Celebrating 700 years of the Freemen of Norwich

It is exactly 700 years since the first freeman name was recorded in the earliest Norwich register in July 1317. His name was Walter Fleighe and he was a butcher. Freemen in Norwich existed long before 1317, but their admission to the freedom was only recorded from that date in a book created for the purpose. This entry is the start of a series of registers which include all the freemen’s names up to the present day.