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Archiver > GENBRIT > 1999-07 > 0931158599


From: Guy Etchells <>
Subject: Re: Pavior's labourer
Date: Mon, 05 Jul 1999 08:09:59 +0100


No Bill, Eve was correct, the job title stems not from the 14th. century
French usage but from much further back. It comes from the latin to
pavire (the i should have ~ above it) to ram down. The Romans used the
term for their road builders. This is also where the term 'pavement'
originates. :-))
When paving the least important part of the job is the actual paving
slab the skill comes in the consolidation and levelling of the ground to
take the slab. This is why you often see cracked paving stones due to
the quick short cut of laying the flag on blobs of mortar rather than on
a solid consolidated bed.
Cheers
Guy

--
Wakefield England

http://freespace.virgin.net/guy.etchells Transcripts, Parish
Records, Calendar, Scaleable Map of Uk. Link to LDS website,
Abbreviations, Returns of Owners of Lands etc. etc.
http://www.guye.freeserve.co.uk Whitefield Transcripts, Etch/ells
Transcripts
http://gye.future.easyspace.com Worldwide Cemetery Links, Monumental
Inscriptions, War Graves, etc.
http://homepage.virgin.net/wakefield.fhs Wakefield FHS website, War
Memorials

> I think you have missed the point, Eve.
>
> This is one of the few manual trades that used the French form of their
> title, pavior not paver. I presume that this was because from many years
> they were only concerned with work on high status buildings where having
> foriegn sounding workers could enhance their value. Only later, into the
> 19thC, did the trade take on alot of more public and municipal work.
>
>

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