Apprenticeship is one of those institutions, in common with the university and parliament, that has a history stretching back at least to medieval times. Such longevity immediately suggests a host of basic questions to the historian. Why has apprenticeship lasted so long? What basic human need or needs does it fulfil? Has it fulfilled the same function across the centuries or been subject to considerable changes? Has it, indeed, been a catch-all term to describe a variety of practices which have been, and remain, essentially different? These and other issues are considered in this chapter, which begins with a basic identification of the key elements of apprenticeship in medieval and early modern England. It then proceeds to review the impact upon apprenticeship of the first industrial revolution, and highlights the pupil-teacher apprenticeship scheme of the second half of the 19th century. The 20th century and the recent revival of (modern) apprenticeships are dealt with in other chapters in this book. Finally, some conclusions are drawn. For their comments. é Patrick Ainley, Helen Rainbird and named contributors, 1999.
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