By the end of the 15th Century the Town Hall had become inadequate for the needs of the Mayor's sessions. They moved to another building - known today as the Guildhall - situated by St Martin's Church and belonging to the Gild of corpus Christi.
Religious Gilds played an important role in English life in the 14th and 15th centuries. Corpus Christi - established by nine burgesses and four Normans from the Castle Administration in 1343 - was the most influential of the religious gilds that existed at that time.
The Guildhall was built around 1380. After the Reformation, the Gild of corpus Christi was dissolved and its property vested in the Crown, but the borough was permitted to continue its use as a meeting place.
Corporation title to the property was confirmed by Queen Elizabeth I in a charter granted in 1589. The same charter had released other properties to the corporation, allowing rents previously collected by the Crown to enter the coffers of the borough.
For more information about the Guildhall, visit the
Leicester City Museums website