Apart from occasional scribes -- clergymen, students, municipal notaries, teachers -- professional scribes, called the "cathedrales" (scriptor cathedralis, notarius cathedralis, scriptor librorum cathedralium), appeared at the end of the XIVth century and existed till the beginning of the XVIth century. They included mostly laymen, also clergymen not being beneficiaries, and "clerici uxorati". They worked at the royal court and in towns. Their social status depended often on their additional occupations. Their activities included the production of illuminated liturgical books, medical and juridical books, also prayer books in Polish, most probably also other texts.
They often organized the production of codexes, illuminated them and were bookbinders either themselves, or commissioned illumination and binding to specialists. They also dealt in book trade. Not having separate guilds in Polish towns, they were authorized most probably by church authorities or the university.
They existed until the beginning of the XVIth century, not being any longer able to compete with printers.