Farrier
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Le Maréchal-ferrant | The Farrier
A French farrier ("Traité de la ferrure," drawing by Le Carpentier appearing in the 1772 Cours d'hippiatrique, ou traité complet de médecine des chevaux, Wikimedia Commons).
The occupation of maréchal-ferrant, or farrier, is well over 3,000 years old. The farrier was in charge of putting irons on horses and draft animals. This included the trimming and balancing of horses' hooves and the placing of shoes on their hooves. He needed blacksmith skills (fabricating, adapting, and adjusting metal shoes), as well as some veterinary skills (knowledge of the anatomy and physiology of the animals’ lower limbs). The farrier used a ferretier (a kind of hammer) and anvil to give reddened irons a shape adjusted to the feet of the animal. Normally working in a half-squat position, he needed good physical strength to lift and hold the legs of the animal in place.
In New France, the farrier was an iron craftsman working alongside locksmiths, gunsmiths, nailers, cutlers, edge-tool makers and blacksmiths, each practising their specialized trade. Fast forward to the beginning of the 19th century, most occupations related to iron were amalgamated into one: the ironworker.
Deriving from this occupation, the surnames Maréchal and Maréschal still exist in Canada today.
"The Flemish Farrier," 1822 lithograph print by Théodore Gericault, Wikimedia Commons.
Learn about the occupation of the modern-day farrier
Known persons who had this occupation: Gabriel Robert Dufour, John Graves, Jacques Labrecque, Jean-Paul Lavigne, Simon Moss, Edward Muckle and Henry Salge.
Sources:
Jean-Claude Dupont, "Blacksmithing," The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada (https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/blacksmithing), article published 6 Feb 2006; last edited 4 Mar 2015.
Claude Lemay, "Fonctions et métiers délaissés," l'Ancêtre, number 281, volume 34, winter 2008, and number 280, volume 34, winter 2007; digital edition, Société généalogique de Québec (www.sgq.qc.ca/images/_SGQ/R_LAncetre_plus_libre/ENT-FONCTIONS-METIERS-DELAISSES.pdf).