GUILDS
RELIGIOUS GUILDS.
There were guilds
attached to all three town churches before the
Reformation. The brothers of St. Chad at Stowe
existed c. 1300, and the guild of St. Chad with
land at Stowe was mentioned in 1365. It may
still have been in existence in 1431. (fn. 1) There was
a guild of St. John the Baptist attached to St.
Mary's church in 1353. It had both men and
women as members, and its chaplain was the
chantry priest serving the altar of St. John the
Baptist. (fn. 2) There was also a guild of St. Mary in
the mid 14th century, and that too had a male
and female membership. (fn. 3) In the earlier 16th
century there was a guild of St. Michael with
land adjoining St. Michael's churchyard. (fn. 4)
The two guilds attached to St. Mary's were
amalgamated in 1387. That year Richard II
licensed seven petitioners to found a guild of St.
Mary and St. John the Baptist at Lichfield for a
fee of £30. Bishop Scrope added his licence. (fn. 5)
The petitioners were also given permission by
the king to acquire property worth up to £10 a
year for the maintenance of the guild and the
support of its chaplain. In part satisfaction the
king in 1392 licensed a grant of property in
Lichfield to the guild. (fn. 6) Gifts of other lands
followed. (fn. 7) By 1477 the guild held extensive
property in Lichfield and in nearby parts of
Staffordshire. In the city it had 12 burgages,
including the White Hart in Saddler Street, 22
cottages, 4 shops, a tenement, a garden, 6 barns,
and over 20 a. in the open fields. (fn. 8)
The members of the new guild appointed a
master and four wardens and drew up ordinances for running the guild. The master and
wardens were to be elected at an annual meeting
of the brothers and sisters on the feast of the
Conception of St. Mary (8 December) or in the
week following. The electors were to be a committee consisting of six brethren chosen by the
retiring master, three others chosen by those six,
and the retiring wardens. Those elected had to
live in Lichfield during their term of office, and
anyone elected who refused to serve was to be
expelled from the guild. The master and wardens were to issue livery each year ready for the
Nativity of St. Mary (8 September), and on that
day or within the week a feast attended by the
brothers and sisters was to be held if the masters
and wardens thought fit. New members were to
be admitted at the discretion of the master and
wardens, with whom an admission fee was to be
agreed. (fn. 9) Most of the fees were paid in cash, and
in the early 16th century they were normally
between 20d. and 3s. 8d. Occasionally they took
the form of land or goods; thus a parchment
maker admitted in the early 15th century gave
the parchment for a missal. (fn. 10) Other ordinances
dealt with the standard disputes between members and the relief of members who became
destitute.
Annual admissions in the earlier 15th century
averaged 31 and rose to an average of 105 in the
later part of the century, reaching 160 in the last
two decades. In the 16th century the annual
average was 93. (fn. 11) At least 167 members of the
earlier guild of St. Mary were admitted posthumously into the new guild, and posthumous
admissions continued, becoming particularly
numerous in the earlier 16th century. (fn. 12) Besides
Richard II and his queen, Anne, who head the
list of members, many notable persons were
admitted, including Henry VII in 1487 and his
queen in 1494. Local gentry and the heads of
religious houses in the Midlands figure prominently; leading inhabitants of several English
towns also appear. (fn. 13)
In 1389 a full assembly was held in a private
house. (fn. 14) A guildhall in Bore Street by 1421 may
have been the 'Stayvethall' (or 'Staynethall') for
which an ornament worth £3 was given c. 1406. (fn. 15)
By the late 15th century the guild was participating in the government of the town, and the
master was assisted by a group called the Fortyeight. (fn. 16)
The guild ordinances provided that there
should be as many chaplains as was thought
necessary by the worthier brethren. (fn. 17) A new
chaplain was to be admitted by the master and
wardens after the existing chaplains had checked
his suitability. St. Mary's being the guild
church, the chaplains were expected to help with
the daily services and to be present at the mass
of St. Mary and the anthem 'Salve Regina' each
day. It was laid down that one of the guild
chaplains was to be appointed clerk by the
master and wardens with an annual remuneration of 6s. 8d.; he had to present an account of
the guild's income and expenditure to the
master and wardens when required. As stipulated in the ordinances, the guild chaplains lived
in a house called the Priests' Hall which stood in
Breadmarket Street opposite the south-west
corner of the church. It was given to the guild by
Adam Ingestre at the time of its foundation. (fn. 18) By
1389 the guild had bought a chalice and a
vestment. (fn. 19) There were four guild priests in
1466, although one of them was then stated to be
serving a cure in the Close and neglecting his
duty of celebrating at St. Mary's. (fn. 20)
The guild was dissolved evidently in 1548. (fn. 21)
Its lands then lay mainly in Lichfield with some
in other parts of Staffordshire; property at Great
Wyrley in Cannock, at Norton Canes, including
Little Wyrley, and at Wall had been conveyed to
trustees in 1545 for the maintenance of Lichfield's water supply. (fn. 22) The guild's net annual
income was just over £41 in 1548. The guild was
then supporting four priests, a deacon, two
parish clerks, and two children to sing and
celebrate daily in St. Mary's; the church's vestments included 'six copes for children'. The
priest who acted as clerk to the guild received a
stipend of £6 6s. 8d. and the other three priests
one of £5 13s. 4d. each. A sum of £4 13s. 4d. was
paid to the poor. The guild had 12 oz. of silvergilt plate, ornaments worth 3s. 2d., and household stuff in the guildhall worth £1 17s. 8d. One
of the priests died in November 1548; the rest
received pensions of £5 13s. 4d. each, and one of
them was vicar of St. Mary's in the 1550s.
Various smaller pensions were granted to four
other 'incumbents' of the guild and to a chorister. (fn. 23) The Crown soon began to sell the guild's
property piecemeal. In 1549, for example, two
London speculators bought the chaplains'
house, and another bought the guildhall. (fn. 24) It
was alleged in 1571 that some of the property in
Lichfield was still being concealed from the
Crown. (fn. 25)
The guild seal in use in 1545 depicted the
Virgin and Child. (fn. 26)
CRAFT GUILDS.
There is no contemporary
evidence that there were craft guilds in Lichfield
in the Middle Ages, but their existence in that
period is suggested by a list of what were styled
trade companies, drawn up probably in the
1650s. The list records those Lichfield companies whose members had been loyal to Charles I,
giving the dates of origin and incorporation
claimed by each company and a trick of their
arms. In order of alleged age the companies
were as follows: saddlers, in existence in Edward
I's reign; vintners, incorporated in Edward III's
reign and granted arms in 1427–8; mercers,
established in 1393–4; masons, incorporated in
the reign of Henry IV; shoemakers, incorporated in 1438–9; carpenters, established in 1477;
barbers and surgeons, incorporated in Edward
IV's reign; cooks, incorporated in the same
reign; joiners, incorporated in 1570–1; painters
and stainers, of 'great antiquity' but not incorporated until 1580; smiths, incorporated in Elizabeth I's reign; and butchers, incorporated in
1605. Three companies, the bakers, the farriers,
and the glaziers, were described simply as
ancient. (fn. 27) Of those listed the shoemakers are
known from other evidence to have existed as a
company in 1561, (fn. 28) the bakers in 1576, (fn. 29) the
saddlers in 1594, (fn. 30) the smiths in 1601, (fn. 31) the
mercers in 1623, (fn. 32) and the butchers in 1641. (fn. 33)
The masons and carpenters were recorded as a
single company in 1698. (fn. 34) Four companies were
omitted from the 1650s list, presumably because
their members were disloyal to the Crown, the
clothworkers and weavers recorded in 1552, (fn. 35)
the cappers in 1575, (fn. 36) the tailors in 1576, (fn. 37) and
the tanners in 1625. (fn. 38)
The last recorded admission of a capper was
in 1708 and of a tanner in 1753. (fn. 39) There were
only two members of the mercers' company in
1786 and it became extinct c. 1797. (fn. 40) The bakers' and the clothworkers' companies still existed in 1833. (fn. 41) Although the 1835 Municipal
Corporations Act took away the economic privileges of trade companies, the members of four
Lichfield companies continued to meet for social
purposes: butchers at least until 1865, (fn. 42) shoemakers at least until 1870, (fn. 43) tailors at least until
1880, (fn. 44) and smiths until 1896. (fn. 45) The smiths'
company was revived in 1943 when the eldest
son of one of the last members successfully
claimed admittance and was enrolled in the
presence of the mayor. In the late 1980s the
company held its annual feast in February.
Beside admitting freemen of its own craft, the
revived company also admits as honorary freemen those who have given outstanding service
to the city. (fn. 46)
Allied crafts were often included in one company. The saddlers were members of what in
1594 was styled the company of glovers, whittawers (workers in fine leather), and saddlers;
the style varied in the 17th and 18th centuries
and included bridle cutters, horse-collar makers,
skinners, fellmongers, and makers of breeches. (fn. 47)
The style of the mercers' company in 1623
included grocers, woollen drapers, linen
drapers, silkmen, hosiers, salters, apothecaries,
and haberdashers. (fn. 48) The shoemakers were
members of what was more usually known as the
company of corvisors and curriers. (fn. 49) The style
of the smiths' company in 1601 included
goldsmiths, ironmongers, cardmakers (makers
of wire brushes used in combing wool), pewterers, plumbers, cutlers, and spurriers; by 1630
braziers and nailers had been added to the
company's name. In addition ironmongers,
locksmiths, tinplate makers, and watchmakers
were admitted in the 17th century. (fn. 50) The butchers and the chandlers in 1641 together formed a
company. (fn. 51)
Ordinances made in the late 16th and early
17th century gave details of the conditions for
membership and of the government of the companies. (fn. 52) Freedom was open to the eldest son of
a freeman, to an apprentice of seven years'
standing, and to others who paid an entrance
fee, normally £10. A widow who carried on her
husband's trade was eligible for membership. (fn. 53)
Each company was governed by one or more
masters or wardens, chosen annually on or near
a feast day: clothworkers, four masters or wardens at Corpus Christi; tailors, one master and
two wardens within a month of the Nativity of
St. John the Baptist (24 June); mercers, a master
and two wardens on the Wednesday after the
feast of St. James the apostle (25 July); butchers,
two wardens on Lammas day (1 August); shoemakers, two wardens on the feast of St. Crispin
and St. Crispian (25 October); tanners, two
wardens at Martinmas (11 November); saddlers,
two masters on St. Clement's day (23
November); bakers, two wardens on St. Clement's day; smiths, one master and two wardens
on the Friday after St. Clement's day, changed
in 1630 to the Wednesday; cappers, one master
and two wardens on St. Catherine's day (25
November). The revived company of smiths
installs its master at a mayoral court held on the
last Tuesday in February. (fn. 54)
The ordinances also stated rules for the manufacture and sale of goods. From their records it
is known that the tailors in 1659 investigated
'foreigners' working in the city, and that the
smiths in 1701–2 acted against a man selling
scythes and another selling candlesticks. (fn. 55) The
decline of the mercers' company suggests that
restrictive practices were abandoned in the distributive trades in the 18th century. Self regulation also took place. In 1676 the butchers agreed
not to sell on Sundays, (fn. 56) and in 1766 Lichfield
tradesmen imposed a ban on Sunday trading. (fn. 57)
The companies also had an important social
function, providing members with convivial
meetings. The election of officers was an occasion for feasting, which also took place at other
times: the shoemakers had an additional feast at
Corpus Christi in the later 16th century, (fn. 58) as did
the tailors in the 17th century. (fn. 59) There is no
evidence that any company had its own common
hall, and the feasts were held at inns in the 18th
century, and presumably earlier; the guildhall,
however, may also have been a venue, and the
tailors had a feast there in 1803. (fn. 60) Minstrels
played at the shoemakers' feasts in the later 16th
century, (fn. 61) and payments to musicians, including
trumpeters, drummers, and boy choristers, were
regularly made by the tailors and the smiths in
the 17th and earlier 18th century. (fn. 62) The smiths'
company bought a ceremonial cup for £20 1s. in
1708–9; it was presumably the silver cup sold in
1737. (fn. 63) Members' wives had their own meetings
or were allowed to join their husbands after
dinner; in 1786 the saddlers' company allowed
married members to bring a substitute companion. (fn. 64) In the earlier 17th century the tailors paid
1s. or 2s. to 'the women', (fn. 65) and in 1701–2 the
smiths spent 2s. on March beer (strong ale) for
the women's wassail. (fn. 66) The shoemakers required attendance at the marriage and burial of
a brother or sister member in the early 17th
century, (fn. 67) and in the late 17th and early 18th
century the smiths had their own funeral
pall. (fn. 68)
Members were notified of meetings by a summoner or beadle: one was recorded for the
smiths in 1672, (fn. 69) the shoemakers in 1681, (fn. 70) the
cappers in 1695, (fn. 71) and the tailors in 1697. (fn. 72) Both
the smiths and the shoemakers provided their
summoner with a uniform and a badge of
office. (fn. 73)
The companies' chief source of revenue was
admission fees; other income included fines for
breaching company rules and, for the smiths'
company in the late 17th and early 18th century,
a charge of 2s. 6d. each time the company's
funeral pall was used. (fn. 74) The smiths also operated or participated in a lottery in 1757. (fn. 75) Most
expenditure went on feasting, but a proportion
of the fines and other income was normally
assigned for poor relief. Payments to 'the poor
man's box' were stipulated in ordinances made
for the clothworkers in 1552, (fn. 76) the saddlers in
1594, (fn. 77) and the butchers in 1641. (fn. 78) The 1601
ordinances of the smiths' company required that
half of the fines should be distributed to the
city's poor. New ordinances in 1630 omitted
that provision, but in the late 17th and early
18th century the smiths made regular payments
of up to 5s. a year to poor travellers. (fn. 79)
Freedom of a company conferred the right to
vote in parliamentary elections, and both the
Whigs and the Tories arranged for large numbers of new freemen to be enrolled at election
time. The smiths' company was often used for
the purpose, and the resulting accumulation of
capital from admission fees was distributed
among members, £80 in 1747, £40 in 1753, and
£186 in stages between 1799 and 1801. No
distribution was made after the admission of 125
freemen to the company in April 1801 because a
corrupt method of paying entrance fees had
been employed. (fn. 80)