meetings, and 8) provisions for settling disputes without
recourse to the law. Both the masses and the feast were attended
by the women. Frequently the guilds also had a religious
ceremonial to affirm their bonds of fidelity. They readily became
connected with the exercise of trades and with the training of
apprentices. They promoted and took on public purposes such as the
repairing of roads and bridges, the relief of pilgrims, the
maintenance of schools and almshouses, and the periodic
performance of pageants and miracle plays telling scriptural
history, which could last for several days. The devil often was
prominent in miracle plays.

Many of these London guilds were known by the name of their
founding member. There were also Frith Guilds (peace guilds) and a
Knights' Guild. The Frith Guild's main object was to enforce the
King's laws, especially the prevalent problem of theft. They were
especially established by bishops and reeves. Members met monthly
and contributed about 4d. to a common fund, which paid a
compensation for items stolen. They each paid 1s. towards the
pursuit of the thief. The members were grouped in tens. Members
with horses were to track the thief. Members without horses worked
in the place of the absent horse owners until their return. When
caught, the thief was tried and executed. Overwhelming force was
used if his kindred tried to protect him. His property was used to
compensate the victim for his loss and then divided between the
thief's wife, if she was innocent, the King, and the guild. Owners
of slaves paid into a fund to give one half compensation to those
who lost slaves by theft or escape, and recaptured slaves were to
be stoned to death or hanged. The members of the peace guild also
feasted and drank together. When one died, the others each sang a
song or paid for the singing of fifty psalms for his soul and gave
a loaf.

The Knights' Guild was composed of thirteen military persons to
whom King Edgar granted certain waste land in the east of London,
toward Aldgate, and also Portsoken, which ran outside the eastern
wall of the city to the Thames, for prescribed services performed,
probably defense of the vulnerable east side of the city. This
concession was confirmed by King Edward the Confessor in a charter
at the suit of certain citizens of London, the successors of these
knights. Edward granted them sac and soke [cause and suit]
jurisdiction over their men.

Edward the Confessor