The city of London, like many other corporate towns at the present day, had originally but collective trading company or fraternity, called the ; but when the population increased, and trades became more numerous, the citizens began to associate in distinct companies, according to their respective occupations, and to seek charters of incorporation and protection for the purpose of excluding non-freemen from exercising the same trade within the precincts of the city.

Merchant guilds do not appear to have been known to the Anglo Saxons, nor does it appear very certain that they were introduced into this country on the arrival of the Normans, although it is extremely probable that this was the case. The mention we find of a guild or fraternity of tradesmen occurs in a record in , during the reign of Henry I. in which a sum of is entered as having been paid by Robert the son of Leuestan, as the rent or ferme for the guild of weavers of London. It is probable that the various fraternities were now rapidly augmenting by royal privilege. The oldest patents or charters of incorporation, however, that have been preserved, are those of the skinners and goldsmiths, which were granted by Edward III. in the year . Several fictitious or self-constituted guilds had, however, been set up a century and a half before this time, but being without the royal licence they were fined. Indeed, so early

[] Madox. Fir Bur. p. 191.

[] See vol. i. p. 61.