Middle Ages

Timeline

Working Life

Guilds

Cloth

The Oracle

Bricks

Beer

Seeds

Biscuits

Sauce

Iron

Planes

Offices

Factories

The Guilds
In Reading in the Fourteenth Century there were 4 guilds

• Clothiers and Clothmakers
• Cutlers and Bellfounders all wood and metal workers
• Tanners and Leatherworkers
• Mercers and Drapers

To become a member of the guild a man had to be an apprentice to learn the trade. This took up to 12 years, during which time the apprentice worked for his master. After this time the apprentice could become a member of the guild or a journeyman, who worked whenever there was enough work.