The 9th/12th Royal Lancers Regiment parading on the occasion of the Regiment receiving the Honorary Freedom of Leicester
Number 58
February 2012 1
Gild Banquet Weekend 9th / 10th June 2012 This is to give you advance notice of the Gild’s Banquet Weekend in June, we would very much appreciate your support. The Banquet will be held on Saturday 9th June (7.00pm) in the Holmes Suite at Devonshire Place, 78 London Road, Leicester, LE2 0RA the city’s renowned banqueting establishment, located half a mile from the city centre near the railway station and close to several hotels. There is a carpark at the rear of the building in Prebend Street. Following a bucks fizz/wine pre-dinner reception, an appetising four-course menu, plus coffee and chocolates, has been selected, with vegetarian alternatives. Tickets cost £39 per head, please use enclosed booking form. A wine table offering reasonably priced wines will, of course, be available for dinner. The Freemen’s Service will be held on the following day, Sunday 10th June (10.30am), at the Leicester Cathedral. The banquet is open to all members, their friends and relations. A booking form can be found in the centre pages. If you require any further information or require details of hotels please contact our Chamberlain, Roger Allen on 01530 831151. 2
Number 58
February 2012
Patron: Colonel Robert Martin OBE President: The Lord Mayor of Leicester OFFICERS 2011 - 2012 Master: B.W. Mudford Deputy Master: M.B. Hill Clerk: J.E. Tolton Chamberlain: R. Allen WARDENS M.E. Ayres, A. Chettle, E.L. Critchlow, J.D. Lewitt, A. Marriott (Co-opted), P.K. Ross. 3
GILDHALL NEWS February 2012
Contents Editor’s comments
5
Report by Brian Mudford, Master of the Gild
5
Report on the F.E.W. by your representitive Michael Ayres
7
Report by Wayne Manship, Chairman of the Board
8
Future programme - dates for your diary Friday 17th February, Long-alley Skittles Night at the Coach & Horses
9
Saturday 24th March, Cheese & Wine Evening - “A Night at the Music Hall”
9
Sunday 1st April, Open Morning at Freemen’s Holt
10
Wednesday 18th April, Common Hall at the Leicester Town Hall
10
Monday 23rd April, St. George’s Day service at St. Mary de Castro
10
Sunday 20th May, Visit to the Swindon “Steam” museum and Designer Outlet
11
Saturday 9th June, Annual Gild Banquet at Devonshire Place Sunday 10th June, Annual Freemen’s Service at Leicester Cathedral Sunday 24th June, Freemen’s Garden Party at Freemen’s Holt
Contributions to the Gildhall News The Tolton Family Reunion by John Tolton
12
Leicester & Leicestershire by Boat by Eileen Greenwood
14
Freemen’s Memorabilia by Eileen Greenwood
16
History of the Freemen of Leicester - part 2 by John Tolton
17
New Members Subscriptions Where are you now?
19 19 20
For Amusement Only Donations and The Horse
20
How to look after your husband
21
Have you changed your address? Forms in the centre of the Newsletter
22
Booking form for the Cheese & Wine Evening Booking form for Visit to Swindon Booking form for Annual Gild Banquet Application for Membership & Associate Membership of the Gild Standing Order form for Annual Subscriptions Gild products order form
4
Editor’s Comments One of the recent new Lady Freemen, Eileen Greenwood, read the last issue of the Gildhall News, and following my request sent not one but two articles for inclusion in this issue, which I am sure you will find interesting. John Tolton has also sent in two articles, one on the Tolton family re-union, and the second part of the history of the Leicester Freemen. Eileen also suggested that we have a “Where are you now?” section, which I have included on page 20. So if you have a story of a visit you have made that may be of interest to other members, please put pen to paper, or finger to e-mail. We don’t need a book, only a short article, possibly one or two pages long. It could be longer if it’s enthralling!! Preferably I would like to receive them as an attachment to an e-mail if possible, but pen and ink is acceptable.
Brian Mudford
Report by Brian Mudford, Master of the Gild Roger Allen, our Chamberlain, has been very ill. He has been having treatment and I am pleased to say that he is feeling much better now. He says that he will be having further tests and treatment, and doesn’t know how long it will be before he is back to his normal self. On behalf of all Leicester Freemen I would like to wish him all the best and hope for a speedy recovery. We miss you already Roger! On the invitation of the Lord Mayor, nine Freemen and five ladies represented the Gild at the Remembrance Day Service at the War Memorial, Victoria Park on Sunday 13th November ( See photoraph inside back cover). On Thursday 24th November the Lord Mayor of Leicester Councillor Robert Wann invited six members of the Leicester Gild to join him, with councillors and delegates of the civic party, to witness the Conferment of Honorary Freedom of Leicester on the 9th /12th Royal Lancers Regiment. On their arrival in Humberstone Gate at 12 30 pm the Parade of the Royal Lancers were accompanied by the Band of the Light Cavalry. The Parade was then inspected by the following Civic Dignitaries: Her Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant Jennifer Lady Gretton, The Lord Mayor, The Commanding Officer Major General Rutledge CB OBE, and the City Mayor Sir Peter Soulsby. After the Lord Mayor’s address and the reading of the Oath of the Freedom of Leicester, the Lord Mayor then presented the Freedom Scroll and Casket to Major General Rutledge CB OBE. 5
The Major General then responded by thanking the Lord Mayor and the City Council for the Honorary Freedom of the City. The Royal Salute was then given followed by the National Anthem. After the parade finished, the Nottingham Odd Fellow club in Humberstone Gate invited the civic party and the Lancers Regiment for lunch and drinks. St. Mary de Castro Church invited the Leicester Gild to donate and decorate a Christmas tree in the Gild colours and regalia for their Christmas tree festival and Brass Band concert held on Saturday afternoon, 3rd December. Some of the ladies of the Gild were invited to decorate the tree, which they thoroughly enjoyed. The Lord Mayor of Leicester Councillor Robert Wann, joined the members of the congregation for the concert, at which children from local schools joined in with the band to sing carols. Six members of the Gild attended the concert. Also on Saturday 3rd December the Gild held a Fish & Chip supper at Freemen’s Holt. The speaker on this occasion was Steve Brooks, the wellknown local travel agent based in Glenfield who gave a talk on “My life as a Travel Agent”. He told us about his fun-filled life and experiences gained in over 30 years in the travel industry. A superb evening accompanied by delicious fish and chips, wine, beer and soft drinks. On Friday 16th December over 50 Freemen, spouses, children and grandchildren attended the pantomime “Dick Whittington” at the Little Theatre in Leicester. The theatre was full with over 50% children, and the shouting of “He’s behind you!” was a joy to behold. The show was very well presented, particularly as we went on the first night. The cast, as is the norm with a pantomime, involved the audience throughout the show and everyone had an enjoyable evening. Also on Friday 16th December, Eight members of the Leicester Gild enjoyed a wonderful Christmas dinner hosted by the Coventry Freemen’s Guild, held in the ancient St Mary’s Hall in Coventry. Those who attended would like to thank the Freemen of Coventry for an excellent evening The visit on Wednesday 11th January to the Masonic Lodge was to say the least very disappointing, only four people turned up, plus Maurice Hill who arranged the visit. Don Peacock the guide from the Masons was excellent and he made the visit fantastic, what a waste of talent with so few attending.
A commemorative service for Charles, King and Martyr, was held at St. Mary de Castro church in Leicester on Saturday 28th January 2012 at 12 noon. They have been delighted that we have been able to attend this service for the last 6
two years, and again extended an invitation to the Freemen and their spouses this year. Unfortunately the invite came too late to include it in the last issue of the Gildhall News. I look forward to seeing you at Common Hall at the Town Hall on the 18th April at 8 pm. This the end of my 3 years as Master of the Gild, which I have thoroughly enjoyed. You will have the opportunity to vote for a new Master at Common Hall, so we look forward to seeing many of you there. A tasty supper will be served afterwards when you will be able to have a chat with your fellow Freemen. So may I finish by wishing you all a Happy, healthy and prosperous 2012.
Brian Mudford
Report on the FEW (Freemen of England and Wales) by Michael Ayres Since my last report in the November issue of the GildHall News there has been no meeting of the FEW. Their first Court meeting in 2012 is booked for Saturday afternoon 17th March in Leicester at Freemen’s Holt 2 to 4 pm, all members of the Gild are invited. We have received information on future Banquets which other Freemen’s Guilds are arranging this year. They are listed below. Coventry Freemen’s Guild, their Ladies Night dinner will be on Valentine’s Day Tuesday 14th February 2012. 7 30pm for 8 00pm start, and is held in the ancient St Mary’s Hall. The price for the banquet is £30 per person. The Gild of Freemen of the City of York annual Banquet weekend will be held 20th to 22nd April, it begins on the Friday evening with a Pie and Peas supper at a cost of £9 00 per person. The Saturday Night Banquet is held in the Merchant Adventurers Hall Fossgate, the cost £47 50 per person. The Freemen’s Sunday morning Church Service is at All Saints Pavement. Coventry Freemen’s Guild annual Banquet weekend is Friday 4th May until Sunday 6th May. To date I have no further information on costs or details of the weekend, but will advise as soon as possible. All the above events are open to any member of the Leicester Gild, if you require further information or booking forms please contact me on 0116 2242353 or by e-mail mickayres31@virginmedia.com
Michael Ayres 7
Report by Chairman of the Board - Wayne Manship 2011 seemed to come and go in the blink of an eye….and yet there was such a lot that happened during the year. Something that has preoccupied our family has been the birth of a son to my daughter Bianca some 11 weeks early. Young Danté weighed in at 21b 12 oz on 1st December and we are still waiting for him to come home. We lost a few friends during the year that will be sadly missed but we also welcomed 31 new Freemen at two Making Free ceremonies that I had the honour to attend with the vice chairmen of the Board and our wives in February and again in October. It is so important to continue with these traditions so get your eligible sons and daughters to make their applications to the Lord Mayors Civic Office who have taken on responsibility for Making Free ceremonies for the future. It has been busy through 2011 at Freemen’s Holt where we have enjoyed several lunches to celebrate special 70th, 80th, 90th and even a 100th birthday for Evelyn in June. Each one was special but Evelyn provided a birthday lunch for family and friends at Freemen’s Holt, enjoyed another one at the bowls club and she also received champagne at bingo to celebrate her milestone 100 years. It just goes to show what living at the Holt can do for you. The residents also organised themselves a street party in April to celebrate the Royal Wedding and the Board planted an oak tree to commemorate the event. The Board have continued with improvements and investment at Freemen’s Holt with bungalow No 35 being extended into a two bedroom property that has recently been allocated to a new couple. We are also in the process of updating No 33 which has also been allocated to a new resident and we wish them all a long and happy life in their new homes. We have started preparations for a Garden Party planned for Sunday 24th June so add this date to your diaries and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible on the day for a bit of fun and family entertainment. With more people using email these days we would be grateful if you would consider having your updates via this medium as it will help us to keep some of the costs down without impacting any potential recipients of the publication. We want to stay in touch so if you are happy to have an 8
electronic version of the Gildhall News then please contact Lynda Bramley in the office on 0116 283 4017 or email leicester.freemen@talktalkbusiness.net. This will be my last Chairman’s report. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time in this position and I am very proud to have been Chairman of the Board. It is something special for me and I am the first Manship to have held this post. I will continue to work on the Board as a Deputy as I find this very rewarding. We are looking for new trustees (known as deputies) to help with running the charity so if you have some time and would be interested in contributing to the ongoing management then please contact Lynda Bramley in the office via the contact details above. All that is left is for me to wish you a very prosperous, happy and healthy 2012.
Wayne Manship
Programme of Future Outings and Events Long Alley Skittles Night Friday 17th February 2012, arriving at 7.00pm Coach & Horses, Field Head, Markfield LE67 9RF Just a reminder for those who have booked for our Long-alley Skittles Night being held at The Coach and Horses. If you are coming up the M1 from the M69 junction the the best way to approach the Coach and Horses is by exiting at junction 21A onto the A46, and leave by the next slip road onto the A50. If you travel north on the A50 this will bring you to the Coach and Horses, an Evererds pub on the left hand side just before the Field Head island.
Cheese and Wine Evening Saturday 24th March 2012 – 7.30pm Freemen’s Holt, Old Church Street, Aylestone
A Night at the Music Hall As mentioned in the last Newsletter an evening of entertainment has been arranged for your delight and delectability, a night of culture and edification, presented by Felicity Austin, who will entertain you with a history of the music hall, but there is a catch, a certain amount of audience participation is the order of the night. 9
The revelers on the evening will have to sing for their supper along with Felicity, who will provide the song sheets so there is no excuse for not joining in with the evening’s entertainment. And if you are a bit shy of exercising your vocal chords then loosen them with alcoholic lubricant (providing that you are not driving) and show off your dulcet tones. Sadly, singing for your supper will have to supplemented by a payment of £8.50 per participant, which includes wine, soft drinks, various cheeses and other snacks, and, of course, superb music hall entertainment.
Open Morning Sunday 1st April 2012 – Freemen’s Holt, 10.30am to 12.30pm This is a very relaxed coffee morning to give you the chance to meet other Freemen, buy Gild products such as ties, key rings, pens and the new Gild cufflinks, and pay your annual subscription to the Gild. Tea and biscuits will also be served, and you might win one of the fabulous raffle prizes!
Common Hall Meeting th
Wednesday18 April 2012 - Leicester Town Hall, 7.45pm for 8.00pm Our Annual General Meeting will be held, as usual, in the Council Chamber of the Town Hall in Leicester. It will be opened by the Lord Mayor, President of the Gild, and is the occasion when all members can have their say on Gild matters. We are looking forward to more members getting involved in Gild matters, and it would be encouraging if all new Freemen were to attend Common Hall and give their thoughts from another angle. A tasty buffet, with wine and soft drinks, will be served in the Lord Mayor’s Tea Rooms after the business part of the evening, and all are welcome.
St George’s Day Service rd
Monday 23 April 2012 – St. Mary de Castro Church, 7.15pm All members and friends are invited to attend the service at the historic St. Mary de Castro Church in Leicester for the annual St George’s Day service. The service starts at 7.30pm, please be seated earlier, before the arrival of the Civic Dignitaries. The Lord-Lieutenant Jennifer, Lady Gretton, The Lord Mayor and the High Sheriff are normally present. For those of you who will be wearing gowns, robing facilities will be available in the John of Gaunt room. 10
2 for 1 Visit to Swindon Sunday 20th May 2012 Visiting two venues Visit “Steam” telling the remarkable story of the men and women who built, operated and travelled on the G.W.R. railway “God’s Wonderful Railway” Hands on displays, drive an engine, work the signal box, see World famous locomotives, a reconstructed station platform, posters and holiday memorabilia that recreates the glamour and thrill of the golden age of steam. Meet Isambard Kingdom Brunel with his first locomotive “North Star” and learn about his great engineering genius. So whatever your age, fun, excitement and adventure is there to be had.
“Steam” museum of the Great Western Railway and The Swindon Designer Outlet Our Luxury Coach leaves the Holt at 9.00a.m. prompt £22.00 adults £18.00 children To book seats on this popular trip do not delay Complete the enclosed Booking Form 11
Housed in the now restored Great Western Railway works the Swindon Designer Outlet has had over £40million spent on its development and construction and is now reputed to be the largest shopping mall in Europe with over 90 stores including Hugo Boss, John Lewis Home Outlet, M & S outlet, Next Clearance and Pavers Shoes. More than 3 million People visit the Outlet each year, and with prices your purse will love too you’ll find everything you could want in the Outlet – even a train.
Contributions to the Gildhall News ***************************** The Tolton Family Reunion I have mentioned before that my brother, David, lives near Vancouver in Canada and that in 2010 we visited Canada for a three week vacation with him. It was during our stay there that he talked about visiting England in 2011 to celebrate their Golden Wedding Anniversary. So began the tentative arrangements for a family reunion party at Freemen’s Holt. Back in England after three wonderful weeks in British Columbia, the Community Room at the Holt was booked for August 6th 2011 and the organising of the event started in earnest. Like a number of families today ours is spread around the globe. David and Christine in Vancouver; for whom the event was to take place; their son Guy in Edmonton, a nephew in Australia who is a member of the Royal Australian Marine’s Band, two nieces in the Netherlands, and my own daughter, Natasha, who was in Costa Rica saving turtles during August 2011. Even in England we are spread around the country, in Ascot in Berkshire, Acle in Norfolk, Bristol which chooses not to have a county, and, of course, Leicester. So the logistics of getting all safely gathered in was quite daunting. Apart from attempting to reunite the family there was also the question of catering. On previous occasions I had used a particular caterer who had provided a good service but unfortunately they were themselves away on the date of our party enjoying their own family reunion in the USA. So I opted for a barbecue and trusted my luck with the weather. As the date drew closer it became quite apparent there would be a few members of the family who would not be able to attend. My daughter in Costa Rica, my nephew Martyn and family in Australia, my other nephew Guy in Edmonton, and my two nieces Sarah and Victoria in the Netherlands; all of whom could not be there with us. At last the day of the party arrived and the hall was suitably decorated with old photographs of the Golden Wedding couple during various phases of their David & Christine wedded life. All the tables were 12
set out with centre stage reserved for David and Christine, food prepared as far as was possible and everything ready for the occasion. Then during the course of the afternoon the family members began to arrive, some not having seen each other for a number of years. And as more members arrived so did the noise level rise, particularly as the wine flowed (for those who were not driving afterwards). Eventually there were twenty one members of the family gathering in the Holt with ages ranging from 18 months to 75 years. Not for 30 years have so many family members gathered in one room. In fact the last occasion was held in the same room but the event was blessed with the presence of our parents and our grandmother and how we wished they could see us now. Our father, Eric, played a
The Tolton Clan minus a few large part in the process of building the Holt in those early days and was Chairman of the Estates Committee for many years.
David is the oldest of four children in our family and although he is celebrating 50 years of marriage, between the four of us we celebrated 178 years in 2011, all with our original partners. At the time of the party five members of the Tolton clan were freemen, David and his son Guy, me and my son Steven, and our younger sister Marianne. And there is more to come. John Tolton 13
Leicester and Leicestershire by Boat by Eileen Greenwood As my husband and I are ardent fans of canals and own a small canal boat I decided this year it would be fun to do the Leicester Ring and to see Leicester and the Freeman’s Common. When I was a child my father used to point the common out to me when we visited the cemetery. The trip began from our mooring which is at a farm not far from our home in North Wales and we estimated that the trip would take about three weeks, taking in the Shropshire Union, the Staffs and Worcester, the Trent & Mersey, the Coventry, the Oxford and the Grand Union Canals (part of which is the River Soar) and the River Trent. Our journey through Leicestershire began on the Grand Union Canal, Leicester section. The first wharf we encountered in Leicestershire was at North Kilworth and we soon reached Foxton Locks which have always been a particular favourite of mine and no doubt everyone else’s. There was a queue of boats and we had to wait about two hours before we could enter the first lock. There were many spectators, but I am proud to say that they were not disappointed in my driving skills. It took us about two hours to negotiate the ten locks from top to bottom. After Foxton we decided not to visit Market Harborough, which is reached by a short branch off the main line, and continued our journey to Wigston where we had arranged to meet a friend. After Glen Parva the river and the canal flow side by side. We eventually reached Aylestone where the canal at one time was of an inky opaque blackness and gave the impression that Leicester was a city not to linger in. The cause was trade effluent from several dye works in Wigston. We made our way towards No 41 Freeman’s Lock but not without a disaster. Some of the water in the canal at Aylestone disappeared overnight the result of a lock gate not being closed properly. We rolled out of bed as one side of our boat was resting on the bottom and it was listing. However, my husband did a spot of aqua aerobics and managed to get us on course again! No 41 Lock was much bigger than I expected and carries a warning about the large weir (see photograph inside back cover). Nothing had prepared me for 14
the view from the Lock, a lot of new housing is being rapidly developed on the Freeman’s Meadow. As we approach the City I tried to work out where I was but this was very difficult from a waterside view and also because the
City has changed so much. However, I did notice the new football stadium which was not there when I was living in Leicester. The impression of the city from the water was one of friendliness and cleanliness. I admired the industrial architecture especially the bridges which are very intricate and beautiful when seen from the Canal. The only disappointment was Abbey Lock which needs some attention, but for a city seen from a canal the result is impressive. We carried along the navigation to Birstall, Mountsorrel, Barrow on Soar and eventually Loughborough where my husband and I met nearly 50 years ago. We passed through Kegworth and then left Leicestershire for Nottinghamshire. We ended the ring at Fradley Junction near Alrewas and were left with a sense of achievement having spent such pleasant days on a nostalgic journey. Sadly for us we feel that our boating days are nearly over and we will be forced to sell our beloved boat, but this trip will always have a Eileen Greenwood special significance for me. 15
Freemen’s Memorabilia
by Eileen Greenwood
I was made a Freeman recently and this inspired me to look again into various bits and pieces which my family had collected over the years. I was surprised to discover the extent of information that had been squirreled away over the years and how committed they were to the Freemen. Some of the information went back to the Victorian era and included Acts and also articles that had been published in the Leicester Mercury and in the Leicester Evening Mail. I hope you will enjoy reading a selection as much as I did. Extract from the Evening Mail Friday June 14 1933
When Freemen Ruled in Leicester by H.W. Hawkins, Member of the County Archaeological Society. My copy of this newspaper article is very ragged around the edges so I have extracted parts which may be of interest. Mr Hawkins claims that for our first recorded Freeman we have to look at the head of the first Merchant Gild Roll. Here we find Nicholas the Tinctor or Nicholas the Dyer. He does not appear to have a surname. Leicester’s first Mayor was Peter who was a son of Roger and a member of the Gild Merchant. Likewise, he has no surname. Leicester’s first recorded apprentice was William and he served his time with Walter Le Mercier [Walter the Draper] and in 1196 he was qualified to take up his freedom. For many years it was difficult to trade in the town unless a man became a member of the Gild Merchant. Prior to the year 1836 no man could become mine host to the Green Dragon or the Blue Lion or any other Inn unless he happened to be a Freeman. Neither could anyone benefit from Sir Thomas White’s Charity. The Corporation ensured that the sons of Freemen received their education at the Old Free Grammar School and at Alderman Newton’s Greencoat School. In return for these favours Freemen were expected to vote to support candidates put forward at Parliamentary elections by the Corporation. When King Henry V11 added 48 new members to the governing body of Leicester only Freemen were eligible for Office and in the process of time the Freemen did become the sole governing body.
Eileen Greenwood Editor’s note: Look out for further items of interest in the next issue. 16
The History of the Freemen of Leicester - Part 2 by John Tolton In the last newsletter I talked a little on the origins of the freemen. It has to be remembered that these were real people living real lives; feeling pain, sorrow and happiness, falling in love, doing all the things that people do today. The difference being, of course, that the town was occupied by a military regime whose language and customs were alien to the local populace. Life must have been pretty torrid for the local inhabitants for the first forty years of occupation; the Normans were not recognized for their tolerance; as was experienced in Northumberland; and they were hard task masters. Norman Kings guarded their rights in towns rigorously but in Leicester a different pattern emerged. Leicester in the 11th century was contained within the medieval walls that followed the line of the Roman enclosure and included two suburbs outside the walls. One on the north side along what is now Northgate Street from Sanvey Gate to Abbey Gate and a second suburb outside the East Gate where the Clock Tower is now situated. The latter suburb lay within land owned by the Bishop of Lincoln. North of Leicester was situated forest land and locals were permitted to collect fallen timber for a fee, and a toll was situated on the northern road into Leicester for the collection of monies due. Today the name Woodgate reflects its medieval use. Three fields surrounded the east, south and west boundaries of Leicester. The East Field belonged to the Bishop of Lincoln and was known as the Bishop’s Fee; the West Field originally fell within the estate of Hugh de Grantmesnil, later acquired by Robert of Meulan, and the South Field was cultivated by the local population for a fee. All three fields were separate agrarian units containing their own three field system in common use in medieval agriculture. The South Field formed the basis of the land that was enclosed as freehold property in the name of the Freemen of Leicester 700 years later. Leicester also had its own mint and market granted by royal license. Robert of Meulan became to all intents and purposes the first Earl of Leicester in 1107. All but a few houses within the walls of Leicester became the property of Robert; those few houses along with the East Field had been granted to the Bishop of Lincoln by William the Conqueror. Robert of Meulan was described by a contemporary of his as, ‘The wisest of all men betwixt this and Jerusalem in worldly affairs, famous for knowledge, plausible in speech, skillful in craft, discreetly provident, ingeniously subtle, excelling in prudence, profound in 17
council, and of great wisdom.’ Thankfully life became less intolerable with the introduction of Robert of Meulan whose approach to the relationship between the Normans and the Anglo Saxon population was considerate and fair. In 1107 Robert granted a charter allowing the merchants of Leicester the right to reform a Gild of Merchants and the full translated script of the charter reads; “Robert Count of Meulan to Ralph the Butler and all his men, French as well as English, of all his land of England greeting. Know ye that I have granted to my merchants of Leicester the gild of their merchants with all the customs by which they held in the time of King William [the Conqueror] and of King William his son and now in the time of King Henry. The Witness being R Alcitel’s son.” The Gild of Merchants was an Industrial and commercial brotherhood designed for the regulation of trade and for the protection of local monopoly against outsiders. Management of the Gild was carried out by an Alderman; later called the Mayor; and 24 burgesses. It was necessary to be a member of the Gild in order to carry out any business within the borough and membership could be obtained in one of four ways: 1. Birth, - The father must be sworn in and a member of the Gild before the birth of the claimant. No son born before the father’s admission could be enrolled. Hence the term used ‘freeborn son’. This remained the case until 1976 when freedom could be gained through a grandfather or earlier generation providing that there was a direct link to a freeman. 2. Service with a master,- Males having completed a seven years term of apprenticeship to an accredited Leicester Freeman whose name appeared on the role prior to the date of indenture were, and still are, entitled to admission. The seven year term of apprenticeship was amended to an appropriate term again in 1976. 3. Purchase, - Foreigners, or strangers as they were recorded in the records, were persons living outside the borough who purchased membership on payment of a substantial fine. Their descendants could claim to inherit membership. No strangers were admitted after 1835. 4. By order of the assembled members, - This method was resorted to when it was deemed to be beneficial to the Gild or borough for a certain person to be a member. Again this method was removed after 1835. Meetings of the Gild were held in the open originally, possibly in the churchyard of St Nicholas, and the meetings were known as morningspeech. At these meetings new members were enrolled, working practices formulated and agreed, 18
fines imposed for transgression of rules and other business relative to the Gild transacted. The fines imposed were usually taken in the form of ale which would later be drunk by the members. Eating and drinking formed a major pastime of the Brethren of the Gild.
John Tolton New Members It’s great to welcome Amanda Collinson, Kathryn and Mark Elton, Joan Pearson and Linda Lowndes who have recently joined the Gild as members. We look forward to seeing you all at Gild functions soon.
Subscriptions As mentioned in the last Gildhall News, subscription rates for members and associate members are increasing from April 2012 to £9.00 and £6.00, respectively. It will mean that those members who kindly pay by standing order will have to do either of the following, as soon as possible no later than 31st March 2012: 1.
You will need to contact your bank and amend the existing standing order. This can be done directly with the bank, either by visit, telephone or online.
OR 2.
Complete a new standing order using the form that appears in this issue of Gildhall News. This form should then be sent to Roger Allen, who will process the new Standing Order with your bank.
The Gild Court much prefers payment by Standing Order, as it makes for easier administration. However, if you prefer, you may pay by cheque in the traditional manner, sending in the enclosed form with your payment.
Roger Allen
The 2012 Freemen’s Garden Party Please make a note in your diary , the 2012 Freemen’s Garden Party will be held this year on Sunday 24th June at Freemen’s Holt. Full details of tickets etc. will be included in the May issue of the Gildhall News 19
Where are you now? Sheila Adcock (nee English) is my father’s cousin’s daughter, and I am the daughter of Ernest English. Sadly I lost touch with her and I would like to meet her again and to find out if she has taken up the Freedom.
Eileen Greenwood (nee English) Editor’s Note: If Sheila reads this, and would like to get back in touch with Eileen, or anyone knows of her whereabouts,then please let me have the details which I will forward to Eileen.
Donation Father O’Malley answers the phone. ‘Hello, is this Father O’Malley?’ ’It is!’ ’This is the Internal Revenue Service . Can you help us?’ ’I can!’ ’Do you know a Ted Houlihan?’ ’I do!’ ’Is he a member of your congregation?’ ’He is!’ ’Did he donate £10,000 to the church?’ ’He will.’
The Horse A man was sitting reading his papers when his wife hit him round the head with a frying pan. ’What was that for?’ the man asked. The wife replied ‘That was for the piece of paper with the name Jenny on it that I found in your jeans pocket’.. The man then said ‘When I was at the races last week Jenny was the name of the horse I bet on’ the wife apologized and went on with the housework.. Three days later the man is watching TV when his wife bashes him on the head with an even bigger frying pan, knocking him unconscious. Upon re-gaining consciousness the man asked why she had hit again. Wife replied.. ‘Your horse phoned’ 20
How to look after your husband The following is an extract from a Home Economics book published in the USA in 1949; and is for real! Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal on time. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are most concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospects of a good meal are part of the warm welcome needed. Prepare yourself Take 15 minutes to rest so you will be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your makeup, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh looking. He has just been with a lot of workweary people. Be a little gay and a little more interesting. His boring day may need a lift. Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives, gathering up toys, school books, papers, etc. Then run a dust cloth over the tables. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s face and hands (if they are small), comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimise all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of washer, dryer or vacuum cleaner. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Greet him with a warm smile and be happy to see him. Some don’ts. Don’t greet him with problems or complaints. Don’t complain if he is late for dinner. Count this as minor compared with what he might have gone through that day. Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or suggest he lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soft smoothing and pleasant voice. Allow him to relax and unwind. Listen to him. You may have a dozen things to say to him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first. Make the evening his. Never complain if he does not take you out to dinner. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his need to come home and relax. The goal. Try to make your home a place of peace and order where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.
John Tolton
Where did I go wrong? 21
Have you changed your address ? In the event that is necessary to inform the Gild or the Board of any change in circumstances then the information should be sent to: Lynda Bramley Clerk to the Board Leicester Freemen’s Estate 32 Freemen’s Holt Old Church Street Aylestone Leicester LE2 8NH Telephone: 0116 – 283 4017 E-mail: leicester.freemen@talktalkbusiness.net Leicester Freemen web site: www.leicester-freemen.com
Copy for the next issue should reach the Editor by Friday 13th April 2012 For your News and Views write to : Brian Mudford 11 Huntsman Close Markfield Leicestershire LE67 9XE Telephone 01530 245414 e-mail: brianmudford@tiscali.co.uk
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After the Service of Remembrance on 13th November 2011 at Victoria Park
Freeman’s Lock No. 41, see weir to the left. (See article on pages 14 & 15) 23
Seated from left to right either side of the Lord Mayor, Cllr Robert Wann are Bill Hargrave, Vice Chairman of the Board of Deputies, Wayne Manship, Chairman of the Board of Deputies, Brian Mudford, Master of the Gild of Freemen, Michael Ayres, Warden of the Court and Joanna Bunting, Head of Commercial & Property Law. The thirteen ladies and one gentleman in the photograph are the new Freemen after their swearing in ceremony on 29th October 2011