LONDON-L Archives

Archiver > LONDON > 2005-07 > 1121823225


From: Eve McLaughlin <>
Subject: Re: [Lon] Freedom of the City of London
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 2005 02:33:45 +0100
In-Reply-To: <000d01c58cb9$fac6d420$191857cb@internet>


In message <000d01c58cb9$fac6d420$>, kas
<> writes
>hello all
>my ggfather received the freedom of the city of london in 1901.
>he was a clerk in the mayors court,
>would this have been in recognition of long or competant service

He would have been encouraged to take up his freedom so he could attend
various functions as a right, perhaps. This would probably have been,
in his case, nothing to do with trading, but a sort of invitation to
join the other boys.
It was not normally an 'honour' as such, just a social and political
membership of what amounted to a good club ( The 'honorary freemen'
were normally kings and other foreign dignitaries visiting the City).
Still, his age and DOB would be listed (though you probably know as
much as you would get from complicated research in these records.)
--
Eve McLaughlin

Author of the McLaughlin Guides for family historians
Secretary Bucks Genealogical Society

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