John Green, a member of Beaumaris Probus, has recently had the privilege of being inducted as a Freeman of the City of London. This appointment is a unique part of London’s history to which many people who have lived or worked in the City have been proud to be admitted. The Freedom is offered to individuals by the City of London Corporation to help celebrate significant achievements or to pay tribute to an individual’s outstanding contribution to the City of London.  Recipients come from a broad spectrum of sectors which focus on the City’s expertise in areas including finance, law, art and engineering.

John is a former International President of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators, the leading UK and international professional body for the oversight of corporate governance, based in London. The Institute, at its annual Guildhall Dinner, recorded its gratitude for, and appreciation of John for his leadership of the Institute and its Members in the UK and internationally during his Presidential year and term as Chairman of the Institute’s International Professional Standards Committee.

There are several rights traditionally but apocryphally associated with being a Freeman of the City of London, dating back to its inception around 1237. The right to drive sheep and cattle over London Bridge, the right to a silken rope, if hanged, and the right to marry free of charge at St Paul’s Cathedral. If the City of London Police finds a Freeman drunk, they will bundle him into a taxi and send him home rather than throwing him into a cell! While sheep have occasionally been driven over London Bridge by Freemen to raise funds for charitable organizations, these privileges are now effectively symbolic.

Members of Beaumaris Probus were able to enthusiastically share John’s and Diana’s celebration of his induction, which was held via video from the Chamberlain’s Court in London, when they joined the Club’s Tastes Dinner at the Mid Valley Restaurant, after the ceremony.