Old English Trade names and descriptions
These nouns are mostly old English, mixed with some German, French and Latin.
Should be good for folks doing research in the British islands.
TRADES
Accomptant - accountant
Accoucheur - man who acts as a midwife
Accoucheuse - midwife
Administatrix( plural trices) - female administrator
Almoner - giver of charity (alms) to the needy, a household chaplain
Amanuen(sis) - secretary or stenographer
Aquarius - ewer; waterman
Artificer - maker or fixer of intricate objects; military mechanic, an inventor, skillful designer
Ashmanshipman - sailor who cleans the boilers of coal ashes
Aulnager - official responsible for inspecting and measuring woolen cloth
Aurifaber - goldsmith
Avenator - plantifene; hay and forage merchant
Bailie - bailiff, alderman, a magistrate who functioned like a sheriff
Banksman - gives instruction or assistance to driver; overseer at a mine pit
Barker - ( Scottish)tanner, one who removes bark,
Baxter - baker
Belhoste - tavern keeper
Belleyetere - bellfounder
Boniface - innkeeper
Borsholder - officer appointed by the manor or parish, constable.
Bower - bowmaker
Brasiler - dyer using the dye obtained from the Brazilian red wood tree
Brazier (Brasier) - brass worker
Braxator - brewer; beer maker
Brightsmith - worker in shiny metal
Brownsmith - copper or brass smith
Burl - cup-bearer
Burneman - carrier of barm or waters for brewers
Burnisher - metal polisher
Campaner (campanero Spanish ) bell maker, bellman
Cancellarius - chancellor
Cardmaker - maker of cards- wire instruments for combing and cleansing wool
Carner - granary keeper
Carnifex - butcher
Carpentarius – carpenter
Carter - maker of carts, to drive or use a cart
Caulker - filler of cracks (in ships or windows)
Cautioner - guarantor (One who becomes security for another)Chaisemaker - carriage maker
Chaloner - dealer in shalloon a light woven woolen fabric made in
Châlons-sur-Marne, France
Chandler - maker or seller of candles; retailer of groceries; dealer or trader
Chapman - merchant, peddler, buyer, dealer
Chesterman - guard
Chiffonier - wigmaker, ornamental cabinet, old clothes man
Chirurgeon - surgeon
Cissor - tailor
Clarke - cleric or scribe
Clericus - clerk in holy orders
Clerk - clergyman, cleric
Clicker - printer in charge of final layout
Clicker - (shoe mfg) in charge of lace holes
Cobbler - shoe maker/repairer
Cocus (Keu) - cook
Cohen - priest
Colporteur - peddler of books
Comber - woolcomber
Conveyor - grantor or seller
Cooper - maker or repairer of vessels made of staves & hoops i.e barrels, casks and tubs
Coppice keeper - one who takes care of small wood taken from a low growing thicket
Cordewanarius/Cordwainer/Corvisor - shoemaker, originally any leather worker using
Cordovan leather from Cordoba (Cordova) Spain
Costermonger - peddler of fruits and vegetables
Cotiler - cutler
Crayman - driver of a cart carrying heavy loads
Crocker - potter; maker of crocks
Crowner - coroner
Cuhreur/Cunreur - currier
Culler - gelder of male animals
Cuper - cooper
Currrier - tanner of leather; user of curry comb on horses, groomer of horses
Cutler - one who makes or sells knives etc.
Dareman - dairyman
Daunsel - gentleman in waiting; groom; squire
Dexter - dyer, right hand
Diviner/Dowser - one who finds water under the ground using a divining or dowser rod
Docker - stevedor; dock worker who loads and unloads cargo
Dowser - finder of water (or other items) using dowsing rods or witching stick
Draper - dealer in cloth and dry goods
Drayman - driver of a dray: a long strong cart without fixed sides for carrying
heavy loads (later a brewery delivery team i.e. the Budweiser Clydesdales)
Dresser - surgeon's assistant in a hospital, valet, lady's maid
Drover - driver of animals to market; dealer in cattleDrummer - traveling salesman
Dubber - one who raises the nap of cloth, make leather waterproof
Dudder - probably a maker of coarse cloaks, wearer of old duds
Duffer - peddler, hawker, dull clumsy person
Dyer - one who dyes cloth
Dysshere - probably a ditcher, or in some cases a disher
Elymaker - oilmaker
Endholdern - inn keeper
Enumerator - census taker
Executrix (ces)- female executor
Faber – smith
Factor Agent - merchant for commission (or factor); attorney (not in the modern US sense);
one who transacts business for another ,usually absent, Scottish Steward or bailiff of an
estate
Falkner - falconer - keeper/trainer of falcons
Farmer - tax-collector or bailiff
Farrier - horse doctor, blacksmith, one who shoes horses
Fell Monger - one who removes hair or wool from hides in preparation for leather making, one
who deals in fells and furs
Fence Viewer - township official who inspects farmer's fences, settles line disputes
Ferur/Ferator - farrier or blacksmith
Feuar - holder of lands granted for services
Fisher/Fishdryver - victualer, one who sells victuals
Flauner - confectioner
Flax Dresser - one who works with flax fibers
Fleshewer - flesher - butcher
Fletcher - maker of bows and arrows; arrowmaker
Forestarius - forester
Framar - farmer
French polisher - polish wood by hand using French polish, wax or lacquer
Frereman - servant of the Friars
Fuller - fuller of cloth; shrinker and thickener of woolen cloth by washing, heating and
pressing; a felter, cleaner, and thickener of cloth, one who trampled cloth, see walker
Furber/Furbour - furbisher of armour
Gaoler - jailer
Garcifer/Garcio - groom; attendant
Garlekmonger - garlicmonger; dealer in garlic
Ginerr - ginner - joiner, one who operates a gin
Glassewryght - glasswright; maker and mender of glassware
Glazier - one who fits panes of windows, one who applies glaze to pottery
Glover - dealer or maker of gloves
Gobar - jobber
Grecher – grocerGuilderer - maker of gold or silver coins
Gynour - engineer
Hacker - hoe maker
Hamberghmaker/Hamberow - horse collar maker
Hansard - weapon maker or seller
Harper - musician
Hatcheler - one who combs out flax
Hawker - peddler
Haymonger - dealer in hay
Hayward - inspector of fences, poundmaster
Headborough - constable
Hedger - one who trims and tends hedge-rows
Herd - shepherd or herdsman
Hetheleder - provider of heather for fuel
Higgler - itinerant peddler
Hillard/Hiller/Hillier - one who covers houses with slate; tiler, hills seedling plants
Hind - farm laborer
Hooker - reaper
Hooper - maker of hoops for casks, barrels, tubs etc., cooper
Horsler - hostler, stableman or groom, horse servant at an inn
Hosteler - innkeeper
Huckster - seller of small articles/wares
Husbandman - a farmer; animal husbandry; tenant farmer
Indentured servant - one who has committed to working for someone for a fixed number of
years
Ironmonger - dealer in iron goods
Jorman - journeyman
Journeyman - craftsman who had served his apprentice, a master craftsman
Joyner/Joiner - joiner; skilled carpenter
Keeler - bargeman, shallow tub
Keller - salt keeper
Kellogg - slaughter man
Kempster - wool comber
Kepegest - innkeeper
Lardner - official in charge of pig food or keeper of the cupboard
Latouner - worker in latten (a metal resembling brass)
Lavender - washer woman
Lederer - leather maker
Leech - physician,
Limeburner - maker of lime
Limner - draughtsman or artist, painterLokeer - locksmith
Longshoreman - stevedor
Lorimer/lormer - bridlemaker
Macon/Macun/Marson - mason
Malender - farmer
Malster - brewer of malted beverages (beer)
Manciple - steward as of an English college
Marescallus - marshall
Marshall - horse servant, or groom (in medieval times)
Mason - stone carver
Mayer - physician
Medicus - leech; doctor in medicine
Mercator - merchant
Millow - miller
Millwright - one who designs or builds mills
Molendinarius/Muner - miller
Monger - seller (of goods ie. ale, fish)
Muleskinner - a mule-driver, teamster
Neatherd(er) - cow herder, herdsman
Nedder - needle-maker
Nettir - knitter
Ordinary - innkeeper; keeper of a fixed price Inn
Osler - bird-catcher
Osnard - herder of oxen
Outrider - mounted attendant riding before, beside or behind a carriage
Packman - itinerant peddler
Palmer - a pilgrim; one who had been, or pretended to have been, to the holyland and brought
back a palm branch
Paneler - saddler
Pannarius - clothier and draper
Pannebeter - pan-hammerer, or perhaps clothdriver
Parcheminer - parchment maker
Pardoner - one licensed to sell Papal Indulgences
Parochus - rector, pastor resplonsible for a parish or church
Patton/Patten Maker - a maker of a clog shod with an iron ring; maker of iron-rimmed patterns
for footware
Patton/Patten Maker - A clog was a wooden pole with a pattern cut into the end
Peever - pepper-seller
Pelliparius/Peltarius - skinner
Peregrinator - itinerant wanderer
Peruker/Perukmaker - wig maker
Pettifogger - shyster; lawyerPictor - painter
Pigman - crockery dealer
Pilcher - maker of pilches
Pinder - keeper of the pound or pinfold
Piscarius - fishmonger
Piscator - fisherman [Pescador in Spanish]
Pistor - miller or baker
Plantifene - see avernator
Plomer - plumber
Ploughwright - one who makes or repairs ploughs/plows
Plumber - one who applied sheet lead for roofing and set lead frames for plain or stained glass
windows, does plumbing work
Porcher - pig-keeper
Porter - gate-keeper or door-keeper
Poulterer - dealer in poultry
Puddler - wrought iron worker, mixer of molten pig iron into wrought iron
Pynner - pin-maker
Quarrier - quarry worker
Quarryman - stonecutter, workman in a quarry
Revenuer - federal officer enforcing the law against illegal manufacturing of whisky
Rigger - hoist tackler worker, one who fits the riggings of ships
Ripper - fish monger
Roper - ropemaker; maker of rope or nets
Rotarius - wheelwright
Rower - builder of (small) wagon wheels
Saddler - maker and repairer of saddles and bridles
Safernman - grower of saffron
Samitere/Samite - maker of a kind of heavy silk stuff
Sauntere - probably salt maker
Sausere - salter
Savant - servant, a man of special learning
Sawbones - physician
Sawyer - sawer of wood, carpenter, lumberman
Scabbler - person who uses a scabbler (pick) to trim the sides of a tunnel
Schumacker - shoemaker; cobbler
Scribbler - minor or worthless author
Scrivener - scribe or clerk; professional or public copyist or writer; notary public
Scrutiner - election judge, examiner
Seinter - girdlemaker
Seler/sellarius - saddler
Serviens - sergeant
Servus - servant
Sevier - sieve-makerSewer - tailor or shoemaker
Sharman/Sherman/Shearman - one who raised the surface of wollen cloth and then
sheared it into a smooth surface, cutter of woolen cloth
Shether - see vaginarius
Shrieve - sheriff
Sifter - sievemaker, one who seperates fine parts from coarse
Sissor/Cissor - tailor
Sizer - one who applies size (gelatinous material-glue) to textiles
Slater - roofer; tiler, hair remover from hides
Slatter - slater (same as hillard)
Slaymaker/Sleymaker - maker of reeds or slays (instruments to part threads in weaving) for
looms
Slopseller - seller of ready-made clothes in a slop shop, loose outer garment
Snobscat/Snob - shoe repairer; cobbler
Soper - soapmaker
Sorter - tailor
Soyor - sawyer
Spicer - grocer
Spinster - unmarried woman; spinner (female)
Spittleman - hospital attendant
Spragger - person who inserts a piece of wood (sprag) between the wheels
of a lorry (truck) to bring it to a standstill
Spurrer/Spurrier - spurmaker
Stabler - ostler, takes care of horses in an inn
Stasyon/Stawsun - probably a stationer
Stokiner - maker or weaver of stockings
Squarewright - carpenter, specifically a furniture maker
Squire - country gentleman; farm owner; justice of peace, knight's attendant
Stuff Gown/Gownsman - junior barrister, a person entitled to wear the gown of his profession
Sugarer - dealer in sugar (grocer?)
Sumner - summoner or apparitor
Supercargo - officer on merchant ship who is in charge of cargo and the commercial concerns
of the ship
Sutler - a peddler who follows an army to sell goods and food to the
soldiers
Tabernarius - taverner; innkeeper
Tannator - tanner; curer of animal hide into leather
Taper - candlewick maker or seller
Tapley - one who puts the tap in an ale cask
Tasker - reaper
Tawer - one who taws (makes hide into leather without the use of tanning)
Teamster - one who drives a team (horses or oxen) for hauling
Teinter - dyer
Tenter - attendant for an engine, machine for stretching cloth
Textor - weaverThatcher - roofer using thatch or straw
Thirdbororough - tithing man or deputy constable
Tinctor - dyer or possibly a painter
Tinker - an itinerant mender and seller of kettles, tin pots and pans
Tipstaff - policeman, bailiff, constable
Todder - fox hunter
Travers - toll bridge collector
Tripper - dancer, tourist
Tucker - cleaner of cloth goods, exhaust, a covering worn over the shoulders by women
Turner - turner of wood (using a lathe) into spindles
Upholder - upholsterer; also a cheapjack and seller of secondhand goods
Vaginarius - sheather; scabbard maker
Venator/Venur - huntsman
Verderer - a Borsholder, Constable. Victualer - tavern keeper, or one who provides an
army, navy, or ship with food supplies, officer in charge of the royal forests
Vitner - wine merchant
Vulcan - blacksmith
Wagoner - teamster not for hire, driver of wagons
Wainwright - wagon maker
Waiter - customs officer or tide waiter; one who waited on the tide to collect duty on goods
brought in
Walker - fuller; cloth trampler or cleaner
Webber/Webster - weaver; loom operator
Wharfinger - owner of a wharf and collects wharfage fees
Wheelwright - builder/repairer of wagon wheels, carriages etc.
Whitcher - maker of chests
Whitesmith - tinsmith; worker of iron who finishes or polishes the work
Whittawer - one who tans skin into white leather
Wonkey-scoop - driver who operates a one horse scoop
Wright - workman, especially a construction worker ie. wheelwright
Yeoman - farmer who owns his own land; freehold farmer
Etienne Elskens, Clinton Twp., MI 48038