Dear Hal: Your quarrel will be with the author, not me... <GRIN> (The emphasis is mine.) So far as the Fishmonger's guild is concerned, that does not mean a person was low-born. Most buisiness was done thru guilds. Some were less exclusive than others, and few limited their trade or artisans to that described in their title. One of the exceptions might be the goldsmiths. Regards, 'Gene Hubbard ROYAL FAMILIES: AMERICANS OF ROYAL AND NOBLE ANCESTRY. VOL. 1--GOV. THOMAS DUDLEY & DESCENDANTS THROUGH FIVE GENERATIONS The Governor Dudley volume is the first in a new series of books compiled by Mr. Marston Watson for genealogists hoping to find their way back to an immigrant ancestor known to possess >>>>>>>well-documented royal and noble lines. <<<<<<<< The immigrant Thomas Dudley was governor or assistant governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony from 1630 to 1653. Dudley's American descendants have lineal connections to his royal and noble ancestry through his mother and likely his father and through his second wife, Katherine Deighton, as well. This means that they are also direct descendants of King John of England, William the Conqueror, and Charlemagne, to name a few. Among immigrants of royal descent, Governor Dudley probably has the largest number of progeny in American history. According to some estimates, it is possible that as many as 30 million Americans, or 10% of the U.S. population, may number among his descendants! http://www.genealogical.com/item_detail.asp?ID=6161