Frederick Armitage Old Guilds of England

Annotation

Whilst the greatest effort has been made to ensure the quality of this text, due to the historical nature of this content, in some rare cases there may be minor issues with legibility. These Frith Guilds held monthly meetings with a feast, the remains of which were given to the poor; and on the death of a member each brother gave a loaf for the benefit of the Guild, and sang fifty psalms, or paid someone else to do so. Each member also contributed fourpence towards a fund to reimburse mem bers from accidental losses, and one shilling each when a thief was to be caught. The ranks of the members were divided into bodies of ten each, and 100 seems to have constituted a company under an acknowledged leader.