“Eadward the King greeteth Ælfward the bishop and Wulfgar the portreeve and all the burgesses of London as a friend. And I make known to you that I will that my men in the English Gild of Knights retain their manorial rights within the city and without over their men; and I will that they retain the good laws (i.e. the privileges) which they had in King Eadgar’s day and in my father’s and Cnut’s day; and I will also (?)[27] with God and also man and I will not permit that any man wrong them but they shall all be in peace and God preserve you all.”
There had been Charters, therefore, of Edgar, Ethelred, and Cnut. The Charter of Edward presupposes the existence of the Gild in the time of Edgar. Now, under the Saxon customs a Gild was legally constituted when the members created it; the consent of the King was an invention of Norman times. Yet it seems probable that the Gild was first founded in the reign of Edgar for reasons advanced by Coote.
“Immediately before that King’s accession to the throne there had arisen a very cogent necessity for the City to look out for increased protection—for some regular and settled means which should ensure her citizens against sudden and stealthy attacks during that chronic warfare to which the age had been for some time tending. There had been a civil war caused by the disgust of a part of the nation at King Eadwig’s unparallelled profligacy, and in that war, as it is expressly stated by historians, the outskirts of London had suffered much. During its pendency there had been fighting and devastation on both sides of the Thames in the immediate vicinity of the City.”
The Cnihten Gild, therefore, appears to have been an association founded for the purpose of providing for every occasion a permanent standing garrison of defence. The ruling body contained a certain number of leading London citizens: they were the officers of the Gild. They administered the funds and property belonging to the Gild, and were useful in repairing the wall and gates, and in providing arms. It was only by means of the Gild, in which the members were under oath of obedience, that such a garrison could be got together and maintained. How many members the Gild at first contained is not known. It is, however, probable that by the year 1125, when the fifteen named above are described as “of the ancient stock of noble English soldiers,” the Gild had become a small survival still owning property; though, as we have seem, they could have had no duties to perform.
William, however, recognised the existence of the Gild and granted them a Charter. This is lost, but the Charter of William Rufus, which remains, refers to it.
“William, King of England, to Bishop M. and G. de Magnaville and R. Delpare and his lieges of London, Greeting. Know ye that I have granted to the men of the cnihtene gild their gild and the land which belong to them, with all customs, as they were in the time of King Edward and my father. Witness, Henry de Both, at Rethyng.”
And Henry I. also granted them a Charter in which he refers to those of his father and his brother:—
“Henry, King of England, to Bishop M., to the gerefa of London, and to all his Barons and lieges of London, French and English, Greeting. Know ye that I have granted to all the men of the cnihtene gild their gild and land which belong to them, with all customs, as were better in the time of King Edward and my father, and as my brother granted to them by writ and his seal, and I forbid upon pain of forfeiture to me that any man dare do them an injury in respect of this. Witness, R. de Mountford and R. Bigot and H. de Booth, at Westminster.” (London and Middlesex, 1881, vol. v. p. 488.)
Sixty years after the Conquest, the Gild, realising that the original reason for their association no longer remained in existence, proposed to dissolve. What were they to do with the property for which they were trustees? It was the property of the City: it had to be used for the benefit of the City. What better, according to the light of the time, could they do with it than hand it over to the Church and to ask for the prayers of holy men? Accordingly they asked permission of the King to convey the property to the Priory of the Holy Trinity. His consent was obtained. The King appointed as Commissioners for the conveyance Aubrey de Vere (who was afterwards killed in a street riot) and Gervase of Cornhill, and the document was signed by the members of the Gild whose names have been already set forth.
The following document is quoted by Mr. Coote from the records of the Hustings Court at Guildhall:—