he concept of the Burgess oath belongs - Aberdeen City Council

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In 1597, the Dean was required tosupervise the burning of a number ofwitches as well as the execution of fourpirates. In the same year he had tooversee the rebuilding of part of theTown House and was paid a specialallowance for carrying out these tasks.Above all, it was the duty of the Dean tocarry out the instructions of themagistrates and Council.It was about this time that the Dean ofGuild was empowered by statute toexercise the authority of a judge indisputes between merchants and alsobetween merchants and mariners. Withthe assistance of his Assessors,appointed by a Town Council somewhatjealous of this extension to the Dean’spower and authority, he could decide insuch cases in a summary manner.However, he never possessed the powerof judging any case with regard toproperty within the burgh, and there wasnever a Dean of Guild Court, ascommonly understood in Scotland, inAberdeen.The charter granted by Charles I to theburgh in 1638 specifically mentioned theresponsibility of the Dean of Guild formaintaining the standard weights andmeasures - a service absolutely vital tothe population. An inspector of weightsand measures, a paid officer of the TownCouncil, was appointed for this task inthe 19th Century.The Dean’s duties down the years wereindeed varied. In 1774, for example, hewas responsible for estimating the costof keeping the streets in repair andlighting, together with the cost ofsupplying water to the burgh - and all atan assessment of one shilling in thepound of house rents.Dean of Guild Accounts for burning witches 1597The Royal Burghs Reform Act of 1833brought a number of changes involvingthe Dean. Under it he was elected by hisBurgesses of Guild as the nineteenthmember of the Town Council to sit astheir representative. Over the nextcentury several Deans of Guild went onto serve as Provost, demonstrating thatthe Dean’s position remained asignificant one in local politics.Other outcomes of the 1833 Act wereless helpful to the Guildry. No longercould the Dean call upon the resourcesof manpower and finance which hadbeen his as an office-bearer of theCouncil.While the Act did not change therelationship between Guildrymembership and the exercise of tradingprivileges, the spirit of the age waseffectively undermining a situationwhere, throughout Scotland, smallgroups of individuals could claim tocontrol the wholesale and retail trade oftheir locality.The monopoly on trade had beeneroding since the late 18th Century andin 1846, on the recommendation of theDean of Guild, the Guildry offered noopposition to the proposal to abolish theright of exclusive trading by the
Guildries of Scottish burghs. At a strokeof a pen, the original rationale of theGuildry as a trading monopoly wasswept away. It was truly time to find anew role.However, the Dean’s right to vote onsome Council matters remained until1965. Ten years later the statutory linkbetween Guildry and Town Council wasfinally abolished, and Aberdeen isprobably unique among Scottish TownCouncils in retaining an informal linkbetween local government and the twobodies of Burgesses.With change in the air it was also feltthat the time had come to end the needto have the Dean of Guild electedannually, and in 1994 the Dean waselected to serve for a four-year term,with the option of a further fouryears.It was also felt that the six Assessorsshould also be elected for a four-yearterm and, as a result of the 1995 ballot,the Guildry had its first womanAssessor, Marjorie Bosomworth.Although the Dean no longer exercisesthe role he once held, he still plays a partin the city’s pageantry, representing theGuild in full regalia at ceremonialoccasions, such as the RemembranceSunday parade at the War Memorial andthe Kirkin of the Council, andmaintaining a primary role in theceremony of admission of newBurgesses at the beginning of a fullCouncil meeting.With establishment in 1989 of the Courtof Deans of Guild of Scotland, the Deannow has the additional responsibility ofrepresenting the Aberdeen Guildry onthat body.The Court, through regular half-yearlymeetings, was set up to maintain forposterity the place of GuildryIncorporations and to promote thestanding of those which may not be aswell recognised as others such as that ofAberdeen.The Court of Deans of Guild of Scotland MillenniumDinner in Aberdeen with Lord Provost Margaret E. Smith
Page 2 and 3: he concept of the Burgess oath belo
Page 4 and 5: Dean and Assessors with the pre 182
Page 6 and 7: Detail from Plan of Aberdeen 1661
Page 8: We do not know who were the firstBu
Page 11 and 12: ut Guild members had to pay a furth
Page 13 and 14: Although it was agreed that theGuil
Page 15 and 16: BURGESS OF GUILDABERDEEN1214Left to
Page 17 and 18: Royal authority for the formation o
Page 19: The Dean in full regaliamaintains a
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Page 25 and 26: The Dean of Guild andCity Archivist
Page 27 and 28: chosen each year from those who had

he concept of the Burgess oath belongs - Aberdeen City Council

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