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“Draper” originally meant a cloth-maker, not, s now, a dealer in cloth. In the Middle Ages the drapers both made it and sold it, but gradually their particular work was confined to supervising the manufacture and selling the finished article. The Drapers’ Gild must have been one of the earliest associations of craftsmen, and was incorporated by royal charter in 1364. One of the most important features of this charter seems to be the instruction that the mistery of drapery would be definitely separated from those of the tenterers, tellers, and fullers; it appears to have been impossible to exercise proper supervision in a trade which involved so many different operations, and the remedy was obviously to split it up into several trades, each of which might have its own organisation.
The King, to the Mayor and Sheriffs of London, greeting. Whereas, amongst other things ordained in our last parliament, it was for certain causes proposed, and in the same parliament ordained, that no English merchant should use merceries or merchandizes by himself or another by any manner of covine, unless one only, and which he should choose before the feast of Candlemas last past, as in the said ordinances is more fully contained.
And whereas it has been shown to us and to our council, that people of divers misteries of the city of London intermix themselves with the mistery of Drapery, and cause divers deceits and frauds in the use of the same mistery, — to the 50 great damage of us and of our people, and contrary to the ordinances aforesaid.
We, willing the said ordinances should be kept and maintained in all points, accordingly have, by the assent of the great and others of our council, ordained and granted, that none shall use the Mistery of Drapery in the city of London, nor in the suburbs of the same, unless he has been apprenticed in the same mistery, or in other due manner been admitted by the common assent of the same mistery. And that each of the misteries of tenterers, tisters, and fullers, keep himself to his own mistery, and in no way meddle with the making, buying, or selling of any manner with cloth or drapery, on pain of imprisonment and loss of all the cloth so by them made, bought, or sold, or the value thereof to us.
And that none who has cloth to see in the said city, or in the suburbs, do sell the same unless to drapers enfranchised in the said mistery of drapery, or that it be in gross to he lords and others of the commons, who will buy the same for themselves or servants by retail, under the same penalty.
And that the drapers enfranchised in the mistery of drapery in the said city, may elect each year four of their own mistery, who may be sworn twice a year in the presence of the Mayor, to oversee that no default or deceit be used or committed in the mistery aforesaid, and to rule and govern the said mistery of drapery in the same city, to the common profit of the people, and that due punishment be done on them in whom defaults shall be found, according to the advice and discretion of the said four persons, by the aid of the Mayor and Sheriffs when need is; the which Mayor and Sheriffs we will shall be intendants to the said four persons, when they shall be required by them.
And we also will and give power to the said four persons who may be elected and sworn, to take an oath of all those who shall be received into the said mistery of drapery in the same city, to use and do whatever appertains to the same mistery well and lawfully, without fraud, evil design, or subtle management against the points and ordinances aforesaid.
51Saving always to our beloved in God the prior of St. Bartholomew, in Smithfield, and other lords who have fairs in the said suburbs by grant of our progenitors, their fairs, franchises, and free-customs, which they have exercised in their said fairs, from the time of the said grants, so that no damage or prejudice shall be done to them in any way under colour of this our ordinance and grant; and saving the franchises by us granted to the merchants, vintners of England and Gascoigny, which we will shall remain in force in all points in manner as in our letters patent to the said drapers is more fully contained.
Wherefore we command and firmly enjoin you forthwith that at your peril you cause to be proclaimed and published in the said city and suburbs, and all places where it should be done, that all the said things so by us granted may be firmly held and kept in form aforesaid.
Given at Westminster the 14th day of July (1364).