Etymology and Name
– The word ‘cooper’ is derived from Middle Dutch or Middle Low German ‘kūper’ meaning cask.
– A cooper produces wooden casks, barrels, vats, buckets, tubs, and troughs from timber staves.
– The trade of cooperage is the origin of the surname Cooper.
– The term ‘cooperage’ refers to everything a cooper produces.
– The cooper trade has influenced surnames in various countries including Lithuania, Latvia, Armenia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Romania, Ukraine, Russia, Yiddish, Portugal, Spain, Bulgaria, Macedonia, Croatia, Slovene, and Italy.
– The English surname Hooper is derived from the profession of fitting hoops around barrels or buckets.
– The facility where casks are made is called a cooperage.
History and Antiquity
– Coopers have traditionally made wooden vessels such as casks, barrels, buckets, tubs, and troughs.
– Coopers have been skilled craftsmen since ancient times, with evidence of cooperage found in ancient Egypt, Babylon, and Europe.
– Roman coopers were independent tradesmen, passing their skills on to their sons.
– Barrels were used for military purposes, such as hurling burning tar into towns or making pontoon bridges.
– Ancient Egyptian wall paintings dating back to 2600 BC depict wooden tubs made of staves and bound with hoops.
– Palm-wood casks were used in ancient Babylon, and buckets and casks from 200 BC have been found in European lake villages.
– Pliny the Elder attributed the origin of cooperage in Europe to the Gauls, who stored beverages in wooden casks bound with hoops.
– The Greek geographer Strabo mentioned the use of pitch-lined casks to preserve wine.
– Coopers in Anglo-Saxon Britain made wooden barrels for storing ale, butter, honey, and mead.
– Churns, buckets, and tubs made from staves have been found in peat bogs and lake villages in Europe.
Coopers’ Work for Breweries
– Coopers made large wooden vats for beer brewing.
– They also made strong wooden kegs for shipping beer to retailers.
– Beer kegs had to withstand the pressure of fermenting liquid and rough handling during transportation.
– Wooden containers were largely replaced by plastics and other materials.
– In the 21st century, coopers still assemble casks for the wine and spirits industry.
Traditional Cooperage Techniques
– Staves were heated to make them easier to bend.
– Slightly toasted stave interiors impart a desirable flavor to wine or spirits.
– The trade of master cooper is dwindling in England.
– Scotland has several active cooperages serving the whisky industry.
– The last remaining master cooper in England is believed to work for Theakston Brewery.
Coopers’ Organizations and Trade Decline
– Coopers started to organize as early as 1298.
– The Worshipful Company of Coopers is one of the oldest Livery Companies in London.
– The coopers trade flourished in the United States prior to the mid-20th century.
– A dedicated trade journal, the National Coopers Journal, was published in the United States.
– Plastics, stainless steel, pallets, and corrugated cardboard replaced most wooden containers in the 20th century. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper_(profession)
A cooper is a person trained to make wooden casks, barrels, vats, buckets, tubs, troughs and other similar containers from timber staves that were usually heated or steamed to make them pliable.
Journeymen coopers also traditionally made wooden implements, such as rakes and wooden-bladed shovels. In addition to wood, other materials, such as iron, were used in the manufacturing process. The trade is the origin of the surname Cooper.
