Nineteenth century genealogical records often reveal an ancestor to working as a shoemaker, or cordwainer. But where does this work originate, and what was the difference between a cobbler and a shoemaker?
The term cobbler originally applied only to those repairing footwear, rather than boot or shoemakers. The term for a shoemaker was more usually cordwainer, which was taken from the Spanish word cordovan, a goatskin leather produced in Cordova, in Spain. Mechanised large scale production of shoes began in the 1850's which began the decline of the shoemaking craft.
