Freemen of the Borough & Honorary Aldermen

Freemen of the Borough

A Freedomship is bestowed on persons of distinction, who have, in the opinion of the Council, rendered eminent services to the Borough. The Council must pass a resolution by two thirds of Members voting at a specially convened meeting and the resolution should recite the particular grounds upon which the Council have come to their decision.

Details of public services rendered by the recipient should also be included. The following were granted Honorary Freemen of the Borough:

5th February 1891
Sir Robert Ropner, BART

19th February 1904
Richard Hind
Jonathan Samual

29th April 1907
Sir Frank Brown, Knt., JP

21st February 1921
Robert Bainbridge, JP

10th February 1927
Leonard Ropner JP

16th April 1931
Thomas Downey

14th February 1956
Charles William Allison OBE, JP

23rd May 1968
The Rt.Hon. Horace Maybray King PhD, MP
The Rt.Hon. Maurice Harold MacMillan FRS
George Rowland Chetwynd Esc CBE
Mrs Helen M. Bott BEM

22nd May 1977
The Light Infantry Regiment

24th July 1985
Major Edward Cooper VCJP

13th September 1991
Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Leslie Cohen, OBE, TD, CPM, JP
James Henry Cooke
Margaret Eileen Jackson MBE, JP

29th April 1999
Mary Butterwick

21st January 2009
The Rifles

8th July 2009
The Yorkshire Regiment

Honorary Aldermen

The Council can also bestow the title of Honorary Alderman on persons who have, in the opinion of the Council, rendered eminent services to the Council as past Members of the Council but who are not current Councillors of the Council.

Should an Honorary Alderman subsequently be re-elected to the Council, the title would be suspended and re-enacted following the termination of that period of elected service.

The following were awarded the title of Honorary Alderman:

On 7th September 2011
Jennie Beaumont
Ann Cains
John A Fletcher
Suzanne Fletcher MBE

On 5th September 2007
Joan Wade

On 6th September 2006
Ann McCoy (Title on hold due to re-election, May 2007, see explanation above)

On 22nd March 2006
James Henry Cooke

On 24th March 2004
Keith Dobinson

On 18th February 2004
Winifred Hodgson MBE

On 13th September 2000
Robert Dobson
James Albert Tachell

On 29th March, 2000
Derek Cooke
Kenneth William Craggs
Harry Davies MBE
John Dyson
Brian Cooper Hodgson
Dora Redican
Sydney Redican
John McKie Scott OBE, JP, MA
Sir Maurice Sutherland
Maureen Taylor MBE, JP
James Matthew Vaughan
Lawrence Wild OBE, JP
Edward Wood