Bowyer
A bowyer made and sold bows for archery, a trade that shrank once gunpowder weapons replaced the longbow.
The word comes from Middle English bowyere, from bow. Wiktionary also gives an archaic sense, an archer.
In medieval England professional bowyers produced thousands of bows for the army and could reportedly make an English longbow in as little as two hours. Gunpowder weapons reduced the importance of the trade, though it survives for sport. The arrows were the work of a separate craftsman, the fletcher.
As seen in a recordEnglish apprenticeship and probate records of the 1400s to 1600s
Wm. Ashcombe of London, bowyer
How to cite this page
Daily Ancestor. "Bowyer." Dictionary of Old Record Words. https://dailyancestor.com/dictionary/occupations/bowyer. Last checked 2026-10-12.