The City of London is not alone in having extant trade, craft and profession guilds in the Great Britain and Ireland. Other towns and cities in the UK and Ireland have their own guilds, some of them connected to their City of London brethren. There are also two guilds in the United States of America that have close connections with their City of London counterparts. What follows is a list of those trade, craft or professional guilds that exist in other parts of the UK, Ireland and the USA. More specifically this list includes those organisations that have a website discoverable by persistent searching!
Other guilds, incorporations and associations of Freemen are known to exist that do not appear to have a website at the time of publication (August 18th 2018). I welcome contact from any ancient trade, craft, merchant guild or incorporation, or freemen’s association in the United Kingdom wishing to join this list. Please use the contact form if you wish to inform me if you spot any errors or omissions in the list below.
A printed directory of The Outwith London Guilds of Great Britain is available from The Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass (published 1996). Many of the guilds listed below are drawn from that directory and were known to exist in 1996 prior to the widespread use of websites and Internet search engines. Tom Hoffman (Birkbeck College, University of London) has further produced a comprehensive bibliography of the guilds in London, the UK and elsewhere in Europe compiled in 2011. A comprehensive list of towns and cities in England that admit Freemen was published in 1976 by Harry Ward, founding president of the Freemen of England and Wales, not all of those towns and cities have associated trade, craft or professional guilds, although they may have associations of Freemen which may style itself as a Guild.
For the avoidance of doubt, the definition of Guild that I use is a trade, craft or professional association that is tied to a town or city, is recognised by the town or city government, and exists either by prescription or charter. This definition excludes modern trade associations that are companies limited by guarantee operating across the UK (e.g., the Guild of Beauty Therapists).
England
- Merchants of the Staple of England (not restricted to any Town or City)
- Alnwick
- The Weavers' Company of Alnwick
- The Black and White Smiths' Company of Alnwick
- The Skinners and Glovers' Company of Alnwick
- The Tanners' Company of Alnwick
- The Cordwainers and Shoemakers' Company of Alnwick
- The Carpenters and Joiners' Company of Alnwick
- The Butchers' Company of Alnwick
- The Merchants' Company of Alnwick
- Bristol
- Berwick-upon-Tweed
- Carlisle
- The Butchers' Company of Carlisle
- The Merchants' Company of Carlisle
- The Cordwainers' Company of Carlisle
- The Skinners and Glovers' Company of Carlisle
- Chester
- Cirencester
- The Weavers Company of Cirencester
- Coventry
- The Worshipful Company of Worsted Weavers of Coventry
- The Broadweavers and Clothiers' Company of Coventry
- The Company and Fellowship of Cappers and Feltmakers of Coventry
- The Fellowship of Drapers of Coventry
- The Fullers Guild of Coventry
- The Fellowship of Mercers of Coventry
- The Fellowship of Tanners of Coventry
- The Coventry Freemen’s Guild
- Durham
- The Barbers' Company of Durham
- The Butchers' Company of Durham
- The Cordwainers' Company of Durham
- The Curriers' Company of Durham
- The Drapers' Company of Durham
- The Tailors' Company of Durham
- The Joiners' Company of Durham
- The Masons and Plumbers' Company of Durham
- Exeter
- Grimsby
- Kingston Upon Hull
- Leicester
- Freemen’s Gild (a social group of Freemen formed in 1975)
- Lincoln
- Lichfield
- Worshipful Company of Smiths
- Newcastle Upon Tyne
- The Freemen of Newcastle
- Trinity House (Newcastle)
- Incorporated Companies of Newcastle
- Bakers and Brewers
- Barber Surgeons
- Butchers
- Bricklayers, Wallers and Plasterers
- Colliers
- Masters & Mariners
- Coopers
- Cordwainers
- Curriers
- Goldsmiths
- Hostmen
- House Carpenters
- Joiners
- Masons
- Merchant Adventurers
- Millers
- Plumbers
- Ropemakers
- Saddlers
- Scriveners
- Shipwrights
- Skinners and Glovers
- Slaters and Tylers
- Smiths
- Tanners
- Taylors
- Upholsterers
- Weavers
- Oxford
- Preston
- Preston Guild Merchant
- Richmond (Yorkshire)
- Rochester
- The Rochester Oyster and Floating Fishery
- Sheffield
- Shrewsbury
- Stafford
- Worcester
- The Clothiers' Company of Worcester
- York
- The Gild of Freemen of the City of York
- The Company of Merchant Adventurers of the City of York
- The Company of Merchant Taylors in the City of York
- The Company of Butchers of the City of York
- The York Guild of Building
- The Company of Cordwainers (City of York)
- The Guild of Scriveners
- The Guild of Media Arts (an incorporated association)
- The Guild of Entrepreneurs (an unincorporated association)
Scotland
Among the Scottish Guilds and Incorporations the various guilds of the Glasgow Trades House are noted for being particularly active and well organised (not to suggest the other are not). Two Incorporations have important regulatory roles: the Edinburgh Goldsmiths’ Company administering the Assay Office in Scotland, and the Incorporation of Surgeons in Edinburgh being more commonly known as The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh which used to have a physic garden where Edinburgh Waverley railway station is now located.
- Aberdeen
- Burgesses of Guild of the City of Aberdeen
- The Seven Incorporated Trades of Aberdeen
- Hammermen
- Bakers
- Wrights and Coopers
- Tailors
- Shoemakers
- Weavers
- Fleshers
- Arbroath
- Arbroath Guildry Incorporation
- Ayr
- Ayr Guildry
- Brechin
- Guildry of Brechin
- Dundee
- The Guildry Incorporation of Dundee
- The Nine Trades of Dundee
- Bakers
- Cordiners
- Glovers
- Tailors
- Bonnet Makers
- Fleshers
- Hammermen
- Weavers
- Dyers
- The Three United Trades of Dundee
- Masons
- Wrights
- Slaters
- Maltmen
- Mariners & Seamen
- Edinburgh
- The Convenery of the Trade of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Surgeons of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Goldsmiths of the City of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Skinners of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Furriers of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Hammermen of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Wrights of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Masons of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Tailors of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Baxters of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Fleshers of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Cordiners of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Websters of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Walkers of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Bonnetmakers and Dyers of Edinburgh
- Incorporation of Candlemakers of Edinburgh
- The Company of Merchants of the City of Edinburgh
- The Convenery of the Trade of Edinburgh
- Elgin
- The Merchants Guild
- The Incorporated Trades
- Hammermen
- Glovers
- Tailors
- Shoemakers
- Weavers
- Squaremen
- Glasgow
- The Merchants House of Glasgow
- The Trades House of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Hammermen of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Tailors of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Cordiners of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Maltmen of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Weavers of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Bakers of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Skinners and Glovers of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Wrights in Glasgow
- Incorporation of Coopers of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Fleshers of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Masons of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Gardeners of Glasgow
- Incorporation of Barbers in Glasgow
- Incorporation of Bonnetmakers & Dyers of Glasgow
- Irvine
- The Irvine Incorporated Trades
- Hammermen
- Weavers
- Tailors
- Cordiners
- Skinners
- Wrights & Squaremen
- Coopers
- The Irvine Incorporated Trades
- Kirkcudbright
- Glovers
- Hammermen
- Shoemakers
- Squaremen
- Tailors
- Weavers and Clothiers
- Lanark
- Guildry of Lanark
- Perth
- Rutherglen
- Selkirk
- Stirling
- The Guildry of Stirling
- Baxters
- Fleshers
- Tailors
- Shoemakers
- Skinners
- Weavers
- Pan Scotland
Wales
A recent addition to the network of Guilds and Incorporations is the Worshipful Livery Company of Wales, formerly The Welsh Livery Guild. The Company is based upon the model of a City of London Livery Company, albeit not tied to one particular occupation, and received its Royal Charter in September 2013.
Note: Freemen are known to be admitted in several other towns in England and Wales, although they do not appear to have formed an association, or have connections with an extant guild in their town. A list of towns where Freemen are admitted may be found at the website of the Freemen of England and Wales.
Ireland
Only two guilds survive in Ireland, that of the Dublin Goldsmiths' Company which like its London and Edinburgh brethren is responsible for administering that nation’s Assay Office and the Apothecaries’ Hall of Ireland which is the charitable vestige of a former Company of Apothecaries that had premises in Dublin’s Merrion Square (the building still exists).
- The Company of Goldsmiths of Dublin
- The Apothecaries Hall of Ireland (while the Apothecaries had a physical hall at no. 95 Merrion Square, the Hall's archives are now located in the offices of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland). The Apothecaries of Ireland are sometimes referred to as The Worshipful Company of Apothecaries of Ireland, or the Guild of St Luke, though neither is strictly correct as the Guild of St Luke was a precursor organisation that became the Apothecaries Hall upon the formation of the company by Act of Parliament in 1791. (Thanks to Citizen and Apothecary Peadar O’Mórdha for this information).
The United States of America
Two companies have close connections with their City of London counterparts, and even go so far as to share armorial bearings.