Here is an interesting URL from the guild perspective. http://www.tradeshouse.org.uk/associated_trades/wrights/Wrights.asp Depending on the time period the guilds had a lot of say in how someone was classified. Just because this group is not shown in the link above I am giving you the one for the printing guild. http://www.nls.uk/catalogues/resources/sbti/index.html Enjoy! Laura -----Original Message----- >From: Gavin Bell <g.bell@which.net> >Sent: Jan 2, 2010 3:57 AM >To: aberdeen@rootsweb.com >Subject: Re: [ABERDEEN] Occupation Help > >Bill Wood wrote: > > >> I am used to hearing people called "Wheel wrights" and "SHip Wrights" and >> have always assumed it denoted someone with some specific expertise with >> either building wagon wheels or ships. > > >That is perfectly valid in terms of the wider English language, but the >original query concerned the older usage in Scots of the simple term >"wright", and how it related to the English terms "carpenter" or "joiner". > >According to the online "Dictionary of the Scots language"*, a "wright" >or "vricht" is: > >"one who works with wood and woodworking tools, a carpenter or joiner" > >which confirms that it is general term for a worker in wood. > >In this regard, the same dictionary's entry for "joiner" ("jyner" etc) >is also illuminating: > >"A woodworker in gen., not restricted as in Eng. to one who does lighter >or more ornamental work than a carpenter, which word is not native to >Sc. usage. 'Joiner' itself has supplanted the earlier 'Wricht', from >the early 19th c." > > >Gavin Bell > > > >* which combines the wisdom of the "Scottish National Dictionary" and >the "Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue", two major dictionaries >which, in their printed form, occupy about a metre and a half of >shelf-space and are equivalent to the "Oxford English Dictionary" in >scope and authority > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to ABERDEEN-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message