Trade or craft associations, much like trade unions, but usually confined to a town. Most towns had craft guilds. The merchant guilds sought protection from foreign traders, as well as agreement between their associates as to behaviour and prices, for example. Craft guilds also sought to regulate practice, to ensure others were not working more hours than others, or charging higher prices. They also endeavoured to control quality of goods. Many were religious and social, e.g. the Guilds of Corpus Christi, putting on short plays or interludes on their saint's feast day. A great number of these disappeared in the *Black Death and were not revived. Trade or craft guilds lasted better and survived and even thrived after the plague, due to the shortage of labour. The practice of taking apprentices and the role of masters continued long after this period. The European equivalent organisations were: France: corps de metier, Flanders: ambach; Italy: arte; Germany: Zunft. [< OldEngl. gyld, geld = payment, render] -
Dictionary of Medieval Terms and Phrases. Christopher Coredon with Ann Williams.