1) A maker or mender of shoes, derived from a word meaning to sew or stitch.
1202 et terram Thomć Sutoris, Swillington
1298 Adam Sutor, Hunmanby. It was particularly common in Yorkshire in the poll tax of 1379, with a county of thirty in the wapentakes which include Bradford and Wakefield, mostly as an occupation but occasionally as a by-name, e.g. Johannes Mylner, sout[er], Flockton
Johannes filius Galfridi sutor, Dewsbury. At that time these tradesmen were closely involved in the tanning of leather: Hugo Souter of Quarmby, also taxed in 1379, is mentioned in the court rolls in 1386 holding both offices – offic. sutor et tannator. In a city such as York the terms ‘shoemaker’ and ‘souter’ continued to overlap in meaning through the fifteenth century. In a case heard in the Counsail chaumbre in 1490 the words of Sir Thomas Gribthorp, a priest, were reported by two different witnesses: firstly ther sholdbe ijc men that was no shomakers to take the part of shomakers and secondly ther woldbe iijc or iiijc men not being sowters that wold name thame selfs sowters .