History What guilds did
In medieval towns, people who did the same work often joined a guild: bakers, weavers, goldsmiths, masons and many more. Merchant guilds organized traders. Guilds set prices and standards of quality, checked work, and decided who could practice the trade in town.
Guilds also looked after their members. They helped families when someone was sick or died, paid for funerals and prayers, and held feasts on their saint's day.
History From apprentice to master
A boy, and sometimes a girl, learned a trade as an apprentice, living with a master's family for several years, often seven. Next he worked for wages as a journeyman. To become a master with his own workshop, he might have to show the guild a fine piece of work: his "masterpiece".
History Halls and plays
Rich guilds built halls for their meetings. The Merchant Adventurers' Hall in York, England, built from 1357, is one of the finest timber-framed guild halls in Europe. In York, the guilds also put on the Mystery Plays: each guild acted one scene from the Bible on a wagon stage, from the creation of the world to the story of Jesus.
Art In this artwork
The carved beams and painted shields with tool shapes are the artist's design. Real guilds did use coats of arms with the tools of their trade.
Look closer
- Look at the shields. Which tools can you see?
- Count the floors.
Think about it
- Why might people in the same job want to work together?
- What would you choose as your masterpiece?
- What groups today do the jobs that guilds once did?
Key words
- Apprentice
- A young person learning a trade from a master.
- Journeyman
- A trained worker paid by the day.
- Masterpiece
- A piece of work that proves a person has mastered a craft.
Use it in class
- What was daily life like in the Middle Ages? (Explainer, grades 3-8)
- Medieval market day: a lesson on guilds and trade (Lesson, grades 3-7)
Sources
The history on this page is a short summary based on these sources:
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Guild" and "Apprenticeship"
- The Company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York, history of the Merchant Adventurers' Hall (built 1357 to 1361)
- York Mystery Plays: the plays of the city's guilds, from the 1370s
