Surname Origins, Their Source and Significations (1875)

baked and glazed clay, and reserved for the ruder requirements of the household. Our 'Stephen le Crockers' and 'John le Crokers' (P. W.) — for both forms then as now are found — made simply the glazed crock, or ' crouke,' as Chaucer has it, used for holding butter or milk or such like store — vessels, in fact, re-served for the scullery or the pantry rather than the parlour or hall. John de Trevisa, writing in 1387, says in his description of Britain: 'There is also white clay, and red for to make of crokkes, and steenes (stone jars) and other vessels.' The same may be said of our' Jarmans.' Most of our domestic utensils, therefore, if not of wood or clay, were made of metal, and this generally of a mixed kind. 'Henry le Brasour' or' Robert le Brazur,' now' Brazier' or' Brasher,'worked in brass;' Thomas le Latoner,' or 'William le Latoner,' in latten or bronze;t while a mixture of lead and tin fully employed the wits and hands of . our 'Pewters,'Pewtrers; and ' Founders.'2We must not suppose

1 'Founders, laten-workers, and broche-makers.' ( Cocke Lorelle's Bote.)

2 A law passed in the first year of Richard II. forbids halfpennies and farthings to be melted for vessels or other things, on pain of forfeiting the money so melted and the imprisonment of the founder — 'surpeine de forfaitre del monoie founder et imprisonement del foundour.' (Stat. Realm.) The 'founder,' as his name implies, melted down the metal, and then poured it (fundere) into the mould. We still speak familiarly of a foundry; but the term ' founder' as a worker therein is now, I believe, obsolete. Such names, however, as 'Robert le Fundour' or 'John le Funder,' whose descendants are still with us, show that this was once in common use. As an additional proof that they were formerly more distinctively engaged in the manufacture of pots and vessels, we may state that in the York Pageant, elsewherespoken of, the 'Pewterers' and ' Founders' marched together. Speaking of Founder,' we are reminded of 'Alefounder.'In 1374 William Alefounder was Rector of Bichamwell. (Hist. Norf., vii. 295.) The alefounder took his name from his duty as an inspector, appointed by the Court Leet, of assizing and supervising the brewing of malt liquor. He examined it as it was poured out. Thus ' fundere,'and not ' fun-dare,' is its root. Another name he bore was that of 'ale-conner.'A poem of James the First's reign says

'A nose he had that gan show,

What liquor he loved I trow;

For he had before long ' 'seven yeare,

Been of the towne the ale-conner."'

SURNAMES OF OCCUPATION (TOWN).

therefore, that 'John le Discher' or 'Robert le Disshere ' (with their once feminine partner, 'Margaretla Disheress '), and 'Ranulf le Poter' or 'Adam le Potter' or 'Thomas Potman,'1 laboured after the modern style. The' disher' all but invariably worked in pewter,2and the 'potter,' if not in the same, could only resort to common clay as an alternative. 'Calisher' is probably the old ' le Calicer' or 'Chalicer.' The more modern spelling is found in the London Records, in 1310, where mention is made of 'Ralph de Chichestre, Chalicer.' The 'chalice ' has now, however, allied itself so entirely with the sacra-mental office of our Church that it is hard to regard it in the light of an ordinary utensil. As a trade-sign a chalice would be readily conspicuous, and to this we owe, no doubt, our 'Challis's' and 'Challices.'

While speaking, however, of drinking vessels, I must perforce allude to the horner. I need not remind my reader how many are the descendants of such a

1 The following entry appears in the Ames of Exchequer: ' 201. paid to John le Discher, of London, for him and his companions to provide plates, dishes, and saltsellers for the coronation.'(i Ed. II.)

2 As an illustration of the use to which the art of working in pewter was put, we may instance one of the ' Richmondshire Wills' in which the following articles of this mixture are bequeathed: ' iij basyns, ij uers, one doson plait trenchers, one brode charger, iiij potigers, xxtie platters, x dishes, and vj sausers.' (Surtees Soc. )