160 



THE 



FORMERLY EXISTING IN DEVIZES. 



I ^ GUILD, was a company of persons associated together for 

 some particular object, as, the furtherance of a benevolent 

 purpose, or the protection of trade ; of the latter kind was the 

 Guild of Merchants formerly existing in Devizes, of which it is 

 proposed to give some account in the present paper. 



The privilege of possessing its own Guild of Merchants was first 

 granted to Devizes by King Edward III., as appears by the follow- 

 ing clause in his Charter to the Borough, bearing date at West- 

 minster May 27th, in the 45th year of his reign, [a.d. 1371.] 



" Concessimus etiam prsedictis Burgensibus nostris de Divisis 

 Gildam suam mercatoriam, &c."^ 



It is somewhat remarkable that nothing has been met with 

 relating to the history of this Body during the two centuries fol- 

 lowing its incorporation. The next notice occurs in the Heralds' 

 Visitation of the County, taken a.d. 1565 [7th Elizabeth], and is 

 a memorandum accompanying a drawing of the arms borne by the 

 Guild,- see plate. 



" These be the Armes apperteining and belonging to the Felow- 

 shipe and Corporacon of the Burgesses and Merchants Adventorers, 

 Clothiers, Weauers, Drapers, and Taylors, and others vseing any 

 Art or Facultic within the Towne and Borough of Diuises, which 



1 " We have granted also to our aforesaid Burgesses of Devizes their own 

 Guild Merchant, &c." A similar privilege was granted to the Burgesses of 

 Marlborough by King John. See his Charter printed in "Waylen'a " Marl- 

 borough," p. 97. 



2 In the Visitation the Ai'ius only are given, the crest and supporters are hero 

 added on the authority of " The Booke of Constitutions of the Borough of 

 Devizes," an illiuninated manuscript of a.d. 1628, in the possession of A. Meek, 

 Esq., Town Clerk of Devizes, (a rough copy of which will be found in the 

 British Museum, Lansdowne MSS. No. 230.), and the motto from a painting of 

 the arms preserved in St. John's Church, and probably of about the same date. 



