Dear list,
The 1851 census for Girthon parish, Kirkcudbrightshire has an entry for a person whose occupation is described as 'miner and laper'.
I've checked the shorter Oxford Dictionary but can't find 'laper'. My only thought is that it might be a misspelling of 'lapper', a cloth folder (and there was a cotton mill in the parish), but it would be unusual for a textile worker to also be employed as a miner. I'd welcome any thoughts.
John Pickin
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