Cordwainer "cobbler" have often been considered not interchangeable, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes. In this usage, a "cordwainer" is someone who makes new shoes using new leather, where as a "cobbler" is someone who repairs shoes. Medieval cordovan leather was used for the highest quality shoes, but cordwainers also used domestically produced leathers and were not solely producers of luxury footwear. In the historic London guild system, the cobblers and cordwainers were separate guilds, and the cobblers were forbidden from working in new leather. Historically, cobblers also made shoes, but only using old leather
Cordwainer Virginia, the home of America's first shoemakers”, and was granted official status through recognition by The Master of The Worshipful Company of Cordwainers, London, England. Cordwainers were also among the early settlers of Canada. On 14 June 1749, the newly appointed Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, Edward Cornwallis, arrived off Chebucto Head, Nova Scotia in the sloop-of-war HMS "Sphinx" with the objective of establishing what is now Halifax. By 27 June, the thirteen transport ships following the "Sphinx" reached the harbour with the initial 2576 British settlers; among them were nineteen cordwainers. Cordwainer A cordwainer () is a shoemaker who