Genealogy Chat

Does anyone recognise this occupation which was recorded by my grandfather in 1914 when he enlisted into the army?

Iv'e had a few of these in my family. Iv'e always assumed it means mechanic ! elaine x

I think it was someone who was a self employed carter who may or may not have owned his own cart. Take it to be the equivalent of todays agency driver. Have a look at www(.)cpcug(.)org/user/jlacombe/terms.html

I was told it was the equivalent of a taxi-driver today. I'm not sure though! -Kat

It maybe a mistranscibed 'Cartman' . Did he live in a mining community? Kay

I have a carman relative. He was a horse and carriage equivalent of a taxi! Janice

Carman. Driver of a horsedrawn vehicle for transporting goods, often employed by the railway for local delivery/collection of goods. Also someone who drove horse drawn tram was sometimes known as a carman. Hope this helps Lynda

Lots of 'Carmen' in my husband's family. They drove a horse and cart and transported flour, coal, timber, etc. or worked at the docks. Doreen Berry

A Carman is a street cleaner - as we would say today a Dustman!

I wonder if there was any subtle difference between a CARMAN and a CARTER? Martin

Think it was a subtle difference but certainly later a taxi driver was called a Hackney-driver. A street cleaner was a Fower - now where did that come from!!

These days taxi-drivers are called 'cabbies' - or at least, they are in my part of the world! -Kat

My gt grandfather was a carman - I understood it to mean he drove a cart to make deliveries for firms on 'self-employed' sort of basis. Maz.XX

When I looked the term up on the web, it said driver of a cart, and this makes sense as gt grandad was a coal carman!

I've got a rellie who was a 'carman' and assumed it was something to do with transport - now I'm a bit confused !I've also got rellies who were 'carriers' - of what I don't know. This seems to be in the Northamptonshire area of my family - maybe it's local to that area - anyone know ? Mary Brooke

On the last point, carriers were people who transported whatever you wanted. for example, I remember in the 1950's having the family bicycles sent by carrier to our holiday destination, and back at the end of it, while we went by train and bus. Stan

I have a number of Carmen in my family. They owned horses carts and carried anything that was required on a contract bassis. They were used by the local brickworks but would also carry as a one off for anyone that had goods to be moved from A to B. Now we would call them hauliers. Indeed one of my uncles progressed from a horse and cart to a lorry for a short period. Bob Wood

Thankyou all very much. I am now much wiser. Darrel

In my "Mansfield" family alot of the males occupation was shown as CARMAN.

i have carman in my ancestors they were hansom cab drivers penny