History of City of Coventry and the Freemen's Guild

The City of Coventry Freemen and The Freemen’s Guild

A Detailed History including a description of

The City of Coventry Armorial Bearings

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How do I become a Freeman?

There are Freemen and Freewomen in other towns and cities throughout England and Wales. However, Coventry Freemen are unique as the only way to become a Freeman of Coventry is to serve an apprenticeship which has first been registered with the Lord Mayor’s Office and serve for a period of of 3 years (of training), and a further 2 years in the same occupation.

How do I become a member of the Freemen’s Guild?

On becoming a Freeman you will be automatically be given free membership for the first period of up to 15 months. You will then need to pay a small annual membership fee to remain a Guild member.

What does the Guild do?

The Guild represent the interests of Freemen at civic events, promotes the benefits of apprenticeships, raises money for local charities, and maintains and develops the rights and privileges of the Freemen of Coventry.

Who manages the Guild?

The Court (committee) manages the Guild. The Master is the Court chairman. The Master invites members of the Court to support him by becoming an honorary officer in one of the many roles. The Guild’s

activities are organised and managed by the Court which comprises 24 members including several Past Masters.

What is the role of the Master?

The Master represents the Freemen’s Guild at numerous civic events during the Mayoral year, and engages with Guilds from other parts of the country.

What does the Court do?

Each member of the Court has a specific role and they oversee the day-to-day activities of the Guild.

How do I join the Court?

You are welcome to attend a Court meeting as an observer. After 3 consecutive visits you could be invited to join the Court.

What positions are available within the Court?

The Master invites members of the Court to serve in one of the twelve honorary roles during the Master’s year office. See next page.

How does one become Master?

After serving on the Court for a number of years, in an honorary officer(s) role a member is selected to be invited by the Master to become the Senior Warden, who will subsequently become Deputy Master.

OFFICERS / ELECTED COURT MEMBERS HRH The Duke of Gloucester KG GCVO - Companion of the Guild PRESIDENT The Right Worshipful, The Lord Mayor of Coventry MASTER CHAPLAIN CLERK

Chairman and represents the Guild at civic events Invited from a local church The Secretary - Correspondence & Formal Matters

DEPUTY MASTER

Deputises for the Master, and organises Events

SENIOR WARDEN

Organises Guild Evenings

RENTER WARDEN

Treasurer & Finance

CHARITY WARDEN JUNIOR WARDEN CHAMBERLAIN ENTERPRISE WARDEN

Organises Fund Raising Activities Organises Social Events Compiles and Edits the Guildsman magazine Organises the Guild’s Apprentice of the Year and Manages entrepreneurial activities

CHRONICLER/ PR. WARDEN

Promotes and Publicises the Guild

MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY

Manages the Membership database

SEARCHER

Managing the Guild’s Artefacts

ALMONER

Supports Guild members who are in Sickness

IMMEDIATE PAST MASTER

Arranges some events

COURT OF ELECTED ASSISTANTS Includes Past Masters and other Court members without portfolio

Guild’s Charitable Support Each year the Guild raises a significant sum of money which is distributed to support the work of local charities

Macmillan Cancer Care Prostate Cancer

Below are just some recipients over the years of our Charitable giving

Pancreatic Cancer

Myton Hospice

Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind

Coventry Watch Museum Coventry Cathedral Holy Trinity Church

Mercia Therapy Centre Friends of Castlewood School Catholic Fellowship

Warwickshire and Northampton Air Ambulance

Enterprise Club for the Disabled

Alzheimer’s UK

2nd Brownies Rainbows Earlsdon

The Freemen of Coventry What is a Freeman?

Originally Freeman was a definition of status in feudal society but, in England, it later came to mean a man possessing the full privileges and immunities of a city, borough or trade guild to which admission was usually by birth, apprenticeship, gift or purchase.

To become a Freeman in Coventry one must serve as an apprentice or as a pupil for a set number of years. This must be to a trade or profession covered by a Master who is a Company representative.

An Indenture (or Certificate of Apprenticeship) is signed under seal, or by hand by the apprentice, his or her parents (or guardian), and by the Master.

It is then duly registered with The Lord Mayor’s Secretariat (Office).

This document covers the training agenda and education of the apprentice and is given a start and a finishing date.

At the age of 21 years or 5 years after signing the indenture, the apprentice is then able to become a Freeman of the City by means of Servitude.

It is not possible to achieve this by Patrimony (birth) or Redemption (payment) in the City of Coventry.

This is unique.

A Freedom ceremony is conducted by The Lord Mayor as and when numbers are sufficient. The candidates swear an Oath of Allegiance to the City and the Monarch before being admitted.

After becoming a Freeman one can join The City of Coventry Freemen’s Guild which looks after the affairs of all Freemen.

It is a great honour to be a Freeman of this ancient City, with all its traditions and rich foundations dating back a thousand years.

It is with pride that we realise that neither money can buy the Freedom nor influence acquire it, and that it can only be obtained on one way –

by Servitude.

Armed with the Oath of Allegiance, signed by The Lord Mayor under Corporate Seal, a Freeman has, in a way, a passport to any city or town in the world because it is undeniable proof that they are skilled in their particular trade or profession.

Origins of the Freemen At Baginton the Romans built the Lunt Fort and a full gyrus for the retraining of captured Iceni Horses. The later Coventry Anglo Saxon settlement and St Osburg’s nunnery were burnt by the Danes in 1016. It was these nunnery remains that Earl Leofric gifted with half of his estates, for the creation of Coventry Priory in 1043.

The centre shield of Coventry’s Coat of Arms reflects this status.

The first Freemen’s Charter is understood to date from 1153, and was obtained from Ranulf Gernon, the fourth Earl of Chester who had inherited Coventry after the Norman invasion. The Burgesses (or Freemen) of Coventry were granted the same laws and customs of Lincoln (who copied London) and the right to hold land in free burgage. This charter was confirmed by a Charter from King Henry II in 1182.

With large sheep farms at Coombe and Stoneleigh Cistercian Abbeys Coventry became the centre of the Midlands woollen cloth and associated trades. This created a wealthy City by the fourteenth century.

The earliest surviving record of an apprentice was to a merchant in 1317. There was a female apprenticed to a whittawer purse maker in 1336.

The first Merchant Guild of St Mary was formed in 1340 and permission was given to build a Guild Hall in 1342. The Guilds of St John and St Catherine were then formed in 1342 and 1343 respectively. These first three Guilds had, by 1392, amalgamated into the powerful Holy Trinity Guild which had been founded in 1364.

The Guild was abolished in 1546 [by Henry VIII] because of its religious connections.

In those days it was important to become a Freeman so that one could ply one’s trade or profession without taxes or tollages. At this time the usual length of an apprenticeship was for seven years to become a Freeman.

The Freemen became very powerful people and were numbered amongst those who had voting rights. They played a very prominent part in the running of the Guilds but in those early years a merchant could obtain the Freedom of the City – for trading – by being a member.

The Guild was reformed as The City of Coventry Freemen’s Guild in 1946.

Title Apprentice - Name Master – Company or Name To Learn - Trade Has certain duties and commitment Start date – End date Master – Company or Name Apprentice - Name Guardian – of Apprentice To Train – Trade To pay college fees Be paid at an agreed rate Start Date – end date Signed by Master, Apprentice, Guardian and Witness Dated

Indenture - meaning The term “indenture” – like a set of teeth.

The parchment would be cut in two in a wavy or zigzag pattern to produce two copies of the contract.

The indenture could then be proved to be true by reuniting and matching its edges to those of its “counterpart.”

Early Trades in Coventry Craft Guilds grew out of the Merchant Guilds and in 1449 the following trades were in existence:-

Fishmongers Tilers - Worked with roof and floor tiles.

Tailors Shearmen - Skilled worker who sheared the nap from cloth. * Draper is a wholesaler, or especially retailer of cloth, mainly for clothing. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant. The drapers were an important trade guild.

Smiths – a person who works in metal e.g. Blacksmith specialises in the handwrought manufacture of ferrous (iron) metal objects) and Goldsmith & Silversmith.

Wire- drawers Made wire by drawing the hot metal through dies.

Walkers or *Fullers a person who works in woollen clothmaking which involves the cleansing of cloth to eliminate oils, dirt, and other impurities, and making it thicker.

Wrights is a Skilled workman, especially in constructing items. Used together with the trade i.e. wheelwright. From the Old English word "wryhta" or "wyrhta", meaning worker or maker.

Skinners - dealer in hides. **Tanners - Tanned (cured) animal hides for leather making.

Saddlers - makes, repairs sells saddles or other furnishings for horses.

Cordmakers A person who twisted yarn together for dress trimming (Cord sewing)".

Cooks ** Still in existence

See illustrations for more Trades Butchers

Barbers

With acknowledgements to the website - Old Occupations terms http://rmhh.co.uk/occup/s.html

Baker makes bread and loaves

Blacksmith Makes and repairs arms, armour, and metalwork

Cobbler Repaired and made shoes

Draper –

Girdler -

sold cloth for clothing

made girdles

Mercer - a dealer in fine materials, especially silks, velvets.

Barker calls out to passers-by to attract custom such as a circus or funfair

Weaver – worked on a loom weaving cloth in small house, Spon End

Corvisor – a leather worker using high quality Cordovan goat leather from Spain for such things as harness, gloves and riding boots.

Dyer – added colour to the cloth.

‘Dyers Arms’ pub in Spon End

Whittawer - a person who makes white leather goods – e.g. gloves

Pinner Made pins or nails

Mason – skilled in cutting, dressing, and laying stone in buildings

Wheelwright - is a craftsman who builds or repairs wooden wheels

The Loving Cup Ceremony The passing of the Loving Cup, filled with spiced wine immemorially called “sack”, is a splendid feature of the Guildhall feasts of the city.

Immediately after Dinner and Grace, the Master and Members drink to their Visitors a hearty welcome.

During the act of drinking from the Loving Cup three persons are standing, the drinker and the persons on their right and left. The person on the right stands with his back to the person drinking, pledging his safety. The person holding the Cup turns to face the person on their left, they bow to each other. The person on the left removes the Cup’s cover with his left hand, and holds it aloft whilst the holder drinks. After drinking the napkin is applied to the mouth of the Cup. The cover is then replaced and the cup passed to the left, the previous drinker then backs the new drinker. The procedure being repeated so that there are always three standing at the same time, one drinking and the other two, one on each side pledging his safety. Upon the Cup reaching the end of the table it is passed across and proceeds down the other side.

The loving cup ceremony is said to date back to Saxon times and to derive from the assassination of King Edward 'the Martyr'.

The story goes that on March 18, 978, the young king was out hunting with dogs when he decided to visit his 10-year-old stepbrother Ethelred, who was being brought up in the house of his mother Elfrida at Corfe Castle, near Wareham, Dorset.

Upon his arrival, and while still on his horse, Edward's stepmother Elfrida, who wanted her own son on the throne, offered him a glass of mead. When he was drinking it, he was stabbed in the back by her servants.

Another version says that Elfrida herself committed the murder: "Edward was treasonably slain by his own family... it is

reported that his stepmother, that is the mother of King Ethelred, stabbed him with a dagger while she was in the act of offering him a cup to drink."

From then on at Saxon drinking parties it was customary to pass round a large cup, from which each drank in turn.

Whoever was drinking stood up and lifted the cup with both hands. For anyone considering inflicting bodily harm, this was the perfect occasion as the drinker was defenceless.

Consequently, the drinker required a companion sitting next to him to be his 'pledge'. If the pledge consented, he stood up and raised his drawn sword to protect the drinker as he drank.

Freemen’s Rights

Acts of Parliament

Freemen had the right to graze their cattle on common land within and surrounding the City until 1927, but this privilege still appeared on the oaths until 1937.

1772 This Act enabled all eligible applicants who had served a 7 year apprenticeship to obtain their freedom.

Also in 1772 the Corporation was given the exclusive right of swearing in new Freemen, a right abused at subsequent elections. In 1780 the Mayor enrolled a number of men as Freemen for their voting powers. These were called “Mushroom Freemen” as they sprung up overnight!

Coventry wanted to expand and offered to buy back some of the common land.

The Freemen were not keen to exchange their rights for hard cash and preferred to receive other lands in lieu.

They were mindful of the times of 1828 and 1834 when land they held was obtained by compulsory purchase for the purposes of constructing the Holyhead Road Turnpike and the London to Birmingham railway line respectively.

In 1843 the moneys paid to the Freemen by the London and Birmingham Railway Company and the Holyhead Road Commissioners were used to found the Freemen’s Pension Fund (the Freemen’s Seniority Fund).

To this day certain Senior Freemen are entitled to payments from it.

Subsequent Inclosure Awards were made in 1860 and 1875 when a mixture of cash and other lands were offered.

1781 Abuses arising from the previous Act were corrected by laying down procedure that had to be followed to admit a Freeman. It was then not necessary to serve one’s time to a Freeman but could be to a Company or organisation.

1920 The qualifying period of apprenticeship necessary for admission to freedom of the City was reduced to 5 years. This was confirmed by an Act in 1927.

1981 The qualifying period was still five years but could be made up of increments of time (as prescribed by the trade or profession) plus a period of working time in the trade or profession.

Benefits of Guild Membership Some of the Guild’s many Social Events during a calendar year Date

Event

Location

Jan

Apprentice of the Year Awards

Feb

Ladies Night

Mar

Charity Awards

Apr

AGM, Council Chamber, Council House

May

Pre-Banquet Evening Get Together

May

Coventry Annual Banquet

May

Coventry Freemen’s Sunday, Holy Trinity Church, Coventry

July

The Master’s Garden Party

Aug

Skittles Night, Barnacle Village Hall

Sept

Heritage Open Days, Freemen’s Guild Room, St Mary’s Hall

Oct Games Night Dec Christmas Dinner

For further information, and on how to join The Guild please visit Website - https://coventryfreemensguild.wordpress.com

City of Coventry Armorial Bearings Original Arms The crest, a cat-a-mountain, or wild cat, is generally considered to symbolise watchfulness.

The shield is coloured Red and Green.

The Red half represents the Earl Leofric and the Green half the Coventry Priory.

The device is a golden elephant and on its back a gold castle with three domed turrets.

Revised Arms - with supporters In 1959, the supporters comprising the Eagle of Leofric (husband of Lady Godiva) and the Phoenix were granted to the coat of arms.

The Black Eagle recalls the ancient Coventry and the Phoenix arising from the flames represents the new Coventry, reborn out of the ashes of the old.

The helmet, with the visor closed, is that of an esquire, as with all boroughs.

The motto “Camera Principis” (the Prince’s Chamber) is held to refer to Edward, the Black Prince.

The Manor at Cheylesmore was at one time owned by Edward’s grandmother Queen Isabella , and eventually passed to him.

The City of Coventry Freemen’s Guild Since its incorporation in 1946 The Freemen’s Guild has looked after the affairs of the Freemen of Coventry.

Principal Objectives To do everything possible to enhance the good reputation of the City of Coventry and to further the welfare of all its citizens.

To encourage and assist the Citizens and Freemen of Coventry to realise their public and civic responsibilities and to serve their City in every way which individually and collectively is open to them.

With proper regard to the general public interest and without infringing the rights, duties and powers of The Lord Mayor, the City Councillors, the Magistrates and the other governing authorities of Coventry, to maintain and develop the rights and privileges of the admitted Citizens and Freemen of Coventry.

To afford means of mutual information between Freemen of the City of Coventry.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Freemen’s Guild holds regular meetings and organises many social events for their members throughout the year.

For further information, and on how to join The Guild please contact The Clerk to the Guild - telephone 024 7668 8246 Email :John Wilkinson - johnbw@btinternet.com Website https://coventryfreemensguild.wordpress.com/ 04/2016