Guilds

A Little History

The various merchant guilds organized for mutual protection of their horses, wagons, and goods when traveling, and would often found towns by obtaining a charter.

They functioned similar to today’s unions in their duty toward members and like the better business bureau in their quality control function. For example:

	The guild regulated all prices.
	Advertising was not allowed so competition between members could be controlled.
	To preserve its economy a guild would not allow the sale of items made by craftsmen of other communities within the city it controlled.
	Workmanship had to be examined by a board of the guild and given approval.
	Information about the industry was highly guarded. If a worker who possessed any essential trade secrets fled to a foreign territory, he was tracked down and killed so he couldn't divulge the information.

One may laugh at some of these regulations, but many are just glad they don’t apply today!

No member was ever allowed to corner the market by purchasing a large supply of a product or commodity so as to be able to fix the price.

The Main two types of Guilds were the craftsmen, who performed skilled labor, and the merchants who controlled the distribution of goods and financial services.

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