RESEARCH ON FRATERNALISM: FRATERNITIES PRIOR TO THE 1700s Contrary to popular misconception, it was not only the Freemasons who protected their trade secrets from others. During the middle ages, other craftsmen too formed their own fraternities commonly called guilds. Prior to the year 1700s, there were hundreds of trade-based fraternities in London alone. By the year 1700s, many of these organizations went defunct, some still exist as an operative trade fraternity today, while some evolved and became fraternal orders (accepting people not practicing their trade). Here are some few examples: - Fraternity of Butchers: owns their own meeting Hall as early as 975 and has charters dating 1605 and 1637. - Fraternity of Cooks: first cook’s shop was described in 1170. Thereafter till 1438, there are reference to the “Masters of the mysteries” of Cooks, Pastelers and Piebakers. Mysteries suggest that they also have their initiation rites. - Fraternity of Fishmongers: possesses twenty-two surviving charters, the first one granted around 1272. - Fraternity of Gardeners: a record dating 1345 showed that they petitioned the Lord Mayor to sell produce infront of the church of St. Austin. They have charters dated 1605 and 1659 and few other surviving documents in Scotland too. - Fraternity of Armorers and Brasiers: principal charters dating 1453, 1559, 1685 and 1708. - Fraternity of Carpenters: charters dating 1477, 1558, 1560, 1607, and 1868. - Fraternity of Barbers: Earliest charter granted in 1462. - Fraternity of Brouderers: has reference dating back from 1418. - Fraternity of Blacksmiths: charters dated 1571, 1604 and 1639. - Fraternity of Apothecaries: received first charter in 1617. - Fraternity of Masons: formed around 1472 to control and regulate stone trade. Received company charters in 1677, 1688, and 1702 and still exist today as an operative society. The companys book of accounts mentioned a lodge of Acception of freemasons in 1620 and 1621 - this is the earliest reference to the Freemasons becoming a speculative society. - Other trade fraternities also admitted noblemen who did not practice their trade. The Fraternity of Weavers, for example, originally consisted of members of the trade when they were founded in 1155 but admitted sons of members and noblemen. The guild of Merchant Taylors, on the other hand, admitted King Edward III as a member after they had lent him money to pay his wars. It was advantageous for guilds to admit noblemen because they would increase the social prestige of their society. - Fellows from various trades also formed their own fraternities called compagnonnages or journeymen associations to defend their collective interests against the monopoly of the guild Masters and to provide food, lodging, and guidance for one another when they travel to search for work. As compared with the guilds, these associations usually consisted of Fellows and Apprentices representing numerous or Odd trades. They also have an elaborate initiation rite in which a young journeyman who joins the association will go through a system of degrees intended to test courage and loyalty and to ascend into hierarchy within the association.The early practices of the fraternity of friendly society of Odd Fellows bear much closer resemblance to the journeymen associations than the guilds. When King Henry VIII broke off from the Roman Catholic Church, he confiscated the properties of the guilds because he believed they supported the Pope because of their link with the church. And during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, the Statute of Apprentices was passed which took the responsibility for apprenticeship away from the guilds. The nature and scope of work was also changing, thus, the role of the guilds eventually went into decline. This removed an important form of social and financial support among ordinary workers. Some of these guilds and trade societies continued to survive but some had to adapt to changing times and evolved into fraternal lodges and convivial clubs with a combination of social, moral and charitable or mutual-benefit functions and less of a trade union. By the 1700s, there seems to be a number of such groups in London. Some lodges of the Guild of Masons, for example, evolved to become the Ancient Honorable Order of Free and Accepted Masons and the Fraternity of Gardeners eventually became the Ancient Order of Free Gardeners. Several other fraternal lodges and clubs with a guild-like name, such as the United Order of Cabinet Makers, also came into existence. The year 1700s in England was actually full of Lodge-based activities and social clubs until a series of political shocks panicked the English government. The French Revolution was greeted with great approval by many Englishmen of radical thinking that many joined the London Corresponding Society and other so-called Jacobin clubs to promote revolution against the English monarchy. As a response, the English government passed several legislations that made many fraternal orders, friendly societies, trade unions and social clubs illegal such as the Unlawful Oaths Act of 1797 and Unlawful Societies Act of 1799. The Freemasons were lucky because they were exempted from this ban through lobbying with royal dukes and aristocrats who were members. All other fraternal orders, friendly societies, social clubs and trade unions had to intentionally destroy many of their early records to avoid identification and arrest. Some of their early records survived today. REFERENCES: - Melling, J.K. (2003). Discovering Londons Guilds and Liveries. UK: Shire Publications. - Smith, T. (1870). English Gilds. London: Early English Text Society - Dennis, V. (2005). Discovering Friendly and Fraternal Societies: Their badges and Regalia. UK: Shire Book publications
Posted on: Wed, 24 Sep 2014 14:23:30 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015