Occupation "Sherman" in 1599

[ElizabethHerts]

My ancestor William Dymes lived in the parish of St Mary, Guildford, Surrey and for all his children's baptisms he is described as a "Sherman". Several other people on each page are also described in the same manner.

I have seen that it can mean a person who shears sheep, but that wouldn't be a full-time occupation and I feel it must mean something else. Even in those days, Guildford would have been a town of a reasonable size.

Any suggestions, please? This description goes way into the 1600s.

http://interactive.ancestry.co.uk/4790/40761_312033-00096/744916?backurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.co.uk% 2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3dSurreyEarly%26gss%3dsfs28_ms_ r_db%26new%3d1%26rank%3d1%26msgdy%3d1647%26msgdy_x %3d1%26msgdp%3d10%26msgpn__ftp%3dGuildford%252c%2b Surrey%252c%2bEngland%26msgpn%3d87736%26msgpn_PInf o%3d8-%257c0%257c0%257c3257%257c3251%257c0%257c0%257c0%2 57c5286%257c87736%257c0%257c%26MSAV%3d1%26uidh%3dh o3&ssrc=&backlabel=ReturnSearchResults#?imageId=40761_31203 3-00028

[kiterunner]

I found someone's family tree online which says about their ancestor who appeared in the same register at about the same time:
In several christening records, the father's occupation is given as 'sherman' (i.e.shearman, one who trims cloth in tailoring), and inothers as 'clothier.
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bowyer-233

[kiterunner]

This history of Guildford says that a lot of people there worked in the wool and cloth trades at that time:
http://www.localhistories.org/guildford.html

[Langley Vale Sue]

My 3x G Grandfather was a She(a)rman in 1841 and in 1851 his occupation was 'Cloth worker, scribler'. This was in Trowbridge, Wiltshire where there was a large number of cloth manufacturers and workers.

[Merry]

A cloth shearer (shearman, sherman) trims the nap from newly woven fabrics:

http://trowbridgemuseum.co.uk/raising-shearing-and-pressing/

[ElizabethHerts]

Thanks, everyone. Really interesting - I noted there were a lot of clothiers about too.

The vicar for this parish deserves a posthumous pat on the back for giving mother's names and father's occupation, not something you often see in the early registers.

[ElizabethHerts]

A cloth shearer (shearman, sherman) trims the nap from newly woven fabrics:

http://trowbridgemuseum.co.uk/raising-shearing-and-pressing/

Merry, this article is very useful. Many thanks!

[Phoenix]

The cloth industry was very important in Guildford at the time. Somewhere I have a little book of Guildford freemen, which gives occupations. I've never used the municipal records, which I assume are at the Surrey History Centre, but they seem to be very detailed, by the odd references made to them.

[ElizabethHerts]

Phoenix, that is very interesting. I was born at Guildford and one branch of my mother's family seems to have been there back to the start of the PRs. It was almost my second home when I was growing up. I'll have to pay another to the Surrey History Centre as I have a lot of unfinished business there.