Like the old Roman guilds, those of the Middle Ages had
their charitable and religious aspects. Each guild raised large benefit funds
for the relief of members or their widows and orphans. Each guild had its
private altar in the cathedral, or often its own chapel, where masses were said
for the repose of the souls of deceased members, and where on the day of its
patron saint religious services were held. The guild was also a social
organization, with frequent meetings for a feast in its hall or in some inn.
The guilds in some cities entertained the people with an annual play or
procession. [13] It is clear that the members of a medieval craft guild had
common interests and shared a common life.
[13] The civic procession in London on Lord Mayor's Day is
the last survival in England of these yearly shows.
DISSOLUTION OF CRAFT GUILDS As the craft guilds prospered
and increased in wealth, they tended to become exclusive organizations.
Membership fees were raised so high that few could afford to pay them, while
the number of apprentices that a master might take was strictly limited. It
also became increasingly difficult for journeymen to rise to the station of
masters; they often remained wage-earners for life. The mass of workmen could
no longer participate in the benefits of the guild system. In the eighteenth
century most of the guilds lost their monopoly of industry, and in the
nineteenth century they gave way to trade unions.
