Sandra You're correct. Cordwainers worked primarily with Cordovan Spanish leather and produced not only shoes but other objects from Cordovan leather, such as leather bottles. However, over time the term became synonymous with shoemaking in general. Regards Ed -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Sandra J Smith Sent: 27 April 2007 23:20 To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ENG-HANTS] Shoemakers, Bootmakers and Cordwainders Hi Chris & Caroline, I always understood that a Cordwainer was a worker of Cordovan leather who made all sorts of leather articles from that material, not just shoes. It came to be used as another term for a shoemaker, but in fact was far more highly skilled job. Regards Sandra