Go to the citation to see each of thes jobs pictured in a
woodcut type drawing.

from
https://www.medievalists.net/2023/05/40-jobs-middle-ages/

40 Jobs in the Middle Ages

Want to know what kind of jobs there were in the Middle Ages? A unique
source from the 15th century gives us some beautiful images of medieval
people at work.

Known as the House Books of the Nuremberg Twelve Brothers Foundation,
these were records of a charitable foundation started in the German city
of Nuremberg in 1388. The foundation would assist poor and needy people
by providing them with training to work in a trade.

Starting around 1425 their books would contain one-page illustrations of
the people they had helped, usually giving their names and a short
description of when they lived and what they were doing. Here are forty
examples of medieval jobs from the 15th and early 16th centuries.

1. Butcher

Hans Lengenfelder is cutting meat on a thick table, while other
products, including sausages, are for sale. Butchers would be needed to
prepare meat for many customers, but their profession was one that
created a lot of smell and waste, leading towns to regulate where they
could practice this trade.

2. Baker

Zenner is placing bread to be baked in an oven. Bakers were often
heavily regulated in the Middle Ages, with authorities making sure their
products could even be bought by the poorest people. Click here to learn
more about bread in the Middle Ages.

3. Stonemason

Konrad is using a pickaxe and other tools to work over the stone blocks.
Stonemasons would prepare the materials for construction, whether it be
houses, walls or churches.

4. Weaver

Hans is working on a loom. The making of clothing required several
professions during the Middle Ages, such as the weaving of thread into
cloth.

5. Winemaker

Hans is using a sickle to cut the grapes from the vine. This specialized
type of farming was needed to produce wine.

6. Fisherman

Fritz Richtel is pulling up a net with three fish, while two more traps
hang from a pole. Fishermen in the Middle Ages often used traps and nets
that were placed in rivers or lakes, while others used boats to sail out
into the ocean. See also: Sustainable and Innovative: The Medieval Art
of Fishing

7. Farmer

Reinhold is using a two-handed plough in his fields. Most medieval
people would be employed on farms. They could also do farming in cities
– see Were medieval cities greener? Urban agriculture in the Middle Ages

8. Trumpet Player

Peter is standing in a bell tower and blows the hourly chime. Employed
by city officials, trumpet players would be used to help deliver
messages and signal the time.

9. Shoemaker / Cobbler

Peter Velner sits in his workshop, working on a shoe with a curved
knife. Other leather shoes are on display. Sometimes also known as
cordwainers, they would make much-needed footwear for people.

10. Wheelwright

Thomas Wagner is using a hatchet to work a spoked wheel lying on a
wooden frame. Wagons and carts would often see their wheels get damaged
and need replacing.

11. Roofer

Fritz is standing on a ladder and placing tiles on the roof with the use
of a bucket of mortar and a trowel. This would be one of the trades
involved in building a house or other structure.

12. Locksmith

Albrecht is sitting by his iron anvil with a hammer and a padlock. Doors
and chests would often be protected by locks in the Middle Ages.

13. Tanner

Peter is stepping into a tub to work on an animal’s skin. The process of
turning an animal hide into leather involved having the skin dehaired,
degreased, desalted and soaked in water. It was an occupation that would
be regulated by towns because of the smell and waste it created.

14. Tax Collector

This unnamed man is at a gatehouse and taking payment from a merchant.
Governments needed to collect money and employed people to do so. As one
might expect, this profession was not looked upon kindly by the people
who had to pay taxes.

15. Belt maker

Herman Paumgartdener is using a hacksaw and anvil to punch holes in the
belts. This was another type of specialized clothing maker.

16. Grocer / Merchant

Berthold Uslaunb is selling spices from a table he set up on a barrel.
He holds a pair of scales in his hands to weigh the product. In the
Middle Ages, merchants often focused on selling a particular range of
products, like spices, foods, or second-hand goods.

17. Armourer

Hans Pernecker is polishing various pieces of armour, while other tools
of his trade are spread around his workshop. This profession would need
to have specialized knowledge to make the equipment used by knights and
soldiers.

18. Carpenter

Rudolf Meier has finished the framework for a house. You can see some of
his tools. Carpenters would work with wood to create a range of items,
from the small to the large.

19. Cook

Wilhelm is standing in a kitchen, cooking food on a fire. There are
spoons and jars around him, and a pot hanging from the ceiling. Cooks
could find employment with wealthier households.

20. Blacksmith

Fritz Hufschmied is hammering a red-hot horseshoe on the anvil.
Blacksmiths would commonly be found in smaller villages, where they made
nails, horseshoes, and other everyday metal goods. See also: Medieval
Blacksmiths: More than just a weapons’ maker

21. Servant

Cuntzlin has four keys, wear wooden shoes known as clogs, and sweeps the
floor with a broom. Servants could often be found in wealthy and even
middle-class households, with young people often getting the work in
exchange for room and board. To learn more, please see Who worked as
servants in the Middle Ages?

22. Dyer

Hans Verber works over a long blue cloth with his instruments to rough
up the garment. Another part of the clothing-making process, the dyer
would be responsible for adding colour to the textiles.

23. Goldsmith

Staffelstein the Goldsmith is using a hammer to work a conical cup on
the anvil. Goldsmiths would create higher-end products like jewellery,
usually for the wealthy.

24. Hatmaker

Ulrich Goczseygert with his selection of hats. Like today, in the Middle
Ages one could find a wide range of headwear.

26. Tailor

Ulrich the Tailor works at a table, cutting a piece of green fabric with
a pair of scissors. The tailor would be the final stage in preparing
clothing for people, often creating outfits that were customized for the
buyer. See also: Working in the Middle Ages: The Medieval Clothier

27. Soldier

Konrad Kelner rides a bridled white horse with a lance on his shoulder,
an iron helmet and spurred boots. It was not difficult for men to find
employment serving in an army, and many made their careers as mercenaries.

28. Tinsmith

Konrad Eschenloer is using a hammer and anvil to make a bottle. Four
finished bottles hang above the rail in the display window, on the shelf
below there is a jug with a handle, a bottle without a holder and
another jug ​​with a curved bottom. One can also see large sheets of
sheet metal. Tinsmiths differed from blacksmiths in that they worked
with tin or other light metals that did not need to be heated to be
worked on.

29. Carter / Coachman

Hans Preunlein has his two horses pulling a single-axle cart, which is
carrying a large block of stone. There was always a need in the Middle
Ages for people to transport goods or people from place to place.

30. Spurrier

Andreas Sporer is creating a spur while several others are on display.
This would be a very specialized profession, creating spurs that people
would use while riding horses.

31. Birdcatcher

Paul is wearing camouflage and wields a long clamp trap to catch birds.
Hunting wild animals for food would be another common practice in the
medieval world.

32. Woodcutter

Ulrich Holtzhacker is using an axe to break apart wood, while a neat
pile can be seen in the background. Since there would be many uses for
wood in medieval communities, it would be common to employ people in
cutting down trees and preparing the logs for trade.

33. Painter

Nicholas Kerner is sitting on a stool with a palette in his hand and is
painting a picture of Mary with the Baby Jesus. While one might think
that paintings were made just for upper-class people, there were also
painters who could produce affordable pieces of work.

34. Tavern keeper

Nussel Weinschenck fills a jug with wine from a cask. The hanging sign
above the cask might be there to indicate the origins of the wine. Every
medieval town or city would have inns and taverns to accommodate
visitors or be a place for local people to find food and entertainment.

35. Sacristan

Genskrag stands in the doorway of a church, pulling the rope attached to
the bell. Each church would need several people to maintain and run the
building, including the sacristan.

36. Sadler

Ulrich Schwab sits behind his workbench, working with an awl on a collar
to be used on a draft animal. Some of his other products can also be
seen. A sadler would prepare items to be worn by horses and oxen as they
worked in the fields or were ridden by people.