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Number 68 August 2014

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Cover photograph: Representatives of the 9th & 12th Lancers beforethe Homecoming Parade and Inspection on the 29th June 2014.

Members of the Leicester Gild of Freemen prior to attending theCrown Court service at the Leicester Cathedral followed by thereading of the Letters Patent in the Guildhall on 1st May 2014

Four members of the Gild of Freemen accompanied the Lord Mayor,Cllr John Thomas for the Damask Rose Ceremony on 24th June 2014

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Patron: Colonel Robert Martin OBE DLPresident: The Lord Mayor of Leicester

OFFICERS 2014 - 2015Master: L.A. Roffee

Deputy Master: M.E. AyresClerk: M.B. Hill

Chamberlain: A. Marriott

WARDENSN. Cave, A. Chettle, L. Kirk,J.D. Lewitt, B.W. Mudford.

Number 68 August 2014

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GILDHALL NEWSAugust 2014

Contents

Editor’s comments 5

Report by Lynn Roffee, Master of the Gild 5

Report by Brian Mudford, Chairman of the Board of Deputies 8

Chamberlain’s report by Andy Marriott 9

Report on the FEW by Michael Ayres 10

The 2014 Garden Party 12

Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA’s) 12

Will writing 13

Future programme - dates for your diary

Tuesday 30th September Visit to the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust in Derby 13

Friday 7th November, “Oh I do like to be beside the seaside” 14

Friday 19th December, Puss in Boots at the Little Theatre 14

Saturday 6th December, Chidren’s Christmas party 15

Contributions to the Gildhall News

The History of the Freemen of Leicester - part 11 by John Tolton 15

For Amusement Only

The smartest man in the world! 18

The Will 19

Did you know? 20

Have you changed your address? 22

Forms included with the Newsletter

Booking form for “Oh I do like to be beside the seaside”

Booking form for visit to Puss in Boots pantomime at the Little Theatre

Booking form for Children’s Christmas Party

Application for Membership & Associate Membership of the Gild

Gild products order form

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Editor’s CommentsI was looking forward to going on the Gild trip to the CuttySark at Greenwich and Camden Market, unfortunately ithad to be cancelled due to lack of support. What happened?Was there less than twenty persons interested in the trip?Did you know it was being arranged? Did you read aboutthe trip, thought you would be interested but did not put itin your diary? Please let me know your thoughts on theGild trips. Is it worth the Court arranging them? If so, wherewould you like to go?

If you have a story that would be of interest to other members, please put pento paper, or finger to e-mail. We don’t need a book, only a short article, possiblyone or two pages long. It could be longer if it’s enthralling!! Preferably I wouldlike to receive them as an attachment to an e-mail if possible, but pen and ink isacceptable.

Brian Mudford

Report by Lynn Roffee, Master of the GildThis is my first report as your Master and I feel honouredand privileged to have been elected to this role. I am thefirst female Master and I think it demonstrates that theGild has moved with the times, whilst maintainingtraditions.

It has been a couple of busy months for the Gild, Brian,my husband, and myself with 14 functions since 1st May.In a short period of time, Brian and I have met manyFreemen, and their partners, who have become new

friends. All of these people are from all walks of life; the common threadbeing a Freemen and we have been made very welcome wherever we havebeen.

The Gild is often limited on the number of people that can attend some CivicEvents, though this is not the case for the Annual Freeman’s Service, held atLeicester Cathedral. This event is open to all (robes are not necessary toattend) and it would be nice to see more of you attending this and otherevents throughout the year.

I thought you might like to know what the Gild Court, and I have been doingsince I was elected. This also includes other Gild member who have attendedevents.

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1st May – The Gild received an Invitation from the High Sherriff ofLeicestershire, Mr Richard Cowes, to attend the Crown Court Service inLeicester Cathedral followed by Reading of Letters Patent in the Guildhall.

14th June The Leicester Gild Banquet was again held at Devonshire Place.The menu choice was Richard III and this was indeed an excellent choice. Thefood was delicious and the service was at its usual high standard. Mike Kellettkindly arranged for a tour of the Freemasons Temple after dinner. Our guestspeakers were Dr J Smail, Master of Guild of London Freemen and Dr Rev.Johannes Arens, Canon Precentor, Leicester Cathedral.

70 Freemen and their guests including Freemen from Coventry, Chester,London, Northampton and York attended the Banquet and Masters’ ofLondon, Coventry and York Guilds’, the President of the Chester Guild and thePresident of FEW. Invited guests were the Lord Mayor, John Thomas, and hisConsort, Mrs Margaret Coley, Dr John Smail and his wife Pat, Master of theGuild of Freemen of the City of London, Dr Rev. Johannes Arens, CanonPrecentor, Leicester Cathedral and his guest, Mrs Elizabeth Amias.

Again, good reports were received from our visitors.

15th June Leicester Freemen’s Service, Leicester CathedralThis is a Freemen’s service and is open to any Freemen to attend. There is noneed to belong to the Gild to attend this ceremony.

A Big Thank you must go to the Banquet Committee, Mick Ayres, BrianMudford and John Tolton for organising the whole weekend.

21st June Armed Forces Day Service at Leicester CathedralMick & Jean Ayres, David & Rita Johnson, Jim & Mavis Manship, Pat Manship,Keith & Dorothy Harding, and Brian & myself represented the Gild, at theService of Commemoration and Thanksgiving on Armed Forces Day, atLeicester Cathedral.

There were many Civic Dignitaries from across Leicestershire present at theservice, including Lady Gretton, Lord-Lieutenant of Leicestershire, the LordMayor, John Thomas and the Gild’s Patron, Colonel R Martin OBE, D.L.

24th June Damask Rose Ceremony Mick Ayres, David Johnson, Wayne Manship and myself represented the Gildand paraded, in our scarlet robes, from the Town Hall, with the Lord Mayor,John Thomas, for the Damask Rose ceremony.

The custom involves the Lord Mayor receiving the symbolic peppercorn rentof a Damask Rose and four old pennies from the landlord of O’Neil’s (formally

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the Crown and Thistle Inn) in Loseby Lane. In keeping with tradition, datingback hundreds of years, this is held on June 24th to coincide with the Feast ofSt John the Baptist.

29th June The 9th & 12th Lancers Homecoming Parade and InspectionThe Lord Mayor invited the Gild to view the parade and inspection and thiswas followed by a Civic Reception at the Nottingham Oddfellows Club. PeterBates, Mick Ayres and Brian and me represented the Gild. It was a smallerturnout than usual due to The Holt’s Garden Party being held on the sameday. Thanks to Nottingham Oddfellows Club for their hospitality.

13th July The Coventry Freemen’s Annual Garden Party was held atthe RAFA Club in Coventry. There were just six of us from Leicester thatattended. We had a lovely afternoon, the weather was kind and the foodincluded: sandwiches, scones, cakes, strawberries & cream were made,prepared and served by the Coventry Guild. The damson and orange jam Iwas told, is legendary; I can confirm it is, but then the marmalade was goodtoo.

25th July The Royal Anglian Regiment Homecoming Parade and Inspection.The Lord Mayor invited the Gild to view the parade and inspection and thiswas followed by a Civic Reception at the Nottingham Oddfellows Club. Thanksto Nottingham Oddfellows Club for their hospitality.

There have been a number of people taking their Freedom in the last fewyears who have not been involved in Gild events as yet. I know there are afew Freemen who live abroad or are away from home working for longperiods and unable to get involved practically. My son, James is one of thosepeople – he lives in Australia. What about those of you who live in Leicester/Leicestershire who don’t get involved? What type of event would you like toattend? Drop me a line and let me know what we could do to help you getmore involved with the Gild.

There are about 250 Gild members out of approximately 650 Freemen. Likemost organisations, people give their time freely for the common good. Wealso know that people have jobs, families and other commitments so timecan be limited to get involved in other things. I think I should just point outthat travel and accommodation costs are funded by each person attending allof these events apart from 3 banquets which the Master and Consort areprovided with hospitality by the hosts of these Gilds/Guilds. No funds aretaken out of the Gild by Court members to attend any of these events.

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There haven’t been any Making Free Ceremonies in the last few months, andat the time of writing this report, the Town Hall have confirmed that there areno further planned ceremonies, as yet, for 2014. This could all change if youhave any family members that are eligible to take their Freedom.

Brian and I have been very busy preparing for the WW1 Exhibition and I’d liketo particularly thank:- the Agar, Cave, Chettle, Crawley, Elson, Hargrave,Martin, Ross, Scott and Tolton families for their contributions.

I hope you are having an enjoyable summer – make the most of it – the nightsare drawing in!

Lynn Roffee

Report by Chairman of the Board - Brian MudfordThe Garden Party was a grand event on the 29th Juneand I enjoyed meeting many of you on the day. Theweather was a bit unpredictable with a couple ofsharp showers forcing everyone to run for cover butthese didn’t last for long so the festivities continuedwithout too much of an interruption. The hog roastwas a disappointment as there was insufficient foodsupplied, for which we apologise. This was beyondour control and we hope it didn’t spoil your

enjoyment of the event.

I would like to thank Maurice Hill, chairman of the Garden Party committeeand all the committee members for their months of preparation and to themany other volunteers that helped with; manning stalls, preparing the 125punnets of strawberries and selling these with cream, donating, cleaning anddisplaying bric-a-brac items, baking cakes, selling raffle tickets, setting up andtaking down of the marquees and gazebos and to the people who kept us allgoing with tea, coffee and cakes on the day. Our thanks also go to the scoutswho directed parking, cleared away rubbish and to all the volunteers of “TakeHeart” that helped to make the day a success. A special mention also goes toRobert Staines who hooked up all the electrics and PA system and ensuredthey all worked on the day and then packed them all up again after the event.Even more important he rigged up the boiler to ensure there was tea andcoffee on tap all afternoon.

There will be both standard and extended bungalows available in the comingmonths. If you are thinking of moving to Freemen’s Holt then why not take

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the opportunity to come and see a bungalow by contacting Lynda or Sandraon 0116 283 4017 to arrange a viewing. There is a new design front extendedbungalow which incorporates a larger kitchen / diner, a lobby area and theuse of the extra room may be determined by the new resident.

Have you put the 5th & 9th August in your diary to attend an exciting exhibitionat Freemen’s Holt about Leicester’s Freemen during World War 1. Lynn Roffeehas been working very hard on this project and she is pleased to report thatone hundred names have been found from the Freemen Rolls of men thatserved during WW1. I am pleased to report that all seats are taken for theWW1 talks and the lunches . People can still come and look around but noticket equals no talk and no food.

As you know, there are Making Free ceremonies held at the Leicester TownHall throughout the year depending on how many people come forward totake up their Freedom. At present, due to the lack of applicants there is notone scheduled. So if you are a Freeman and your daughter, son orgrandchildren are not Freemen then look in the section of this website called“Becoming a Freeman” to see who can become a Freeman and how andwhere to make an application. Some of your family members may not havethought about taking up their Freedom, talk to them and get them interested.

Brian Mudford

Chamberlain’s Report by Andy MarriottI am delighted to be delivering my first report to the Gild Hall news asChamberlain to the Gild of Freemen of the City of Leicester and look forward tomany more to come in the future. I would also like to take this opportunity tothank each and everyone who helped to maintain the Gilds books following thepassing of Roger Allen and I would like to say a special thank you to Maurice Hillwho’s hard work and attention to detail and support has for me made takingover the role of Chamberlain an easy process.

Gild Accounts BookThe Gilds Accounts Book as of Tuesday 1st July 2014 has the following figuresrecordedReceipts £ 3,367.50Standing Orders £ 888.50Payments £ 1,043.00Petty Cash £ 94.69

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Gild Bank AccountsWe have received the latest Bank Statements from Lloyds TSB.Business Account as of 9th May 2014 holds £ 3,861.99Treasurers Account as of 29th May 2014 holds £ 3,770.46These figures do not take into account any monies and cheques banked afterthese dates which will be reflected in the next statements we received

Gild EventsThe Gild Court has arranged several events for the next few months. Fordetails see pages 13 to 15

Gild BanquetThe Annual Gild Banquet raised a total of £2,790.00 with an expenditure of£3,022.00 leaving a short fall of minus £232.22

Other BusinessThere is still a large amount of outstanding Members and Associate Membershiparrears and I would like to urge those who have not yet paid for this year to doso as soon as possible please.

As of 26th July 2014 Lloyds TSB will have ceased trading together and will onceagain become independent banks. I have discussed with TSB Horsefair StreetLeicester transferring the Gilds Bank accounts across and this is scheduled togo ahead on Monday 4th August.

This concludes my reportAndy Marriott

Report on the FEW (Freemen of England and Wales)by Michael AyresSince my last report in May 2014 there have been no meetings of the FEW.

The next meeting will be the 2014 AGM weekend, this year it’s hosted by theFreemen of Stafford, and will be held over the weekend of Friday 19th

September to Sunday 21st September. The accommodation and meetings willbe held at the The Yarnfield Conference Centre, (ex BT training centre)Yarfield, Near Stone Stafford ST15 0NL.

The cost for the Full weekend package Friday to Sunday Lunch, includingaccommodation is £355 per couple for a Double room. All have en suite

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facilities, Television, Wi-Fi, High speed broadband, etc. Or a single room at£235.

The programme for the complete weekend includes. Friday night eveningmeal, followed by a talk on the “Staffordshire Hoard” the evening thenconcludes with entertainment in the bar.

Saturday morning Breakfast 7:00 to 9:00 am (9:30 am. Coach departs toTrentham Gardens for delegates not attending the AGM). Open Forummeeting starts at 9:30 am, the AGM at 11:00 am. Buffet Lunch will be at13:00 pm. Coaches leave for an afternoon visit to Shugborough Hall returningby Stafford Chase. The evening begins 7:00 pm with entertainment in theFoyer. The Banquet will be held in the Knighton Room at 7:30 pm. Theevening ends with entertainment in the bar from 10:15 pm.

Sunday 21st Breakfast at 7:00 to 9:00 am. Check out at 9:30 am. Transport willbe provided to Stafford Borough Council Offices for the Church parade to St.Mary’s Church.

The parade returns for a visit to the Civic Offices hosted by the Mayor ofStafford.

Lunch will be served at 1:30 pm. The weekend will close at 3:30 pm.

Anyone wishing to attend for the Saturday and Sunday the cost for theaccommodation and the same package same as above (excluding Friday) willbe a Double room £240 Single room £140.

The invitation from Stafford Freemen to attend the AGM weekend is to allmembers and associate members of the Leicester Gild.

If you have never attended one of the weekend AGM‘s why not come alongand give it a try, meet members and Freemen from other Gilds, find out andlearn about the entertainment they provide for their Gild activities. It is achance to socialise and meet new friends.

For further information about the weekend and to obtain a booking formplease contact:

Michael Ayres on 0116 2242353 or mickayres31@virginmedia.com

or Anthony Piddock 16 Salt Avenue. Stafford ST17 4 DP

Tel 01785 603973 e-mail ant.drum@ntlworld.com

Michael Ayres

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The 2014 Garden PartyWell the Garden Party is over for another year and despite the weather andrunning out of food really everything went reasonably well and the generalconsensus and feedback was that people enjoyed the afternoon.

Obviously there was nothing we could do about the weather and the couple ofshowers we had failed to dampen the occasion (no pun intended). The shortageof food was another matter entirely. A full investigation has been carried outand measures have been put in place that hopefully will ensure that the situation,which has never happened before, will not happen again.

We were very pleased with the setting up, running the event and packing awaywhich went without a hitch and the help of the many volunteers was muchappreciated.

May I take this opportunity to say a most sincere thank you to the members ofmy small Garden Party Committee for all their help and support which enabledus to get the show onto the road.

The word search competition was eventually won by Dot Brown from bungalow1 at the Holt with a total of 345 words, Dot originally claimed 353 words butsome did not count and were discarded. So Dot gets the £10 prize and Sue Cavewith 341 words finished in second place. Congratulations and thanks to all thosewho took part in the competition.

In conclusion as a bi-product of the event we were able to raise £1725 for our

nominated charity “Take Heart Leicester”

Lasting Power of Attorney (L.P.A.s)Arrangements have now been made for two solicitors to give presentationson the above subject at the Holt Community Centre as follows

1. Tuesday 9th September at 2.30pm by Luke Appleby from Spearing Waite

2. Tuesday 14th October at 2.30pm by Eric Hanson from H.C.B. (formerlyBillson and Sharpe).

A Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) is a legal document that allows you to statewho you would like to make certain decisions on your behalf if at some futuredate you reach the point where you are no longer capable or want toyourself.

We would suggest that you give the question of “Do I need an LPA?” someserious thought and come along to the presentations to have a cup of tea andlearn more for the possible benefit to you and/or your family.

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Will WritingThere should be a Will - and there is a way

The Welfare Committee have been working with AGE UK to set up low costWill Writing for Freemen and their families, this has now been finalised andagreed.

Most people appreciate that it is extremely important to make a Will, buteither never get round to it or continue to put it off as something to do whenthey are older. This means that 7 out of 10 people die without a Will, leavingtheir nearest and dearest to sort out who gets their money and property orworse it all goes to the Crown.

AGE UK have arranged with 24 local Solicitors to reduce their Will Writingcharges for the over 50’s during September and October. A singleuncomplicated Will costs just £35 + VAT during this period which is a hugesaving of around £100, a simple joint Will could cost as little as £85 includingVAT compared with the usual £400 for the same service.

Don’t miss this opportunity to put matters straight!!

To take advantage of this offer and for details of participating Solicitors in yourlocal area, contact AGE UK Leicestershire and Rutland direct on Tel No. 0116

2992233.

Maurice Hill

Programme of Future EventsVisit to Rolls-Royce Derby

30th September 2014We have arranged a visit to Rolls-Royce Derby on Tuesday 30th September2014. The visit is free but you will have to organise your own transport. Theaddress is Rolls Royce Light Alloy Foundry (LAF), Osmaston Road, Derby, DE248AE and we should meet there at 10.45am with the tour starting at 11.00amand taking approx. 2 hours

A list of the names of those attending has to be submitted to Rolls-Royce fivedays before the event. Therefore if you would like to go on the visit pleaseadvise me no later than Tuesday 23rd September at my address:

33 Mossdale Road, Kingsway, Leicester LE3 2UT, Email mozjune@talktalk.netTel No. 0116 2895394

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On the tour you will see the largest collection of aero engines in the country,ranging from WW1 era piston engines, the famous Merlin, right up to modernday jet engines. The collection also includes examples across Rolls-Royce’sproduct range including marine and industrial applications. There are also asmall number of vintage cars, some of which hark back to the early days ofRolls-Royce and the start of the motor car age. There are examples of enginesand motor cars from distinguished names such as Armstrong Siddeley andNapier, whose companies became part of the Rolls-Royce group in their latteryears.

A guide will take us around the exhibition and please ensure that you arewearing sensible shoes. You are allowed to take photographs for your ownpersonal use only.

Maurice Hill

“Oh I do like to be beside the seaside”Friday 7th November at the Holt

£9 including supper and refreshmentsForget your winter blues and come and join us at the Holt with thereturn of guest speaker Felicity Austin when she will explain the historyof the seaside holiday. Rediscover the pier, the promenade, Mr Punchand join in the singsong. As a treat for the boys Miss Felicity will bewearing her Edwardian bathing costume.

We shall also be serving supper and refreshments.

So don’t delay roll up your trouser bottoms get out the knotted hankiesand come and enjoy what promises to be a very entertaining evening.

A booking form is included in this issue of the Gildhall News

Andy Marriott

Visit to the Little Theatre , DoverStreet, Leicester

to see Puss in Boots on19th December 2014

starting at 7 pm.A purrrrrrfect Christmas treat for

all the family!

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Please book early for this traditional family pantomime - freemen, family andfriends. Tickets cost £14 for adults and £12 for children (under 16). Tickets willbe allocated on a first-come, first served basis.

Please complete the application form in CAPITAL LETTERS and make sure youraddress is clear. We don’t want to send your tickets to the wrong address.

Brian Mudford

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTYSATURDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2014. 4 00 PM - 6 00 PM

VARNEYS FUN FACTORY

This year the Gild will again be holding a Children’s Christmas party after overtwenty five years of absence. The party will be for Children between the agesof 3 years old and up to 7 years old. (This is because of the size of the bouncycastle and climbing equipment.)

The party is open to all Children at £3 00 per Child, whose parents orGrandparents are members of the Gild. The cost will include the use of all theequipment in the fun house, a visit from Santa. Hot buffet served with chickennuggets, pizza, fish fingers and chips. With drinks of blackcurrant and orangecordial included.

The staff at the fun house have all been CRB checked. The Gild cannot beresponsible for safety of the children during the party and we request that anadult stays and supervise their own children during the two hours that theparty is in progress.

There is a cafe on the premises serving serving tea coffee and snacks for theadults to sit and have a chat while the children play.

The Party will be held atSHANE VARNEYS FUN HOUSESAFFRON ROAD SOUTH WIGSTONLEICESTER LE18 4TD.(If you do not know South Wigston the Fun House is near St ThomasChurch). For further information about the party, contact MichaelAyres on 0116 2242353.

Michael Ayres

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Contributions to the Gildhall News*****************************

History of Freemen – Part 11,

the Seventeenth CenturyYou may recall that in the last Gildhall News the article covered the twocharters of 1589 and 1599, the latter charter which included the extension ofthe boundaries of Leicester under the governance of the burgesses to includethe suburbs around Northgate and St Leonard’s Church and the area knownas the Bishop’s Fee to the east of Leicester. Even after the death of Elizabeth Iin 1603 the governance of the suburbs, particularly the Bishop’s Fee, had notbeen resolved due to strong objection to change from the countylandowners. The more influential landowners, including the Earl ofHuntingdon and the Countess of Devonshire, considered the burgesses to beunfit to govern the Bishop’s Fee by education and experience (their words,not mine). A high handed attitude countered by the burgesses’ view that thelandowners were also unfit to govern. In 1604 the Mayor at the time wasThomas Chettle and he went to London to petition the newly crowned KingJames I in an attempt to include the Bishop’s Fee as part of the burgessesresponsibility. A charter was finally granted in 1609 by James 1 giving theburgesses the power to include the Bishop’s Fee within their jurisdiction

Change was coming. Leicester had moved on from its medieval subservienceto the Normans and had become a relatively modern town (by 17th centurystandards) with modern problems. The two main problems for theCorporation in the early years of the 1600’s were plague and poverty. Duringthe years 1610 and 1611 there was a particularly virulent outbreak of theplague which cut off any link with the outside world, stopped the holding offairs in Leicester and virtually brought local trade to a standstill. The firstyears of the 17th century also experienced severe winters with heavysnowfalls disrupting travel. During the winter of 1606-7 the weather was socold that even the Thames froze over and the main road north and south ofLeicester virtually impassable. Numerous horses died in their vain effort todrag wagons loaded with goods in and out of borough.

Along with the problem of the plague and cold was one of unemploymentand poverty. The Poor Relief Act of 1601 placed the administration of poorrelief on the municipal authority so in Leicester the care of the poor becamethe responsibility of the Corporation. Not everyone in Leicester had a trade

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and the population of able-bodied poor people was increasing. In feudaltimes it would have been the responsibility of their overlord to care for them,or not as the case may be, but in the 17th century the poor were no longerbonded but were free men with no-one in particular responsible for them.There simply was not enough work for the poor and they would eke a livingout of any small piece of land they could find to provide sustenance. To makematters worse Charles I had enclosed the forest and forbidden the collectionof firewood, a custom from the days of the Norman invasion. He did,however, set aside 40 acres of forest in order that the poor could collect somewood. It didn’t help the poor in that they were also not allowed to carry outany form of trade as trade was restricted to the freemen of the borough. Butfull credit to the Corporation who did at that time did look into ways ofrelieving the poor. Their solutions at that time might not satisfy 21st centurysensibilities but measures of some kind were desperately needed. Anynewcomer moving into Leicester had to pay a bond of £200 against thecontingency that they may in the future become a burden on the town. Allretail trade in the borough was confined to freemen in order to stop thepoverty spreading to those who contributed to the local economy byrestricting the competition of trade and manufacturing from outlying areaswhere quality and wages were lower. But the influx of outsiders into Leicestermeant that it was inevitable that some non freemen wanted to trade withoutthe restrictions imposed by the craft gilds.

But whatever measures were taken did not halt the increasing number ofpeople in Leicester who were not freemen and were not wanted asapprentices or for regular work but had to live somehow. Various charitablegifts were made from the better off including one from Charles I who made agift of 5s 4d each to sixty poor house holders to buy wood as a result of hisenclosure of the forest. Other benefactors made gifts for the purchase ofcoal, bread and clothing. One particular benefactor, Sir Thomas White, madea gift devoted to the lending of money to young men free of interest to setthemselves up in business. The Trust is still providing much needed funds foryoung entrepreneurs to start their business in the 21st century.

The Corporation would provide dole money for the workless and advancecapital to people who were prepared to employ those out of work onnominated schemes. A nominated scheme would usually consist of weavingor knitting of caps or stockings but there is no evidence to suggest thosetaken on one of these schemes ceased to be poor but the schemes werethere primarily to occupy idle hands. To advance the scheme the Corporation

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even enforced the wearing of caps but the enforcement proved not to bepractical.

Plague struck Leicester again in the years 1625-6 leading to both loss of lifeand a disruption to travel. Those who could afford to be away left Leicester(including many of the burgesses) to live elsewhere during the plague andrefused to travel back to Leicester to perform their responsibilities.

This was followed in the 1630’s with poor harvests with its associated rise inprices coupled with Charles I’s personal rule after the dissolution ofParliament and his high taxation to pay for unpopular wars with France andSpain. Dissatisfaction was growing nationally as well as locally with the Kingbecause of his belief in his own divine right to rule as he wished and hisreligious intolerance which ultimately led to events that brought on the CivilWar in 1642.

At the outbreak of the Civil War the town was held by the Parliamentariansbut in July and again in August of 1642 the King visited Leicester and wasreceived with great ceremony by the burgesses. He made speechesexpressing his belief in the loyalty of the population of Leicester, attended acivic service at St Martin’s and then extracted 50 pieces of gold from theCorporation. A month later Prince Rupert entered Leicester with six dragoonsand demanded a sum of £2000 from the Corporation. He was given £500 butsucceeded in doing considerable harm to the King’s cause. King Charles didapologise for Prince Rupert’s demand but there is no record of the moneybeing returned.

For the next three years Leicester maintained a Parliamentary garrison withoccasional skirmishes with the Royalists from Ashby and Belvoir but in 1645the war came to Leicester in earnest, but what took place then deserves acomplete chapter by itself.

John Tolton

The Smartest Man In The World..!A doctor, a lawyer, a little boy and a priest were out for aSunday afternoon flight on a small private plane. Suddenly, theplane developed engine trouble. In spite of the best efforts ofthe pilot, the plane started to go down. Finally, the pilot

grabbed a parachute and yelled to the passengers that they better jump, andhe himself bailed out.

Unfortunately, there were only three parachutes remaining.

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The doctor grabbed one and said “I’m a doctor, I save lives, so I must live,”and jumped out.

The lawyer then said, “I’m a lawyer and lawyers are the smartest people inthe world. I deserve to live.” He also grabbed a parachute and jumped.

The priest looked at the little boy and said, “My son, I’ve lived a long and fulllife. You are young and have your whole life ahead of you. Take the lastparachute and live in peace.”

The little boy handed the parachute back to the priest and said, “Not to worryFather. The smartest man in the world just took off with my back pack.”

The Will

A farmer died leaving his 17 horses to his 3 sons.

When his sons opened up the Will it read:

My eldest son should get 1/2 (half) of total horses;

My middle son should be given 1/3rd (one-third) of the total horses;

My youngest son should be given 1/9th (one-ninth) of the total horses.

As it’s impossible to divide 17 into half or 17 by 3 or 17 by 9, the three sonsstarted to fight with each other.

So, they decided to go to a farmer’s friend who they considered quite smart,to see if he could work it out for them.

The farmers friend read the Will patiently, after giving due thought, hebrought one of his own horses over and added it to the 17. That increased thetotal to 18 horses.

Now, he divided the horses according to their father’s Will.

Half of 18 = 9. So he gave the eldest son 9 horses.1/3rd of 18 = 6. So he gave the middle son 6 horses.1/9th of 18 = 2. So he gave the youngest son 2 horses.

Now add up how many horses they have:

Eldest son……..9

Middle son…….6

Youngest son…2

TOTAL IS…….17.

Now this leaves one horse over, so the farmer friend takes his horse back tohis farm. Problem Solved! See over for moral of the story.

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Did you know?

1. WHY: Why do men’s clothes have buttons on the right while women’sclothes have buttons on the left?

BECAUSE: When buttons were invented, they were very expensive and wornprimarily by the rich. Since most people are right-handed, it is easier to pushbuttons on the right through holes on the left. Because wealthy women weredressed by maids, dressmakers put the buttons on the maid’s right! And that’swhere women’s buttons have remained since.

2. WHY: Why do ships and aircraft use ‘mayday’ as their call for help?

BECAUSE: This comes from the French word m’aidez - meaning ‘help me’ -and is pronounced, approximately, ‘mayday.’

3. WHY: Why are zero scores in tennis called ‘love’?

BECAUSE: In France, where tennis became popular, the round zero on thescoreboard looked like an egg and was called’l’oeuf,’ which is French for ‘theegg.’ When tennis was introduced in the US, Americans (naturally),mispronounced it ‘love.’

4. WHY: Why do X’s at the end of a letter signify kisses?

BECAUSE: In the Middle Ages, when many people were unable to read orwrite, documents were often signed using an X. Kissing the X represented anoath to fulfill obligations specified in the document. The X and the kisseventually became synonymous.

5. WHY: Why is shifting responsibility to someone else called ‘passing thebuck’?

BECAUSE: In card games, it was once customary to pass an item, called abuck, from player to player to indicate whose turn it was to deal. If a player

Moral:

The attitude of negotiation and problem solving is to find the 18th horse i.e.the common ground. Once a person is able to find the 18th horse the issue isresolved. It is difficult at times. However, to reach a solution, the first step isto believe that there is a solution. If we think that there is no solution, wewon’t be able to reach any!

21

did not wish to assume the responsibility of dealing, he would ‘pass the buck’to the next player.

6. WHY: Why do people clink their glasses before drinking a toast?

BECAUSE: In earlier times it used to be common for someone to try to kill anenemy by offering him a poisoned drink. To prove to a guest that a drink wassafe, it became customary for a guest to pour a small amount of his drink intothe glass of the host. Both men would drink it simultaneously. When a guesttrusted his host, he would only touch or clink the host’s glass with his own.

7. WHY: Why is someone who is feeling great ‘on cloud nine’?

BECAUSE: Types of clouds are numbered according to the altitudes theyattain, with nine being the highest cloud. If someone is said to be on cloudnine, that person is floating well above worldly cares.

8. WHY: In golf, where did the term ‘Caddie’ come from?

BECAUSE: When Mary Queen of Scots went to France as a young girl, Louis,King of France, learned that she loved the Scots game ‘golf.’ He had the firstcourse outside of Scotland built for her enjoyment. To make sure she wasproperly chaperoned (and guarded) while she played, Louis hired cadets froma military school to accompany her. Mary liked this a lot and when shereturned to Scotland (not a very good idea in the long run), she took thepractice with her. In French, the word cadet is pronounced ‘ca-day’ and theScots changed it into caddie.

19. WHY: Why are many coin collection jar banks shaped like pigs?

BECAUSE: Long ago, dishes and cookware in Europe were made of denseorange clay called ‘pygg’. When people saved coins in jars made of this clay,the jars became known as ‘pygg banks.’ When an English pottermisunderstood the word, he made a container that resembled a pig. And itcaught on.And now you know the origins of some of our strange customs ......

Registers of Freemen 1196 – 1930Recently two volumes of the Register of Freemen covering the periods 1196to 1930 were kindly donated to the Gild by Joyce Rouse. The books were theproperty of Joyce’s late husband, Edwin, and the Gild is most grateful to Joycefor her generosity.

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Have you changed your address ?In the event that is necessary to inform the Gild or the Board of any changein circumstances then the information should be sent to:

Lynda BramleyClerk to the BoardLeicester Freemen’s Estate32 Freemen’s HoltOld Church StreetAylestoneLeicester LE2 8NH

Telephone: 0116 – 283 4017E-mail: leicester.freemen@talktalkbusiness.net

Leicester Freemen web site: www.leicesterfreemen.com

Copy for the next issue should reach the Editorby

Friday 17th October 2014

For your News and Views write to :

Brian Mudford11 Huntsman CloseMarkfieldLeicestershireLE67 9XE

Telephone 01530 245414e-mail: brianmudford@tiscali.co.uk

23

The Master of the Leicester Gildof Freemen , Mrs Lynn Roffeeand her husband Brian beforethe Leicester Gild banquet on

14th June 2014

Below is a photograph ofLeicester Freeman Brook Lucas,

grandson of Maurice Hill, inGhana meeting a free range

crocodile whilst doing charitywork as part of “thrive Africa”

A group of photographs taken atthe Garden Party held at Freemen’s

Holt on Sunday 29th June 2014

Please reserve………. places at £9 each

My name is.…………………………..……...……………………………….

My address is…....………………….....…………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………….

Postcode……………………….Telephone…………………………….

e-mail address........................................................................................

I enclose a cheque/postal order for £…………….., made payable to“Gild of Leicester Freemen”.

Please send to:

Andy Marriott, 10 Goldhill, Leicester LE2 6TQ. Tel: 0116 2442776

Applications will be dealt with on a first-come, first served basis.

BOOKING FORM“Oh I do like to be beside the seaside”

Friday 7th November at the Holt

£9 including supper and refreshments

Please reserve………. adult places at £14.00 each

............. children places(under 16) at £12.00 each

Please complete in CAPITAL LETTERS

My name is …………………………………………………………………

.

My address is ……………………………………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………….

Postcode……………………….Telephone…………………………….

e-mail address........................................................................................

I enclose a cheque/postal order for £…………….., made payable to“Gild of Leicester Freemen”.

Please send to:

Andy Marriott, 10 Goldhill, Leicester LE2 6TQ. Tel: 0116 2442776

Applications will be dealt with on a first-come, first served basis.

BOOKING FORMVisit to the Little Theatre , Dover Street, Leicester

to see Puss in Boots on 19th December 2014starting at 7 pm.

GILD OF FREEMEN OF THE CITY OF LEICESTER

APPLICATION FOR FULL MEMBERSHIP

Full Name______________________________________________(BLOCK LETTERS)Address_____________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________

Post Code ________________Tel No. _______________________

e-mail address__________________________________________I am a duly sworn Freeman of the City of Leicester and apply to be enrolled as aMember of the Gild of Freemen, for which I enclose the sum of £10.00(Enrolment fee of £1.00 plus the first annual subscription of £9.00).

Signature Date

APPLICATION FOR ASSOCIATE MEMBERSHIP

Full Name______________________________________________(BLOCK LETTERS)Address ___________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________

Post Code __________________Tel No. ____________________

e-mail address__________________________________________

I certify that I am the SPOUSE / WIDOW / WIDOWER / SON / DAUGHTER /GRANDCHILD aged 18 years or over (please delete where necessary) of

Mr. / Mrs./ Ms. _____________________________________(Freeman ofLeicester)Or

I am a full member of the Guild of Freemen of_________________(City or Town)I apply to be enrolled as an Associate Member of the Gild, for which I enclose thesum of £7.00 (Enrolment Fee of £1.00 plus the first Annual Subscription of £6.00)

Signature___________________________________________Date_____________

Please make cheques payable to ‘Gild of Leicester Freemen’ and send with thisapplication to:

Andy Marriott, 10 Goldhill, Leicester LE2 6TQ. Tel: 0116 2442776

BOOKING FORM

CHILDREN’S CHRISTMAS PARTYSATURDAY 6TH DECEMBER 2014. 4 00 PM - 6 00 PM

@ VARNEYS FUN FACTORY

Please reserve………. children’s places at £3.00 each

I will be responsible for my own Child or Children during the party

To be signed by the Adult attending the party.................................................

My name is........................................................................................................

Child’s or Children’s name(s) attending party..................................................

............................................

.............................................

My address is…....………………….....…………………………………….

………………………………………………………………………….

Postcode……………………….Telephone…………………………….

e-mail address........................................................................................

I enclose a cheque/postal order for £……………..,

made payable to “Gild of Leicester Freemen”.

Please send to:

Andy Marriott, 10 Goldhill, Leicester LE2 6TQ. Tel: 0116 2442776

Applications will be dealt with on a first-come, first served basis.

We are limited to the number of Children that can use the equipment at onetime.

THE GILD OF FREEMEN OF THE CITY OF LEICESTERGILD PRODUCTS ORDER FORM1. Tie - navy ………at £10.00 each = £………….

- maroon ………at £10.00 each = £………….- green ………at £10.00 each = £………….- two ties (state colours) ...……at £19.00 two = £………….- three ties …...…at £27.50 three = £………….

2. Gild scarf ...........at £15.00 each = £................3. Key-ring ………at £5.00 each = £………….4. Lapel badge ………at £2.50 each = £………….5. Cufflinks ..........at £16.00 each = £………….6. Gild pens - new design ………at £3.00 each = £………….7. Arm badge - framed …...…at £55.00 each = £………….

- unframed .....….at £20.00 each = £………….8. Blazer badge .........at £13.50 each =£..............9. Wall plaque, wooden …..…at £24.00 each = £………….10. Gown, made to measure, incl. delivery.....price on request = £………….

(Chest ..........ins, height..........ft...........ins).11. Register of Freemen- 1931-85 ………at £4.00 each = £………….

- 1986-96 ………at £3.00 each = £………….

TOTAL = £………….plus postage

I enclose cheque/postal order for the above total, made payable to: “GILD OF LEICESTER FREEMEN”

NAME……………………………………………………………………………………..

ADDRESS…………………………………………………………………………………

…………………………………………………………………………………

………………………………………………………………………………….

POST CODE……………………………

E-MAIL ADDRESS:........................................................................................

Signed……………………………………………………………………………………….Please post to: Andy Marriott, 10 Goldhill, Leicester LE2 6TQ.

Tel: 0116 2442776