Cordiners
The cordiners were the leather makers and shoe makers of the past and were one of the old craft guild of the burgh. In days gone by there were several tanneries down from the Ness Islands.

Inverness as a main trading Burgh
In the days before proper roads were built Inverness was the main trading market in a very large area indeed. People from all over North and West brought skins to sell in the Burgh. Some of these were tanned and exported as hides, others were tanned and processed into manufactured goods such as gloves. Some were simply exported as skins. 

Duncan Forbes of Culloden
Duncan Forbes of Culloden, a past Provost of Inverness in the early 17th century, was a dealer in skins, apparently a successful one since he amassed enough money to buy the estate of Culloden in 1625.
 
Washing fleeces in the river in front of Gilbert Street Tannery.
The steps on which the lower man stands can still be seen in the river at low tide.