The establishment of the Convenor’s Court

On the 3rd July 1646 the Town Council of the Royal Burgh of Irvine "Granted" to the seven Craft guilds of the town, the Seal of Cause. It gave the guilds the right to elect from within their Craft a "wise man" to be Deacon, to incorporate, to elect a boxmaster, later called the Deacon Convener, and a clerk who along with seven Deacons would be the Convener's Court.

With the charter came the right and privilege to manufacture and sell goods within the town bound­aries. The Incorporation had the right to try all made work by journeymen from within the town and those who came to work from outside the town. No one could, without permission of the Incorporation, manufacture and sell goods in the town. The Convener's Court was and is the regulating body of the Incorporation by the consent of the seven Crafts, with powers to enact rules and regulations for the mem­bers of the crafts and to set and collect fines and dues from transgressors.

Some regulations were for the better behaviour in and around the trades loft in the Parish Church, such as:­

October 11th 1726 - None of the members of this court shall come to the fore sate of the loft but shall have hats and that under the penalties of five shillings ster­ling, TOTIUS QUOTIUS.    Thomas Biggart, convener      John Bryson, clerk

With the rights and privileges "granted" to the seven Crafts, the Smiths, the Weavers, the Tailors, Cordiners, Skinners, Wright Craft and the Coopers, also came obligations to help and assist widows, bairns, waifs and strays, the auld, aged, the decrepit and those craftsmen less fortunate who fell on hard times.

In 1846 an act of Parliament abolished exclusive rights and trading privileges of trade guilds and Incorporations throughout Scotland. Those people in Irvine who as ordinary craft members or convener's court members who kept alive the sense of community, the traditions and obligations of the Incorporation must be applaud­ed when so many trades houses in Scotland fell away and so much was lost.

The Present Day

• Deacon Convenor
• Collector
• Clerk
• Late Convenor
• Deacons of the seven Crafts along with 3 Court Members for each Craft
• Ex Convenors are also official members.

The Convenor’s Court hold a regular monthly meeting, currently held in Wellwood, 28 Eglinton Street, Irvine, which is also open to any individual craftsmen who may wish to attend. The business is conducted to ensure that individual Craft activities are well publicised, annual charity donations are agreed and that Incorporation events (Big Pie, AmAm charity golf, Cabaret, Trades Burgh Ball, etc.) are well organised and supported. The meeting also gives the wiser, longer standing members an opportunity to impart opinion on procedures and members conduct to appropriate Trades standards when it is felt that matters require attention.

However the more formal Michaelmas Meeting (on the first Wednesday after the first Monday after Michaelmas) is only open to the official Court members and the main office bearers for the forthcoming year are elected at this meeting.