Originally published in 1963, this book attempted for the first time to bridge the gap between the economic development of medieval England and the England of the eighteenth century with a detailed study of the evolution and growth of the London Livery Companies and the early craft guilds.

Introduction. 1. The Amalgamation of the Crafts. 2. Differentiation of Classes within the Craft Gild. 3. Industrial Capital v. Commercial Capital. 4. The Elizabethan Company. 5. The Stuart Corporations of Small Masters. 6. Joint-Stock Enterprise and Industrial Monopoly. 7. Protectionism Under James I. 8. The Antecedents of the Trade Union. Appendix A. 1. Extracts from the Clothworkers' Court Book, 1537-1639. 2. Classification of Woolgrowers and Clothiers, 1615. 3. Charlies I and the Pin Monopoly. 4. The Feltmakers' Joint-Stock Projejct, circa 1611. 5. 'The Case of the Feltmakers Truely Stated'. 6. Extracts from Feltmakers' Ordinances and Court Book, Mainly Illustrating the Dispute of 1696-9. 7. The Statute of Apprentices Set Aside. Appendix B. List of Manuscript Sources for the History of the Industrial Companies of London During the Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries. Appendix C. List of Books and Articles Consulted.