In the book Oxford - Outside the Guide Books, by Falconer Madan (Oxford, Basil and Blackwell, 1923) there is a section titled Oxford Traders. Apparently, in 1380 a royal survey was ordered to be taken, to include the town of Oxford. That year the total population was just over 5,000 people. Part of the survey was a breakdown of various trades and how many such trades were in operation. As recorded, for example, there were 17 bakers, 10 barbers, 16 butchers, 9 cobblers, 12 cordwainers (whatever that was*), and 18 fishmongers, among many others, in Oxford. The highest numbers in a particular trade were 41 tailors, 40 manciples (food purveyors) and 30 brewers.
The author noted that: “the brewers appear to be largely out of proportion to the total population, but in 1380, and for centuries subsequently, ale (best beer) formed a staple beverage of the community. The brewers themselves were generally ‘one man’ or rather ‘one woman’ affairs, as women did the brewing.”
*Actually, a cordwainer was a person who made new leather shoes. This was at a time when a cobbler was considered a shoe repairer, not a shoe maker.