Great Britain -- Economic conditions; Great Britain -- Social conditions
the one to the other of them may give that brotherly aid and Christian
relief as best may be for their helps, some of them being young men and
bachelors having neither houses of their own or family, and some others
of great years burdened with the charge of wife and many children; it is
therefore thought good by us, with the assent of the said
master-weavers, that they the said journeymen shall and lawfully may
yearly, on the day of Saint Peter the Apostle, meet together and choose
two honest and discreet journeymen of the elder and discreetest sort of
them to be their Stewards for the year ensuing, which Stewards shall
have power and authority to assemble and call together all the
journeymen of the said art or others whatsoever professing and using the
trade of weaving in the said city or suburbs of the same not being
masters, and they so being assembled to confer among themselves of all
such good means and orders as best may be for the good of their society
and to the only ends and purposes before mentioned; which said
journeymen being so chosen shall take upon them the said office of
Stewardship and shall execute all and singular the following ordinances,
either of them refusing the said office to forfeit 40s.; and the said
Stewards shall be yearly presented on St. Ann's day by six of the elder
and better sort of their Company of journeymen unto the Warden and
Stewards of the said Company of Weavers at such time and place as shall
be by them appointed, there to understand what to them doth pertain as
servants of the said trade of weaving, or by virtue of their composition
or grants made heretofore, or hereafter to be made, etc., all of which
they shall faithfully promise by giving of their hands to perform and
cause to be performed, on pain of 20s.
[Detailed ordinances follow. They require journeymen who are strangers
to produce a certificate of apprenticeship and testimony of good
behaviour, and to pay on admission 8d. to the fellowship of journeymen.
Other journeymen are to pay 4d. on admission, and all are to pay 1d. per
quarter "to the relief of the poorer sort of the said fellowship."
Journeymen embezzling yarn are to be expelled, and those absent from the
election of new stewards are to be fined 3s. 4d. The company of
journeymen shall do nothing prejudicial "towards the Warden and his
Company ... of the said art ... of weavers, either by raising ... their
wages or otherwise."]
15. A PETITION OF WEAVERS WHO ARE NOT BURGESSES [_Nottingham Records,
Vol. IV, pp. 274-5_], 1604-5.
To the worshipful master mayor and his brethren.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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