Guild of Young Freemen
The Guild of Young Freemen is a City of London guild representing young Freemen of the City of London.[1] The Guild was originally established in 1976 as The Society of Young Freemen of the City of London with the aim to increase the participation of young people in the affairs and traditions of the City, it continues to operate as a voluntarily-run organisation with membership open to Freemen and Liverymen of the City of London. It achieved the status of Guild in 2015. Both the Guild and its Society predecessor are completely independent of the Guild of Freemen of the City of London which was established in 1908.
The Guild was established during the Lord Mayoralty of Sir Robin Gillett, the 649th Lord Mayor of London, who was its first Patron. It was further established that the Guild would enjoy the patronage of successive Lord Mayors, who to this day assume the title of Patron upon accession to the Mayoralty.
The Guild maintains close links with many of the Livery Companies of the City of London, providing both a cross-Livery forum for younger members to engage with the traditions of the City as well as opportunities for aspiring Freemen to find and join Livery companies. Members of the Guild perform a number of ceremonial duties within the City of London, notably escorting the effigies of Gog and Magog during the Lord Mayor's Show, and the annual Sheep Drive over London Bridge.
The Lord Mayor's Show[edit]
Each year members of the Guild take part in the Lord Mayor's Show, parading effigies of Gog and Magog as part of a tradition dating back to the reign of Henry V of England.[2] The two woven willow giants were created and donated by members of the Worshipful Company of Basketmakers in 2007, and are the latest in a number of reproductions of the pair of statues in the Guildhall.[3][4]
It has become customary for the members of the Guild to salute each new Lord Mayor to the tune of “Three cheers for our Patron the Lord Mayor” when passing the Mansion House during the Lord Mayor's Show.
London Bridge Sheep Drive[edit]
The Sheep Drive over London Bridge is an annual event organised by the Worshipful Company of Woolmen exercising the ancient right of Freemen of the City of London to drive their sheep over London Bridge.[5] While the driving of sheep to London markets was made obsolete many years ago, the tradition has been ceremonially re-introduced as a fundraising event in aid of the Lord Mayor's Appeal and the Woolmen's Charitable Trust, with a flock of sheep brought in especially for the event.[6]
References[edit]
- ↑ "Guild of Young Freemen - Livery Companies of the City of London". liverydatabase.liverycompanies.info.
- ↑ "Gog and Magog". lordmayorsshow.london.
- ↑ "Gog And Magog: Who Are They And What Have They Got To Do With London?". Londonist. January 4, 2016.
- ↑ "Gog and Magog, The Worshipful Company of Basketmakers". www.basketmakersco.org.
- ↑ "Michael Portillo shepherds flock of sheep across London Bridge". Evening Standard. September 29, 2019.
- ↑ "Sheep Drive over London Bridge - City of London". www.cityoflondon.gov.uk.
External links[edit]
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