85 



have Tanner, Skinner, Wooler, Currier, Fellmonger, Glover, and Barker 

 . {i.e. he who attended to the preparation of the bark used in the tanning 

 of leather) ; the Tailor, Draper, Mercer and Flaxman are each represented 

 in our nomenclature ; so are the Waller, Slater, Thatcher, Joiner, 

 Carpenter, Wright, Sawyer, Painter, Nailer, and if we turn to the 

 occupations of rural life we find represented in our directories and news- 

 papers of the present day, the Squii'e, Yeoman, Farmer, Steward, and 

 Bailiff, the Wheeler and Wheelwright, Cai-ter and Cartwright, and Wain- 

 wright, i.e. Wagon wright. If we bear in mind that the more menial 

 occupations were performed by the serfs who were still bought and sold 

 with the glebe, we need be at no loss to understand how it came to pass 

 that each separate duty of the farm had a particular individual assigned 

 to it. There was the Herd, Shepherd, Cowherd (Coward), Calvert (Calf- 

 herd), Stoddart (Stot herd), Coulthard (Colt herd), Cowman, Horsman, 

 Hayward {Hay, hedge and ward, keeper), Hogward (modern Hogarth) and 

 Woodward. We may readily understand, too, how in a district like our 

 own the surname Fisher came to be so widely spread— probably in com- 

 mon with many of those just mentioned, it had several distinct centres of 

 origin — the same may be said of such names as Hunter and Todhunter 

 (so late as the time of Shakspeare the fox was known as the Tod). It 

 woiild be tedious to run through the whole list, therefore I shall close this 

 part of the subject with the commonest of all surnames, that of Smith. 

 Between the years 1838 and 1854, i.e. 17 years, there were registered in 

 England, as born, married or died no less than 286,307 people of the 

 name of ' Smith.' In medieval England it must be remembered that 

 the Smith was an important personage in rural life — our old literature is 

 full of allusions to him. No village could dispense with his services. 

 To worker in iron he added the profession of Cattle Doctor, and upon a 

 l^inch could exercise the art of phlebotomy upon his neighbour. His 

 smithy was then as now a centre of village gossip and village politics. 

 You remember how well the Smith of our days has been drawn by one of 

 the sweetest of living poets :— 



" Behiud the spreading chestnut tree 

 The village smithy stands, 

 The Smith, a mighty man is he 



