ut these are more often
local (Chapter XIII). Hellier also meant tiler, for the famous Wat is
described as tiler, tegheler, and hellier.

An Ashburner prepared wood-ash for the Bloomer (Chapter XV), and
perhaps also for the Glaisher, or glass-maker, and Asher is best
explained in the same way, for we do not, I think, add -er to
tree-names. Apparent exceptions can be easily accounted for, e.g.
Elmer is Anglo-Sax. AElfmaer, and Beecher is Anglo-Fr. bechur, digger
(Fr. beche, spade). Neither Pitman nor Collier had their modern
meaning of coal-miner. Pitman is local, of the same class as
Bridgeman, Pullman, etc., and Collier meant a charcoal-burner, as in
the famous ballad of Rauf Colyear. Not much coal was dug in the
Middle Ages. Even in 1610 Camden speaks with disapproval, in his
Britannia, of the inhabitants of Sherwood Forest who, with plenty of
wood around them, persist in digging up "stinking pit-cole."

Croker is for Crocker, a maker of crocks or pitchers. The Miller's
guests only retired to bed--

"Whan that dronken al was in the crowke" (A, 4158)

The spelling has affected the pronunciation, as in Sloper and Smoker
(Chapter III). Tinker is sometimes found as the frequentative
Tinkler, a name traditionally due to his approach being heralded by
the clatter of metal utensils--

"My bonny lass, I work on brass,
A tinkler is my station."

(BURNS, Jolly Beggars, Air 6.)

The maker of saddle-trees was called Fewster, from Old Fr. fust (fut),
Lat. fustis. This has sometimes given Foster, but the latter is more
often for Forster, i.e. Forester--

"An horn he bar, the bawdryk was of grene,
A forster was he soothly as I gesse,"

(A, 116.)

The saddler himself was often called by his French name sellier,
whence Sella', but both this and Sellars are also local, at the
cellars (Chapter III). Pargeter means dauber, plasterer, from Old Fr.
parjeter, to throw over. A Straker made the strakes, or tires, of
wheels. A Stanger made stangs, i.e. poles, shafts, etc.

The fine arts are represented by Limmer, for limner, a painter, an
aphetic form of illumines, and Tickner is perhaps from Dutch tekener,
draughtsman, cognate with Eng, token, while the art of self-defence
has given us the name Scrimgeoure, with a number of corruptions,
including the local-looking Skrimshire. It is related to scrimmage
and skirmish, and ultimately to Ger. schirmen, to fence, lit. to
protect. The name was applied to a professio