Offic. 'the panter,' the steward of the pantry, also the baker for the household, a paniter.

Richard le Paneter. Calendarium Rotulorum Patentium in Turri Londinensi.

Robert le Panter, Cambridgeshire, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Geoffrey le Paneter. Calendarium Rotulorum Originalium.

The Serjeant 'which is called the Chief Pantrer of the kinges mouthe'

(Liber Niger domus Edward IV, Household Ord., quoted by Way in Prompt. Parv). The Promptorium Parvulorum has 'panthere, panitarius.' Mr. Way reminds us in a note that this form survives in the surname 'Pantler.' John Russell, in his Boke of Nurture, directs:

'The furst yere. my son, thou shalt be pantere, or buttilare, Thou must have three knyffes kene in pantry, I say thee, evermare.'

One duty of the monastery panter was the distribution of loaves to the poor (v. Lower, Patronymica Britannica). Panther is a somewhat ferocious looking corruption; compare Gunther and Gunter.

1758. Married — Samuel Panter and Mary Smith: St. George, Hanover Square.

1768. — Daniel Hocknell and Elizabeth Panther: ibid.

From Old French paneter, "officer in charge of bread," Med. Latin panetarius. Of the term Panetarius Scociae, the title of one of the officers of the king's household, there ere various interpretations. "The late Sir William Fraser, in his courtly style, gives the meaning as 'chief butler;' Mr. Riddell prefers 'master of the household;' the editor of the 'Papal Petitions' translates by the archaic word 'pantler;' while a homely old chronicler calls it 'pantrieman'" (Sc. Ant., XV, p. 56). The office, nevertheless, was regarded as a highly honorable one. It was early confused with 'painter' and so erroneously rendered in Latin documents by pictor. John called Payntour, canon and treasurer of Dunkeld, 1328, is also named Pictor (Pap. Lett., II, p. 284286). Finlaw de Pantre was in the service of David 11. The surname was common about Montrose in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. William Paneter who held land in Monros, 1350 (RED., II, 7) appears in 1360 as bailie of same burgh (ER., II, p. 27), and Andrew Paneter or Panter was burgess there in 1389 (HMC., 2. Rep., App., p. 167). David Panetar de Monros had a charter in 1407 from the Regent, duke of Albany, of the lands of Cragoth and Ardoch in the barony of Logy in Angus (RMS., I, 896). Andrew Payntour or Pictor, bailie of Edinburgh, 1364, was keeper of the Mint in 1373 (ER., II, p. 149,430). Walter Paniter was abbot of Arnbroath, 1411-33 (RAA., II, p. x). Johannes Pictor, bailie of Arne, 1417, appears in 1427 as John Pantour, burgess (Ayr, p. 76, 82). John Paniter was one of an inquest in Arbroath, 1452 (RAA., II, 93), and Thomas Payntoure, a witness, 1455 (Cambus., 97). John Panter and David Panter, sons of William Panter, a Scot, a soldier of Roxburgh Castle, are mentioned, 1471 (Bain, IV, 1400). Andrew the Painter (Pictor), canon of Orkrey, was promoted to the see of Orkney, 1477 (Dipl, Norv., XVII, p. 591); Alexander Panter or Paniter was vicar of Castilstaris (Carstairs), 1505—41 (Simon, 138; Dowden, p. 227); and David Paniter was provided bishop of Ross in 1547 (Dowden, p. 226-228). Prayers were offered for the soul of David Penneter, burgess of Monthros, 1524 (RAA., II, 583), Patrick Penneter was secretary to the king in 1524 (RAA., II, p. 439), and John Paynteoure was witness in Glasgow, 1554 (Protocols, I). The old family of the name was known as Panther of that Ilk.

(Anglo-French-Latin) Pantry - Keeper, Butler [Middle English pan(e)ter, pantere, Anglo-French panneter (French panetier), Low Latin panetari-us; Low Latin paneta, bread- maker; Latin pan-is, bread] Robert le Panter.—Hundred Rolls The furst yere, my son, thow shalle be pantere or buttilare.—John Russel, Boke of Nurture, l. 49.

For pacience is hus [house] paneter, And payn [bread] to poverte fyndeth.— Piers Plowman (ed. Skeat), xvii. 151.

(English, Scottish) The official in charge of bread in a large household, a pantry-keeper.

The name of Paniter, Panter, or Panther, is derived from the office of master-baker. "In the court of France the Panitier was an officer of high consideration; and in monasteries the Paniter would seem to have been charged with the distribution of bread to the poor-no doubt in virtue of his office of chief baker." Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, vol. i. p. 14.

From the French, Pante, Panthou; from the Dutch, Pante; from the German, Panter; a personal name.