The Freemen of Berwick- upon -Tweed
The Freedom Ceremony
A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to attend a Freedom Admissions ceremony at the Town Hall. Three members of the Reay family were admitted to the Guild of Freemen of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Admissions of Berwick Freemen are recorded in the borough records from the early 16th century but the tradition dates back to the Middle Ages. Today, the ceremony is presided over by the Mayor and Sheriff of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Freedom is conferred by the Chairman of the Guild of Freemen after oaths have been read aloud. Freemen-to-be must attend the ceremony in person. At the end of the ceremony the Guild Book – that I brought to the ceremony from the Archives – was signed by the newly admitted Freemen. It had been inscribed with their names by calligrapher Barbara Herdman.
Becoming a Freeman
All claims to become a Freeman must be researched thoroughly and the Berwick Archivist, Linda Bankier, provides this service to the Guild. She produces a descent (a proof of claim) by checking that details the applicant has provided match the Guild Minute Books and Apprenticeship records relating to their forebears.
The new freemen were admitted by birthright. Eligibility to become a Freeman has changed over the years. Originally only the eldest son, on reaching the age of 21, could become a Freeman this way. Younger sons would be apprenticed for seven years to a Freeman to gain their freedom but from 1782 all sons could be admitted by birthright. Now all children of a Freeman – including daughters – can apply to be admitted. However, succession must pass directly from one generation to the next or right is lost. A small number of Honorary Freemen may also be admitted by the Guild “by ticket” but their children have no right of admission.
Freeman ancestry and history
If your ancestors came from Berwick, and you suspect they might have been Freemen, have a look at the searchable database of Berwick Families (1800-1940) published by the Guild. A history of the Berwick-upon-Tweed Guild of Freemen can be read on their website in the Green Book.
The historical records of the Guild form a significant part of the Borough of Berwick-upon Tweed collection that the Twixt Thistle and Rose Project team will re-catalogue. The Guild were responsible for the civic government of the town from 1604 to 1835 so their records contain a wealth of unique information.
From the earliest records , applications to be admitted Freemen (or apprenticed to a Freeman) are recorded as well as lists of guild members. It was important to be able to show who had a right to trade in the town or attend the Guild courts. There are references to the rules of the Guild in managing their estate. Freemen enjoy a number of privileges and rights that were keenly monitored and robustly defended. For example, the Riding of the Bounds, that has been an annual event almost without a break from 1609 to the present day, was a way of checking for encroachments on their lands and ejecting interlopers.
Bringing the world to Berwick
Berwick-upon Tweed has been, throughout it’s history, an outward looking town and part of a huge trading community linked by the sea. It shares it’s Guild history with that of Scottish, English and European confraternities that from mediaeval times sought to protect their commercial interests whilst maintaining amicable relations with other trading communities. There was no profit in creating blocks to trade – instead guilds promoted a common understanding of how to regulate the landing, storing and trading of goods without inhibiting commerce. The records are full of curious details about how the Guild managed these relationships – more of which we will, no doubt, uncover in the process of re-cataloguing .
I am most interested to find this site, as for the last 50 years I have been compiling my family tree, in the knowledge that many members of my family have been Freemen of Berwick. I wonder whether it would be possible for me to gain assistance from somebody in Berwick who could help me trace all the Freedom holders with the name PAULIN. I was greatly assisted many years ago by a wonderful lady called Elizabeth M. Doley who worked in the Berwick Borough Museum. She must have spent hours and hours trying to tie together all the nearly 20 or so Paulin freemen she could find in the Borough records. Since my last communication with Elizabeth Doley is now some 30+ years ago I would imagine that advances have been made in the accessibility of the Berwick archive Freedom Rolls. If this is the case I hope this email may lead to a response which will delight me and further my ambition to complete my family tree before I become too old. You may be interested to know that I have found my ancestor one George Paulin being given the freedom on 26th October 1750 after serving his apprenticeship with a weaver named Thomas Fisackerly from 1st October 1743. This ancesteor was of Huguenot stock, his people having come from France either at the end of the 16th century or after the 1685 revocation of the Edict of Nantes. His family had settled in the border area around Ladykirk and needless to say I have researched many records pertaining to that parish as well as in Berwick itself and other places close by. Sadly the Ladykirk parish records are missing for the critical period after 1700, so a birthdate of about 1725 for the above George Paulin has never been found. I am hoping that somewhere in the Freedom records might be a clue to when he was born. Perhaps his apprenticeship with Thomas Fisackerly might reveal something?
I do hope somebody at your end might favour me with a response as I have come to something of a dead end trying to sort out all the various Paulin freemen I have collected over the years.
With kind regards
Jeremy Paulin
Thank you for your message. If you email the Berwick Record Office they may be able to assist with your enquiry.
berwickarchives@northumberland.gov.uk