People, leather and a living Glasgow tradition
Shoemaking is part of Glasgow’s story. The Cordiners’ records connect the everyday need for footwear with apprenticeship, civic life and the changing purpose of an incorporated craft. These short introductions offer routes into that history.
A name carried through centuries
Cordiner is the Scots form of cordwainer, meaning a shoemaker. The name recalls the working of fine leather, including the association with Cordovan leather. It survives today in the name of the Incorporation, even though membership no longer depends on working in the trade.
Explore the Scots dictionary entry and read the introduction to the Cordiners.
Learning a craft, earning a place
The historic Incorporation regulated entry to the trade through apprenticeship and maintained standards for goods sold in the burgh. Its 1558 Seal of Cause belongs to that earlier world of craft regulation. Changes in industry and civic life later brought a different role, with charitable work and fellowship taking greater prominence.
Follow the history and timeline.
James Craig: from the Craft to the Trades House
James Craig served as Cordiner Deacon in 1848, 1852 and 1865, and as Deacon Convener of the Trades House in 1853–54. His record illustrates the distinction between leading one Incorporation and holding office in the wider body of Glasgow’s crafts.
Thomas Blyth: a nineteenth-century office-bearer
Thomas Blyth was Deacon of the Cordiners in 1847 and Deacon Convener in 1865–66. His profile brings together the offices and dates recorded in the published sources and offers another way into the history of the Craft’s people.
Read the Thomas Blyth profile.
A shoemaking friendship beyond Glasgow
In June 2024, Deacon David McClements visited Basel’s Shoemakers’ Guild. The visit continued a friendship between craft bodies with a shared interest in shoemaking heritage and fellowship.
Footwear heritage with a present-day purpose
Body and Sole, established in 2017, gives the Cordiners’ footwear connection a practical charitable expression. Working with schools and other partners, it helps children and young people access suitable footwear for sport and outdoor learning.
Have a historical enquiry?
If you are researching a Cordiner, a family connection or a particular record, send the Clerk the name, approximate dates and the sources you already have. That will help distinguish people with similar names and identify the next useful record.
