What is "broomsquire"

A broomsquire is someone who makes besom brooms for a living. It is a trade that was historically usually unique to heathland areas of England. The broomsquire tended to use heather or birch twigs gathered from the heathland to make the brooms. They also grazed cattle or sheep on the poor vegetation. The broomsquire was described by Sabine Baring-Gould in his novel The Broomsquire written in 1896 and set in the Devil's Punch Bowl, Hindhead.