Mackey A G - Encylopedia of Freemasonry - The Grand Masonic ...

GILDS
GILGUL 297
"The very soul of the Craft Gild was its
meetings, which brought all the Gild brothers
together every week or quarter . These meetings
were always held with certain ceremonies,
for the sake of greater solemnity . The box,
having several locks like that of the Trade
Unions, and containing the charters of the
Gild, the statutes, the money, and other valuable
articles, was opened on such occasions,
and all present had to uncover their heads .
These meetings possessed all the rights which
they themselves had not chosen to delegate .
They elected the presidents (originally called
Aldermen, afterwards Masters and Wardens)
and other officials, except in those cases already
mentioned, in which the Master was
appointed by the king, the bishop, or the authorities
of the town. As a rule, the Gilds
were free to choose their Masters, either from
their own members, or from men of higher
rank, though they were sometimes limited in
their choice to the former.
"The Wardens summoned and presided at
the meetings, with their consent enacted ordinances
for the regulation of the trade, saw
these ordinances properly executed, and
watched over the maintenance of the customs
of the Craft . They had the right to examine
all manufactures, and a right of search for all
unlawful tools and products. They formed,
with the assistance of a quorum of Gild brothers,
the highest authority in all the concerns of
the Gild. No Gild member could be arraigned
about trade matters before any other judge .
We have still numerous documentary proofs
of the severity and justice with which the
Wardens exercised their judicial duties. Whenever
they held a court, it was under special
forms and solemnities ; thus, for instance in
1275 the chief Warden of the masons building
Strasburg cathedral held a court sitting under
a canopy .
"Besides being brotherhoods for the care of
the temporal welfare of their members the
Craft Gilds were, like the rest of the Gilds, at
the same time religious fraternities . In the
account of the origin of the Company of Grocers,
it is mentioned that at the very first meeting
they fixed a stipend for the priest, who had
to conduct their religious services and pray
for their dead. In this respect the Craft Gilds
of all countries are alike ; and in reading their
statutes, one might fancy sometimes that the
old craftsmen cared only for the wellbeing of
their souls . All bad particular saints for patrons,
after whom the society was frequently
called ; and, where it was possible, they chose
one who had some relation to their trade .
They founded masses, altars, and painted
windows in cathedrals ; and even at the present
day their coats of arms and their gifts
range proudly by the side of those of kings and
barons . Sometimes individual Craft Gilds
appear to have stood in special relation to a
particular church, by virtue of which they had
to perform special services, and received in
return a special share in all the prayers of the
clergy of that church . In later times, the
Craft Gilds frequently went in solemn pro-
cession to their churches . We find innumerable
ordinances also as to the support of the
sick and poor ; and to afford a settled asylum
for distress, the London Companies early
built dwellings near their halls. The chief
care, however, of the Gildmen was always directed
to the welfare of the souls of the dead .
Every year a requiem was sung for all departed
Gild brothers, when they were all mentioned
by name ; and on the death of any member,
special services were held for his soul, and distribution
of alms was made to the poor, who,
in return, had to offer up prayers for the dead,
as is still the custom in Roman Catholic countries
."
In a History of the English Guilds, edited by
Toulmin Smith from old documents in the
Record Office at London, and published by
the Early English Text Society, we find many
facts confirmatory of those given by Brentano,
as to the organization of these Gilds .
The testimony of these old records shows
that a religious element pervaded the Gilds,
and exercised a very powerful influence over
them . Women were admitted to all of them,
which Herbert (Liv . Comp ., i ., 83) thinks was
borrowed from the Ecclesiastical Gilds of
Southern Europe ; and the brethren and sisters
were on terms of complete equality . There
were fees on entrance, yearly and special payments,
and fines for wax for lights to burn at
the altar or in funeral rites . The Gilds had
set days of meeting, known as "morning
speeches," or "days of spekyngges totiedare
for here comune profyte," and a grand festival
on the patron saint's day, when the members
assembled for worship, almsgiving, feasting,
and for nourishing of brotherly love . Mystery
plays were often performed . They had a
treasure-chest, the opening of which was a
sign that business had begun. While it remained
open all stood with uncovered heads,
when cursing and swearing and all loose conduct
were severely punished . The Gild property
consisted of land, cattle, money, etc . The
expenditure was on the sick poor and aged, in
making good losses by robbery etc . Loans
were advanced pilgrims assisted, and, in one
city, "any good girl of the Gild" was to have a
dowry on marriage, if her father could not provide
it . Poor travelers were lodged and fed .
Roads were kept in repair, and churches were
sustained and beautified . They wore a particular
costume, which was enforced by their
statutes, whence come the liveries of the London
Companies of the present day and the
"clothing of the Freemasons .
An investigation of the usages of these
Medieval Gilds, and a comparison of their
regulations with the old Masonic Constitutions,
will furnish a fertile source of interest
to the Masonic archeologist, and will throw
much light on the early history of Freemasonry
. (See Gilds in Eleventh Edition of the
Britannica Cyclopedia .)
Gilead . See Galahad .
Gilgul, Doctrine of. We learn from Bro .
Kenneth R . H. Mackenzie's Royal Masonic
Cyclopwdia that "Certain of the learned Jews