Five become Freemen of Sudbury
Five men and women are now free to graze cows on Sudbury's meadows after being made freemen of the town.
The Sudbury Freemen's Society held its first admission ceremony for two years at the town hall on Monday.
The new freemen are 93-year-old John French and his two grandchildren, Matthew and Ruth French, plus Rosemary Wheeler and Hannah Bitten.
Chairman of the society, Simonie Prior, said: "Bitten, French and Wheeler are all traditional Sudbury names and all the new freemen have a lineage that can be traced right back to former members.
"This was our first admission ceremony for two years and it was very nice."
Ray Amesbury of Babergh District Council said: "The Freemen represent years of tradition and they were historically very important as they would have been the only people in the town to have the parliamentary vote and they would have also had grazing rights for cattle and sheep.
"These days, it is a purely an honorary role but still important as it is passed down through generations of families. The ceremony sees them promise to do all they can to uphold and support the officers and traditions of the historic town."
The society has 157 members and 11 widows of past members.
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Weather for Sudbury
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 22 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 12 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 20 mph
Wind direction: East
