Historical sources such as census returns, parish registers and records of General Registration often use varying terminology for the same occupation. Even the humble ag lab could be a sojourner, day labourer, farm labourer, agricultural labourer, or farm servant.
Whilst researching the 1851 census in Chorley, Lancashire, one Henry Unsworth was recorded as a "spade labourer"!
Other occupations on the same census page include "farm servant" and "washing for hire at home", so it appears that this particular census enumerator was being quite specific in the information given on occupations. It is therefore likely that Henry was not working on a farm, but was involved in other manual labouring tasks involving digging!
