Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-03-13
GUILDS OF woRKMEN.
Facts About Early Association OF
Craftsmen.


Reference has already been made to a
| otot,. ..o,,,uo 90 49,. ~ r,,,,,.. ,,aroa,v
io'""o ie0'o VI 'ho oio sui"'.
the rule against fraudulent Workmanship
| or trading on the part OF the gutld-breth-
rem. MANY quaint accst;n.s are given
| show,n1 that tbesa r,,,a. we're nv No means
Oh" e 'n"' 'eao '"'e' "'e ~ ~
| dead letters; on the contrary, they were
| carried out very thoroughly, and severe
penalties imposed upon all who violated
| Thorn
t. ,,.e S.. p,sr, TIT
a eha''e' sfahteu III io*o ny f-o"aiu 80
| to the burgesses Of certain important city
| In return for help furnished by the mayor
| and guilds In besieging and capturing
| calais tbrou, sow. Igbt on +ba rne.hods
~a sono Ae". oi '"o
| aoopsea 10 punish recaicitraht tfaaesnish'
| After confirming or regranting to the
| burgesses the power to establish and main
| tain place of confinement for "evil doers.
| idle and disorderly persns." the charter
goes on to say: Also for the better keep
| ing OF the assize of bread. they are en-
| powered in future to infiict such punish
ment on bakers who break that assize in
| the same place; viz, to draw such bakers
who offered against that assize through the
streets of the town aforesaid and other
| wise to punish them as is practiced In like
manner with regard to such bakers In the
city OF London" The like manner" or
| custom of London was. for the first offense,
| 'let him be drawn on a hurdle from the
| GuildhaIl to his own house, through the
! streets where there may be most people as
! sembled and through the great streets that
| are most dirty, with the faulty loaf hanging
| from his neck" For the second offense "he
| is to be drawn from the Guildhall to the
| pillory, to stand therein one hour" for the
| third default she shall be drawn, his oven
| pulled down, and he forswear the trade IN
| the city forever"
| The charter referred to above Is still
| In existence and in excellent preservation.
| In Nichols history an engraving Is given
| OF the illuminated initial letter of the
charter the letter being embellished In the
| upper half with q picture of "a constable
| with his staff driving two persons into q
| sort Of huge wooden dog kennel. In the
| lower half an unhappy baker, bound upon
| a sledge with his unjust scales susnenried
| over his head Is being drawn through the
| streets by two horses driven bv a man
| with tripIe-Iashed wbipH Rut not
| withstanding these Iauda HE efrorts 10
| keen their trades clean and honest human
| nature Cor traders nature1 seems to have
| been not unlike what It IA TODAY. The
| practice of putting the best goods in sight
| apnears to he ANYTHING but modern for In
| 1855 compiaint was made ~ narIianen ~ that
! In Somerset. Dorset Bristol and gloucester
| shire (then the chief seat OF the cloth trade)
| fraud was being perpetrated by the custom
| of selling broadcloth rolled m in bundles
| or bales and tied with cords The outside
/ consisted of good cloth, but, alas, the inside
| of the roll was of such inferior stuff that
the merchants who exported it were in
danger of death and were often Imprisoned
i and nut TO hne-and ransom and their cloth
burned and forfeited to the great scandal
| of the kingdom: wherefore the rnerchants
| pray that no cloth he sold tied I'm and
! rolled. but omen. so that nIlrcbasers NAV
| examine n TO tnis the HING assentad and
enacted the same on main az forfaifnra >,
| The religious obseryances OF tbe old
| craftsmen formed an importsnt mart of the
work Of the pTJiIds and each oy,i1,I nossesees
| a chanel dedicated to its natron saint
| Thereto the master. brethren ana sisters
| lfor women vara a dr,it,ad - n 80 80 80
and festivals clad In the nronar JiyarI, or
| their craft The puildbau ~ The orr ., was
| the place of assembly and from thence ar
| fer ma rtakfne OF ale and sniced caLa the
members nrocaedad in soIan,, rrocassio, 70
| the chanel TTsuaIIv tho chanel yaS nart
| of a larger church inst &c snaoioI obana1s
| today form a part of como churches hut
| even In church the sturdy old cra ftsmen
a asserted their rights and u;orsbi,ad In thatr
own wav Tho wr,ter or tbfa artfcia attand
| ed service for many wears In q cSansI he
| longing IN tha ancient gnjd 20 maa-ar.
uhera an around on tba nsai = ~ a 80 -
| the sculntnred emhlsms oS ~. go
worthless whose homes restad Se,ao -
| ~ go a. pe"eati,
80 1,'ano 'i ne snuttie anu
cut IN tha tomhstonas CO.. tha -, a. nSa
ton, it, t. tt. ~. TUG iheh VI oio
ma wara not onx,ons 90 49, a
- hnit ~ "a fo,, =" ~ o.t niooeI MS arc,
-. nr - S,rrn SO, y. tien trace -, as
no rtio,ior chana1 49,. -, ms tis
pnrtion - Az $50 eohsioe' aIIo
| ,,apdtnr,or Eo,,,o ,t,rob or5 ~. e &c,
49, Ia, I'm. -. oau, 81 anu out OF tn,s
80 Suapo. es ,e.oiueu ~ ~ IKE Fooh
| VI VI. 80. oiie N'eliaiu 'oiiai pc. weaver,
for onenIy anS iondr nrntss, al e s'ase
- cpsiiS dia touu,S pIo.eStiis asaiHse
ene lof.l oi WORSHIP that was being carried
ot a, 'ile eIiei aitai vi the MAIN cnurch.
l ne elape, was aeaiest go 10 81. Catherlne
| Us me pa'ioh sam, oI the WeaVers whose
su,iu was eiie most powerful ana lnnuen-
| s e "a tne oiu ttaue iaterhlLies. Ricart
ianouS SatenoaI contains the following
| ordnance OF the tlme OF Edward ", which
| gives US pretty clear idea OF the promi-
hence OF tne weavers the mayor and town
| eouncil pelng required to honor the guild
10y state VISIT TO thelr nan and church
Inc ordinance enJoined that one Seynt
hateryns even (November ~ the marie
| ana sherit ana their brethren tare) to walk
10 Seyht hateryns chapei within Temple
Church, there TO heare THERE evensong.a and