Medieval guild leadership bodies were named by their member count

Evidence

Thus far we have discussed cases where different subdivisions are numerically equal. Numbers can also be used, however, to characterize a group, more particularly, a leading group of persons, within a larger totality. Thus, guild masters were often designated by their number: in Frankfort, the wool weavers’ heads were called the “Six,” and the bakers’ the “Eight”; in medieval Barcelona, the senate was known as the “Hundred”; etc. — Georg Simmel, The Sociology of Georg Simmel, 3393

Categorization

Category: Factual Claims

• CANDY: Wool weavers’ heads called the ‘Six’ and bakers the ‘Eight’ is a light, memorable anecdote.