History of guilds

Guilds are organizations that came about in the medieval age combining
qualities of a modern union, a vocational school, a tradition corporation and a
product regulations committee. Guilds were exclusive and regimented
organisations, created in part to preserve the rights and privileges of their
members. Crafts guilds came about by increased specialisation of industry, a
group of artisans engaged in the same occupation e.g. stone masons,
carpenters, goldsmiths would associate themselves together for protection and
mutual aid.
Guilds became increasingly territorial and soon no one within a town could
practice a craft without belonging to the appropriate guild association.
The purpose of the guilds was to maintain a monopoly of a particular craft
particularly against outsiders, guildsmen would get together in a guildhall and
figure out what the owners of business required from that trade and then allow
as many masters to set up shop as the business could support.
Members of guilds were known as guildsmen and they conducted their business
in guildhalls.

Vocational education
The guilds were responsible for the education of many towns children, at an early
age parents may wish their child to take up a particular occupation and thus the
child would be sent as an apprentice to live with the craftsman of the appropriate
guild. For 7-9 years the child would do labour for the craftsman in exchange for
skills allowing him to be successful in the craft. When the craftsman believed the
child to be ready he would be designated a journeyman and be paid wages and
allowing him to set up his own shop, further on the journeyman may also wish to
be titled master where they would then undergo an evaluation of their best
work to see whether he deserved the title. The master is than able to train an
apprentice and the process proceeds. Through the experience provided by the
guildsmen, students will understand what is meant by a living tradition. A living tradition
transmits knowledge that was learned in the past to the next generation.

What did a Guildhall mean architecturally and programmatically?

A Guildhall was a place where guilds would congregate for meetings and other purposes.

The word guildhall is said to derive from the Anglo-Saxon gild meaning payment, so it was
probably a place where citizens would pay their taxes.
Activities were not restricted to professional matters, communal events such as dinners and
festivals may also have occurred here.
Many medieval halls the ground floor is open, but under cover, so that a regular
butter market could be held here with some shelter from the elements.
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