Guilds

As more people became craftsmen, people of the same craft began to band together. They found that together they could do more than any one of them alone could do, so they banded together and began an organization called a guild. Each line of business had its own guild: butchers, bakers, dyers, shoemakers, masons, tanners, and many others. The purpose of the guild was to make sure its members produced high quality goods and were treated fairly. These guilds became very powerful in towns toward the end of the Middle Ages. They began to pass many laws that controlled competition among merchants, fixed prices and wages, and limited the hours during which merchandise could be sold. If a stranger came into a town, he could not sell his goods unless he paid a toll and obeyed the guilds rules. The guild also took care of the widow and children of a merchant who died and punished members who used false weights or poor materials.

Guilds also ensured that new crafters were properly trained. A boy began his career as an apprentice. His parents sent him to a master in the craft he was to learn. For a period that varied from three to eleven years, the boy lived as a part of his master’s household doing menial chores and learning his trade. After a boy served his apprenticeship, he became a journeyman or day worker for his master. In order to become a master himself and join a guild, he had to demonstrate his skill in his craft by creating a “masterpiece” that was approved by the guild. He also had to have enough money set aside to open his own shop.

References:

• Macdonald, Fiona. The Middle Ages. Silver Burdett Company. London. 1984.
• Oakes, Catherine. Exploring the Past: The Middle Ages. The Hamlyn Publishing Group. Orlando. 1989.
• Sobol, Donald J. The First Book of Medieval Man. Franklin, Inc. New York. 1959.

Images

Dyer courtesy of http://schools.ci.burbank.ca.us/~luther/midages/beginhere.html, Luther Burbank Middle School