curryer

Curryer is a historical occupational term for a person who curries hides, i.e., finishes leather by applying oils, waxes, and other treatments to make it pliable, durable, and water-resistant. In traditional tanneries, a curryer would prepare and condition leather after tanning, rubbing, pounding, and applying lubricants and finishes to set the grain and improve suppleness. The job is closely related to the trade known as currier; curryer is a variant spelling found in older records and in some dialects. The term appears in English-language sources from the early modern period onward, often alongside currier as the more common form.

In addition to the occupational sense, Curryer is a surname of English origin. Surname forms often derive from the trade (the currier who finished leather) or from place names, and may be found in genealogical records in England and the English-speaking world.

Today, leather finishing has largely professionalized under job titles such as leather finisher or currying specialist within modern tanneries. The term curryer is mainly encountered in historical contexts, archival documents, or in discussions of traditional leathercraft. It can also be found in spelling variants such as curryer and currier, depending on region and period.

See also: currier, leather finishing, leatherwork, tanning.