Table 2: Civic Engagement of the Medieval London Crafts

This table records medieval evidence about when and how craft organizations in medieval London engaged in civic matters such as sending representatives to the common council, contributing to city projects, consulting with city officials, and similar activities. Such civic engagement provides a useful index of the status and influence of a craft at particular moments in time. The table is based in the first instance on data printed in Caroline Barron, London in the Later Middle Ages (Oxford, 2004), pp. 218-23, but alphabetized by craft and augmented by additional material from George Unwin, The Gilds and Companies of London (London, 1938).

In the first column, craft names followed by a minus sign were not included in the 1422 list in the Brewers Book of “crafts exercised in London of old” (Unwin, Gilds, 370-1).  The number in round brackets represents the rank order precedence established for the major gilds by London’s court of aldermen in 1515.  To move the table to later dates, use the horizontal slider at the bottom of the table. Use the Search box to find a specific craft. Click Civic engagement notes to see the type of civic engagement for each year/column and its source.  Cite this table as: ” Civic Engagement of Medieval London Crafts,” Medieval Londoners, at https://medievallondoners.ace.fordham.edu/civic-engagement/.