1) A carpenter with the special skills required for building ships.
It is found initially as a by-name: c.1280 Willelmus Skipwryth, York
1308 Johannes le schipwrith, York
1377 Johannes Schipwryght, Hull
1379 Henricus Schypwryght, Rawcliffe. Not surprisingly many examples of the occupation are found in coastal towns and the Humber estuary: 1446 Gilbert Kyllyngholme, schipwright, Hull
1527 William Watson, shipwright, Scarborough
1539 John Person, burgess and shipwright, Scarborough. However, the Ouse and its feeders were navigable and there were several inland ports where shipbuilding flourished: 1379 Johannes Botteler, shippewryght, Doncaster
1461 William Bouwer, schippewrighte, Snaith
1586 Robert Jenkinson, shipwrighte, Beverley. Other centres were Selby and York, so the craft was established on the Ouse, Aire, Don, Wharfe and Beverley Beck. An item in the Records of the Admiralty Court of York contains a fascinating deposition made on behalf of a shipwright called William Peirson. He had entered into an agreement with Robert Pallister for the building of a ship but the vessel had been built beyond and above the Covenants and William Peirson was accused also of not using the materials stipulated. In his defence the following statement was made: ... the deck by the original Covenants was to have beene made of Oake, but is made of Firr wood, which is more used and by experience found to be better for that purpose then Oake, for that Oake splitts with the heate of the Sun, and warps up at the edges, and wears slape [slippery],whereas Firr keeps thighter and streighter and is better for walking on.