1. A Protest at Coventry against a Gild's Exclusiveness, 1495—2. A Complaint from Coventry as to Inter-municipal Tariffs, 1498—3. The Municipal Regulation of Wages at Norwich, 1518—4. The Municipal Regulation of Markets at Coventry, 1520—5. The Municipal Regulation of Wages at Coventry, 1524—6. An Act for Avoiding of Exactions taken upon Apprentices in Cities, Boroughs, and Towns Corporate, 1536—7. An Act whereby certain Chantries, Colleges, Free Chapels, and the Possessions of the same be given to the King's Majesty, 1547—8. Regrant to Coventry and Lynn of Gild Lands Confiscated under 1 Ed. VI, c. 14 (the preceding Act), 1548—9. A Petition of the Bakers of Rye to the Mayor, Jurats, and Council to Prevent the Brewers taking their trade, 1575—10. Letter to Lord Cobham from the Mayor and Jurats of Rye concerning the Preceding Petition, 1575—11. The Municipal Regulation of the Entry into Trade at Nottingham, 1578-9—12. The Municipal Regulation of Markets at Southampton, 1587—13. The Municipal Regulation of Wages at Chester, 1591—14. The Company of Journeymen Weavers of Gloucester, 1602—15. Petition of Weavers who are not Burgesses, 1604-5—16. Extracts from the London Clothworkers' Court Book, 1537-1627—17. The Feltmakers' Joint-Stock Project, 1611—18. The Case of the Tailors of Ipswich, 1615—19. The Grievances of the Journeymen Weavers of London, c. 1649.
The documents in this section illustrate certain aspects of the life of towns and gilds from 1485-1660. In the first half of the sixteenth century two important changes in the legal position of gilds were made by Act of Parliament, (i) Owing to the growing complaints of their exclusiveness (Nos. 1 and 6). Parliament had already by 15 Hen. VI, c. 6, and 19 Hen. VII, c. 7, compelled gilds to submit their ordinances to the approval of extra-municipal authorities before they became valid (Nos. 6 and 17). By 22 Hen. VIII it fixed 2s. 6d. as the maximum fee to be charged persons entering and 3s. 4d. as the maximum fee for persons leaving their apprenticeship. By 28 Hen. VIII c. 5 it forbad restrictive agreements designed to prevent apprentices or journeymen starting in trade on their own account (No. 6). (ii.) By 37 Hen. VIII c. 4 and 1 Ed. VI. c. 14 (No. 7) Parliament confiscated for the benefit of the Crown that part of gild property which was applied to religious purposes. The latter Act was, however, strongly opposed in the House of Commons, and the confiscated estates were restored to two towns, Coventry and King's Lynn (No. 8).
Apart from these changes towns and gilds pursued in the sixteenth century much the same economic policy as in earlier ages. They imposed inter-municipal tariffs (No. 2), and regulated markets (Nos. 4 and 12), wages (Nos. 3, 5, and 13), apprenticeship and the entry into trades (Nos. 1, 9, 10, 11, 15) on high moral grounds (No. 10), but sometimes with consequences unpleasant to those who were excluded (Nos. 1 and 15). Indeed their anxiety to preserve their monopoly occasionally brought them into conflict with the law, which "abhors all monopolies" (No. 18). Inside the gilds, however, a momentous change was going on. The fifteenth century had seen the rise within gilds of "yeomanry" organizations consisting of journeymen, of which an example is given below (No. 14, and Part I, Section V, No. 16). In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the gilds, at least in the larger towns, represented a wide range of interests, from the mercantile capitalist to the industrial small master, and it was often of such small masters, whose numbers appear to have increased in the sixteenth century, that the "yeomanry" then consisted (No. 16). They tended, however, to be at the mercy of the large capitalists, and occasionally under the first two Stuarts, who favoured them, they endeavoured to protect themselves by joint-stock enterprise (No. 17). In the middle of the seventeenth century a reverse movement was taking place. Small masters were becoming journeymen, and in London journeymen were engaged under the Commonwealth in active agitation. Their organization was that of an embryo trade union; their doctrine the application to industrial affairs of the theory of the social contract (No. 19).
AUTHORITIES
The more accessible of the modern writers dealing with the subject of this section are Cunningham, English Industry and Commerce, Modern Times, Vol. I; Ashley, Economic History, Vol. I, Part II, Chap. I and II; Gross, The Gild Merchant; Abram, Social England in the Fifteenth Century; Mrs. Green, English Town Life in the Fifteenth Century; Dunlop and Denman, English Apprenticeship and Child Labour; Unwin, Industrial Organization in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, and The Gilds and Companies of London; Webb, English Local Government, The Manor and Borough; Brentano, Gilds and Trade Unions; Toulmin Smith, English Gilds; Rogers, Six Centuries of Work and Wages.
Bibliographies are given in Gross, op. cit. (the most complete); Cunningham op. cit., Vol. II, pp. 943-998; Ashley, op. cit., pp. 3-5 and 66-68; Abram, op. cit., pp. 229-238; Dunlop and Denman, op. cit., pp. 355-363; Unwin, Industrial Organization in the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries, pp. 263-270.
The student may also consult the following:—
(1) Documentary Authorities:—The records of numerous towns and gilds have been published, and only a few can be mentioned here:—Stevenson, Records of Nottingham; Tingey, Records of Norwich; Bateson, Records of Leicester; Morris, Chester in the Plantagenet and Tudor Reigns; Turner, Select Records of Oxford; Harris, The Coventry Leet Book (E.E.T.S.); Bickley, The Little Red Book of Bristol; Guilding, Records of the Borough of Reading; Publications of the Historical Manuscripts Commission, Report 14, App. viii (Bury St. Edmunds); 15, App. x (Coventry), 12, App. ix (Gloucester), 13, App. iv (Hereford); 9, App. i (Ipswich); 14, App. viii (Lincoln); 15, App. x (Shrewsbury).
(2) Literary Authorities:—The number of contemporary writers dealing with gild and town life is not large. The most important are: Drei Volkswirthschaftliche Denkscriften aus der Zeit Heinrich VIII, von England, edited by Pauli; Starkey, A Dialogue Between Cardinal Pole and Thomas Lupset (E.E.T.S.); England in the Reign of King Henry VIII; The Commonwealth of this Realm of England (edited by Lamond); Crowley, Select Works (E.E.T.S.); Lever's Sermons (in Arber Reprints: where criticisms will be found on the confiscation of gild property); Harrison, A Description of Britain; Roxburghe Club, A Dialogue or Confabulation Between two Travellers.