[MR] BBC: Women Join 700-Year Old Guilds

[Roy B. Scherer]

At 07:27 AM 2/6/2012, Garth Groff wrote:
>Noble friends,
>
>Here is a short BBC piece that will raise a smile or two. A number 
>of women will finally be admitted to the City of Durham's 
>700-year-old craft guilds. Now they can graze their sheep on the 
>commons: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-16889343 .
>
>In point of fact, a number of English guilds did admit women during 
>the middle ages. This was usually when their husbands died and the 
>widow inherited his business.

Noble Friends -
         A friend of mine, known to at least some members of Marinus 
and Caer Mear, is a master (or mistress) of jewelery-related 
arts.  In the late seventies, she was admitted to the Worshipful 
Company of Goldsmiths.  I'm unsure wheher this was in London or in 
Edinburgh; I believe that she has kept that membership ever since.
         To the best of my knowledge, there were no problems with 
accepting a female into the Company at that time and place.
-- YIS,
-- Britton

end

                 - - Roy B. Scherer
         529 High Street, Petersburg, VA 23803-3859;
                     (804) 382-5411
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