The Freemen have long held hereditary grazing rights on the Sudbury Common Lands and these were first confirmed in Richard de Clare’s charter around 1260 AD and in subsequent charters down the centuries.

Nowadays, the land remains principally as grazing pasture but also as a necessary flood defence provision. In addition it is a wonderful area where access has been improved by the trustees at a number of points around the town.

The term common is derived from the fact that the Freemen have the right to utilise the pastures as a common resource for grazing their livestock.

If they do not exercise those rights, they are entitled to a share of the “Common Money” which comes from the grazing income.

This currently amounts to the princely sum of £4 per Freeman. In 1987 the Charity Commission made stipulation that the trustees were to manage the grazing land so as to protect and preserve it in its natural state.

Through careful management and with particular regard to environmental considerations, the land is now designated as an acclaimed nature reserve whilst retaining its primary role as agricultural land for the grazing of livestock. This is balanced with the desire, as far as possible, to make the area accessible to all.

Fortunately more and more people are coming to appreciate the uniqueness of this gem and the trustees were delighted by the recent fantastic response to their plea for volunteer rangers to contribute their time to safeguarding such a priceless asset to the town.

It will take time to select and train a team, but this time next year volunteer rangers should be a familiar and welcome addition to the riverside landscape. The trustees hope, in particular, that the increasing interference with the livestock in recent years will become a thing of the past.