United Kingdom Before
parliamentary reform in 1832, freedom of the city or town conferred the right to vote in the
parliamentary boroughs for the MPs. Until the
Municipal Corporations Act 1835 the freemen were the exclusive electorate for some of the boroughs. These two acts together curtailed the power of the freemen and extended the franchise to all "
householders" (defined as local
rate payers; in fact therefore property owners). The private property belonging to the freemen collectively was retained. The freemen of
York,
Oxford and
Newcastle upon Tyne still own considerable areas within their towns, although the income is effectively given to support charitable objects. The
Local Government Act 1972 specifically preserved freemen's rights. The
Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 removed any restrictions entitling only men to be freemen. Today, the grant of honorary freedom in the United Kingdom is governed by the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009). The 1972 Act enabled the councils of cities,
royal boroughs,
boroughs, and
parishes (or, in Wales,
communities) with the status of a
royal town to confer the status of honorary freeman on "persons of distinction and persons who have, in the opinion of the council, rendered eminent services" to the local area. The 2009 Act extends the ability to grant the status of honorary freeman to any county, city,
district, borough, town, parish or community council (so removing the requirement for the town to have 'royal' status, and also enabling county councils to confer the honour). A special meeting of the council can grant the honour by passing a resolution with a two-thirds majority. The exact qualifications for borough freedom differ between each city or town, but generally fall into two categories, "patrimony" (inheritance) and "servitude" (apprenticeship). For example, in
Chester, only the children or grandchildren of freemen may apply for admission. In York, this extends to great- and great-great-grandchildren, and apprenticeship to a freeman of the city will also allow admission. In
Great Grimsby, the widow of a freeman passes his rights to her second husband, who retains the privilege after either divorce from or death of the widow. The borough freedom is strongest in York, Chester, Newcastle upon Tyne and
Coventry; in Coventry, freedom is qualified by having served an apprenticeship.
Durham and
Northampton have extended their admission criteria to those who have served an apprenticeship without being "bound" (trained) by a freeman directly. Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne are bestowed the right to graze cattle on the town moor.
Freedom of the City of Belfast Recipients of this honour have included athlete
Mary Peters, actor
Kenneth Branagh, diplomat
John Jordan, industrialist
Andrew Carnegie, shipowner
Thomas Henry Ismay and
Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
Freedom of the City of London 's Certificate of Freedom of the City of London receiving the freedom of the
City of London in 2014 In England, the most established borough freedom is that conferred by the Freedom of the
City of London, first recorded in 1237. This is closely tied to the role and status of the
livery companies. From 1835, the freedom "without the intervention of a Livery Company" has been bestowed by a general resolution of Common Council, by "redemption" (purchase), at one time for an onerous sum. Now the Freedom can be obtained by servitude, by patrimony, by nomination, or by presentation via a Livery Company. Freedom through nomination by two sponsors is available for a fee (known as a "fine") of but is free to those on the electoral roll of the City. New freemen are enrolled in a ceremony in Guildhall, when they receive a guide to conducting their lives in an honourable fashion and a sealed certificate. Freemen's children get admission preference at the
City of London Freemen's School. There are a number of rights traditionally but apocryphally associated with freemen—the right to drive sheep and cattle over
London Bridge; to a silken rope, if hanged; to carry a naked sword in public; or that if the City of London Police finds a freeman
drunk and incapable, they will bundle him or her into a taxi and send them home rather than throw them into a cell. with a sheep on
London Bridge in 2009 While sheep have occasionally been driven over London Bridge by freemen on special occasions, these privileges are now effectively symbolic. The right to herd sheep and cattle across London's four bridges is no longer economically relevant, as there are no livestock markets in the city. • On 17 June 2006, a flock of about thirty sheep was driven across the
Millennium Bridge to mark the start of London Architecture Week. • On 31 August 2008, Amanda Cottrell, former
High Sheriff of Kent, marched six rams across London Bridge to promote fundraising for the restoration of
Canterbury Cathedral and "a scheme backing local food production". by the Lord Mayor and Yorkshire Shepherdess among others, London 2021. • On 17 September 2008, the Lord Mayor of London,
David Lewis, and some 500 freemen drove a flock of Romney ewes in relay across London Bridge to raise funds for the Lord Mayor's charities (
Orbis and
Wellbeing of Women). • On 7 April 2013, actor and presenter
Stephen Fry drove Grace, a year-old lamb, over London Bridge for a documentary about becoming a freeman, ''Stephen Fry's Key To The City''. • On 27 April 2019, freeman of the city Simone Lakmaker drove Mark, a ram from Spitalfields City Farm, over London Bridge as part of her 80th birthday celebrations and to raise awareness for her charity the Speaking Out Forum. By 2015, the driving of sheep across the bridge had become an annual event, organised by the
Worshipful Company of Woolmen livery company, typically to raise funds for the Lord Mayor's Appeal and the Worshipful Company of Woolmen.
Freedom of the City of York York has a long history of freemen dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period, with records dating back to 1272. Freemen may claim their rights through patronage (as far back as their great-great-grandparent, there are records of women being admitted in York in medieval times, a right forgotten for a time until the late 1970s when the gild carried out research and rediscovered it) or apprenticeship. Once sworn in, freemen can join the Gild (archaic spelling used) of Freemen who continue to take an interest in the affairs of the city. New admissions are made every year (usually October) following an admission ceremony with the Lord Mayor at the Guildhall.
Prince Andrew, Duke of York, was given the honour in 1986, but a councillors' vote stripped him of the title after allegations of sexual abuse became public.
Republic of Ireland In Ireland, borough freedom of the city is generally given to noted foreign and national dignitaries and the list rarely exceeds a few dozen. As in the United Kingdom, the title generally comes with various ancient privileges – for instance, freemen of
Dublin are allowed the right to vote in certain elections, bring goods for sale in the city without customs and the right to pasture sheep on common ground such as
College Green and
St. Stephen's Green.
Canada exercising Freedom of the City of
Ottawa Freedom of the City is a privilege bestowed to individual units of the
Canadian Forces. Many units exercise this privilege in conjunction with significant annual commemorations.
The Calgary Highlanders (10th Canadians) commemorate the
Battle of Kitcheners' Wood with an annual freedom of the city parade. ==Key to the city==