Cloth Looker?

[KiteRunner]

Does anybody know what a Cloth Looker would have done? (Occupation from 1950, lived in Accrington, Lancashire).

[Elaine ..Spain]

Found a reference to it (mid 1800s) by googling - "He was next promoted to the position of cloth looker, his duties being to inspect the material as brought in by the weavers."

Also from an occupations website: An inspector of finished woven cloth.

I don't know how much the job would have changed over the century!

[Merry Monty Montgomery]

Isn't it something in quality control?

The weavers make the cloth and the looker inspects it to see it is of sufficient quality.

[KiteRunner]

Thanks. Sounds quite impressive, doesn't it? Well, compared to the occupations of previous generations of that side of OH's family, anyway!

[Uncle John]

Some people became lookers when their lungs had become choked with dust and they'd gone deaf from the machinery!

[KiteRunner]

Oh, well, since he was 67 and he was appointed sole executor of his brother's will in preference to either of the adult sons, I doubt if that was what had happened in his case, but thanks for the info.

[Mary from Italy]

I think the modern term is overlooker.

[Uncle John]

I think the modern term is overlooker.

I'm not sure but I think they are two different jobs. I think an overlooker is more of a shop-floor supervisor, whereas a cloth looker would be working in a quieter location on their own.

[Mary from Italy]

The Dynamics of a Changing ... - Google Book Search

[brendaponting]

Mule Overlooker

A little story concerning occupations, one of my ancestors was a mule overlooker, me being me, thought he took care of mules ,as in the animal, .........until I was reading about cotton mills, and came across a photo of a machine called a MULE.....boy did I feel stupid :o

[Uncle John]

Being brought up in Yorkshire, we got quite a lot in our history and geography lessons about the woollen and cotton industries. So this sort of terminology came into my life quite early.

[brendaponting]

Being raised in Montreal, its not something I was familar with, but ever since I was a child, I have had an incredible fasination with spinning wheels, i just love and would love to owe one.............now i know why........ever single one of my ancestors worked in the cotton industries! Guess its in my blood.