Wallers and Banker Hands Questions

[Andy873]

I've just come across an advertisement under the title WANTED, from 1871 where Mr. Gregson (Railway contractor) is advertising for men wanted, twenty wallers and twelve banker hands and states wages are 32 shillings per week for good men.

What are wallers? building walls perhaps?
And what on earth are banker hands? never heard of that title before!

Thanks,
Andy.

 

[eastwestdivide]

You’d expect a skilled wall builder to be paid more than someone shovelling earth to build a bank (embankment?), so my first thought at the meanings doesn’t necessarily make sense.
edit: but see the navvy’s glossary at https://victorianweb.org/history/work/sullivan/glossary.html#navvy where it says bankers was an alternative name for navvies

On a hunch, I searched for

"banker" navvy

 

[Gloster]

A quick look suggests that a banker was a mason who cut and smoothed stone. Whether a banker hand is just the same thing described in a different way or a banker’s assistant, I cannot say. I presume that the banker would prepare the stones and the waller would put them in place.

 

[stuving]

This is a bit confusing, but ...
A "banker" is a mason's workbench. I've seen those listed for sale with other equipment.
There are also adverts for masons listing those required as "masons(waller)" and "masons(banker)". So a banker is a type of mason too.
Then there are adverts "to masons" calling for wallers and banker hands.
Finally, this one from Manchester in 1869 is for banker hands, making it clear they are masons, and that fixers are another kind of mason.

I conclude from that what masons did was mainly of two kinds: shaping stones on a bench (as banker hands) and putting them in place in a wall (as fixers or wallers). The use of "banker hand" may have been to avoid the other meaning of the word "banker", as his bench.

 

[eastwestdivide]

I conclude from that what masons did was mainly of two kinds: shaping stones on a bench (as banker hands) and putting them in place in a wall (as fixers or wallers). The use of "banker hand" may have been to avoid the other meaning of the word "banker", as his bench

That makes a lot of sense. Also the pay rates in your ad aren’t a million miles from the rate in the OP (12 d to a shilling for a 5-6 day week)

 

[Andy873]

You’d expect a skilled wall builder to be paid more than someone shovelling earth to build a bank (embankment?), so my first thought at the meanings doesn’t necessarily make sense.
edit: but see the navvy’s glossary at https://victorianweb.org/history/work/sullivan/glossary.html#navvy where it says bankers was an alternative name for navvies

I searched the site and a banker was indeed another name for a navvy.

I presume that the banker would prepare the stones and the waller would put them in place.

Finally, this one from Manchester in 1869 is for banker hands, making it clear they are masons, and that fixers are another kind of mason.

Well I've found another similar ad from Gregson at the same time in a Batley newspaper. It's effectively the same ad as the first but it does make it clearer:

"12 Banker hands or dressers".

So in this instance Gregson is after 12 people who can dress stone and the wallers put them together on site.

That makes a lot of sense. Also the pay rates in your ad aren’t a million miles from the rate in the OP (12 d to a shilling for a 5-6 day week)

The pay rate looks okay, we know anyone skilled would be paid more than say a labourer.

The two newspaper ads are from Dewsbury and Batley in West Yorkshire, and I wondered why Gregson was advertising over there for workers on his contract at Padiham near Burnley, but then I remembered Gregson lived in Wakefield and built many things in that area.

Where would you house these more skilled people, surely not with the labourers / navvies?

 

[Calthrop]

Said the navvies: Ooh, lah-de-dah -- get him, he's a banker hand or dresser...