by SRD » Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:38 am
By that time he would probably have served a formal apprenticeship with a reputable firm. He would have had to make a piece that had been judged as exceptional and would be paying a regular fee to some sort of Guild or trade association, not in the medieval sense but more a loose knit group of individuals and companies who wished to see good standards upheld. Like todays trade associations different 'Guilds' had different standards, some being a way of fleecing tradesmen of a few quid each year, some being truly professional bodies and others filling in the gaps in between.
Of course that is the case if he was telling the truth, have you seen the adverts from those days?
Currently investigating the Hillmans of Sussex.