"Panyerman"

[Knight-Sunderland]

Hello,

I came across this description in a 1607 baptism record in County Durham. I have no idea what it means and Google hasn't been particularly helpful!

The baptism states: "25 Nov 1607 Dorothy Craw, of Stranton, daughter of John Craw (panyerman)"

Has anyone come across anything similar, and know what it means?

Thanks

Jack

[BumbleB]

A Dictionary of Old Trades, Titles and Occupations -

Pannierman = Traveller/salesman/carrier with horse or donkey carrying either his own or other people's goods.

[ShaunJ]

Other sources say that a pannierman was a fishmonger

http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/p.html


https://yorkshiredictionary.york.ac.uk/words/pannierman

[Knight-Sunderland]

Thank you both for your responses!

As he was in Durham and not Yorkshire I'm guessing he is more likely to be the salesman type.

Thanks ever so much.

Jack

[BumbleB]

Actually, he could be either - Stranton is near Hartlepool, so on/near the coast 

[JenB]

Other sources say that a pannierman was a fishmonger

http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/p.html


https://yorkshiredictionary.york.ac.uk/words/pannierman

There are also references to panniermen in the English Dialect Dictionary.
It says that the word pannierman was associated in Yorkshire with the fishing industry and that the word was gradually corrupted from pannierman to pannyman and panyerman

Detail here  https://archive.org/details/englishdialectdi04wrig/page/418 (starts bottom l-h column of r-h page)

As he was in Durham and not Yorkshire I'm guessing he is more likely to be the salesman type.

You could argue that Stranton wasn't at all far from Yorkshire and close to the sea, so it could equally have been associated with fishing 

[Viktoria]

 Pannier is a large basket of the sort which would be loaded both sides of a horse or donkey,so he  would  have been a sort of travelling salesman of his day.
Any commodity ,fish, haberdashery,bread ,etc.
The first definition posted is correct,in that it is a general term for anyone who earns their living in that way.
Viktoria.

[JenB]

The first definition posted is correct,in that it is a general term for anyone who earns their living in that way.

Have you read the definition in the Dialect Dictionary? It's quite clear frrom this that a panyerman was a Yorkshire term for someone buying fish direct from the fishermen and then loading it into panniers to bring in inland for sale.

As the baptism was in Stranton which is by the sea and pretty close to north Yorkshire I'd have thought it's equally likely that this person was a fishmonger? (as BumbleB has also said)

Actually, he could be either - Stranton is near Hartlepool, so on/near the coast 

[Viktoria]

No,Idid not look it up as I am familiar with the term from my days in rural
Shropshire when  older folk would describe the “ mobile shop” of the man who when I was there had graduated to a pony and cart .
Previously he would have been a Pannierman but with only one basket on his back.
(I have not seen the spelling used in the post,with the y,but only as I know it but as you say this is a dialect word there will be regional variations of course,either that or a spelling error.)

 He could get to the very isolated cottages that way.
The very remote and almost inaccessible dwellings had by then ( when I was there 1940’s)been deserted so he could get to the  more accessible ones by  pony and cart.
He sold cotton, needles,elastic,buttons etc and a few patent medicines.
Later he had a very varied stock.
Known as “——— the shop”.
Viktoria.