Frinterer

[loz_scotland]

My ancestor (born Glasgow 1858) is described on the 1891 census as being a Frinterer and on the 1901 census a Frinterer and Confectioner. I have found references on other census when I have searched for people being described as Frinterers and sometimes as Florist and Frinterer. My ancestors brother in law was a Fruit Merchant and I suspect it may be a term for fruit seller but I cannot find any listing for this term on any of the sites I have searched for old occupations, anyone able to help ? Loz

[LesleyB]

Hi Loz
Not being able to see it as written, I wonder, could it possibly be fruiterer that is written?

is described on the 1891 census as being a Frinterer and on the 1901 census a Frinterer and Confectioner

Are these the original census images you are looking at or transcriptions on Ancestry?

Best wishes
Lesley

[loz_scotland]

They are transcriptions on ancestry but as the exact same spelling was transcribed in 1891 and 1901 I thought perhaps the transcription was correct ?

[carlineric]

Have checked the 1922 Occupational Dictionary (used for the 1921 Census) and it does not appear. Ancestry is notorious for its creative spelling but having it trancribed in two separate censuses as the same is a bit odd.


Eric

[loz_scotland]

Thanks for all the help so far, probably will be a poor transcription of fruiterer . Just another wee niggle to file away !
Loz

[LesleyB]

Hi Loz
Best thing to do is view the original page.

They are transcriptions on ancestry

That would answer the question as far as I was concerned. Nvver trust transcriptions, always view the original where at all possible.

Best wishes
Lesley

[nelmit]

Thanks for all the help so far, probably will be a poor transcription of fruiterer . Just another wee niggle to file away !
Loz

I don't think it is a mis-transcription (especially since it was on 2 of his census records) although I haven't a clue what it is.

Scottish Census records show 202 Frinterers in 1891 and 507 in 1901.

Regards,
Annette

[LesleyB]

Hi Annette

Scottish Census records show 202 Frinterers in 1891 and 507 in 1901

On Ancestry?

There are a few mentions of frinterer on the web - it appears to be the same thing as a fruiterer, but it is unclear if these mentions are from transcriptions or from first-hand sight of an original entry. Maybe it is an older word for it? Though no sign so far in old occupations lists, which seems a little odd if it was a word widely used.

If you think about the "ui" bit, it would be so very easy to misread that if the dot on the "i" were a little to the left....

I think I'd need to see an original page to come to any conclusion on that one. Has anyone a copy of a page featuring this occupation from SP? No sign of the word in the Scots Dictionary.

Best wishes
Lesley

[nelmit]

Yes it was Ancestry Lesley and when I saw 507 I found it hard to believe that 507 people would have made the same mistake.

Then again a Google brings up an newspaper article about a Mr Marks, Frinterer but when you read the article the word is most definiteley Fruiterer!

Wonder if they were all transcribed by the same person?

Regards,
Annette

[Currie]

A search for the word frinterer in 19C British Library Newspapers and in The Times gives a total of six results. All of them are OCR mistranscriptions of fruiterer including an article in the Western Mail (Cardiff), Thursday, December 31, 1874, about two ten year old boys who broke into a market stall owned by a Joseph Williams. Fruiterer, and stole 100 Walnuts. They each got a day in prison and ten strokes with a birch rod. It doesn’t say where. That’s a half hour in prison and one fifth of a stroke per walnut.

Alan