working life of women seventeenth century - School of Economics ...

CRAFTS AND TRADES CRAFTS AND TRADES I55" whereby I was relieved in mind, and confirmed 1was in my place, and that it was Satan, by his transformation,who had deceived and disturbed me."'The understanding and good sense which enabledwomen to assume control during the temporaryabsence of their husbands, fitted them also to bearthe burden alone when widowed. Her capacitywas so much taken for granted that public opinionregarded the wife as being virtually her husband'spartner, leases or indentures were made out in theirjoint names, and on the husband's death the wifewas left in undistufbed possession of the stock,apprentices and goodwill of the business.A. Skilled Trades or Crafts.The origin of the Craft Gilds is obscure. Theywere preceded by Religious Gilds in which menand women who were associated in certain tradesunited for religious and social purposes. Whetherthese Religious Gilds developed naturally into organisationsconcerned with the purpose of trade,or whetherthev were superseded by new associations whosefirst object was the regulation and improvementof the craft and with whom the religious and social ceremonieswere of secondary importance is a disputedpoint, which, if elucidated, might throw some lighton the industrial history of women. In the obscuritywhich envelopes this subject one certain fact emerges ;the earlier Gilds included sisters as well as brothers,the two sexes being equally concerned with thereligious and social observances which constitutedtheir chief functions.As the Gilds become more definitely trade organisationsthe importance of the sisters diminishes,and in some, the Carpenters for example, they appearto be virtually excluded from membership though' Irtsh Frtend, Vol. IV., p. 150.this exclusion is only tacitly arrived at by custom,and is not enforced by rules. In other Gilds, suchas the Girdlers and Pewterers, it is evident thatthough women's names do not occur in lists of wardensor assistants,. yet they were actively engaged in thesecrafts and, like men, were subject to and protectedby the regulations of their Gild or Company.Very little is yet known of the industrial positionof Englishwomen in the middle ages. Poll-tax returnsshow, however, that they were engagecl in manymiscellaneous occupations. Thus the return for Oxfordin 1380 mentions six trades followed by women,viz.-37 spinsters, 11 shapesters (tailors), 9 tapsters(inn keepers), 3 sutrices (shoemakers,) 3 hucksters,5 washerwomen, while in six others both men andwomen were employed, namely butchers, brewers,chandlers, ironmongers, netmakers and kempsters(wool combers). 148 women were enrolled as ancillaeor servants, and 81 trades were followed by only men.A similar return for the West Riding of Yorksin 1379 declares the women employed in differenttrades to be as follows :--6 chapmen, I I inn keepers,I farrier, I shoemaker, 2 nurses, 39 brewsters, 2 farmers,I smith, I merchant, I 14 domestic servants and farmlabourers, 66 websters, (30 with that surname), 2listers or dyers, 2 fullers or walkers, and 22 seamstresses.'In every case these would be women whowere carrying on their trade separately from theirhusbands, or as widows. During the followingcenturies women's names are given in the returnsmade of the tradesmen working in different Boroughs,occurring sometimes in trades which would seem tomodern ideas most unlikely for them. Thus Swidows and 35 men's names are given in a list of thesmiths at Chester for the year 1574.~* By kind permiseion of M~sa Eileen Power.Harl, MSS., 2054. fo. 22 , The Sm itbs Book ?f Arrts. Chester, 1574.