nsic worth, or any peculiarly interesting historical interest, save
the little sceptre of Queen Elizabeth, a passing word may be enough to
devote to them; it is time to turn attention to the subject more
intimately associated with the very name of the building itself. A
Guildhall instantly suggests the question of guilds, their origin,
character, and the features of history connected with those whose
existence are memorialized by this particular edifice and its appendages.

Guilds were societies of persons confederated together for the common
cause of trade, charity, and religion. They were very numerous; in this
county alone 907 were enumerated by Taylor in his Index Monasticus, as
existing at the time of the Reformation.

The Parochial guilds were often too poor to afford to hire a room for
their meetings, but assembled at each other's houses; but when such was
not the case, they usually hired a house near the church, which was
called a Guildhall, or church house; the situation being chosen as
convenient, their business being to pray as well as to eat. The Guild
consisted of an alderman, brethren and sisters, the parson of the parish
and the principal persons of the neighbourhood being members. They held
lands, received legacies, and frequently met; but their grand assembly
was on the day of their patron saint, when they went to church and
offered up prayers at his altar for all the members of the society,
living and dead. From their saint they took their distinctive titles, as
St. George's, St. Luke's Guild, &c. They bestowed alms annually upon the
poor, received travelling strangers, and did other acts of charity, as
far as their revenues allowed.

Their meetings were usually crowned by a dinner, and terminated often in
a manner not altogether consistent with their commencement. Some of the
guilds in large towns were wealthy and influential. The bill for giving
their possessions to the king, when sent to the lower house in 1547, was
much opposed by the burgesses, who represented that the boroughs could no
longer maintain their churches and other public works, if the rents
belonging to the guilds were transferred to the king. The act passed,
upon a pledge that the lands should be restored. It was the last act of
Henry the Eighth's reign, and was put in execution by his successor; but
the promise was ill performed, many of the revenues being seized, upon
the plea of their being free chapel or chantry endowm