fairly well off himself. The main occupation for Bedfords/Bedforths is > centred around the cloth industry, starting off as merchants in my earliest > references, & ending up as weavers by the early 19th c. I'd be very grateful for > any tips on how to find out what "rough man" could mean. > > Many thanks for your help, > Kristina Bedford (London)