the barber shaving the head as a sign of
mourning. In the remote past the art of surgery and the trade of barber
were combined. It is clear that in all parts of the civilised world, in
bygone times, the barber acted as a kind of surgeon, or, to state his
position more precisely, he practised phlebotomy, the dressing of
wounds, etc. Their shops were general in Greece about 420 B.C.,
and then, as now, were celebrated as places where the gossips met.
Barbers settled in Rome from Sicily in B.C. 299.

The clergy up to about the twelfth century had the care of men's bodies
as well as their souls, and practised surgery and medicine. Barbers
gained much experience from the monks, whom they assisted in surgical
operations. The practice of surgery involved the shedding of blood, and
it was felt that this was incompatible with the functions of the
clergy. After much consideration and discussion, in 1163, the Council of
Tours, under Pope Alexander III., forbade the clergy to act as surgeons,
but they were permitted to dispense medicine.

The Edict of Tours must have given satisfaction to the barbers, and they
were not slow to avail themselves of the opportunities the change
afforded them. In London, and it is to be feared in other places, the
barbers advertised their blood-letting in a most objectionable manner.
It was customary to put blood in their windows to attract the attention
of the public. An ordinance was passed in 1307 directing the barbers in
London to have the blood "privately carried into the Thames under the
pain of paying two shillings to the use of the Sheriffs."

At an early period in London the barbers were banded together, and a
gild was formed. In the first instance it seems that the chief object
was the bringing together of the members at religious observances. They
attended the funerals and obits of deceased members and their wives.
Eventually it was transformed into a semi-social and religious gild, and
subsequently became a trade gild. In 1308 Richard le Barber, the first
master of the Barbers' Company, was sworn at the Guildhall, London. As
time progressed the London Company of Barbers increased in importance.
In the first year of the reign of Edward IV. (1462) the barbers were
incorporated by a Royal Charter, and it was confirmed by succeeding
monarchs.

A change of title occurred in 1540, and it was then named the Company of
Barber-Surgeons. Holbein painted a picture of Henry VIII. and the
Barber-Surg