Genealogy Chat

I know what a costermonger is and I know what a fishmonger is but does anybody know what Volmonger is?

I found this on a 1780's will and thought at first that I was misreading the writing but it appears on another will. The man in question lived in Bridport in Dorset and others in the family were peruke (wig) maker and twinespinners,

Anybody got any suggestions, please?

I have googled and searched old occuaptions sites.

Could it be a toolmonger?
Otherwise no idea!
Jan

Other remote suggestion:

FELL MONGER
remover of hair or wool from hides in leather making

Thanks, jan, I had seen Fellmonger. I suppose fellmonger it is possible, I wonder if Vol is a Dorset dialect word?

I don't know! But there is a piece on Wiki re. Dorset dialect, in which it says:

'Initial fricative consonants can be voiced, so that "s" is pronounced as Standard English "z" and "f" as Standard English "v"'

Maybe? But interesting you have come across it twice.

Jan

Costermonger / Coster Wife 1) Peddler of fruits and vegetables 2) Ditto, female

http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/c2.html

Roy

Monger is given as seller of anything.

If the F was misheard as V then it could be fol monger, which could be fell monger misheard.

Despite the trade from the sea, it was rope making that had become the primary industry in the town. In 1211 King John, planning the war with France demanded large supplies of hempen thread for ships ropes and cables. In 1213 he further ordered that there be ‘made at Bridport by night and day, as many ropes for ships both large and small as they could'.

During the 13 th Century, East Street and West Street were added and made deliberately wide for the drying and twisting involved in rope making and the ropes being hung across the street. The fertile land around Bridport is excellent for the growing of hemp and flax

Wonder if it was anything to do with rope making.


Incidentally, if anyone is in the area the museum in Bridport is excellent, really friendly and it was free, don't know if it still is.

Fell mongers were around in bridport.

1881 census
129; North Street; John Roles; SIMS; Head; Mar; 39; Fell Monger; Bridport; RG9-1368F16

According to my dictionary, a fellmonger was a dealer in hides, particularly sheepskin. Also "fell" is an old word for what we would now call a "fleece". Were wigs made of wool??

In a west country accent it is possible that "fell" was misheard as "vol".

Voll small piece of mowable land next to a cottage could volmonger be a gardner?

A costermonger originally sold costards, a type of apple.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, etc. I think I will try to trace that family forward (not direct ancestors) and see what occupations his descendants had.

How about Fowlmonger (dealer in fowls)? There is a Fowl-monger street in Madras, India, and a couple of fowl mongers in the 1911 UK Census

This may sound daft but could it be volemonger a seller of watervole which I have never heard of but going back through the centuries people used to catch and sell a veriety of things.The trade may have died out in the early 1800's.
Colin.

This is a longshot... is it possible that you saw a transcription of the original - perhaps typed? If so... is it possible that someone put a "V" instead of a "C"

Colmonger is a Coalmonger - seller of coal. ;-)

If the will is hand-written, perhaps it's the penmanship - and it could well be "Felmonger". The "F" with a single stroke formed like a "V" and a "e" looped like an "o", an "L", then "monger".

Thanks again, everyone. Some interesting ideas.

The word appears in two different hand written wills on Ancestry, one 1780 where it is clearly Volmonger and the second from 1787 in which the first letter does look more like an H.

This is the 1780 will if anyone wants to look. Volmonger is near the end of the line second from bottom on the first page. The second will is from the same collection and is for Mary Golding.

Dorset, England, Wills and Probates, 1565-1858
about Hugh Golding
Name: Hugh Golding
Residence Date: 1780
Residence Place: Bridport, Dorset
Event Type: Will
Probate Court: Dorset Archdeaconry
Reference Number: Ad/Dt/W/1780
Event Record Number: 11

Had a look at the will and I would say it definitely says Volmonger.

Have just found out that a currier also worked with skins and the volmonger had a brother-in-law who was a currier, so I think I will go for Fellmonger!