hobbler

English

Etymology

Old English also hobeler, Old French hobelier, Latin hobellarius. See hobby (“a horse”).

Noun

hobbler (plural hobblers)

  1. One who hobbles.
  2. (Britain, historical) One who by his tenure was to maintain a horse for military service; a kind of light horseman in the Middle Ages who was mounted on a hobby.
    • 1954, James Francis Lydon, The hobelar: An Irish contribution to medieval warfare, Irish Sword, II, v, pp. 12–16.
      • However superior the Norman knight might be upon the field of battle, the bogs and woods of Ireland gave little opportunity for the mail-clad charge. Thus there evolved in Ireland, as a habitual part of every Anglo-Norman force, a type of light horseman, which came to known as the hobelar.
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Hallam to this entry?)
    (Can we find and add a quotation of Sir J. Davies to this entry?)
  3. An unlicensed pilot, casual dock labourer, etc.
  4. A man who tows a canal boat with a rope.
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