A DRUNKSHIP OF
COBBLERS
Drunkship, meaning a group of drunken people, has
fallen into disuse in modern times but is surely ripe for
a resurgence. Lexicologist John Kersey’s A New English
Dictionary, published in 1702, was the first dictionary
of the English language to include words in common
usage, in addition to the ‘difficult’ words that previous
dictionaries had made their focus. He defines drunkship
as ‘a drunken company’.
Cobblers in medieval England were at the lower
end of the tradesman’s pecking order; their job was
simply to repair shoes, making them the poorer cousin
of the shoemaker, or cordwainer, who designed and
made the shoes. The reason for cobblers to have been
singled out from amongst the other lowlier trades as
being particularly prone to drunkenness is lost to the
annals of time, but it’s safe to assume that they were
representative of the working tradesman of the day and
therefore probably enjoyed a drink or two once their
week’s’ work was done.
In fact, though, like most medieval members of
the lower classes, cobblers would have drunk ale on a
daily basis as part of their normal fluid intake. Water
couldn’t be trusted as a means of hydration because
of the difficulties of keeping it clean. In towns and
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cities the water supply doubled as a sewerage system
and diseases like typhoid were widespread and justly
feared. Instead, the rich drank wine and the poor drank
ale. These were watered down for daily use, and were
consumed by everyone, with every meal. Children were
given ale after they turned five. For the under-fives milk
was favoured and ale was avoided, but only because it
might have curdled the milk.
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