View source for Freedom of the City

{{short description|Honour bestowed by a municipality}}
{{redirect|Key to the City|other meanings of the term|Key to the City (disambiguation)}}
{{for-multi|the Northern Irish play|The Freedom of the City|the role-playing game campaign setting|Freedom City}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2015}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2015}}
[[File:Hadfield Freedom of the City of Sheffield.jpg|thumb|right|upright=.8|Award to [[Sir Robert Hadfield]] by the [[City of Sheffield]], 1939 (Hadfield Room, [[University of Sheffield]])]]
[[File:Gold 'Freedom of the City Box' for Daniel T. Patterson, made by Jonathan Wilmarth, John L. Moffat, and Joseph Curtis, New York City, 1832, gold - Winterthur Museum - DSC01333.JPG|thumb|Gold New York City 'Freedom of the City Box' presented to Commodore [[Daniel Patterson (naval officer)|Daniel Patterson]], made by Jonathan Wilmarth, John L. Moffat, and Joseph Curtis, 1832]]
[[File:Antoon van den Heuvel - Ferdinand Receives the Keys of the City from the Virgin of Ghent.jpg|upright=.8|thumb|"Ferdinand Receives the Keys of the City from the Virgin of Ghent", print after a painting made by [[Antoon van den Heuvel]] for the [[Joyous Entry]] by the [[Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand]] into [[Ghent]] in 1635]]
The '''Freedom of the City''' (or '''Borough''' in some parts of the UK) is an honour bestowed by a municipality upon a valued member of the community, or upon a visiting celebrity or dignitary. Arising from the medieval practice of granting respected citizens freedom from [[serfdom]], the tradition still lives on in countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, Canada, South Africa and New Zealand—although today the title of "freeman" confers no special privileges. The Freedom of the City can also be granted by municipal authorities to military units which have earned the city's trust; in this context, it is sometimes called the '''Freedom of Entry'''. This allows them the freedom to parade through the city, and is an affirmation of the bond between the regiment and the citizenry.

The honour was sometimes accompanied by a "freedom box", a small gold box inscribed to record the occasion; these are not usual today. In some countries, such as the [[United States]], esteemed residents and visitors may instead be presented with the '''Key to the City''', a similarly symbolic honour. Other US cities award Honorary Citizenship with just a certificate.

==Military privilege==

[[File:No 28 Squadron passing the official party during its Freedom of the City Parade in August 2013.jpg|thumb|left|Members of [[No. 28 Squadron RAAF]] marching through the centre of [[Canberra]] during the unit's Freedom of the City parade in August 2013]]
Freedom of the City is an ancient honour granted to martial organisations, allowing them the privilege to march into the city "with drums beating, [[colours, standards and guidons|colours]] flying, and [[bayonet]]s fixed".<ref name=RCN>{{cite web |url=http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/centennial/0/0-c_eng.asp?category=86 |title=1985 – 75th Anniversary Naval Service of Canada |publisher=Royal Canadian Navy |access-date=21 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120912185755/http://www.navy.forces.gc.ca/centennial/0/0-c_eng.asp?category=86 |archive-date=12 September 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

This honour dates back to [[ancient Rome]] which regarded the "[[pomerium]]", the boundary of the city, as sacred. [[Promagistrates]] and generals were forbidden from entering it, and resigned their ''[[imperium]]'' immediately upon crossing it. An exception was made for victory celebrations (called [[Roman triumphs|triumphs]]), during which the victorious general would be permitted to enter for one day only. Under the Republic, soldiers also lost their status when entering, becoming citizens: thus soldiers at their general's triumph wore civilian dress. Weapons were also banned inside the pomerium for religious and traditional reasons. (The [[assassination of Julius Caesar]] occurred outside this boundary.)

Similar laws were passed by other European cities throughout the Medieval era, to protect public security and civic rights, even against their own king's troops. As a result, soldiers would be forced to camp outside the walls of the city during the winter months. The Freedom of the City was an honour granted only to troops which had earned the trust of the local populace, either through some valiant action or simply by being a familiar presence.<ref name=RCN/>

Today, martial freedom of the city is an entirely ceremonial honour, usually bestowed upon a unit with historic ties to the area, as a token of appreciation for their long and dedicated service. The awarding of the Freedom is often accompanied by a celebratory parade through the city.

==Entitlement to civil privileges==

A slightly more common freedom of the city is connected to the medieval concept of "free status", when city and town charters drew a distinction between [[Serfdom#Freemen|freemen]] and [[Serfdom|vassals]] of a [[feudalism|feudal]] lord. As such, freemen actually pre-date [[municipal borough|modern boroughs]]. Early freedom of the boroughs ceremonies had great importance in affirming that the recipient enjoyed privileges such as the right to trade and own property, and protection within the town.

In modern society, the award of honorary freedom of the city or borough tends to be entirely ceremonial, given by the local government in many towns and cities on those who have served in some exceptional capacity, or upon any whom the city wishes to bestow an honour.

===United Kingdom===

[[File:A recipient of Freedom of the City of London.jpg|thumb|left|A recipient of Freedom of the City of London, Nigel Cumberland, after his ceremony]]
Before [[Great Reform Act|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 "[[household]]ers" (defined as local [[rate (tax)|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.<ref>Section 248 of {{UK-LEG|path=ukpga/1972/70/section/248|title=Local Government Act 1972}}</ref> The [[Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009]] removed any restrictions entitling only men to be freemen.<ref>Sections 27 and 28 of the {{UK-LEG|path=/ukpga/2009/20/part/1/chapter/5|title=Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009}}</ref>

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 borough#Royal Borough|royal borough]]s, [[Borough status in the United Kingdom|boroughs]], and [[Parish councils in England|parishes]] (or, in Wales, [[Community council#Wales|communities]]) with the status of a [[List of place names with royal patronage in the United Kingdom#Royal|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.<ref>{{UK-LEG|path=ukpga/1972/70/section/249|title=Section 249 of the Local Government Act 1972}}</ref> The 2009 Act extends the ability to grant the status of honorary freeman to any county, city, [[Districts of England|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).<ref>{{UK-LEG|path=ukpga/2009/20/section/29|title=Section 249 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.freemenofyork.com |title=The Gild of Freemen of the City of York |access-date=24 June 2011}}</ref> 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, England|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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.freemenofnewcastle.com/themoorhistory.html |title=The Moor |publisher=The Freemen of Newcastle upon Tyne |access-date=13 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131008171423/http://www.freemenofnewcastle.com/themoorhistory.html |archive-date=8 October 2013 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

====Freedom of the City of Belfast====

Recipients of this honour have included athlete [[Mary Peters (athlete)|Mary Peters]],<ref>"[https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-20182389 Dame Mary Peters granted Freedom of Belfast"]. ''BBC News''. 2 November 2012.</ref> actor [[Kenneth Brannagh|Kenneth Branagh]], diplomat [[John Jordan (diplomat)|John Jordan]], industrialist [[Andrew Carnegie]], shipowner [[Thomas Henry Ismay]] and [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Winston Churchill]].

====Freedom of the City of London====

{{main|Freedom of the City of London}}
[[File:Lord Nelson's certificate given him after becoming a Freeman of the City of London.jpg|thumb|left|Lord Nelson's certificate given him after becoming a Freeman of the City of London showing that he has Freedom]]
[[File:Certificate of Freedom of the City of London for Ari Norman.jpg|thumb|left|[[Ari Norman]]'s Certificate of Freedom of the City of London]]
[[File:Tim Berners-Lee Freedom of the City - 06.jpg|thumb|right|Sir [[Tim Berners-Lee]] 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 company|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 {{As of|2023|alt=£170|post=,}} but is free to those on the electoral roll of the City.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/history/Pages/how-to-apply.aspx|title=How to apply for the Freedom|website=City of London|access-date=30 September 2018|archive-date=30 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930193545/https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/history/Pages/how-to-apply.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>
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. While sheep have occasionally been driven over London Bridge by freemen on special occasions, these privileges are now effectively symbolic.
[[File:Mark Stephens freeman.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Mark Stephens (solicitor)|Mark Stephens]] with a sheep on [[London Bridge]] in 2009]]
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.<ref name=JefSmith/> Nevertheless, this right has been exercised, or the city has granted permission, on several occasions in modern times: 
* On 19 August 1999, Jef Smith, a freeman of London walked two sheep over [[Tower Bridge]] to bring attention to the rights of older citizens.<ref name=JefSmith>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/425364.stm |work=BBC News | title = Protest Freeman herds sheep over Tower Bridge | date=19 August 1999 | access-date=15 November 2010}}</ref>
* On 17 June 2006, a flock of about thirty sheep was driven across the [[Millennium Bridge (London)|Millennium Bridge]] to mark the start of London Architecture Week.<ref name = "BBC sheep">{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/5085214.stm |work=BBC News | title = Sheep flock driven through city | date=17 June 2006 | access-date=4 January 2010}}</ref>
* 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".<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7590346.stm | title = Sheep marched over London Bridge |work=BBC News| date=31 August 2008 | access-date=4 January 2010}}</ref>
* On 17 September 2008, the Lord Mayor of London, [[David Lewis (Lord Mayor)|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 International|Orbis]] and [[Wellbeing of Women]]).<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/7623267.stm |work=BBC News | title = Sheep march over bridge for money | date=19 September 2008 | access-date=4 January 2010}}</ref>
* 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''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Stephen Fry on Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/stephenfry/status/321164859628740608 |publisher=Twitter |access-date=27 June 2018 |language=en |date=8 April 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Stephen Fry's Key To The City |url=https://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep1week32/stephen-fry%E2%80%99s-key-city |access-date=27 June 2018 |work=ITV }}</ref>
*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.<ref>{{cite news|title=Why are there sheep being herded across London Bridge?|url=http://www.itv.com/news/london/2015-09-27/why-are-there-sheep-being-herded-across-london-bridge/|work=ITV News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-45699161 |title=Alan Titchmarsh herds sheep over London Bridge|work=BBC News |date=30 September 2018 |access-date= 30 September 2018}}</ref>
[[File:Sheep Cross Southwark Bridge in London 2021.jpg|thumb|A small number of sheep are herded across Southwark Bridge by the Lord Mayor and Yorkshire Shepherdess among others, London 2021.]]

====Freedom of the City of York====

{{see also|York#Freedom of the City}}
York has a long history of freemen dating back to the Anglo-Saxon period, with records dating back to 1272.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-history.ac.uk/york-freemen/vol1|title=Register of the Freemen of the City of York - British History Online|website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref>  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.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/apr/27/prince-andrew-stripped-of-freedom-of-york-by-councillors|title=Prince Andrew loses freedom of York after councillors' vote|first=Mark|last=Brown|date=27 April 2022|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.co.uk/article/us-britain-royals-andrew/york-strips-its-duke-prince-andrew-of-freedom-of-city-honour-idUSKCN2MJ1TN|newspaper=Reuters|title=York strips its duke of freedom of city honour|date=27 April 2022}}</ref>

===Republic of Ireland===

{{about|section=yes|Ireland|Freedom awarded specifically in Dublin|Freedom of the City of Dublin}}
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, Dublin|College Green]] and [[St. Stephen's Green]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Why are Bono and The Edge grazing sheep in Stephen's Green in 2000? It's their right as Freemen of the City |publisher=TheJournal.ie |date=7 February 2017 |url=https://jrnl.ie/3226054 |access-date=30 November 2020 }}</ref>

===Canada===

[[File:HMCS_CARLETON_Freedom_of_the_City.jpg|thumb|Ship's company of [[HMCS Carleton|HMCS ''Carleton'']] 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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://calgaryhighlanders.com/about-the-regiment/|title=About the Regiment}}</ref>

==Key to the city==

[[File:Jeanine Áñez at the 314th Anniversary of Reyes. 6 January 2020, Ministry of Communication, Reyes (51907629988).jpg|thumb|Then [[President of Bolivia|Bolivian President]] [[Jeanine Áñez]] receives the key to the city of [[Reyes, Bolivia|Reyes]].]]
[[File:Rei Momo recebe chave da cidade e abre carnaval no Rio (3738).jpg|thumb|Then [[Mayor of Rio de Janeiro]] [[Marcelo Crivella]] hands out key to the city to [[King Momo]] at the start of [[Rio Carnival|Carnival 2018]].]]
[[File:Dmitry Medvedev in Spain 2 March 2009-8.jpg|thumb|Then [[President of Russia|Russian President]] [[Dmitry Medvedev]] receives the Golden Key to the City of [[Madrid]] during a state visit.]]

{{see also|List of Keys to the City in the United States|List of Keys to the City in Canada}}
{{other uses|Key to the City (disambiguation)}}
In some countries, such as the United States, an ornamental key – the "key to the city" – is presented to esteemed visitors, residents, or others whom the city wishes to honour. This practice is a variation on the freedom of the city tradition, and has a similar symbolic meaning; evoking medieval walled cities, the gates of which would be guarded during the day and locked at night, the key symbolises the freedom of the recipient to enter and leave the city at will, as a trusted friend of city residents.<ref name="NYC Key">{{cite web |title=Key to the City of New York |publisher=New York City Commission for the United Nations, Consular Corps, and Protocol |url=http://www.nyc.gov/html/unccp/html/protocol/key.shtml |access-date=6 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111114110402/http://www.nyc.gov/html/unccp/html/protocol/key.shtml |archive-date=14 November 2011 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In some cities in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany, the key to the city is given to the so-called '{{ill|prins carnaval|nl|Prins Carnaval}}' who leads the carnivals which take place the week prior to [[Septuagesima]]. The tradition is that the mayor steps down for this period and power is transferred to the prince carnival, who then returns the key at the end of [[Shrove Tuesday]] / [[Mardi Gras]]. Today, the handing over of the key is mostly symbolic and marks the start and end of the carnival.

A similar tradition exists in some festivities in Latin America (like in [[Rio Carnival]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-04-20 |title=Rei Momo recebe as chaves da cidade e o carnaval toma conta do Rio |website=Agência Brasil |language=pt-BR |url=https://agenciabrasil.ebc.com.br/geral/noticia/2022-04/rei-momo-recebe-chaves-da-cidade-e-o-carnaval-toma-conta-do-rio |access-date=2022-06-08}}</ref>), where the festival's [[King Momo]] receives the key to the city at the start of the festivities.

As part of the yearly [[Gasparilla Pirate Festival]] in Tampa, Florida a friendly invasion by the crew of the mythical [[pirate]] [[José Gaspar]] is recreated where costumed pirates make their way to the [[Tampa Convention Center]] and they demand that the mayor surrender the key to the city in a playful ceremony.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-10 |title=Gasparilla History |url=https://gasparillapiratefest.com/gasparilla-history/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Gasparilla Pirate Fest |language=en-US}}</ref>

In Canada, major cities including [[Toronto]], [[Vancouver]], and [[Montreal]] may award a key to the city to influential business leaders, musicians, and political leaders. In 2016, the Canadian recording artist [[Drake (musician)|Drake]] received a key to the city of [[Toronto]], presented by the mayor [[John Tory]]. In a local tradition, [[Calgary]] has opted to award esteemed visitors a [[Calgary White Hat|symbolic cowboy hat]] instead of a key; this is usually followed by reciting one of two oaths (one formal, the other more silly) to become honorary Calgarians.<ref>{{cite web |title=White Hat Ceremony |publisher=Visit Calgary |url=http://www.visitcalgary.com/meetings/how-we-can-help/white-hat-ceremony |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121122140626/http://www.visitcalgary.com/meetings/how-we-can-help/white-hat-ceremony |archive-date=22 November 2012 |df=dmy}}</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Honorary citizenship]]
* [[List of Freedom of the City recipients (military)]]
{{Clear}}

==References==

{{reflist|25em}}

==External links==
* [https://www.guild-freemen-london.co.uk Welcome], [[Guild of Freemen of the City of London]] 
* [https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/history/Pages/freedom-of-the-city.aspx Freedom of the City of London] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180727214043/https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/history/Pages/freedom-of-the-city.aspx |date=27 July 2018 }}
* [http://www.freemenofyork.com The Gild of Freemen of the City of York] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131017165637/http://www.freemenofyork.com/ |date=17 October 2013 }}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130413005908/http://www.civichalls.liverpool.gov.uk/townhall/history/freemen/index.asp Freemen of the City of Liverpool]

[[Category:Freedom of the City| ]]
[[Category:Municipal awards]]
[[Category:Urban culture]]