As nouns the difference between tupman and topman
is that tupman is (uk|dialect) a man who breeds, or deals in, tups while topman is (nautical) the man stationed in the top on a sailing vessel, responsible for the setting of the sails.
tupman
English
Noun
(
tupmen)
(UK, dialect) A man who breeds, or deals in, tups.
(
Webster 1913)
topman
English
Noun
(topmen)
(nautical) The man stationed in the top on a sailing vessel, responsible for the setting of the sails
The uppermost sawyer in a sawpit; a topsman.