Incorporated Trades of Dumfries. 413 



in times bygane through untrue men of the crafts." This, it is 

 believed, was only legalising a practice which had already been 

 adopted more or less generally by various crafts. The Act recites 

 one of the objects which such federation has in view, and the 

 one which more directly concerns the common weal ; to secure, 

 namely, that the various tradesmen shall turn out good and 

 honest work. But they served another purpose, and one which 

 appealed to the stronger instinct of self-interest, by conserving 

 and extending the privileges of the crafts, confirming their 

 monopoly, and enabling the members to procure higher prices for 

 their work. This motive seems at an early stage to have pre- 

 dominated to such an extent as to excite the alarm of the legisla- 

 tors, and three years afterwards the Act of 1424 was repealed, 

 and craftsmen were forbidden " to summon their customary 

 assemblies, which are believed to resemble meetings of conspira- 

 tors." Instead of popular election, the Town Councils were to 

 choose a Warden for every craft and " other discreet men un- 

 suspect," who were to "examine and apprise the matter and the 

 workmanship of ilk craft and set it to a certain price;" and if 

 any man broke the price he was to be subject to a penalty. 

 The Frankenstein of the crafts, however, was not so easily dealt 

 with, and in 1491 it was found necessary to pass another statute 

 against the election of deacons. The reason assigned was that 

 it was " understood by the King and the Three Estates that the 

 using of deacons of crafts in burghs is right dangerous, and as 

 they use the same may cause trouble to the lieges by convening 

 together and making laws of their craft contrary to the common 

 profit, whereby when one leaves work another dare not finish it." 

 The functions of deacons were to be strictly limited to the 

 examining of "stuff and work wrought by the craft." And 

 " masons, and wrights, and other men of craft who statutes that 

 they shall have fee as well for the halie day as for the work day 

 shall be indited as common oppressors and punished accord- 

 ingly." Notwithstanding these fulminations the organisation of 

 the trades became extended and consolidated. A common 

 practice was for the Town Council to grant to a particular trade 

 a charter of incorporation under the name of a Seal of Cause, 

 sometimes also called a Letter of Deaconry. The records of 

 the city of Glasgow show that such Seals of Cause were issued 

 in the sixteenth century by the Town Council, with the concur- 



