But all Gildsmen were not burgesses. The latter must be residents: the former frequently included outsiders among their number.
Nevertheless as the years went by, the Gild seemed to become the Communa, even as the Gild Hall became the Town Hall. Various reasons conduced to this. There were practically no burgesses extraneous to the Merchant Gild, though there were often Gildsmen who were not burgesses. The Merchant Gild was the only machinery for freeing the fugitive villain after a year and a day’s residence in the town. It also afforded the best, and as a fact the only, centre round which the burgesses could rally in the defence of their old privileges or in the struggle for fresh ones. Its wealth and stability were also an additional inducement to the kings in granting to the towns their firma burgi. In theory the Gilda Mercatoria might be kept distinct from the Communa, but in practice the two bodies were found to be identical. But the later Communa did not take cognisance of trade affairs except indirectly through the Craft Gilds which the increasing complexity of trade was calling into being. Many of the members of these latter bodies were members of the Merchant Gild, and to them were added large numbers of the lesser craftsmen. The Craft Gilds specialized the work of the Merchant Gild, which gradually ceased to discharge any important office as a collective whole, though through the many branches into which it had ramified its influence continued to be of the greatest importance to the welfare of town and trade.
NOTE 1.
LIST OF MERCHANT GILDS.
The following is an attempt to construct a table of grants of the Merchant Gild (down to 1485), in chronological order, and showing also, where possible, by whom the grant was made.
Unfortunately the list is in several cases only approximately correct, as the document from which I have obtained my date shows that the Merchant Gild has evidently been granted at some previous time. In all cases however the earliest known mention of the Gild is given.
In compiling this table I should acknowledge my plentiful use of the materials recently made available in The Gild Merchant, by Charles Gross (Oxford, 1890).
| William II. and Henry I. (1087-1135) |
| Burford 1087-1107 | | Earl of Gloucester |
| Canterbury 1093-1109 |
| |
| Henry I. (1100-35) |
| Wilton 1100-35 | | King |
| Leicester 1107-18 | | Robert, Earl of Mellent |
| Beverley 1119-35 | | Abp Thurstan of York |
| York 1130-31 |
| |
| Stephen (1135-54) |
| Chichester | | King |
| Lewes | | Reginald de Warrenne |
| |
| Stephen and Henry II. (1135-89) |
| Petersfield |
| |
| Henry II. (1154-89) |
| Carlisle | | King |
| Durham |
| Fordwich |
| Lincoln | | King |
| Oxford |
| Shrewsbury | | King |
| Southampton | | King |
| Wallingford | | King |
| Winchester | | King |
| Marlborough 1163 | | King |
| Andover 1175-6 | | King |
| Salisbury 1176 | | King |
| Bristol 1188 | | John, Earl of Moreton |
| |
| Richard I. (1189-99) |
| 1189 | | King |
| Bedford | | King |
| Gloucester |
| Nottingham | | John, Earl of Moreton |
| Bury S. Edmund’s 1198 |
| |
| John (1199-1216) |
| Chester 1190-1211 | | Earl of Chester |
| Dunwich 1200 | | King |
| Ipswich 1200 | | King |
| Cambridge 1201 | | King |
| Helston 1201 | | King |
| Derby 1204 | | King |
| Lynn Regis 1204 | | King |
| Malmesbury 1205-22 |
| Yarmouth 1208 | | King |
| Hereford 1215 | | King |
| Bodmin 1216 | | King |
| Totnes 1216 | | King |
| Newcastle-on-Tyne 1216 | | King |
| |
| Henry III. (1216-1272) |
| Preston |
| Haverfordwest |
| Portsmouth |
| Worcester 1226-27 | | King |
| Bridgenorth 1227 | | King |
| Rochester 1227 | | King |
| Montgomery 1227 | | King |
| Hartlepool 1230 | | Bp of Durham |
| Dunheved (Launceston) 1231-72 | | Richard, Earl of Cornwall |
| Newcastle-under-Lyme 1235 | | King |
| Liskeard 1239-40 | | Richard, Earl of Cornwall |
| Wigan 1246 | | King |
| Sunderland 1247 | | King |
| Cardigan 1249 | | King |
| Reading 1253 | | King |
| Scarborough 1253 | | King |
| Guildford 1256 |
| Kingston-on-Thames 1256 | | King |
| Boston ? 1260 |
| Macclesfield 1261 | | King |
| Coventry 1267-68 | | King |
| Lostwithiel 1269 |
| |
| Edward I. (1272-1307) |
| Berwick |
| Bridgwater |
| Congleton | | Henry de Lacy |
| Devizes | | King |
| Welshpool | | Griffith, Lord of Cyveiliog |
| Aberystwith 1277 | | King |
| Windsor 1277 | | King |
| Builth 1278 | | King |
| Rhuddlan 1278 | | King |
| Lyme Regis 1284 | | King |
| Caernarvon 1284 | | King |
| Conway 1284 | | King |
| Criccieth 1284 | | King |
| Flint 1284 | | King |
| Harlech 1284 | | King |
| Altrincham 1290 | | Hamon de Massy |
| Caerswys 1290 | | King |
| Overton 1291-2 |
| Newport (Salop) 1292 |
| Chesterfield 1294 | | John Wake |
| Kirkham 1295 | | King |
| Beaumaris 1296 | | King |
| Henley-on-Thames 1300 | | ? Earl of Cornwall |
| Barnstaple 1302 |
| Newborough 1303 | | King |
| |
| Edward II. (1307-1327) |
| Llanfyllin |
| Ruyton 1308-9 | | Earl of Arundel |
| Wycombe 1316 |
| Bala 1324 | | King |
| |
| Edward III. (1327-1377) |
| Gainsborough | | Earl of Pembroke |
| Bamborough 1332 |
| Grampound 1332 |
| Lampeter 1332 |
| Denbigh 1333 | | King |
| Lancaster 1337 |
| Cardiff 1341 | | Hugh le Despenser |
| Nevin 1343-76 | | Prince of Wales |
| Llantrissaint 1346 | | Hugh le Despenser |
| Hedon 1348 | | King |
| Hope 1351 | | Prince of Wales |
| Pwllheli 1355 | | Prince of Wales |
| Neath 1359 | | Edward le Despenser |
| Kenfig 1360 | | Edward le Despenser |
| Newton (S. Wales) 1363 | | Prince of Wales |
| |
| Richard II. (1377-1399) |
| Axbridge |
| Newport 1385 | | Earl of Stafford |
| Oswestry 1398 | | King |
| |
| Henry IV. (1399-1413) |
| Saffron-Walden |
| Cirencester 1403 | | King |
| |
| Henry V. (1413-1422) |
| None |
| |
| Henry VI. (1422-1461) |
| Plymouth 1440 |
| Walsall 1440 |
| Weymouth 1442 |
| Woodstock 1453 | | King |
| |
| Edward IV. (1461-1483) |
| Ludlow 1461 | | King |
| Grantham 1462 |
| Stamford 1462 |
| Doncaster 1467 |
| Wenlock 1468 |
| |
| Richard III. (1483-1485) |
| Pontefract |
NOTE 2.