A fellmonger is someone who works with animal skins, specifically preparing and selling hides or pelts. - The word comes from Old English *fell*, meaning skin or hide, and *monger*, meaning a trader or dealer. - Fellmongers would remove wool from sheepskins and prepare the hides for tanning, a key step in producing leather. - It was a smelly and unpleasant trade – imagine dealing with rotting skins and using things like urine or lime to process them! - Fun (or grim) historical tidbit: In medieval towns, fellmongers were often located on the outskirts because of the stench from their work. - Though the term is rarely used today, the trade was vital for making leather goods, from shoes to saddles.