Some suggestions off the top of my head: Me equals master , abbreviated form of maitre , So Maitre orphevre equals master goldsmith ( in Paris there's the Quai des Orfevres , named after them ) Vittrier equals glazier Substitut equals substitute - depending on context it could mean different occupations Escuyer - meaning will depend on the date - it's the same as the English word squire , but the meaning will be very date dependent. Comments from real experts welcomed <grin> Robert Hillier PS I omit accents - they seem to come out as weirdities via email