 The Beghards were all laymen and, like the Beguines, they were not bound by vows, the rule of life which they observed was not uniform, and the members of each community were subject only to their own local superiors.They held no private property; the brethren of each cloister had a common purse, dwelt together under one roof and ate at the same board.They were for the most part men of humble origin—like weavers, dyers, and fullers—who were closely connected with the city craft-guilds.