, 1876-07-30
LONDON GUILDS.


Some Interesting Facts About the Gr+e,
Companies Of Trs:icsmcn.
+se,c FORK Uoris
The London companies are attractinr cor-
siderable attcntion--not to say universal cr;ti.
csEl-from the English public, and are likelvt ~
be forced to apply some Of their large revenues
to other purposes than those to which they ar
outlivel the objects for which they were gn nm
stltutcd. Alonopolies in trade are no lonerr
possible, and they are declared to haze heco1ma
merely chartered festivals or trustees for char.
table purposes The idea OF the outside reform.
ers Is to devote the revenues Of the companies t.
charitable schemes; those within the pnlds
favor rather the extension Of the system Of
prize-giving for the improvements of their trades
III tine the encouragement Of technical educs,
tion. In this discussion the general reader gill
probably take less interest than in some Of the
tory of the guilds.
How distinguished their membership need
| hardly be said. Even to-day Lord Selborne il
the Master Of the MERGERS, and Mr. Gadstoneis
Z Turner. The Merchant Tailors at the beein.
rolled as. brothers ten Kings, three Princes.
tWeuty-seyen Bishops, forty-sevcn Earls, and
| sixteen Lord Mayors. Their riches provoked
the Royal cupidity on many occasions. Henry
VII. instituted tile convenient system Of forced
loans, and his successors, the Tudors and
stuarts, bettered his Instructions, Elizabeth on
! oae memorable occasion actually squeezing out
| OF the companies more money than she needed,
! and lending the surplus OF their own cash back
| to the citizens at usnry. Still another form of
| interference was the attempt of the Court to
obtain control over the choice of officers; thus
] III 1872 Lady Elizabeth, the daughter Of James
| L., recommended man for the cooks place in
one OF the companies
The Lord Mayor possessed general powers Of
control over the companies, which lie often e.
erGsed, and had the official style Of 'sWarien
of oil the Companics.'' Wilmington in l4n
laid an information before the successor in the
alayoralty, Robert Chiclic1e, against some Of
the brewers for selling ssdcar ale'' and riding
oifense which, there being little sympathy then
Tlth cnteEprlsing speculators who undertook to
engineer = corners" /" was punished By go f2e
The companies were naturally cager in uphold
ing thelr privileges and beheld the formation Of
new trades with Jealous eyes; thus the car-
pcnters complained that the bricl;layers and
nlasons interfered with their business, and
further asserted 1'that timber buildings were
more commodious for the cities than brick
buildings were" In 1871 the Fishmongers
petitioned Parliament to enforce more Hid
observance of Lent, complaining of the irrelig-
ion Of the times, '*wherebY the sale of fish and
encouragement to the fisheries were greatly H.
Jured.' 10 their petition they added a List Of
the butchers who killed ana sold flesh during
Lent. Sometimes the companies came in col
llsion with each other. In 1226 serious feud
showed itself between the goldsmiths and tho
talloEs; They met completely armed, and IN
the tight that ensued several were killed 1hir-
teen Of the ringleadcrs were arrested, condemn
ed, and executed. Many other less serious riots
have from time to time been chronicled.
lAe oldest OF the companies, though not enc
OF the most important, is the Saddlcrs', which
was originally Saxon guild; the next oldest is
charter confirming the privileges enjoyed in the
reign Of Henry l.. There must have been many
companies ~ existence at this time, for Henry
II. amerced eighteen companies, crafts, or mys-
,elles "nlcn mad been set up without the Royal
license Six hundred members Of the craft at
tended at the marriage Of Edward I. aud his
second wife Margaret, in livery of red and
"h!te with the distinctive marks Of Irrespective
mysteries embroidered on their sleeves. This
IS the earliest mention Of livery
trading fraternities were entirely reconstructed
aud distinctive dress assumed bv each. The
title OF Master, or Warden, was substituted for
that OF Alderman, which was henceforth restrict
ed TO the head OF a city ward. Thirteen Of the
were then allowed special privileges,
aud the King himself became q brother Of The
OF Merchant Tailors In the reign
OF Rcharc II. the companies were first compelled
to enrol their charters, and the twelve great
distinction stili preserved. Under @ Richarti s T Il
there we're twcnty-si1 companies rich
enough to own their own halls OF meet
ns: Their relative positions frequently
changed IN l501 the Dyers' Company was ono
PLACED By the sheermen's; in 1882 the Dyers'
had resumed its old position as No. Il, but
gam N l603 the Clothworkers', a company
.orineu or oy inc union Of the Shccrmen and Ful-
rs, TOOK ITS present PLACE, and the Dyers wera
permanently liked as No. IS. New companies
we're added to the list as new trades came into
!elng; thus among the later ones the Felt
makers we're chartered By James T., the Clock
makers, the Gloycrs and Comb1nakers By
Charles l., the Ncedlemakcrs BY Oliver Croni-
ygll, the Coach and Coach-Harness Makers and
" Nhcelwrishts by Charles H., and lastly the Fan
makers, by Queen lAnne.
fefG h G. maue the 4!bjcct Q. an investigation by
ne taltlunentat. commission, they divided the
onipanles INTO three classes: l. Those still ex-
lelsli'g an ct1clent control Of their trade,
'atre'y, rs the Goldsmiths and Apothecaries
; inose exercising the right Of search, etc, IN
lu1lns the stationers, at whose hall copyright