[MR] book of interest to Scadians

[Garth G. Groff]

Noble friends,

This book just arrived at our library: THE PINNERS' AND WIRESELLER'S 
BOOK, 1462-1511, edited by Barbara Megson (ISBN: 9780900952449; our call 
number: HD6461 .C6 P566 2009). This work tells the story of the medieval 
craft of the Pinners (pin makers) between 1462 and 1511, prior to and 
following their merger with the Wiremongers to form the Wiresellers 
Company in 1497. No other administrative records survive from such a 
lowly craft in medieval London.  The volume reveals how a small craft 
(some thirty members) struggled to maintain a hall, control working 
practices, license alien craftsmen and secure prayers for themselves and 
their families at the houses of the Carmelite Friars in Fleet Street and 
St. John's hospital in Westminster. While the actual accounts are a bit 
dry, and probably only of deep interest to scholars, the introduction 
(some 20 pages) is a brief, but well written history of the guild and an 
excellent summary of the main text. It provides a very interesting 
insight into a craft guild's working of the time, including the 
surprising fact that the pinners allowed their wives and daughters to 
learn the craft (well, cheap labor). This edition is enhanced by the 
inclusion of the wills of some thirty medieval pinners and wiresellers. 
I was somewhat struck contents of the wills, which shows us just how 
little in material wealth small craftsmen possessed. While none of us 
are going to return to the days of guilds, craftsmen and merchants may 
find this book interesting background for the modern merchanting 
activities, and it provides some useful information about social 
organization in Londown during the late middle ages.

Kind regards,


Mungo Napier, Unofficial Librarian of Isenfir
(mka Garth Groff, UVA Libraries cataloger)