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

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Burghs of regality: burghs created by Crown vassals who had been given the Crown's rights over a given area. The first central database of statutory burial and cremation registers for the UK and Republic of Ireland - a unique resource for family history researchers and professional genealogists.

The burgh records are useful sources for information on crafts and trades. Consult our guide to crafts and trades records for detailed information.Over the centuries the nature of the membership changed. New members could be admitted in a number of ways - by serving an apprenticeship in a trade, by being rewarded for services to the Guild or as a special honour. 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. Supervision of police, street cleaning and lighting and water supplies, 1833-1890. Police Commissioners were often also town councillors. 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

Originally, anybody who wanted to trade in Preston, whether as a merchant, a craftsman, a market stall holder or in any other capacity, was required to be a member of the Guild Merchant. An amended Building Regulations Act was introduced in Glasgow in 1900 with further by-laws in 1909, but these do not appear to have altered the building process to any great extent. Though the 1862 and 1892 Acts did apply to all parts of Scotland, a unified code of building regulations for the whole of Scotland was not introduced until 1963. 16 The Measurer

In the second half of the 19th century, the construction of new buildings or alterations to existing buildings in Scotland came under the control of increasingly comprehensive and stringent regulations set out in a series of Parliamentary Police Acts. In burghs, such as Glasgow, the planning and building process was overseen by the Dean of Guild Court; in rural areas planning committees were not established until after 1897. 1 Iain Gray, 'Dean of Guild Court Records' in 'Scottish Archives', the Journal of the Scottish Records Association, volume 5 1999.

A number of registers of voters survive for burghs from the time when the burghs were in separate constituencies from the counties: 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. 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. 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. Different types of burghs exhibited a wide variety of systems of government, until 19th century legislation imposed uniformity. The 1833 Burgh Reform Act also swept away the corruption of self-perpetuating town councils by introducing proper elections for town councillors. Royal burghs still retained certain privileges, including their own registers of sasines, but in the 20th century all except the largest lost some powers and functions, mostly to the county councils.A Guild Court was held to admit people to the Guild. Once they were in the Guild, burgesses could reap important benefits and these could be passed on to sons and grandsons without question.