This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: elwynsoutter1 Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.britisles.scotland.general/22364.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Each town had guilds for all the main indistries, where the master craftsmen were responsible for quality control, apprenticeships, sales, pricing etc. And they would have kept records of their guild meetings (or they certainly did in my own family's case). However I did not see any evidence that they were all registered with any umbrella body. So to be able to trace your ancestors through that type of record, you would need to know where they lived and worked. Which is what you are trying to find out! Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.