Strangers in the Marketplace: False Work and Foreigners in Late Medieval London

In late medieval London, concerns about the quality and authenticity of consumer goods converged with growing anti-immigrant sentiment. Using three craft guilds—the Goldsmiths, the Pursers, and the Glaziers—as case studies, this article illustrates how Londoners came to directly link the perceived threats posed by foreigners and false craft work by the end of the fifteenth century. Analysing the rhetoric and regulations of these three varied groups of craftsmen, it provides insight into medieval Londoners’ attitudes towards strangers, as well as the construction of artisan identity, arguing that members of these guilds defined themselves both by their artisanal skill and in opposition to outsiders. They were able to unite and concretise these two facets of their identities by accusing foreigners of false work.