Female replaces husband in conglomeration of merchants and artisans (9)

I believe the answer is:

craftsmen

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'artisans' is the definition.
(I know this)

I don't understand the remainder of the clue.

(Other definitions for craftsmen that I've seen before include "Manual workers with great skill" , "Males with manual skills" , "Males with skill in the manual arts" .)

I've seen this clue in The Independent.

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