Guilds Controlled Who Could Practise a Trade
A guild is an association of craftsmen. Medieval guilds set standards, trained apprentices and restricted who could work.
A guild is an association of people in the same trade or craft. Medieval guilds were not clubs but licensing bodies: they set quality standards, fixed prices, trained apprentices through a fixed progression and could bar an outsider from working in a town at all. The word comes from a root meaning payment, because members paid dues. *Journeyman* comes from French *journée*, a day, because a qualified worker was paid by the day.
- A trade association. *The weavers' guild.*
- Guildhall — its meeting place. *The Guildhall.*
- Apprentice — the trainee. *A seven-year apprentice.*
- Journeyman — a qualified day-worker. *A journeyman carpenter.*
- Masterpiece — the work proving mastery. *His masterpiece.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | guild | A craft guild. |
| Plural | guilds | Medieval guilds. |
| Compound | guildhall | The Guildhall. |
| Related | guildsman | A guildsman. |
| Old English | gield | A payment, a guild. |
- The guild regulated the trade.History.
- He served a seven-year apprenticeship.Training.
- A masterpiece proved a craftsman's skill.The original meaning.
The three stages of a craft
- Apprentice — bound to a master, often for seven years
- Journeyman — qualified, paid by the day, free to move
- Master — admitted after submitting a masterpiece
- Masterpiece — originally the test piece, not a great work of art
- Guild membership was usually required to trade in a town
Old English *gield*, a payment or association, from a Germanic root meaning to pay, related to *yield*.
What was a masterpiece originally?
The test piece a journeyman submitted to a guild to prove skill and be admitted as a master.
Why is it called a journeyman?
From French journée, a day. A journeyman was qualified and paid by the day rather than bound as an apprentice.