No job for a woman!
 

Rather surprised to find an 18-year-old girl on census in 1871 as a butcher! Not a family occupation. Her father was a hair dresser/cutter and her mother more traditionally a dressmaker. Strange occupation I would have thought - rather messy and hard work shifting carcasses and heaving cleavers!

I have come across a female butcher before, but I think she was a widow who had taken on her husband's business.

Could the jobs have been transposed? Although a hair dresser then was someone who prepared horse hair usually.

OC

Did you find her on the 1881 census Nell? What was she doing then?

I was nosy, so I looked at the 1871 census, born 1853, female, occ butcher - matches none! lol That was on FMP though. So I still don't know who she is!

I don't think FMP has added occupation to the index for most of the England and Wales 1871 census yet, Merry, although I remember FamlySearch were re-indexing it a few years ago, supposedly in conjunction with FMP.

The new FreeCEN search page doesn't seem to have an Occupation search, but the old one does and if you search for age 18, female, occupation butcher, it does come up with a few, though most are actually something like butcher's daughter. A few are actually "butcher" but I don't see one whose family matches post #1. I don't suppose FreeCEN is complete for the 1871 census though.

I was nosey but lazy hence why I asked if Nell had found her.

Martha Eliza Evans is the lady. Living at 18 Harpur Street Bedford with father Henry.
She is only of peripheral interest to me, being the mother-in-law of my 1st cousin 3 times removed. Her son John William Evans (Martha's maiden name same as married name, same as my married name although not related through my ex!) had a son called Frank who married his wife (John William's wife, Emily Esther Smoothy)'s niece Alice Vine. Confusing!

Hmm, could be that all the children's occupations are on the line above where they should be? Though most are Scholar, so it makes no difference to them.