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The words and lyrics of the
nursery rhyme 'Hey diddle
dinkety, poppety, pet'
celebrate the role of the
guilds and "The Merchants of
London they wear scarlet".
The word “guild” is from the
Saxon “gilden” meaning "to
pay" and refers to the
subscription paid by the
members. The guilds were
licensed from 1170 and were
similar to modern labor
unions where the guilds set
standards for their
professions and protected
the interests of their
members.
The Ceremonial Livery
The formal name for the
London guilds are livery
companies. This referred to
the elegant apparel, called
livery, that their guild
members wore on special and
ceremonial occasions. The
livery was adopted by the
guilds of London in the
reign of King Edward III
(1312 - 1377). The clothes,
or livery, worn by the
merchants were extremely
important as they identified
the merchants with a
specific guild and
distinguished their members
from one another. The
merchants would wear their
livery when they marched in
parades and processions and
attended ceremonies and
other Royal gatherings "So
merrily march the merchant
men". This humble little
nursery rhyme celebrates the
commerce of the City of
London. |
