Middlemen in English Business 217 



ness increased with the growth of Smithfield and the other London 

 markets for live stock. 



The tanned leather was disposed of to the "leather-dressers at 

 Leaden Hall." The dressers sold their product to the "leather 

 sellers." These latter were shopkeepers, and in some measure whole- 

 salers, requiring considerable capital. During the first half of the 

 eighteenth century a new middleman arose called "leather-cutter." 

 Formerly the shoemaker "bought his Leather in Skins or half Hides 

 from the Dresser, and cut out his Work himself; but the Number of 

 poor Shoe Makers, who (were) . . . not able to lay out more 

 money at once than the Price of Materials for a Pair of Shoes (gave) 

 Rise to this Branch. They cut out their Leather in Soals and Upper- 

 Leathers . . . according to the several sizes, and (sold) 

 it to the necessitous Shoe-Maker."' The rise of this middleman 

 illustrates both the function of the jobber and the advantage a system 

 of credit in a trade may effect. 



Conclusion. 



In summary, the most important economic movements in the live- 

 stock and meat trade during the century under particular study were 

 in the direction of greater intricacy of technique and in the direction of 

 greater freedom of operation. The jobber differentiated from the 

 drover; the salesman from the jobber; and the carcass from the cutting 

 butcher. Business flowed more fully through the hands of the sales- 

 man. The complete failure of all legislation restraining the trade was 

 most pronounced; the drover's license system, the prohibition of 

 salesmen acting as factors for jobbers, and of carcass butchers acting 

 as jobbers of live stock and meats, the prohibitions against the jobbers' 

 forestalling and regrating, the abolition of drovers in the vicinity of 

 London — one and all failed miserably: freedom was only realized by 

 over-riding such restraining legislation. 



1 Campbell, 216-7. 



