“Knochenhauer” literally means “bone hacker.” These books cover the butcher’s guild in Schivelbein. Other names for the profession were Fleischer (referring to flesh or meats), Metzger (butcher), and Schlachter (the term denoting slaughtering).

The earliest pages mention the Dehnel family, who were still butchers a hundred years later in Körlin.

• Lehr Buch wie auch Meister Buch der Schivelbeiner Knochenhauer Zunft (1749-1861)

An interesting article from Smithsonian Magazine, “For German Butchers, a Wurst Case Scenario,” sheds light on the butcher profession in detail, including their privileges and living conditions. The Mittelaltergazette also briefly discussed being a butch in “Der Knochenhauer.” (Can’t read German? Find out how you can instantly translate anything.)

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