Glossary

Almshouse: A house built originally by a charitable person or organization for poor people to live in. In 1773, the Boston Almshouse was located at the corner of Beacon and Park streets and consisted of two additional structures: a prison and a workhouse.
Artificer: Skilled artisans and mechanics who, as part of their military duties, maintained and crafted military equipment, ensuring it was in good working order so the troops could operate effectively. Typically, artificers were drafted from soldiers who worked in a trade prior to enlistment. Artificer tailors, blacksmiths, and masons are common examples.
Blacksmith: Skilled craftsman who worked with iron and other metals, shaping them into useful objects by heating and hammering them on an anvil. They were essential to colonial communities large and small, providing tools, weapons, household items, and agricultural implements.
Block and Tackle: A combination of ropes and pulleys on a ship used for lifting heavy objects. Similar modern terminology is “rope and pulley.”
Boston Independent Company: Originally the Governor’s Company of Cadets, this military organization formed of prominent members of Bostonian society. The group disbanded in 1774 but reformed in 1776 after the Evacuation of Loyalists from Boston, rebranding as the Boston Independent Company. Their purpose was to defend the town of Boston.
Boston Massacre: a deadly confrontation between Brutish soldiers and Bostonian colonists which occurred on March 5, 1770. As part of the British enforcement of the Townshend Acts, a garrison of British soldiers occupied Boston. Tensions that had been building throughout 1770 which had already resulted in the death of young boy and the destruction of property had finally reached a breaking point. A confrontation between a loyalist and a patriot escalated until the State House was surrounded by protesters harassing and taunting the British soldiers on guard. The soldiers fired their weapons into the crowd, killing face and injuring six others.
Boston Port Bill: Also known as the Boston Port Act, this law was passed by the British Parliament in 1774 as one of the Coercive or Intolerable Acts. The law closed the Port of Boston to all shipping until the colonists paid for the tea destroyed during the Boston Tea Party. The port closure aimed to reinforce Parliments authority and reign in descent by crippling the local economy, but it ultimately brought the colonies closer together in their opposition.
Boycott: The combined effort of a group of people to refuse to buy or sell goods from a merchant, shop, or country. Patriots in Boston led a boycott against goods that were being taxed by Parliament. Boycotts were commonly used to protest the Townshend and Tea Acts.
Carpenter: Skilled tradesperson who worked with wood to construct and repair buildings, ships, furniture, and other structures. They were essential for building homes, public buildings, particularly with the frames, flooring, siding, and roofing. Unlike a housewright which focuses on a construction project from start to finish, carpenters only worked on the wooden construction phase.
Carver: Skilled craftsman who created decorative elements using wood or stone. These decorative features could be for buildings, furniture, or specialized objects such as a ship’s figurehead or tailboard.
Caucus: An informal political club where members of a movement or political party meet to agree on common positions/policies. Caucus Clubs were influential in Revolutionary Boston, with The Boston Caucus forming in 1719. In 1773, the three prominent caucuses were the North End Caucus, Middle Caucus, and South End Caucus, each representing their neighborhoods.
Caulker: Skilled craftsman responsible for the process of ‘caulking’ ships. This process would seal the seams of a ship, typically with melted pitch or tar, to prevent water from entering and to keep the underlaying material of the ship from rotting.
Coercive Acts: Also known as the Intolerable Acts, these were laws passed by the British Parliament in 1774 to punish Boston after the Boston Tea Party. There were five Acts in total: The Boston Port Act, Massachusetts Government Act, Administration of Justice Act, Quartering Act, and Quebec Act.
Committee of Correspondence: Emergency provisional political entities set up in the American colonies in response to British policies leading up to the Revolutionary War. The exchange of ideas, information, and debate between different committees of correspondence helped organize and mobilize resistance in communities throughout the colonies.
Consignees: A consignee is the person or entity designated to receive a shipment of goods. In a consignment contract, the consignee takes care of the goods and sells them. In the case of the Tea Act, the consignees for the shipment of East India Company tea to Boston were Benjamin Faneuil, Joshua Winslow, Elisha Hutchinson, Thomas Hutchinson III, Jonathan Clarke, Richard Clarke, and Isaac Clarke.
Cooper: Skilled craftsman who made and repaired wooden containers, primarily barrels, casks, buckets, and tubs. These vessels were essential for the storing and transportation of both liquid and dry goods. This necessity made coopers an important craft in 18th century society.
Cordwainer: Skilled artisan who constructed new shoes from new leather commonly referred to as a ‘shoemaker.’ They are distinct from cobblers who repair existing footwear. Cordwainers were more refined in their trade. 18th century Boston had an above-average number of cordwainers making the skill pretty common.
Customs Official: A person who has been appointed by the Government of the city or colony to enforce the rules and laws of the ports.
Distiller: A tradesperson who fermented ingredients such as sugar, molasses, etc. to create spirits such as whiskey, brandy, and rum. Boston was one of the highest producers of rum in the colonies.
Derrick: A mechanism for lifting and moving heavy items, often out of ship holds. It received its name from 17th century executioner Thomas Derrick who was known as a prolific hangman in London’s gallows.
East India Company: Also known as the ‘United East India Company,’ was a British company that traded goods from many different parts of the world that evolved into a powerful political organization, with many Parliament officials being members of the company or otherwise influenced. In 1773, Parliament granted the East India Company a monopoly on the sale of tea in the American Colonies through the Tea Act.
Fireward/Fire Warden: A person responsible for addressing fire emergencies in colonial towns. Boston was large enough to have multiple wards and had a notorious history of fires, resulting in many residents of varying professions volunteering to become firewards.
French and Indian War: Also known as the Seven Years War, this was a conflict fought primarily between the French and the British encompassing large territories across the world. To many, this series of conflicts is considered the first global war. The war in North America was fought from 1754-1763. Both sides utilized alliances with Native American tribes in their campaigns. Ultimately the British would win the war, forcing France to cede much of its over sea’s colonies, including French Canada.
General Court: The legislature of Massachusetts, both as a colony and eventually as a state. As a colony, the General Court was the assembly responsible for creating laws for the colony of Massachusetts that would be passed to the Governor’s Council and the Royal Governor. The Intolerable Acts of 1774 would disband this body. When Massachusetts became an independent state, the name General Court remained the official title of the two-body state legislature.
Griffin’s Wharf: The wharf in southern Boston which became the focal point of the tea crisis in 1773. This is due to the docking of the ships Dartmouth, Eleanor, and Beaver at that wharf. Ultimately this is where the Boston Tea Party occurred on December 16, 1773.
Hancock’s Cadets: Formally known as the First Corps of Cadets, the military organization formed in 1741 as a ceremonial guard of sorts to the Royal Governor. They would meet with dignitaries, protect the governor, and act as the official militia of Boston. The group was made up of some of the most influential names in Boston, such as John Hancock, who both served and later became leader of the Cadets. Governor Thomas Hutchinson appointed Hancock to the rank of Colonel in April 1772. The group would serve until August 1774 when then Governor Thomas Gage removed Hancock as leader of the Cadets. The remaining militia would resign in protest.
Housewright: Skilled craftsman responsible for the construction and repair of houses, primarily wooden ones similar to house carpenters. However, housewrights were involved in all aspects of construction, from cutting timber to assembling the final structure. They often worked with subcontractors for other specialized tasks such as masonry and painting.
Hogrieve: an elected town officer, particularly in colonial New England, responsible for managing stray livestock, especially hogs, which could damage crops. The role involved capturing wandering animals, often taking them to a town pound, and ensuring owners paid fines to reclaim their animals and cover damages.
Leather Dresser: Artisan responsible for transforming tanned hides and skins into finished leather products. This included adding pigments to color the leather, buffing and smoothing the leather surface, or employing techniques that would soften or strengthen the leather.
Liberty Tree: A large elm tree in Boston’s South End near the Common that served as a symbol of colonial protest against British rule. It was the meeting place the Loyal Nine used for their protest of the Stamp Act in August 1765. The name “Liberty Tree” was used following this event. The tree would be cut down in August 1775 by Loyalists.
Mariner: Professional sailor, a person who navigates or assists in navigating ships. The term is often used to express an amount of expertise and experience at sea and can refer to sailors of all ranks. It is also used as a more formal term for ‘sailor.’
Mason: Skilled craftsman who utilized tools and techniques to shape stone for the construction of buildings and structures.
Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association: Established in 1795 at the Green Dragon Tavern in Boston, this organization was “formed for the sole purpose of promoting the mechanic arts and extending the practice of benevolence.” The group sought to innovate mechanical arts. The first Chairman of the association was Paul Revere.
Massachusetts Charitable Mechanics Association: Established in 1795 at the Green Dragon Tavern in Boston, this organization was “formed for the sole purpose of promoting the mechanic arts and extending the practice of benevolence.” The group sought to innovate mechanical arts. The first Chairman of the association was Paul Revere.
Long Room Club: The Long Room Club is a mysterious political organization supposedly founded by Samuel Adams in 1762, with many influential Bostonian Whigs as its members. The only contemporary source for the club’s existence is a memoir written by Hannah Mather Crocker between 1822-1829. The source was used by Samuel A. Drake in his book Old Landmarks and Historic Personages of Boston (1873). Many modern historians believe this club to be a myth, a combination of various other political organizations that existed in Boston at the time including the Caucus Clubs, Loyal Nine, and Freemasons.
Matross: A soldier in an artillery crew who assisted the gunner. The duties included: loading the gun, firing the gun, sponging the gun, and moving the gun. These tasks are essential for the successful loading and firing of the cannon.
Merchant: A person responsible for the wholesale of foreign trade, particularly in seaport cities like London and Boston. They played a crucial role in the colonial American economy by importing and exporting goods, often from Great Britain but occasionally through smuggling.
Meetings of the Body of the People: A gathering of groups of people within a community to discuss, deliberate, and make decisions on matters of public concern. Prior to the Boston Tea Party, Meetings of the Body of the People were held both at Fanuel Hall and Old South Meeting House. Unlike Town or General Court meetings, one did not need to be a landowner to attend these meetings.
Navigation Acts: A series of Acts passed by the British Parliament between 1651 and 1733 that regulated colonial trade to maximize profit from the colonies back to England. These Acts also restricted colonial trade with other nations. This led to smuggling becoming a more common practice by colonial merchants in cities such as Boston.
Non-Importation Agreements: A collective decision by people, often of the merchant class, to refuse to import certain goods from a specific county, usually as a form of protest against their country’s policies. In the 18th century, this tactic was used by colonial merchants to boycott the Townshend Acts and Tea Act passed by Parliament.
Oath of Residents: The Oath of Residents required each person living in any town under English law to swear an oath of loyalty to their local government officials, thereby swearing an oath to Royal Government, and by extension, the Crown.
Parliament: A group of people who make laws for a country. In Great Britain, Parliament made laws for both British subjects and the colonists in overseas holding such as America, India, and Canada. The Parliament consisted of two chambers: The House of Commons and the House of Lords. Though in 1773 “Prime Minister” was not an official title, Lord Fredrick North is often seen as the head of Parliament.
Rigger: A Skilled tradesperson who specialized in fitting, maintaining, and repairing a ship’s rigging. This was an essential part of Boston’s maritime economy. Riggers could be found on wharfs, shipyards, and crewmembers aboard a ship.
Ropewalk: A long, narrow pathway or building where ropes were manufactured by laying out long strands of material, then twisting them together to form rope. These structures were essential for the creation of large ropes necessary for ships.
Selectman: Elected officials responsible for the administration of local or colonial government, particularly in colonial New England. In the 18th century, Selectmen had to be white, landowning, men in good standing.
Sons of Liberty: A group of Patriots in the American colonies that protested against the authority of King George III and Parliament.
Stamp Act: A law passed by Parliament in 1765 that taxed legal documents, paper goods, playing cards, and dice. This act was so universally hated that it led to widespread protests and riots in colonial America resulting in its quick repeal.
Stamp Act Riots: A series of violent protests and demonstration by American colonists against the Stamp Act of 1765. Boston was one of the largest centers of rioting with many participants of the Boston Tea Party participating in.
Sugar Act: A law passed by Parliament in 1764 that taxed sugar, molasses, and other goods imported into the colonies.
Tailor: Skilled craftsman who specialized in creating and altering clothing, primarily for men, but also occasionally for women. They were adept at measuring, cutting, sewing, and fitting garments. Tailors could use a variety of fabrics including wool, linen, and silk.
Tanner: Skilled craftsperson who transformed animal skins and hides into leather through a process called tanning.
Tea Act: A law passed by Parliament in 1773 that place a 3-penny tax on tea and gave the East India Company control of the sale of tea in the American colonies.
Tinman: Also referred to as a tinsmith, tinman were craftsmen who specialized in making or repairing objects made of tin, a lightweight and durable metal.
Tinplate Worker: Similar to a tinman, tinplate workers were skilled craftsmen who made and repaired objects but specialized in tinplate work. Tinplate is a thin sheet iron coated with tin.
Townshend Acts: A law passed by Parliament in 1767 that taxed commonly used goods such as glass, lead, paper, paint, and tea. Instead of rioting which occurred during the Stamp Act, colonists began to boycott the taxed goods, entering non-importation agreements.
Triangle Trade: A series of trade routes forming a “triangle” between Africa, the Caribbean and North American colonies, and Europe. This connection of European capital, African enslaved labor and American land and resources combined to supply a European market.
Victualer: seller of liquor/tavern operator/someone who sells provisions to ships
Wharf: A wooden structure along the shore where ships unload their cargo. See Griffin’s Wharf for information on the wharf connected to the Boston Tea Party.
Wheelwright: Skilled artisans who specialize in making and repairing wheels, axles, and wheeled vehicles like carts, wagons, and carriages.
Yeoman: Small landowning farmer who worked on his land, often with the aid of his family. These men would often leave their farm to trade or sell their produce in larger urban areas such as Boston.