1) A maker of smoothing-irons.
The occupation is not listed in dictionaries but it was not uncommon in Sheffield from the mid-seventeenth century: 1654 William Tickhill of Sheffeld smoothing ironmaker
1656 William Nunns of Sheffield smoothing ironmaker. Richard Smith was described as Smoothing Iron maker in both his will and his inventory. Other instances occur in the Cutlers’ Company records but the lack of references from soon after 1700 can be explained by the development and popularity of the ‘smoothing-box’ or ‘box-iron’. When William Harrison died in 1692 he described himself as a ‘boxmaker’ whereas the appraisers of his inventory referred to him as a ‘smoothing-ironmaker’. The 'boxmakers' produced a great variety of wares but the likelihood is that at least some of them were really making box-irons, n.b. 1767 William Newton, box iron maker.