Freemen of the Metropolis of Dublin
In an outline on the web site of the Dublin City Library and Archives, which hosts a database of data for freemen of the town of Dublin, freedom of the town previous to the twentieth century was described as primarily citizenship. Instituted within the thirteenth century, “freemen had the correct to vote, have been exempt from many tolls and taxes and had the responsibility to take up arms to defend the town when it was below assault”.[1]
The vast majority of freemen have been admitted from the guilds of Dublin metropolis. Guilds have been an affiliation of tradesmen or retailers, not dissimilar to a commerce union. The guilds fashioned the premise for the federal government of the town, the Metropolis Meeting, which grew to become Dublin Company following the Municipal Company Reform (Eire) Act in 1840. Guild members grew to become freemen and will then be elected as sheriffs, aldermen and lord mayor of the town.
Almost half of all freemen have been admitted ‘by service’, which meant the completion of an apprenticeship in one of many Dublin commerce guilds. Within the registers and rolls of freemen, admission ‘by service’ has the designation ‘S’. Nonetheless, there have been additionally different means by which one could possibly be admitted. Freemen have been admitted by delivery, as the kids or grandchildren of freemen. These entries have the designation ‘B’. Admission was additionally granted by marriage ‘M’ to sons-in-law of freemen. The Dublin metropolis meeting may additionally grant admission by Grace Especial ‘G.E.’ or ‘sp.gr’ or ‘Gr.’, which was typically conferred as an honour, however individuals who weren’t members of a commerce guild, corresponding to attorneys or clergymen, may additionally apply for admission below this class. Others may additionally achieve admission by cost of a payment or ‘Positive’ ‘F’ or by act of Parliament and eventually, by presentation of a pair of gloves to the Lord Mayor’s spouse, the Woman Mayoress ‘GL’ or ‘Gloves’.
Data of the Freemen of the Metropolis of Dublin
Data of the freemen of the town of Dublin date from the fifteenth century. The primary set covers the interval 1461-1491 and 1564-1774 and have been revealed on-line by the Dublin City Library and Archives. This assortment is a database drawn from two sources. The primary is a transcript from the unique Freedom Registers made by Gertrude Thrift in 1919. The second are the ‘beseeches’, unique software kinds for admission as freemen. The database will be searched below first title, surname, occupation, technique of admission and interval of admission, making it attainable to determine the entire jewellers or weavers admitted between 1634 and 1734 or all those that have been admitted by Grace Especial or Act of Parliament. Every entry is linked to a picture of the Thrift transcript or the beseeches.
The earliest reference to the title Bridgeman on this assortment is for Joseph Bridgeman, granted admission at Christmas 1727, a Protestant dealer who was admitted by ‘A.P’, Act of Parliament. This was an Act of Parliament handed in 1662 to help protestant immigration and facilitated the admission of Huguenots and Quakers who had settled in Dublin metropolis. Was Joseph Bridgeman an immigrant to the town of Dublin and the primary of the Bridgemans to settle right here? Sadly, we have been unable to attach Joseph with Damien’s Bridgeman ancestors for Who Do You Suppose You Are?
The Freedom Rolls or Registers of Admission from 1774 as much as 1918 can be found for analysis within the Dublin Metropolis Library and Archive. The rolls or registers, as with the transcripts by Thrift, range in what’s recorded. The early rolls will be fairly temporary recording the date of admission, title of the freeman, occupation and the way they have been admitted; by delivery, marriage, service, and so on. Within the case of the admission of those that accomplished an apprenticeship, the title of their grasp was additionally recorded. The register through which Damien’s ancestors seem, and which seems within the episode of Who Do You Suppose You Are?, start in 1841, document extra particulars; title, residence, addition (occupation/commerce), date of admission, by what proper (delivery, marriage, service, and so on) and the title of the particular person from whom proper is derived (in instances of admission by delivery, marriage or service) and the date of admission of particular person from whom proper is derived.
The books are organized alphabetically by the primary preliminary of the surname after which chronologically.
Within the entry for Frederick Bridgeman, he was described as a grandson of William Bridgeman who himself was admitted in Midsummer 1771. Six of Frederick’s siblings or cousins, all grandchildren of William, have been admitted on the identical day, 4th December 1841, with numerous addresses and occupations. Sadly, William doesn’t seem within the rolls for 1771, that are revealed on-line. One other William Bridgeman seems in 1777, however he was not the grandfather of Frederick.
An earlier quantity of the Freedom Rolls held within the Dublin Metropolis Library and Archive, 1820-1841, is barely much less detailed, this quantity of Freedom Rolls recorded the particular person admitted, their commerce or occupation and their proper of admission, signified by the initials outlined above.
There are additionally data of Freemen of the Metropolis of Dublin revealed on-line at www.findmypast.ie. The data cowl the interval 1774 to 1824 and embody virtually 6000 males who have been admitted. It is a printed transcript of the Freedom Rolls for this era, which was by no means revealed, and has now been listed and digitised.
Which means that it’s attainable to determine admission data for freemen of the town of Dublin on-line from 1461 to 1824, with a spot between 1491 and 1564, utilizing two totally different databases. For entries after 1824 it’s essential to undertake a guide search of the admission registers within the Dublin Metropolis Library and Archive.
Be taught Extra
The Dublin Metropolis Library and Archive, additionally maintain beseeches, functions for freedom, from 1648 as much as 1839. The beseeches as much as 1774 are included within the on-line database, described above and the rest will be accessed within the Dublin Metropolis Library and Archive.
As a set of data, the Freedom rolls are of immense worth to anybody researching a Dublin metropolis household, significantly a household who could have been guild members. Figuring out entries for admissions by delivery can hyperlink a number of generations of a household and maybe set up their arrival within the metropolis or the primary apprentice in a household to a specific commerce.
After all these lists don’t characterize the whole inhabitants of the town of Dublin. Roman Catholic’s have been excluded from about 1603, when the Oath of Supremacy was launched, though between 1685 and 1690, in the course of the reign of James II, a Catholic may receive freedom, so long as they swore allegiance to the king. With the introduction of the penal legal guidelines within the 1690s, Catholics have been as soon as once more excluded till Catholic emancipation within the nineteenth century. In actual fact, the admission of Frederick Bridgeman and his siblings and cousins in December 1841 was the primary admission of Roman Catholics following emancipation.
Sources:
Murphy, Sean, ‘The Company of Dublin 1660-1760’ in Dublin Historic Report, Vol. 38, No. 1 (Dec 1984), pp. 22-35
[1] Dublin Metropolis Library and Archive Web site: http://databases.dublincity.ie/freemen/about.php
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