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.
16 Apr 2021
Connie Adams Obituary – the first lady Freemen
Obituary from Michael Quinton, Secretary to the Freemen of Norwich for Connie Adams.
Read More8 Jun 2020
East Anglian Air Ambulance
Proud to be supporting the East Anglian Air Ambulance.
Read More12 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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22 Jan 2020
Minutes of the meeting from 13.1.20
Minutes filed by Michael Quinton for 13.1.20
Read More21 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.
Read More21 Jan 2020
Secretary Report from The Common Hall 13.1.20
Secretary Report from The Common Hall 13.1.20
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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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17 Jun 2019
Grapes Hill Community Garden Summer Fayre
Saturday 8th June 2019 – Summer Fayre and Grand Opening of the WooWoo waterless toilet
Read More4 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.
Read More2 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.
Read More21 Nov 2018
Find out more about Create Norwich
The Norwich Freemen are pleased to have initiated and fund the Create Norwich Project.
Read More14 Sep 2018
Talking Statues
Take a trip around our fine city and interact with our heritage with Talking Statues.
Read More7 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.
Read More11 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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8 Sep 2017
Norwich Freemen Records Online
To access the records go to:
http://nfro.norwichfreemen.org.uk
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25 Aug 2017
My freeman history: Philip Yaxley
‘My ancestor was admitted to the freedom when he was apprenticed to a coachmaker in 1881’
Read More31 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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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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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”
Read More10 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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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.
Read More27 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.
Read More9 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.
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.
Read More13 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.
Read More3 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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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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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.
Read More6 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.
Read More29 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.
Read More29 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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