Census Help -- What Occupation ? .....

JohnGlass · Post by **JohnGlass** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 2:37 am

Can anyone help with the Occupation that looks like MD.
It is on a 1841 Census for a 20y old male.
Have looked under the listing for Occupations but could not find anything.
Thoughts--Medical Doctor/Male Domestic/Mail Deliverer
I have tried to put a copy in User Albums--John Glass

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1001

Thanks
John

Gallery URL added - AndrewP

Post by **AndrewP** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 2:56 am

Hi John,

I would agree, the two seem to be listed as MD, which under normal cricumstances would be Medical Doctor. Given that the ages were rounded down, Alexander should be in the age range 25 to 29, and Duncan 20 to 24. I guess if Duncan was nearer 24 than 20, he could be old enough to qualify as a doctor.

Another possibility to consider is that the enumerator has invented an abbreviation of his own. According to the enumerators' instructions he was at liberty to do so if there was a significant number of people with the same occupation in his district, and it was easiest abbreviated. Such abbreviations should then be defined on one of the pages at the end of the enumeration book, where there is a section for enumerators' observations. I have seen this done in some enumeration books on the microfilms. It is unlikely to show up on the free header pages on ScotlandsPeople, as it is at the end of the book. As the name implies, the header information is from the front of the book. Some enumerators wrote a few paragraphs in their observations, others had little or nothing to add there.

All the best,

AndrewP

JohnGlass · Post by **JohnGlass** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 3:17 am

Hi Andrew,
My initial thought was also Doctor but even at 24 it still seems a little young

Tks
John

JustJean · Post by **JustJean** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 4:06 am

Hi JOhn and Andrew

A search in the 1841 indexes at ancestry reveal that there were 83 folks in Scotland with M D in their occupation. None are born in a year later than 1821 but there are several in that year in addition to Duncan Glass. They are scattered through the Country so it doesn't appear that the enumerator in their district has created a special code for M D. Some others do include the wording M D Surgeon, or M D V Surgeon, Medical M D...but some are just plain M D. So it certainly looks possible that he was just that!

Best wishes
Jean

Post by **paddyscar** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 5:36 am

Hi John:

At the risk of asking the obvious, only because the whole page isn't shown, would it be a short form for the previous occupation listed?

Frances

JohnGlass · Post by **JohnGlass** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 6:10 am

Hi Frances,
I have added another picture showing the top half,but I don't think that will help.It is entirely possible he is not the Duncan in my Family,as according to the postal address sheet in 1841 my Duncan was living with his brother Malcolm at 88 Clyde St,Anderston(by Co-incidence listed as M&D Glass Aerated Water Manufacturers)

http://talkingscot.com/gallery/displayi ... ?pos=-1002

I only have a copy of his Will,until finding that I was unaware he existed,so I have only a date of Death,no Birth info or age at death etc.

Gallery URL added - AndrewP

LesleyB · Post by **LesleyB** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:54 am

Hi John
In what area is the parish of St David's? (apologies for probably very obvious question, but its not a parish I've come across)
Just wondering if the location might give any further clues...

Best wishes
Lesley

DavidWW · Post by **DavidWW** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:00 am

Interesting!

"F.S." for Female Servant is used elsewhere, so I'd doubt that it means Male Domestic instead of M.S. ....

David

JohnGlass · Post by **JohnGlass** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 10:33 am

Hi Lesley,
Just had a look at the header on SP and it is the County of Lanark/Parish of St Davids/City of Glasgow/Royal Burg of Glasgow.Number of Parish is 644-156.
Tks
John

Russell · Post by **Russell** » Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:05 pm

Hi John

Someone in their early twenties could certainly have been a Doctor back then.
Scottish universities were open to entrants in their early teens and a boy of 14 with a flair for maths, for example, could pay to attend the appropriate lectures and be qualified/degreed at what would would be considered much too young today.
A relative of mine was qualified as a Doctor and was the GP for Cambusnethan by his mid-twenties.

With the kind of spread of use across the country that Jean found I would go with doctor until proven otherwise.

Russell