The Freemen of Alnwick are as far as I know unique in England in that they are a corporation which exists apparently completely unregulated by any government body. They should probably have been made into the Council by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 but were excluded from this Act. This seems to have been partly because it suited the Freemen's interests at the time but mainly because the then Duke of Northumberland hated them and was anxious to avoid them getting more power (he had just beaten them in a court case). If they had been included then they would be a fully fledged local authority now but instead they operate as a kind of members' club.

The photograph is of a water source or "pant" in the middle of Alnwick which is said to be owned by the freemen. The Angel (actually since it is St Michael I ought to say archangel) is on the town seal. He seems to be the patron saint of Alnwick. Which is good, because according to a book I read, St Michael is a good patron to have. Incidentally, the dragon seen is from Revelations 12. Click here to see Carol Gerten's scan of Raphael's picture of the same scene (only I think he shows the dragon being trampled on rather being fought). Clicking here takes you to a particularly good picture showing definite trampling of dragons by St M - now there's no prospect of mistaking THAT for a anything but a trampling.
 
 

The Freemen's Influence

They own the Town Hall and a sizeable amount of Alnwick Moor and various other sites around Alnwick. There is an historic argument with the Duke about who owns the market place. Since the market place is all pedestrianised highway and lovingly cared for by Northumberland County Council you could be forgiven for believing that this was largely irrelevant these days, but apparently it isn't and in May 1998 it was discussed in the national media (in the context of who owns the market rights). If you look at the Market place there is a line of bricks running to the Town Hall which is claimed as a right of way by the Freemen but how you can have a right of way over the public highway is not known.

Becoming a Freeman

It's easy! Simply be born the son of a freeman or persuade one to apprentice you to him. There haven't been any apprentices for years though. You have to go through a ceremony in the Town Hall too. Tait (see below) describes the initiation ceremony in past centuries as involving marathon physical exertions across the moors and jumping over a pond but it seems not to be like that now.

For further information about the Freemen and the history of Alnwick, consult George Tait's very readable "History of the Castle Barony and Town of Alnwick". It was published in the nineteenth century and is long out of print, but it is very interesting and there are copies in the library (or you could ask the Duke). Mr Tait was himself a Freeman which may have coloured his account of the litigation between the castle and the freemen.

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