Help reading fruit grower's full occupation please

[Jill on the A272]

In 1861 at Igtham, Kent, William J Crisp (mistranscribed as Criss) was a "?????? fruit grower employing 1 man on 3 acres" can anyone help me out with the first word please?



or if you have Ancestry
- Ancestry.co.uk

[Gwyn in Kent]

It looks like Hole.....maybe meaning wholesale fruit grower?

[Jill on the A272]

Ah, hadn't thought of that Gwyn, thanks.

In 1871 he thinks he's a retired grocer but his wife who is at their daughters says she's a hop grower's wife so it looks like he dabbled in whatever crop would make a little money.

[Uncle John]

First letter is definitely and H - see the House Servant a few lines down, and various Heads of households. But Hole makes no sense in the context.

[Cloggie]

Could it be Hop (or Hops) & Fruit Grower ?

[Jill on the A272]

oooh Sarah I think you've cracked it, there's a very tall upstroke on the p and the descender is hidden by the word "man" below, Thankyou:xmas_laugh:

[Lindsay]

It looks like pole? to me - hops grow up poles??

[Jill on the A272]

The boys round where I live used to disappear from the local school in Victorian (1864) times to get hop poles ready by peeling them, they called it "flawing" though I think Uncle John is right about the first word starting with an (elaborate) H as there are a number of other examples on the page.

[Uncle John]

I go with Hop. The p is how I was taught to do "real writing" as a child. like an n with ascender and descender.