London History

32. Medieval Guilds

Nov 27, 2020
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INSIGHT

Guilds Became Formal Corporate Bodies

  • Guilds formalised in the 14th–15th centuries with administrative records and official recognition.
  • Charters from the Crown incorporated guilds and allowed them to hold land and act as corporate bodies in perpetuity.
INSIGHT

Trades Grew Out Of Religious Confraternities

  • Many trade guilds grew from religious confraternities that met locally where trades clustered.
  • Trades lived and sold together, making it natural for religious guilds to be taken over for commercial regulation.
INSIGHT

The Great Twelve Dominated City Trade

  • Medieval London had about fifty guilds, divided into elite merchant companies and ordinary craft guilds.
  • The top twelve great companies (e.g., Mercers, Drapers, Grocers) dominated city economic life and precedence mattered greatly.
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