ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY bequests to churches of books and of the rood-light or beam-light, and the increase in the number of legacies to religious fraternities.*^^ A characteristic feature of the period was the growth ot these frater- nities or brotherhoods. Semi-religious gilds had existed from very early times in London ; the Frith-gild of Athelstan's reign has already been mentioned, and the Cnihten Gild of the i ith century was possibly an associa- tion of the same kind ; *' between that time and the 13th century there are few indications of any religious side to the gilds formed for trade and such purposes, but it can hardly be doubted that some religious obligations were recognized. Of the eighteen gilds amerced by Henry II little is recorded at that period except their names, only one of which, that of St. Lazarus, sug- gests a religious connexion.*' In 1197, however, a purely religious gild, whose ordinances have much in common with those of the 14th-century fraternities, was formed by Ralph de Diceto of the ' beneficed of the church of St. Paul."' In the 12th century also a special deed of confirmation of an earlier arrangement for participation in spiritual benefits and the celebration of masses was made between the Saddlers and St. Martin le Grand. ^' It is clear that in the 13th and 14th centuries the trade gilds (some of which after- wards developed into the livery companies) had a religious aspect ; this appears in their periodical corporate services, maintenance of chantries and obits, and observances on the death of a member. Many such gilds were then attached to a definite place of worship ; some had chapels in St. Paul's, some in conventual churches, and some simply frequented a special parish church. Another feature of their religious life was agreements made with one or more monastic communities for participation in their spiritual benefits.*^ Some gilds attached to parish churches or religious houses with much the same regulations as the purely religious and social fraternities were afterwards incorporated as trade gilds. ^* More important in the Church history of London were the purely religious or religious and social gilds attached to the cathedral, the religious houses, or the parish churches. The great period of the inauguration of these appears to have been the latter half of the 14th century, but though some which are mentioned then are no more heard of, many (and all which seem to have been most influential and active) existed at least well on into the 15th century, if not until their abolition in 1548. The gilds attached to the parish churches are the most numerous ; reference has been found to about seventy-four, of which eight or nine first appear before 1350, thirty- eight in the latter half of the 14th century, and twenty-seven during the 15th and i6th centuries. There were six gilds in St. Paul's open to laymen, the earliest of which is that of St. Anne, mentioned in 1271, "" Sharpe, Cal. of Wills, , passim. For the attitude of the Londoners to the party which advocated the spoliation of the church see Chron. Angl. (Rolls Ser.), 21 1 ; Walsingham, Hist. Angl. (Rolls Ser.), i, 380 ; and ■cf. Stubbs, Const. Hist, ii, 465.
- ' Stubbs, Const. Hist. (ed. 4), i, 451.
" Madox, Hist, of the Exch. i, 562. '" See account of St. Paul's in ' Religious Houses.' " A facsimile of this deed is given in Sherwell's Acct. of Guild of Saddlers, 4. The great bells at West- minster were rung by a gild in the I 3th century ; Issues of the Exch. (Rec. Com.), 35. " See Kingdon, Grocers' Rec. ; Clode, Merchant Tailors ; Prideaux, Goldsmiths ; Herbert, Hist, of the Livery Cos. " Gild Cert. 206 most probably refers to the gild of Brewers, not incorporated until 1445, but fre- •quently mentioned earlier in the wills enrolled in the Court of Husting. 213
