About The Freemen

The various Anglo Saxon kingdoms were unified into broadly what is now England before the Norman Conquest in 1066. After the Conquest, the Normans introduced their feudal system of government. The nobility, often referred to as the barons, were granted land by the Monarch. They held it on the understanding that they administered justice and collected taxes on his behalf and also provided troops to defend the monarchy at home and to fight in foreign wars. The King needed this support as there was no permanent army until after the Civil War in the 1650s.

Towns and cities were generally run on behalf of the King by Sheriffs and Bailiffs who he appointed and who again administered justice, collected taxes and provided troops when required. Freemen were allowed to carry on their trades but were required to bear arms to defend their town, city or the Crown. The bottom tier in this system were serfs so Freemen were in effect the mediaeval middle class.

How did this work in Newcastle?

There is evidence of many small settlements along the Tyne valley before the Romans arrived. The Romans built a town and river crossing at Corbridge. The bridge was part of Dere Street (now the A68), their main route north.

The Emperor Hadrian visited Britain in AD122. He decided to pull back from Scotland and define the northern edge of his empire with a wall. As part of project, the Romans built a bridge over the Tyne at what is now the site of the Swing Bridge plus a fort on the northern side of the river. The settlement was known as Pons Aelius, Aelius being Hadrian’s family name, although after the Romans left it became known as Monkchester.

The Normans reached the area a few years after their arrival in Britain. The King replaced the local nobility with his own men and there were the inevitable rebellions. In 1080 his son Robert was sent to Monkchester to have a castle and bridge built and thus the town became Newcastle. The castle was a base for launching offensives against local troublemakers and the Scots. With its protection and a safe river crossing, the town prospered and with it the Freemen. Coal had been mined in the area since Roman times but now production increased and with it other trades to support the industry.

Norman administration came under pressure as Sheriffs didn’t always act well (for example Nottingham and Robin Hood) and towns felt that they were being taxed unfairly. Monarchs governed largely by Charter, and they granted Charters to towns and cities giving them certain rights in return for a cash sum and their support. These Charters were probably granted to the Freemen of the town or city. The first in Newcastle was granted by Henry ll in 1175 and exempted the Freemen from tolls across the Kingdom.

The most significant Charter for Newcastle was granted by King John in 1216. John was an unpopular king mainly because he was always squabbling with his barons. He is generally considered however to have been a good administrator. He needed to top up the Treasury as his older brother Richard l had spent most of the country’s money on crusades. John also understood that devolving jobs such as tax collection would improve the process and cost him less. So in 1216 he granted a Charter which enabled Newcastle to appoint a Mayor. The Mayor was to be elected by the Freemen who could in turn form Guilds. The Freemen had to pay an annual fee of £100 to the Treasury, collect taxes and defend the King and in effect run the Town on his behalf via what became known as the Corporation.

The first twelve Guilds formed were all merchants but they were soon followed by other trades and crafts from Butchers to Tanners and Smiths. In total there were eventually forty six. Details of Guilds which still exist (or Companies as they are now generally known), are on a separate area of this site.

After the Charter

The power to form Guilds was very significant. They had great commercial advantages as they had a monopoly of trade across the town or in some cases along the length of the river. Admission to a Guild was given after completion of an apprenticeship in the trade and the Guilds controlled prices and standards of work. They also supported members who had fallen on hard times.

Inevitably the monopolies led to disputes with other traders in the region and these disputes got out of hand from time to time. However, with support from the King, the Freemen prevailed and continued to thrive.

The initial Mayors were all Merchants, and this led to discontent among the other Guilds. Matters came to a head in 1341 when John of Denton, a merchant, was elected for the fourth time. The craft guilds accused him of corruption and elected their own candidate. This led to riots and the murder of John of Denton. King, Edward lll assumed control of the town for a while. He granted another Charter which gave all Guilds a say in the election.

But the Freemen didn’t spend all their time falling out. They had the Town Walls built (mainly as defence against the Scots) and they built the Quayside which enabled ships to dock and trade to flourish.

They also bore arms in support of the Crown. Richard Emeldon, Mayor at the time, was killed battle in 1402 leading his troops in support of the King at Homildon Hill near Berwick in a battle against the Scots. The most famous instance however was when Sir John Marley, Mayor and Freeman, led the defence of the town in the Civil War. Newcastle supported the Royalists, partly because the Scots didn’t. In 1643 Newcastle was besieged by a large Scottish Army and held out for three months. This earned the town the motto “Fortiter Defendit Triumphans” that is Triumph by Brave Defence.

The Industrial Revolution

Many towns and cities such as Durham and York were effectively run by the Church in the Middle Ages. Although Newcastle had a number of important Friaries, it didn’t have a cathedral until 1882 and was essentially a commercial town. The Church however had substantial holdings of land in the area and in the Middle Ages controlled much of the coal production. It was careful not to sell too much and reduce the price. Henry VIII closed religious houses from 1536.and took over much of the property held by the Church. He distributed or sold this to his supporters who, anxious to make money, increased production of coal.

The Freemen of Newcastle with their proximity to the coal mines and an excellent port were ready to take advantage of these changes. The various Merchants companies had long ago merged to become the Merchant Adventurers. In 1600 Queen Elizabeth I granted a Charter that set up a company of Hostmen. The Merchants already hosted all customers visiting Newcastle in search of goods and this new company specialised in coal. They regulated the trade and had a monopoly of sales along the length of the Tyne. They were initially all Merchants, and some were also Colliery owners. The coal trade flourished and with it allied trades such as shipbuilding plus of course the general trade in the town.

The Act of Union in 1707 ended the threat of war with Scotland and the area prospered at least for some. The Town grew and with it the working class. There were some very poor harvests in the eighteenth century resulting in hungry people some of whom rioted when they couldn’t get food. Inevitably there were calls for change and the nineteenth century brought a lot of that.

By then many of the trades carried on by Freemen had become less important; for example leather was used less often in machinery after rubber started to be imported, ships were built of metal rather than wood. It became impossible to maintain the monopolies because other towns in the region grew and Parliament agreed that they could carry on trades previously confined to Newcastle and of course the introduction of the railways reduced the importance of the port in transporting goods around the UK.

Finally there were Parliamentary reforms. In 1832 Earl Grey’s Reform Act increased the number of people eligible to vote. This was followed in 1835 by the Municipal Corporation Act which stipulated that the Corporation must be elected by the ratepayers rather than the Freemen. It was no longer necessary to be a Freeman in order to run your business or be elected to the Corporation and membership dwindled.

Against the odds, the Freemen and many of the Guilds have continued to recruit members, meet regularly and to manage the Town Moors and contribute to the life of the City. For many years now, Freemen have been admitted on a hereditary basis; firstly the sons of Freemen and from 2010 daughters as well. There are over two thousand Freemen spread across the globe and twenty-seven companies. The organisation is a now a charitable trust largely run by volunteers with a small band of excellent employees.

Freemen’s records and archives

The Freemen have been in existence from a time when very few people could read and write – dating back to when everything was originally written by hand in copperplate, right through to now when virtually everything is typed.

There are extensive records that can be of interest to historians, researching either families or the history of Newcastle.

Our oldest membership records are cared for by Tyne and Wear Archives at the Discovery Museum at Blandford Square Newcastle. Full details are on their website, but the earliest record is a list of Freemen from 1409.

Anyone can view the records by visiting the Discovery Museum although you have to make an appointment. Again, details of how to arrange this are on their website. Unfortunately, the records aren’t digitised so it is a case of reading very old but interesting books. Tyne and Wear Archives also hold records of many of the Freemen’s constituent Companies or Guilds.

The Freemen’s office keeps the current register of Freemen enrolled in more recent years. The City Council also has a signing in book covering 1875 to the present date. Both these books can be inspected by Freemen of Newcastle. If you would like to do so, to view our Roll book 1825 to present day please contact our office heading your enquiry “enrolment records” or the Lord Mayors Office for information held by the City.

The Freemen office holds many documents including legal opinions, agreements and contracts which are in the process of being chronicled and will be available for viewing, possibly digitally, in the future.