Ballman ?

[john.mitchell6]

Have recently started some family research centred around Islay and came across the occupation of 'Ballman' in a distillery. Can anyone shed some light on what the job entailed ?

[carlineric]

Ball man is another name for a pot still man. From the 1921 Census Dictionary of Occupational Terms

"pot still man; ball man: charges pot still, which is heated by steam or by furnace in precence of Excise Officer either by gravitation or with hand pump; watches ingredients of still (wash), which are liable to overflow, owing to frothiness if overheated, and regulates heat of still; judges state of wash by sound, by swinging a suspended ball against neck of still or by tapping with a wooden hammer; watches water beads in a glass tube indicator or safe to see whether all sprit has run off; occasionally turns tap to test accuracy of tube indicator (safe); when distilling is not in progress does cleaning or repair work."


Eric

[nelmit]

Have recently started some family research centred around Islay and came across the occupation of 'Ballman' in a distillery. Can anyone shed some light on what the job entailed ?

Can't tell you what he did but here is a reference to distillery balls.

http://www.oxygenee.com/absinthe-distil ... ation.html

Regards,
Annette

[Currie]

Hello John,

There are quite a number of Wanted advertisements in the 19C newspapers inserted by distillers asking for ballmen. Common requirements were that they be experienced and qualified, but almost always asked that they be steady and sober. Testimonials as to character were often asked for and liberal wages occasionally offered. Here’s an example.

The Aberdeen Journal, Wednesday, February 27, 1861
A Ballman Wanted Immediately.
AT GLENGARIOCH DISTILLERY.—Satisfactory testimonials of capability and sobriety will be required.
Apply to JOHN MANSON & Co.
Glengarioch Distillery, Oldmeldrum, 19th Feb., 1861.

It was probably a risky occupation for someone not steady and sober in his habits. Here’s a song that mentions ‘sober Sandy’ with a footnote ‘Then ballman at Cambus distillery’. http://books.google.com/books?id=HYKVoG ... 22&f=false

All the best,
Alan

[john.mitchell6]

Thank you all for the useful information. Sobriety in Islay at that time may have not have featured prominently on many CV's !

[carlineric]

From my description and the comments by Currie it appears to have been a resposible job as his actions would determine the quality of the whisky being produced. It would take years of experience to understand the sound of the ball (where the name comes from) or hammer on the still and the state of the wash. Not a job for someone who liked to sample what was being produced.

Eric