HARNESSMAKER and SADDLER

Tanners and shoemakers were among the first leather workers in Williamsburg. As the capital grew, the list of tradesmen who worked with leather included coachmakers, breeches makers, bookbinders, upholsterers and glovers.

Leather, readily available both in the colony and from England, was used in a variety of products. Harnessmakers and saddlers found a ready market for their goods, such as cushions for couches, chairs and billiard tables; sword belts, holsters and pistol buckets; leather hoses for a fire engine; razor cases, portmanteaus and trunks; fire buckets; and, of course, saddles and harnesses for horses and vehicles. In their shops, they also sold items imported from England, especially shoes.

Alexander Craig, a successful harnessmaker and saddler, owned a tannery and shop in Williamsburg where he employed four leather workers, indentured servants and slaves.

A saddle cost a month’s wages for a journeyman, but it could last 25–30 years. Few Virginians owned fine carriages and riding horses. Consequently, repair work was a large part of the trade. Harnessmakers often repaired leather goods for other tradesmen as well as for their own customers. For example, they might work on leather bellows for a harnessmaker or make repairs to the leather on carriages and riding chairs for a coach and carriage maker.

For inquiries or purchases please contact Prentis Store at 757-229-1000, Extension 2117 or prentis@cwf.org.