Acordwainer (/ˈkɔːrdˌweɪnər/) is ashoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes.[1] Thisusage distinction is not universally observed, as the wordcobbler is widely used for tradespersons who make or repair shoes.[2][3][4]
TheOxford English Dictionary[5] says that the wordcordwainer is archaic, "still used in the names of guilds, for example,the Cordwainers' Company"; but its definition ofcobbler mentions only mending,[5] reflecting the older distinction. Play 14 of theChester Mystery Plays was presented by theguild ofcorvisors, known to mean shoemakers.[6][7]
The termcordwainer entered English ascordewaner(e), from theAnglo-Normancordewaner (fromOld Frenchcordoanier,-ouanier,-uennier, etc.), and initially denoted a worker in cordwain orcordovan, the leather historically produced in MoorishCórdoba, Spain, in the Middle Ages, as well as, more narrowly, a shoemaker.[8] The earliest attestation in English is a reference to "Randolf se cordewan[ere]",ca. 1100.[1][8]
According to theOED, the term is now considered obsolete except where it persists in the name of a trade-guild or company, or where otherwise employed by trade unions.[8]
British tradition distinguishes the termscordwainer andcobbler, restricting cobblers to repairing shoes.[1] In this usage, acordwainer is someone who makes new shoes using new leather, whereas acobbler is someone who repairs shoes.[1] Medieval cordwainers usedcordovan leather for the highest-quality shoes, but cordwainers also used domestically produced leathers and were not solely producers of luxury footwear.
In the historic Londonguild system, the cobblers and cordwainers formed separate guilds,[9] and the cobblers were forbidden by the Mayor of London in 1395 from working in new leather, and cordwainers similarly forbidden to meddle with old shoes. Historically, cobblers also made shoes, but only using old leather recovered from discarded or repaired shoes.[10] Today, many makers ofbespoke shoes will also repair their own work, but shoe repairers are not normally in a position to manufacture new footwear.[citation needed]
InLondon, theguild of theWorshipful Company of Cordwainers historically controlled the occupation of cordwainer. Granted aroyal charter of incorporation in 1439, the Guild had received its first ordinance in 1272.[9] Historically, most of London's cordwainers lived and worked in the ward of theCity of London namedCordwainer.[9]
Until 2000 a Cordwainers' Technical College existed in London. For over a hundred years, the college had been recognised[by whom?] as one of the world's leading establishments for training shoemakers and leather workers. It produced some of the leadingfashion designers, includingJimmy Choo (born 1948) andPatrick Cox (born 1963). In 2000 Cordwainers' College was absorbed into theLondon College of Fashion, the shoe-design and accessories departments of which have become "Cordwainers at London College of Fashion".
In Scotland, in 1722, the cordwainers petitioned "to be incorporated and separated from the shoe-makers or those who make single-soled shoes".[8]
Settlers who sailed to Virginia in 1607 to settle inJamestown included cordwainers. By 1616 the secretary of Virginia reported that the leather- and shoe-trades were flourishing. Christopher Nelme, of England, was the earliest recorded named shoemaker in the American colonies; he sailed to Virginia fromBristol in 1619.[1]
In 1620 thePilgrims landed in Massachusetts near the site of modern Provincetown. Nine years later, in 1629, the first shoemakers arrived, bringing their skills with them.[1]
In 1984 a group of shoemakers and historians founded the Honourable Cordwainers' Company as a modern guild; they drew up its charter in the following year. In 1987 the Company "incorporated as a non-profit, tax-exempt educational organization in the state of Virginia, the home of America's first shoemakers", and was granted official status through recognition by The Master of The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers, London, England.[11]
The early settlers of Canada also included cordwainers. On 14 June 1749, the newly appointed Lieutenant Governor ofNova Scotia,Edward Cornwallis, arrived offChebucto Head, Nova Scotia in the sloop-of-warHMSSphinx with the objective ofestablishing the settlement now calledHalifax. By 27 June, thirteen transport-ships following theSphinx reachedthe harbour with the initial 2,576 British settlers – among them nineteen cordwainers.[12]
{{cite book}}:ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
