| Craft guilds or incorporations were
formed in the Middle Ages and were an important part of burgh life
then and in later centuries. Each craft jealously guarded its own
monopolies and standards of workmanship, acquired property to raise
funds, provided for its own poor, shared the patronage of an altar
to its patron saint in pre-Reformation times and a seat in the parish
church after the Reformation. Where records survive they are likely
to include lists of members, accounts and minutes dealing with regulations,
donations to poor members, apprenticeships and elections of officeholders
and actions against outsiders trying to trade in the burgh. The Scottish
Association of Family History Societies has published a useful selective
bibliography of 'Scottish Trades and Professions', compiled by D R
Torrance (1991).
Records in the National Archives of Scotland
In addition to the sources identified below, when searching for individual
craftsmen you should also check the NAS electronic
catalogue and the index to pre-1902 testaments on the ScotlandsPeople
website.
| Trade or craft |
Place |
Dates |
NAS reference |
| Baxters |
Haddington |
1582-1684 |
B30/18/1 |
| Bonnetmakers |
Stewarton |
1673-1790 |
GD1/300 |
| Carters |
Leith |
1657-1977 |
GD399 |
| Cordiners |
Canongate |
1584-1773, 1843-52 |
GD1/14 |
| Cordiners |
Edinburgh |
1477/8 - 20th century |
GD348 |
| Cordiners |
Haddington |
1605-1755 |
B30/18/2 |
| Cordiners |
Haddington |
1610-1882 |
GD302/62-6, 128-9 |
| Cordiners |
Selkirk |
1535-1888 |
GD1/13 |
| Dyers or Litsters |
Aberdeen |
c1654-1886 |
E870/4 |
| Fisherman: Society of Free
Fisherman of Newhaven |
Newhaven |
1572-1990 |
GD265 |
| Fleshers |
Ayr |
c1661-1891 |
E870/6 |
| Fleshers |
Haddington |
1741-1836 |
B30/18/3 |
| Gardeners: Ancient Fraternity
of Free Gardeners of East Lothian |
East Lothian |
1676-1953 |
GD420 |
| Goldsmiths |
Edinburgh and Glasgow |
1525-1964 |
GD1/482 |
| Hammermen |
Burntisland |
1648-1741 |
B9/13/2 |
| Hammermen |
Haddington |
1627-1868 |
GD302/29, 130-6 |
| Hammermen |
Linlithgow |
|
GD76/390 |
| Hammermen |
Musselburgh |
1761-1821 |
B52/8/4-6 and B52/14/67 |
| Incorporations of crafts |
Dunfermline |
1593-1656 |
B20/20/4 |
| Incorporations of crafts |
Haddington |
1758-9 |
GD98/15/48 |
| Incorporations of crafts |
Linlithgow guildry |
1652-1959 |
GD1/634 |
| Incorporations of crafts |
Selkirk |
1717-1824 |
B68/8/1 |
| Maltmen |
Dysart |
1675 |
GD164/75 |
| Maltmen |
Dysart |
1699 |
GD164/70 |
| Skinners |
Haddington |
1682-1801 |
GD1/39/1 |
| Skinners |
Transcript of sederunt book
at Haddington |
1745-71 |
GD302/100 |
| Tailors |
Edinburgh |
1446-1881 |
GD1/12/1-68 |
| Tailors |
Potterow, Edinburgh |
1551-1696 |
GD1/399 |
| Tailors |
Linlithgow |
1625-1847 |
GD76/385-9 |
| Tailors |
Dunbar |
1866-7 |
GD302/90 |
| Weavers |
Ayr |
c1657-1849 |
E870/5 |
| Weavers |
Burntisland |
1618-1864 |
B9/15 |
| Weavers |
Haddington |
1786-1852 |
B30/18/9 |
| Wrights |
Culross |
1815-42 |
GD1/977 |
| Wrights |
Musselburgh |
1574 - c.1883 |
B52/8/1-3 |
| Wrights and Masons |
Haddington |
1533-1915 |
B30/18/4-8 and B30/22 |
| Wrights and Masons |
Leith |
1821-35 |
GD1/943 |
| Woolcombers:Woolcombers
Society |
Minute Book |
1755-9 |
CS96/1943 |
For details of records of masons and freemasons see David Stevenson,
'The First Freemasons' (1988), Appendix 2.
The NAS also holds microfilm of the following:
- Brechin tailors minutebook, 1660-1775 (original in Angus Archives)
(NAS ref.RH4/140)
- Edinburgh Hammermen charters, 1501-1686 (original in Edinburgh
City Archives) (NAS ref.RH4/11)
- Inverness Hammermen minutebook, 1690 - 1861 (original now lost)
(NAS ref.RH4/94).
Burgh records
The Scottish Record Society has published indexed lists of admissions
of burgesses of Edinburgh, Canongate, Glasgow and Dumbarton (for details
see 'Scottish Texts and Calendars' published by the Scottish History
Society). For other burghs you will need to search the burgess rolls
or court books of the appropriate burgh, many of which are held in
local archives. Burgh court books also contain a great deal of information
relating to the regulation of crafts. For further information on burgh
records you should consult our publication 'Tracing Scottish Local
History' (HMSO, 1994)
Apprenticeship records
Some indentures are registered in the Register of Deeds, others are
scattered among collections of private papers. There is also a series
of Edinburgh indentures at RH9/17/272-326 covering the period 1613-1783.
Other Edinburgh apprenticeship records can be found in the papers
of George Heriot's Trust, relating to the charity school set up for
orphans and poor children of burgesses and freemen (NAS ref.GD421/10).
The Scottish Record Society has published lists of Edinburgh apprentices
for the period 1583 - 1755. From 1710 stamp duty was charged on indentures.
Records of Scottish apprentices survive in the Stamp Board's Apprenticeship
Books, 1710-1811 kept by The National Archives (TNA) in London (TNA
ref. IR1).
Friendly societies and trade unions
Friendly societies were formed in the 18th and 19th centuries for
the mutual benefit of the members. Rules and regulations of trade
associations, friendly societies, unions, co-operative and building
societies are to be found in the Friendly Society records (FS). These
range from the Brotherly Society of Coopers of Leith to the Tranent
Benevolent Society of Colliers, and the Inverness Cabmen's Union.
A very few also give a list of members. The records are listed in
Ian MacDougall's, 'A Catalogue of some Labour Records in Scotland'
(Scottish Labour History Society, 1978). Friendly Society records
for Free Church ministers can be found in NAS ref. CH3/515-517.
Records relating to early trade union activity can be found in
criminal court records - for example, JC26/ 250 relates to the trial
of James Granger charged with entering into a combination to raise
the wages of weavers, 1788; records seized from the Scottish Weavers
Association of 1808-13 are in the papers of the Lord Advocate's
Department in preparation for the trial of a number of its members
in 1813 (NAS ref.AD14/13/8). For more information on criminal cases,
go to our guide to records
of crime and criminals.
Sources held elsewhere
You should check with the National Library of Scotland, local archives,
libraries and museums for their holdings of craft records. For example,
the Royal College of Surgeons in Edinburgh holds the records of the
Society of Barbers from 1716. Check the surveys of the National
Register of Archives for Scotland (NRAS) available at West Register
House or search the National Register of Archives on-line index.
National Archives of Scotland
Crown Copyright 2005
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