THE CRAFT GUILDS OF FRANCE.
i86
afterwards under another name, whilst
still
grocers (epiciers),
(inerciers),
—
viz.,
that
These six bodies were the cloth-workers {drapiers),
of the Marchands, or Six Corps dc Paris.
mercers
retaining its ancient fluvial jurisdiction
hatters (honndiers), farriers {pelletiers),
and goldsmiths
These six corps then constituted the municipality each corps elected biennially
(orfhres).
each of these masters became successively juge, consid, and
its master and wardens (gardes)
;
;
finally
Echcvin de la
and became
that of
ville
They were regarded
de Paris.
ipso facto ennobled, taking the
chevalier.'^
Levasseur
(p.
is
482)
title of
as the
most distinguished
esquire {ecuyer)
;
their provost
citizens,
assuming
of opinion that these guilds were not descended
from the Hanse, but he gives no reasons, and is directly opposed by
All the remaining trades and crafts of Paris seem to have arisen
all
other writers.
much
same manner
in the
as those of the other cities of the kingdom, and of some, very ancient records are
still
in
The jewellers were organised
as early as the time of Dagobert (628, 029) by St
a royal charter (traditional) in 768, and their privileges confirmed in a
by
The Bictionnarius of Jean de Garlande in the second
capitulary of Charles the Bald (846).^
enumerates four classes of workers in gold {aurifalrorum
half of the eleventh century
existence.
Eloi,^ recognised
—
—
hulustria)
—
viz.,
the coiners (jmmviidarii), enamellers (Jlrmamdarii), gobletmakers (cipharii),
and the goldsmiths properly so called (aurifabri).^ In 1061, Philippe I. granted privileges to
the candlemakers,^ and in 1160 Louis VII. conceded no less than five trades in fief to the wife
of
Yves Laccohre.^
The ancient customs
and confirmed
of the butchers are mentioned in 1162,
In 1183 the furriers and clothworkers were also the objects
by Pliilippe Augustus
of his benevolence.®
Of the butchers, Levasseur " says that already at the beginning of the
in 1182.^
twelfth century the date of their origin was unknown, and a charter of 1134 speaks of their
old-established stalls.
In course of time these stalls were limited to a fixed number and
became hereditary
(like tlie
Eoman
corporation of butchers),^ forming a most tliorough
mono-
So strong was the guild of butchers, that on several occasions, when neighbouring
to erect markets on their own property, the king was induced by the mono-
poly.
landowne '2v