Latest News

17 Nov 2022

Court of Mayoralty 2023

City Hall are pleased to announce that you and your relatives can now go online to fill in the application form to become a Freeman in 2023.

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Connie Adams Obituary – the first lady Freemen

16 Apr 2021

Connie Adams Obituary – the first lady Freemen

Obituary from Michael Quinton, Secretary to the Freemen of Norwich for Connie Adams.

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East Anglian Air Ambulance

8 Jun 2020

East Anglian Air Ambulance

Proud to be supporting the East Anglian Air Ambulance.

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Dr Elizabeth Griffiths – Obituary

12 May 2020

Dr Elizabeth Griffiths – Obituary

I was so sad to hear of the untimely passing of Lizzie Griffiths, someone we got to know well whilst she joined with the Freemen to take charge of not only the update of Buxom to the Mayor but more prominently the digitisation of every single handwritten entry in the Norwich Freemen’s Register kept in the Records Office and the City Hall. This is a complex project which required highly skilled academic involvement in the translation and transcription of the registers beginning in 1371. Lizzie with her characteristic enthusiasm and humour set in train the whole project. Whilst it became at times a logistical challenge, she secured the academic support she needed but in her own inimitable style and made it an interesting experience for us all. Without her involvement though, the project simply would never have happened.

Elizabeth Rutledge has worked with her over several years as well as on the Norwich Freemen’s Registers project and has written the piece below.

Nigel Back

Chairman of the Norwich Freemen’s Committee

 

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Minutes of the meeting from 13.1.20

22 Jan 2020

Minutes of the meeting from 13.1.20

Minutes filed by Michael Quinton for 13.1.20

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Chairman Report from The Common Hall 13.1.20

21 Jan 2020

Chairman Report from The Common Hall 13.1.20

Report from Nigel Back, Chairman of the Norwich Freemen for the last 5 years.

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Secretary Report from The Common Hall 13.1.20

21 Jan 2020

Secretary Report from The Common Hall 13.1.20

Secretary Report from The Common Hall 13.1.20

 

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Retiring Freemen  Robert Self and John Symonds

13 Jan 2020

Retiring Freemen Robert Self and John Symonds

A Big Thank You to retiring Freemen  Robert Self and John Symonds

 

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Grapes Hill Community Garden Summer Fayre

17 Jun 2019

Grapes Hill Community Garden Summer Fayre

Saturday 8th June 2019 – Summer Fayre and Grand Opening of the WooWoo waterless toilet

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We Create Norwich Exhibition 14th & 15th July 2019 at The Forum, Norwich.

4 Jun 2019

We Create Norwich Exhibition 14th & 15th July 2019 at The Forum, Norwich.

The We Create Norwich team would like to invite you to the We CreateNorwich Exhibition on the 14th & 15th July 2019 at The Forum, Norwich.

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Freemen Fortnight – Free Admission for the Museum of Norwich and Strangers’ hall

2 Jun 2019

Freemen Fortnight – Free Admission for the Museum of Norwich and Strangers’ hall

The Freemen Free Admission for the Museum of Norwich and Strangers’ hall is back in 2019.

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Find out more about Create Norwich

21 Nov 2018

Find out more about Create Norwich

The Norwich Freemen are pleased to have initiated and fund the Create Norwich Project.

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Talking Statues

14 Sep 2018

Talking Statues

Take a trip around our fine city and interact with our heritage with Talking Statues.

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Freemen Free Admission for the Museum of Norwich and Strangers’ hall

7 Jul 2018

Freemen Free Admission for the Museum of Norwich and Strangers’ hall

After our successful event last year we are delighted to announce that the Freemen Free Admission for the Museum of Norwich and Strangers’ hall is being repeated this summer.

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Induction of new Freemen

20 Feb 2018

Induction of new Freemen

2018 Freemen of Norwich Induction.

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The Great Feast – 29th September 2017

11 Oct 2017

The Great Feast – 29th September 2017

The Great Feast took place on Friday 29th September and was attended by 120 Freemen and family.

 

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My freeman history: Philip Yaxley

25 Aug 2017

My freeman history: Philip Yaxley

‘My ancestor was admitted to the freedom when he was apprenticed to a coachmaker in 1881’

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Tripadvisor feedback on our free days

31 Jul 2017

Tripadvisor feedback on our free days

Our free days are proving very popular and this review gets our second week off to a great start.

 

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Free admission days

23 Jul 2017

Free admission days

The Freemen are offering free-admission days where the public can visit the Strangers Hall Museum and The Museum of Norwich.

 

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Storytelling in Schools

22 Jul 2017

Storytelling in Schools

“If I were a Freeman I would be a chocolate seller because people like chocolate and I would get lots of money”

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My freeman history: Patrick Boswell

10 Jul 2017

My freeman history: Patrick Boswell

‘My ancestor William Boswell was admitted as a freeman in 1808’

Artist Patrick Boswell can trace his freemen links back more than 200 years. His ancestor William Boswell was apprenticed as a carver and gilder in Norwich in 1808 which earned him the right to become a Freeman of Norwich and pass the title through the generations to the present day.

 

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Freemen fund new play called ‘Come Yew In’

27 Jun 2017

Freemen fund new play called ‘Come Yew In’

A new play funded by the freemen’s charity, the Town Close Estate Charity, will be performed in Norwich this summer.

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Update on the Norwich Freemen Records Online

27 Jun 2017

Update on the Norwich Freemen Records Online

As part of the 700 celebrations, the Norwich Freemen have commissioned an online database of the freemen registers from 1317.  The database will be officially launched at the Norfolk Record Office on 6 September 2017.

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Great Norwich History Competition

9 May 2017

Great Norwich History Competition

Norwich High School pupil wins prestigious history competition
Sixth former Grace Jackson has won a prestigious history competition designed to showcase the city’s history.

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Prestigious competition celebrates the history of Norwich

17 Mar 2017

Prestigious competition celebrates the history of Norwich

A new event, designed to help young people learn more about the history of Norwich, brought together more than 100 sixth-formers from city schools.

The Great Norwich History Competition is part of a programme of events to celebrate the 700th anniversary of the Freemen of Norwich.

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Merchants’ marks

13 Mar 2017

Merchants’ marks

You may have spotted the merchants’ marks dotted around this website. These strange markings were used by merchants, most of whom were freemen of Norwich, to identify their goods.

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New freemen of Norwich admitted

3 Mar 2017

New freemen of Norwich admitted

A traditional annual ‘Court of Mayoralty’ was held at City Hall, Norwich on 17 February 2017 to admit 26 new men and women to the Freedom of Norwich. (See pictures, taken by Jeff Taylor).

 

 

 

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Just who was the Norwich Whiffler?

8 Feb 2017

Just who was the Norwich Whiffler?

It’s the name of a Norwich road and a Wetherspoons pub. Most Norwich residents are familiar with the name Whiffler – but not many know much about its origins as well as its links with the Freemen of Norwich.

 

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My freeman story: Oliver Quinton

8 Feb 2017

My freeman story: Oliver Quinton

Oliver Quinton, 34, from Foster Road, Norwich, is proud to carry on the family tradition of being a freeman.

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‘Why I am proud to be a freeman’ by Kelly Eadie

6 Feb 2017

‘Why I am proud to be a freeman’ by Kelly Eadie

Kelly Eadie, wife of former Norwich City footballer Darren Eadie, was admitted to the Freedom of Norwich in 2014 and says it is an honour to be part of this ancient tradition.

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Norwich welcomed its 1000th freeman

29 Jan 2017

Norwich welcomed its 1000th freeman

A medieval tradition largely unchanged for 700 years was recreated as Norwich welcomed its 1,000th freeman of the city, reported the Eastern Daily Press.

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New mayoral-chains

29 Jan 2017

New mayoral-chains

The Freemen of Norwich have funded new mayoral-chains that will be worn by the Lord Mayor and Sheriff of Norwich when they attend events in civic regalia.

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