Piercing Portmentoes????

[March-Hare]

Any idea what the above occupation would have been in 1911 .... the above is how it seems to read on the census ............ this is in the industrial black country where the father's occupation is caol miner/hewer if that helps!! Have googles to no avail!!

[DJHawkes]

i can have a look at the original entry to see what it might be, let me have the name and age, place of birth and so on

[March-Hare]

Ancestry link (if it will open is) http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/2352/rg14_17155_0231_03/57147743?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3frank%3d1%26new%3d1%26MSAV%3d1%26msT%3d1%26gss%3dangs-g%26gsfn%3dedward%26gsfn_x%3d1%26gsln%3dpeart%26gsln_x%3d1%26msypn__ftp%3dwalsall%26cpxt%3d1%26catBucket%3drstp%26uidh%3d1vd%26cp%3d11%26pcat%3dROOT_CATEGORY%26h%3d57147743%26db%3d1911England%26indiv%3d1&;ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnRecord

Otherwise it's Thomas Peart's 1911 record (born 1870) living Walsall with wife Clara ....... can you find him that? It's 2 daughters and a female lodger with this strange occupation Dot!

[MyBlackHen]

Are you sure it isn't a corruption of portmaneaus?
They were leather bags, and probably had tooling on them.

[Sparkles62]

Could it be something to do with making Portmanteaus.......as in trunks and travelling cases.
Dont forget that many people were not literate then, and the spelling that you have, could be very rough.

[MyBlackHen]

Many of the census takers were not THAT brilliant at spelling.

[MyBlackHen]

Snap :)

[DJHawkes]

it looks like you have read the occupation correctly and i agree with blackhen, it will have been a job working with leather and probably making the holes in the straps on large suitcases or trunks. They will probably have used hand held peircing wheels like a saddler would use on a bridle

[MyBlackHen]

Portamentos is a musical term, I wonder if he was making discs for pianos and music boxes?

[MyBlackHen]

NOT pianos, pianolas.

[DJHawkes]

http://www.josephdixon.co.uk/products/Saddlers_Tooling/Revolving_Punch_Pliers_Heavyweight_.html

[DJHawkes]

yes that's a another possibility, the old type round pierces discs that played using wires and prongs

[MyBlackHen]

Hurdy gurdies too.

[Sharingan]

No, hurdy gurdies are stringed medieval instruments they don't have 'discs'.

[MyBlackHen]

Sharingham, they are a wind up box thingy, with a paper disk.
I HAD ONE.

[Sharingan]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy_gurdy

THAT is a hurdy gurdy, one of my mother's boyfriends was a player of one in a medieval metal band.

[shoota]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hurdy_gurdy

Sharingan is correct, maybe the later 'instrument' borrowed the title.