Jobs of the medieval city

Here's a neatly categorized and tantalizing list of medieval urban professions, including the criminal trades.

silk-snatcher – one who steals bonnets

stewsman – probably a brothel keeper – "since the words stew and stewholder both mean a bawd, I'm guessing that a stewsman would be a brothel-keeper as well. Whether bawdry counts as a criminal activity varies at different times and places."

thimblerigger – a professional sharper who runs a thimblerig (a game in which a pea is ostensibly hidden under a thimble and players guess which thimble it is under)

eggler – an egg-merchant

fool


Knifeman – one skilled with a knife; specifically, a soldier trained to disembowel horses


What did people do: in a Medieval City?

(via Kottke)