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Guild or Union? A Case Study of Rural Dutch Weavers, 1682–1750*

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 February 2009

Joyce M. Mastboom
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This article discusses the defensive actions taken by a group of weavers in the rural eastern Netherlands in response to changing economic conditions; in particular, how they successfully re-established their weavers' guild to protect them against aggressive local merchants who were out to lower payments for woven cloth. A guild, by organizing many individuals into a group, could wield much more power than separate weavers on their own. But that was not all. Local weavers were aware that economic circumstances had changed, and that a new charter would have to be adapted so that it addressed the problems they faced. Hence, the charter they drafted provided for a guild that had the outward appearance of the old form of craft organization. However, in addition to the usual regulations it contains clauses that are more reminiscent of a trade union than a guild. The result was an organization that the weavers could use effectively to fend off their growing dependence on and subordination to merchants.

Type
Research Article
Information
International Review of Social History , Volume 39 , Issue 1 , April 1994 , pp. 57 - 75
Copyright
Copyright © Internationaal Instituut voor Sociale Geschiedenis 1994

References

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6 By “present day unions” I mean organizations of wage-laborers formed for the express purpose of negotiating a labor contract with their employer through collective bargaining.

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12 G. A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde,“Gilde-brief”.

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20 Thirty-two per cent of households in the Veluwe and Twente, and 39 per cent in the arable region of Salland had live-in servants. See van der Woude, A. M., “Demografische Ontwikkeling van de Noordelijke Nederlanden 1500–1800”, in Algemene Geschiedenis derNederlanden, V (Haarlem, 1980), p. 158Google Scholar.

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22 Van der Woude, “Demografische Ontwikkeling”, p. 161.

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24 Faber, J. A. et al. , “Population Changes and Economic Developments in the Netherlands: A Historical Survey”, A.A.G. Bijdragen, XII (1965), pp. 74–76,94Google Scholar. Van der Woude, “Demografische Ontwikkeling”, pp. 130–132.

25 Keuning, H. J., Het Nederlandse Volk in zijn Woongebied (The Hague, 1965), pp. 281–282, 279Google Scholar.

26 Roessingh, “Landbouw”, p. 53.

27 van Bath, B. H. Slicher, De Agrarische Geschiedenis van West-Europa 500–1850 (Utrecht, 1960), pp. 230–231Google Scholar. Abel, W., Agrarian Fluctuations in Europe: From the Thirteenth to the Twentieth Centuries, trans. Ordish, Olive (New York, 1980), pp. 158–161Google Scholar.

28 Roessingh, “Landbouw”, pp. 54–55.

29 Much linen was exported to England and Spain, though that changed in the second half of the eighteenth century. For more information see Harte, N. B., “The Rise of Protection and the English Linen Trade, 1690–1790”, in Textile History and Economic History. Essays in Honour of Miss Julia de Lacy Mann (Manchester, 1973)Google Scholar, and Bel, De Linnenhandel van Amsterdam.

30 According to Jan de Vries: “To the extent that industrial by-employment utilized the dead time between the seasonal peaks of agricultural labor demand, its opportunity cost (the value of the time in available alternative employment) was very low indeed.” See The Economy of Europe, p. 85.

31 Wages and costs were lower by as much as 20 per cent. Rijksarchief in Gelderland, archief van Staten van Kwartier van Zutphen en hun Gedeputeerden, nr. 233b, “Requesten ingekomen bij Gedeputeerde Staten” 1592–1805, bl 1592–1756, “Request uit 1732 van coopluyden in Winterswijk”.

32 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, “Gildebrief”. All translations from Dutch are my own.

33 G.A. Borculo, Oud Archief, “Kopie van de op 29 Juli 1655 […]”.

34 “[…] for which brotherhood or Guild, afore-mentioned petitioners had prepared some articles for our approval […]”, G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, “Gildebrief”.

35 “[…] those of the weaving trade in the Village and parish Wenterswick […]”, ibid.

36 See also G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 31, “Stukken betreffende het verzet van de wevers buiten het dorp Winterswijk […]”, 1684–1686, “Brief van de heer Griff. Tollius”, 27 July 1684.

37 “That no work is to be done outside the guild, [subject to punishment of] confiscation of the yarn by the guild, and [payment of] six gold guilders to the officer […]”, G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, “Gildebrief”.

38 “[…] those who come from outside and are not citizens, first have to earn citizen status and may then earn guild membership […]”, G.A. Borculo, Oud Archief, “Kopie van de op 29 Juli 1655 […]”.

39 See G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 30, “Verzoek aan de Drost van Bredevoort door de Staten van Zutphen […]”, 28 April 1686; nr. 31, “Stukken betreffende het verzet van de wevers buiten het dorp Winterswijk […]”, 1684–1686; and Algemeen Rijksarchief, The Hague (A.R.A.), Nassause Domeinraad – Hingman nr. 5499,4. “Papieren raakende het Weversambagt onder Winterswijk […]”.

40 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 31, “Stukken betreffende het verzet […]”, 1684–1686, “Brief van de heer Griff. Tollius”, 27 July 1684.

41 ibid.

42 A. H. Wertheim-Gijse Weenink, “1672–1795”, in Geschiedenis van Gelderland 1492–1795, pp. 227–233; Nijhoff, Is. An., “Het Geldersche Regeringsreglement van 1675 en 1750”, Bijdragen voor Vaderlandsche Geschiedenis en Oudheidkunde, VII (1850), pp. 79–96Google Scholar; te Brake, Wayne Ph., “Provincial Histories and National Revolution in the Dutch Republic”, in Jacob, Margaret C. and Mijnhardt, Wijnand W. (eds), The Dutch Republic in the Eighteenth Century (Ithaca, 1992), pp. 80–82Google Scholar.

43 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 18, “Stukken betreffende het geschil tussen Aalbert and Jan Schutte en het weversgilde te Winterswijk […], Brief van Albert and Jan Schutte aan Benjamin Satink […]”, 16 December 1751. In general, it was not unusual for guild regulations to be enforced more strictly during periods of economic decline while ignored at other times. See Gustafsson, “The Rise and Economic of Medieval Craft Guilds”.

44 R.A.G., Archief van Staten van Kwartier van Zutphen en hun Gedeputeerden, nr. 233b, “Requesten ingekomen bij Gedeputeerde Staten”, 1592–1805, bI 1592–1756, “Request uit 1732 van coopluyden in Winterswijk”.

45 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 18, “Stukken betreffende het geschil tussen Aalbert en Jan Schutte en het weversgilde te Winterswijk […], Brief van Albert en Jan Schutte aan Benjamin Satink […]”, 16 December 1751. There are 20 stuivers to one guilder.

46 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 27, “Verzoek aan de Drost door de gardiaan en gildemeesters van het weversgilde […]”.

47 See Warden, A. J., The Linen Trade (London, 1864 and 1867; reprinted 1967)Google Scholar; Harte, “The Rise of Protection and the English Linen Trade” Durie, A. J., The Scottish Linen Industry in the Eighteenth Century (Edinburgh 1979)Google Scholar.

48 See Bel, Die Linenhandel van Amsterdam, pp. 59–63,123; de Vries, Johan, De Economische Achteruitgang der Republiek in de Achttiende Eeuw (Leiden, 1968), pp. 102–103Google Scholar.

49 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 18, “Memorie ofte instructie voor de toecomende overluyden van het weversgilde”, 12 August 1752.

50 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 17, “Stukken betreffende het geschil tussen Aalbert and Jan Schutte en het weversgilde te Winterswijk […], Brief van het Gilde aan de heer Derk Hoppenbrouwer […], 1743”.

51 Ibid.

52 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 18, “Memorie ofte instructie voor de toecomende overluyden van het weversgilde”, 12 August 1752.

53 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 18, “Stukken betreffende het geschil tussen Aalbert en Jan Schutte en het weversgilde te Winterswijk […]”, “Memorie ofte instructie voor de toecomende overluyden van het weversgilde”, 12 August 1752. See also “Brief van Albert en Jan Schutte aan Benjamin Satink […]”, 16 December 1751. From the documents it is not clear which level of payment the guild wanted to have restored. However, judging from the proposals made by the merchants in 1751 and 1752, which the weavers rejected (see Table 1), they meant wages paid prior to 1725.

54 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 29, “Publicatie van de substituut drost van Bredevoort […]”, 18 October 1751.

55 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 18, “Stukken betreffende het geschil tussen Aalbert en Jan Schutte en het weversgilde te Winterswijk […]”, “Memorie ofte instructie voor de toecomende overluyden van het weversgilde”, 12 August 1752, and “Notitie opgetekend door S. J. Hengel Junior, voogd en Bediende van 't Gilde”, 12 February 1752.

56 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 18, “Stukken betreffende het geschil tussen Aalbert en Jan Schutte en het weversgilde te Winterswijk […]”, “Memorie ofte instructie voor de toecomende overluyden van het weversgilde”, 12 August 1752.

57 G.A. Winterswijk, Archief Weversgilde, nr. 31, “Stukken betreffende het verzet […]”, 1684–1686, “Brief van de heer Griff. Tollius”, 27 July 1684.

58 Tessie P. Liu, “The Embattled Origins of the Putting-Out System: A Reassessment of the Proto-industrialization Hypothesis”, in Working Papers No. 1 issued by the Atlanta Seminar in the comparative History of Labor, Industry, Technology, and Society, 1992. Also compare the magistrates' action in Den Bosch in 1775. See Prak, “‘Een Verzekerd Bestaan’”, pp. 76–77.

59 See “The Moral Economy of the English Crowd in the Eighteenth Century”, Past & Present, L (1971), pp. 88ff, 94ff.