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Article ENGLISH GILDS. ← Page 2 of 3 →
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English Gilds.
the officers of the Gild were also bound under penalties to use their best skill to make peace . Of some of these early documents , which were written upon paper , Mr . Toulmin Smith made the following remarks : — " The introduction of
specimens ot linen paper into England , is known to have happened in 1342 , possibly earlier . Some letters from abroad during that early time are Avritten on linen paper ; and there is a register book which belonged to the Black Prince , which is
of linen paper . But the few instances thus known , are considered to have been the importation from abroad of a special rarity , which only came , and that not often , into the hands of tbe wealthy . The manufacture of paper in England has been
supposed to go no further back than Elizabeth's time ; but earlier entries have proved that there Avas at least one paper mill in England as early as Henry VII . Neither the official use nor the manufacture of paper , so early as 1388 , has hitherto
been suspected . I have now proved the former to be a certain fact , and the latter becomes a probable one . . . . [ After describing the writs to the sheriffs and the instructions therein]—I find several of these instructions still
existing , written upon paper ; and I find that , in several cases , where the answer of the sheriff Avas on a separate sheet , the latter is also paper , though of a different quality , sometimes , from that on Avhich the instructions received by him Avere
written . None of the ways in which the existence of paper can be accounted for , as before said , in previously known instances of the use of linen paper , can explain the use of paper in this case , It becomes proved that linen paper was used in
public offices in London , aud also used by some of the country gentlemen , who then Avere sheriffs of distant shires , at the end of the fourteenth century . It is difficult to believe that it can have been thus used unless it Avere made in England .
. . Paper of later times loses its sizing after some century or two , and becomes soft and rotten . But this paper , after nearly 500 years of very bad treatment , which has caused the decay of many parts , even of the vellum documents among which
it is found , remains as firm , tough , and sound , as the best specimens of vellum that remain uninjured among it . No such paper is now made . "
Dr . Brentano ' s essay is divided into five parts , treating of the following subjects : —• i . The origin of gilds . II . Keligious and social gilds .
TII . The town gilds and gild merchants . iv . The craft gilds . v . The origin of trades unions . As to the origin of gilds , he says , the oldest reliable and detailed accounts of gilds come from
England . They consist of three gild statutes , all of which were drawn up in the beginning of the eleventh century , and of one there is no doubt of the accuracy of the date . It was founded at Abbotsbury , in honour of God and St . Peter , and
was richly endowed by Orcy , a friend of Canute the Great . Its object was the support and nursing of the gild-brothers , the burial of the dead , and the performance of religious services , and praying for their souls ., The association met every year
on its Saint ' s day , Avhen there was a common meal , and alms Avere given to the poor , for which purpose the gild brothers were compelled to contribute bread , " well boulted and thoroughly baked . " The Exeter Gild was one of the same character ,
but worship and prayer stand out . more promi * nently as the object of the brotherhood . Three times a year the brethren of this gild assembled
to " worship for the ' well-being of their living and dead fellow-members , and when a brother died every member Avas requested to perform special devotions for the soul of the departed . The Gild of Cambridge differed greatly from the
other two mentioned . At the outset the member had to take an oath on the relics of their patron saint , swearing faithful brotherhood to each other in both religions and secular matters . The statutes provided also for the poorer brethren worship and
feasts , but , apparently , the most important objects of this gild were to protect its members against criminals , and against the consequences of their own wrong doing , on the principle that , " if one
misdo let all bear it . ' If a gild brother required help , the inferior officer living nearest should hasten to his aid , punishment being provided in case of neglect . If a brother was robbed , the whole of the gild were bound to assist him in
obtaining compensation from the lawbreaker . If a member killed a man without justifiable motive , and merely for malice , he had to bear the consequence ; but if provoked by a quarrel , or under an obligation to execute vengeance , every gild
brother Avas bound to help him to make atonement . If one gild brother killed another , besides reconciling the kinsmen of the murdered man , he had to pay to the gild eight pounds , failing Avhich he Avas shut out of the society , and the members
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
English Gilds.
the officers of the Gild were also bound under penalties to use their best skill to make peace . Of some of these early documents , which were written upon paper , Mr . Toulmin Smith made the following remarks : — " The introduction of
specimens ot linen paper into England , is known to have happened in 1342 , possibly earlier . Some letters from abroad during that early time are Avritten on linen paper ; and there is a register book which belonged to the Black Prince , which is
of linen paper . But the few instances thus known , are considered to have been the importation from abroad of a special rarity , which only came , and that not often , into the hands of tbe wealthy . The manufacture of paper in England has been
supposed to go no further back than Elizabeth's time ; but earlier entries have proved that there Avas at least one paper mill in England as early as Henry VII . Neither the official use nor the manufacture of paper , so early as 1388 , has hitherto
been suspected . I have now proved the former to be a certain fact , and the latter becomes a probable one . . . . [ After describing the writs to the sheriffs and the instructions therein]—I find several of these instructions still
existing , written upon paper ; and I find that , in several cases , where the answer of the sheriff Avas on a separate sheet , the latter is also paper , though of a different quality , sometimes , from that on Avhich the instructions received by him Avere
written . None of the ways in which the existence of paper can be accounted for , as before said , in previously known instances of the use of linen paper , can explain the use of paper in this case , It becomes proved that linen paper was used in
public offices in London , aud also used by some of the country gentlemen , who then Avere sheriffs of distant shires , at the end of the fourteenth century . It is difficult to believe that it can have been thus used unless it Avere made in England .
. . Paper of later times loses its sizing after some century or two , and becomes soft and rotten . But this paper , after nearly 500 years of very bad treatment , which has caused the decay of many parts , even of the vellum documents among which
it is found , remains as firm , tough , and sound , as the best specimens of vellum that remain uninjured among it . No such paper is now made . "
Dr . Brentano ' s essay is divided into five parts , treating of the following subjects : —• i . The origin of gilds . II . Keligious and social gilds .
TII . The town gilds and gild merchants . iv . The craft gilds . v . The origin of trades unions . As to the origin of gilds , he says , the oldest reliable and detailed accounts of gilds come from
England . They consist of three gild statutes , all of which were drawn up in the beginning of the eleventh century , and of one there is no doubt of the accuracy of the date . It was founded at Abbotsbury , in honour of God and St . Peter , and
was richly endowed by Orcy , a friend of Canute the Great . Its object was the support and nursing of the gild-brothers , the burial of the dead , and the performance of religious services , and praying for their souls ., The association met every year
on its Saint ' s day , Avhen there was a common meal , and alms Avere given to the poor , for which purpose the gild brothers were compelled to contribute bread , " well boulted and thoroughly baked . " The Exeter Gild was one of the same character ,
but worship and prayer stand out . more promi * nently as the object of the brotherhood . Three times a year the brethren of this gild assembled
to " worship for the ' well-being of their living and dead fellow-members , and when a brother died every member Avas requested to perform special devotions for the soul of the departed . The Gild of Cambridge differed greatly from the
other two mentioned . At the outset the member had to take an oath on the relics of their patron saint , swearing faithful brotherhood to each other in both religions and secular matters . The statutes provided also for the poorer brethren worship and
feasts , but , apparently , the most important objects of this gild were to protect its members against criminals , and against the consequences of their own wrong doing , on the principle that , " if one
misdo let all bear it . ' If a gild brother required help , the inferior officer living nearest should hasten to his aid , punishment being provided in case of neglect . If a brother was robbed , the whole of the gild were bound to assist him in
obtaining compensation from the lawbreaker . If a member killed a man without justifiable motive , and merely for malice , he had to bear the consequence ; but if provoked by a quarrel , or under an obligation to execute vengeance , every gild
brother Avas bound to help him to make atonement . If one gild brother killed another , besides reconciling the kinsmen of the murdered man , he had to pay to the gild eight pounds , failing Avhich he Avas shut out of the society , and the members