Guild Court: A London Story. By: George MacDonald: Novel (illustrated)

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To refresh and renew the Guild and to ensure the rights could be passed down to the next generation, a Guild Court was held. In 1542 it was agreed that this would take place every 20 years – a tradition still in place today. Only the Second World War has interrupted Preston Guild, when it was postponed to 1952. Other sources of information on burghs are: Scottish parliament records (PA), privy council records (PC), exchequer records (E) and private papers (GD). A small series of miscellaneous material relating to burghs is in NRS reference RH9/11. For information on new towns built after the war of 1939-45, look at the records of the Scottish Office Industry Department (NRS reference SEP). Burgh registers were instituted by an act of 1681. Only royal burghs had the registers and the register related to lands within the original burgh boundaries. The Burgh Registers (Scotland) Act of 1926 arranged for their gradual demise. In 1862, a new Police Act for Scotland was passed by Parliament. It was more comprehensive than its predecessors, and was innovative in its provisions in relation to the planning, construction and occupation of buildings and in giving statutory support to all of the activities of the Dean of Guild Courts, including Glasgow's. 10 At 10.30am, the regalia party, carrying the civic regalia of the ancient borough of Preston, will lead the Guild Mayor, dressed in full ceremonial robes, and the civic party, onto the steps of the Harris Museum and Art Gallery.

Before and after the pomp and ceremony, the crowd will be entertained with music, street theatre and colourful spectacle. Each proclamation event will be bigger than the last, to build excitement for the Guild itself.A staffed reception is available to greet clients and a generous off loading parking area is available at the front of the building with further secure parking available if required. Coach and bus stops are either available in Guild St itself or in nearby Bridge St (200m). The train station (which has direct trains to London) is about 500m via main roads from where a regular taxi service is available, the nearest taxi rank to Guild Court is a comfortable walking distance of approximately 150m.

Including royal charters. Some are very early, for example, Cupar begins in 1364 (NRS reference B13/21). In 1992 history was made as daughters of existing burgesses were admitted to the Guild for the first time, numbering 274 out of a total of 808. By paying a substantial fee, people living outside of the town could become “out burgesses”. However, as membership was hereditary and there was no restriction on where later generations of burgesses lived, the distinction between ‘in’ or ‘out’ burgesses soon became blurred, despite the current Guild Roll still listing them separately. G S Pryde, 'The burghs of Scotland' (Oxford University Press, 1965) lists royal burghs and burghs of barony and regality with a brief history including the charters of their erection from the Register of the Great Seal.A number of registers of voters survive for burghs from the time when the burghs were in separate constituencies from the counties: Four processions. It's quite a long one, about 3 miles for vehicles and half that for walkers. From Moor Park to the Adelphi where walkers join, Friargate, Ringway, Lancaster Road, Covered Market, Flag Market, Fishergate, Corporation Street, walkers leave just before the Adelphi, Moor Park. The guild was originally to promote the traders of the town, a sort of business union, and was run by Burgesses as an official body. Now the guild is a celebration of the town, now city, and includes every aspect of the modern Preston: business, schools, music, theatre, dancing, art and craft, story telling, literature, history, military etc. Since 1179 a guild fair has been run in Preston and since 1542 approximately every 20 years except for 1942 which was moved to 1952, the year after the Festival of Britain in London.

At first the burghs were governed through the burgh courts, originally a gathering of 'all the good men of the community'. Gradually the burgh court meeting in a judicial capacity came to consist of the bailies only, while the town council (provost, bailies and councillors) attended to the administrative business. The merchants dominated the magistracy of the towns as the royal charters of trading privileges were in effect charters to merchants as they brought in the largest part of the burgh revenues, the burgh customs. From the one way main gyratory system, past the leisure centre, take the signs for Birmingham which will bring you into Guild St after 200M you will pass the birthplace on the left, directly on the right you will see Guild Court.The Dean of Guild Court in many burghs became the first effective form of building control and continued to regulate building standards until 1975. Dean of Guild court records for most burghs passed to local authorities in 1975 but some are held by the NRS: Parliamentary burghs: 13 non royal burghs created by the Representation of the People (Scotland) Act, 1832. Section 269 of the Act introduced for the first time the requirement to submit to the Court an application to construct a new building or alter an existing building within the city. Plans and sections were to show the intended work and the location of the building, adjoining streets or courts, and sewers. The plans also had to show rooms designated for sleeping; later conversion of rooms to provide sleeping accommodation would require a new warrant. 11 Plans for burghs can be found in the Register House Plans series. Read our guide to maps and plans for more information.

The day to day running of the burgh and the regulation of the lives of its inhabitants and the burgh's involvement in local and national affairs. Acts of the council, elections of councillors, bailies and other council officers, lists of inhabitants paying stent (tax), burgh schools, trade disputes, offenders against burgh regulations. Generally before 1600 the council minutes appear mixed in with court business in the court books.The Wrights are the largest of the Crafts numerically and are represented in the Trades House by the Deacon, Late Deacon, Late Collector and one additional Master. Your Guild segment is very well done, I enjoyed viewing all the photographs and reading the captions. When Free Trade was introduced in the 18th Century, the need for a Guild and the rights of the burgesses were abolished but by then the Guild had become a great social occasion and so the people of Preston decided to continue to celebrate their Guild.