Meaning
A skilled craftsman who made and repaired barrels, casks, tubs and other wooden containers.
Description
Coopers were essential tradespeople in any economy that relied on wooden containers for storing and transporting food, drink, gunpowder, fish, tar and countless other goods. The craft required considerable skill in selecting and preparing timber staves, bending them into shape with heat and binding them with iron or wooden hoops. Different types of cooper specialised in different products — a wet cooper made watertight casks for liquids while a dry cooper made containers for dry goods. The trade declined with the introduction of metal and later plastic containers.
Also Known As
Wet Cooper, Dry Cooper, Hooper
Commonly Found In
- Census Returns
- Trade Directories
- Apprenticeship Records
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