Artisans

In the following, we will mention a few rural trades (carpenter, miller, tanner, weaver, furrier, boot-maker, szűr- and guba-maker, potter, etc.), giving separate consideration to their organization by examining the role they fulfilled in the life of villages and market towns, and in Hungarian peasant society in general.

29. The sign-board of a potter
Nagyatád, Somogy County

30. Front of a guild chest, 1800
Miskolc

31. Summoning tablet of the tailors’ guild
Fertőszentmiklós, Győr-Sopron County

32. Reverse side of the above tablet
Fertőszentmiklós, Győr-Sopron County

In some cases the activities of rural industry remained within the framework of the home as cottage industry (e.g. spinning and weaving, woodworking) (cf. pp. 302–9–371), in other cases they are independent professions (e.g. weaving, skin processing, etc.). There were also some occupations ever since the Middle Ages which may be considered as specialized work, such as that of potters, smiths, millers, etc. The attempts of professional artisans to defend their occupation against those who only worked occasionally as bunglers, and who tried to be free from all supervision and avoided paying taxes, was only natural. This is {93.} one of the reasons for the existence of professional guilds, the organization of which, along with its Austrian-Bavarian name (céh), came from the west, primarily from the German linguistic territory (cf. p. 661).

The guilds are first mentioned in the 14th and 15th centuries, but at other periods they linked together only the artisans working in the same or related areas of the larger towns. The numbers of guilds increased after the Turks left, especially from the 18th century on, when the craftsmen in cottage industries also joined some of the corresponding guilds in neighbouring cities. Although a decree in 1872 terminated them officially and replaced them with another organizational form, guilds continued to exist in the old, familiar form until the turn of the century.

The rights and responsibilities of certain guilds were regulated by the guild charter (privilegium or céhlevél), which was updated and renewed from time to time according to need. They kept this important document and its versions in the guild chest along with the records, the seal on which the tools of the guild figured symbolically, the tablet that communicated the invitation to meetings, and the money that came in from donations and fines.

The process of becoming a guild member was strictly regulated. It was uniform throughout the country and did not change much during the centuries. It was, to start with, difficult to become an apprentice, because besides his parents two guild members also had to vouch for the young boy. Apprenticeship usually lasted for three years, but this was lengthened at some times and in some places. The apprentice got no salary; indeed his parents usually paid for him, either to the guild or directly to the master. At the most his employer gave him some articles of clothing. He had no rights at all, but his duties were numerous. Besides learning the trade, he had to clean the shop, help in the kitchen and garden, carry water, deliver the finished goods, bring home raw materials. He got a very meagre board for all this work, and physical punishment was very much part of training. When he had learned the trade he became a journeyman, and on this occasion he entertained all {94.} the other journeymen of the guild, who accepted him into their midst with drink.

From here on he could no longer be friends with the apprentices, for he belonged to the company of journeymen, whose “paternal master” (atyamester) strove to defend their rights against the employer. The journeyman received, besides board, a regular weekly salary, but for this he had to work from dawn to dusk. He had to pay for any damage he caused and he had to give an account of all his doings to his master. The journeyman was obliged to travel partly within the country, partly outside it. The surviving books of itinerant journeymen show unquestionably that Hungarian journeymen often reached the towns and cities of Western Europe. This made it possible for them to get acquainted with new techniques and materials, and keep an eye on European fashions. Thus, journeying was a very important factor in Hungarian folk industry, and within it, in the development of the clothing industry and the formation of folk costumes.

The journeyman, after learning all the tricks of his trade from his master and on his travels, could register to make his masterpiece (remek). For this occasion he made some especially beautiful and valuable work of art, which was judged by the masters of the guild, and if they found it acceptable, they admitted its maker, after he had paid a predetermined “tax”, among the masters. From then on he could take on work himself and could hire apprentices and journeymen; that is to say, he became a fully-fledged member of the guild.

The members of the guild chose a head master (céhmester). He defended the rights of all members, guarded the money and documents, presided over meetings and feasts, supervised the work of the masters, and dealt with those who had offended the guild’s rules. He represented the entire guild to the outside world, to the authorities as well as to customers. He was aided in his duties by the guild clerk (céhjegyző).

Meetings were held regularly. A meeting began with the opening of the guild chest, and went on until the chest was locked again (Ill. 165–7). Here they decided about using money and admitting masters, assessed rights and wrongs and imposed punishment. The guild’s customs and regulations prescribed the many-sided support for the members. For example, sick journeymen received nursing both day and night, they supported the impoverished and the old with money, participated collectively in the burial of dead members and of their relations. Also, during Carnival, most of the guilds held a guild ball, which gave an opportunity for young people to get acquainted.

The artisans who gathered in the guilds played an important part in the life of the city or village. The master craftsmen were members of local government and participated as a group in paying special taxes and doing community work. In the case of walled cities, they were responsible for the defence of certain bastions and wall sections. Similarly they played a significant role in the life of the church. Their flags were kept mostly within the church and they paraded together in processions. Furthermore, the guild obliged its members to attend Mass on Sundays.