The history of The Cooper

Cooperage is an ancient trade, with The Worshipful Company of Coopers having been in existence since the 11th century. There are four types of cooper. The dry or slack cooper made casks that were used to ship dry goods such as tobacco, fruit and vegetables. The dry-tight cooper made casks to keep dry goods in and moisture out such as gunpowder and flour. The white cooper made straight containers to hold water and other liquids. The wet cooper made casks for long term storage and shipping of liquids. Every village used to have at least one cooper, usually a white cooper who would also do some wet work as well, working alongside the blacksmith. Other coopers worked for breweries or as journeymen. The Navy employed its own coopers on its ships. A physically demanding, as well as skilful craft, a cooper would have been, and still is, a relatively strong, fit man.