The application period for Colchester residents eligible for the ceremonial Freeburgess title is now open.
Colchester residents can find the application form to download online at www.colchester.gov.uk/freeburgess. Applications are welcomed up to 5pm on Friday 25 March 2022, ahead of the next ceremony on Wednesday, 13 April 2022, where the status will be conferred by Colchester’s Mayor Cllr Robert Davidson.
The Freeburgess title is a ceremonial honour, dating back to the 1189 Royal Charter of Richard the Lionheart, which can be given to any Colchester resident.
Successful applicants need to either have been apprenticed for seven years to a member of the Guild of Master Craftsman that also holds the title or have a parent or grandparent with Freeburgess status.
Over 400 Master Craftsman trades and crafts qualify – from traditional occupations, such as cabinet makers, tree surgeons and coffin makers, to modern skills including aluminium fabrication and asbestos products and removal.
The Mayor of Colchester, Councillor Robert Davidson, said: “I encourage any Colchester resident who thinks they meet the criteria to apply for their Freeburgess status, and I look forward to meeting them at the forthcoming ceremony in Colchester Town Hall.
“While it is purely a ceremonial honour, upholding such aspects of our heritage is part of keeping history alive in the town.”
For more information on the Mayor and Town Hall heritage visit www.colchester.gov.uk/mayor
Page last reviewed: 9 March 2022