ISBN: 9780217535496

Bostonian Society, Paperback, English-language edition, Pub by General Books LLC Books Publications-Volume-4~~Scottish-History-Society General Books LLC Purchase of this book includes fr… Plus…

Bostonian Society, Paperback, English-language edition, Pub by General Books LLC Books Publications-Volume-4~~Scottish-History-Society General Books LLC Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ROBERT ORCHARD, OF THE ART AND MYSTERY OF FELTMAKERS, OF BOSTON IN NEW ENGLAND. Of all the felts that may be felt Give me the English beaver. Merry Drolleries, 1661. A PAPER READ TO THE BOSTONIAN SOCIETY, OLD STATE HOUSE, NOVEMBER 12, 1907, BY WALTER KENDALL WATKINS. JHE crafts and occupations of the freemen of England were governed by the guilds or trade associations. Only freemen could be members of these Livery Companies. No serf or villein, as the rustic laborer was called, could be of the guilds, branches of which existed in all the larger towns of the kingdom. In London there were twelve great Companies, while there were some sixty minor Companies and as many more associations which have disappeared or merged into the larger Companies. Composed only of freemen, it was from the children of freemen thattheir numbers were recruited. No one therefore became an apprentice unless of a freeman born. The system of apprenticeship dates from early days. In the reign of Edward I we find mention of their enrollment, and that their time of service was seven years. They were also presented to the Master and Wardens of the Company whose duty it was to ascertain whether the apprentice was free by birth, and to prove this they were required to present their certificate of baptism. Their covenant of apprenticeship was enrolled by the town-clerk or chamberlain, and after the term was served, the workman was sworn as a freeman, enrolled as such, and then allowed to follow his trade. Apprentices were to be clothed in hose, shirt, doublet, gown or cloak, and not suffered to have their hair grown long, i. e. "two inches below the lapp of the ear." The records of the Merchant Adventurers Company of Newcastle-on-Tyne, in 1649, recite the appearance before the court of the Co...<