Guilds are something of an archaic concept these days; in
fact they have declined in most countries of the world during the last couple
of hundred years. Guilds existed from the earliest periods of history right up
to the 19th century. They are sometimes confused with a trade union; the two
are very different, however a guild often served the purpose trades union are
for in the modern world. A guild was an association of tradesmen which
regulated the practice of their work, provided support and was a depository of
knowledge and training. Guilds have influenced society in ways most people
don't realize. A lot of towns have a public building known as a
"guildhall", a meeting place for guilds. There is the City and Guilds,
an institute for vocational education. The guilds founded public houses, which
is why to this day they still have names like "The Bricklayers' Arms"
or "The Carpenters' Arms". It could be even our very personal names
were generated by the guilds. Common surnames in the English-speaking world are
very often the word for a job: Smith, Gardner
