Oxlade Family History
"Dwellers in the Valley of the Oaks"
Freedom of the City of London
London} To Whit} James Oxlade of No 5 Fredericks Street ......... City of London was admitted was admitted into the Freedom aforesaid and made the Declaration required by Law in the Mayoralty of Sir George Henry Wilkinson ... Mayor and Sir Adrian Donald Wilde Pollock KEMG Chamberlain and is entered in the book signed with the Letter ... relating to the purchasing of Freedoms and the Admissions of Freemen (to wit ) the 5th day of December in the 4th Year of the reign of King GEORGE vi and in the Year of our Lord 194o. In WITNESS whereof the Seal of the Office of Chamberlain of the said City in hereunto affixed Dated in the Chamber of the Guildhall of the same City the Day and Year abovesaid.
James Oxlade's (1875-0000) daughter Hilda Sarah Elizabeth Oxlade, the wife of William Bell said that her father was able to purchase the Freedom with the Recommendation of two other Freemen, as he was a long time resident of London.. The photo-copy of the Freedom and information about it was kindly made available by Kathleen Lavis of Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk the widow of James Oxlade's son, Charles Richard Oxlade ( 18 Oct 1917 - .
James Oxlade was born 16 August 1875 in Newcastle on Tyne the son of Jesse Oxlade and Sarah Ann Thomas. Jesse and Sarah Ann married in 1872 in Newport, Glamorgan, Wales where he was a Driver in the Royal Artillery. By 1881 the family were living with Major William Newsome of the Royal Engineers at 9 Belle Grove Tce, Newcastle on Tyne.
Jesse Oxlade was born in 1844in Bradenham, Buckinghamshire, England the son of William Oxlade and Mary Benning, probably a descendant of the Brickmaking Oxlades.
Freemen
Freeman in Oxford (as elsewhere) were by and large tradesmen or craftsmen such as fishermen, bargemen, fishmongers, leather workers, millers and so on.. A man could become a freeman in three main ways: by serving as an apprentice to a freeman; by buying his freedom or by being the son of a freeman. Historically being a freeman was quite important as it allowed a man to practice his trade and vote at elections. To a great extent it is an honorary position these days but it did and does have some perks. For instance in Oxford a Freeman has the right to graze the cattle on Port Meadow which is a large area of open common land by the River Thames and on the west side of Oxford. No doubt similar rights obtained in other towns and cities.
Chris Hicks Bookbinder of Oxford
The Freemen or Burgesses of Oxford are first recorded in the 11th century. Some or all of them became the members of the town's Merchant Guild by about 1100. The Merchant Guild gradually took over the functions of local government and its officers were chosen from among the Freemen. Only the Freemen, known also in Oxford as Hanasters or Hannisters, were permitted to practise their trade within the town and only they could vote at elections. The earliest volume of records helped to establish who was, in fact, a Freeman and no doubt it played a key role in protecting the Freemen's interests. As late as 1827, the City was happy to spend £700 prosecuting a non-Freeman for holding a sale of china in Oxford! However, the number of admissions declined considerably after 1835 when the Municipal Corporations Act swept away exclusive trading privileges and widened the franchise to non-Freemen. Admission to the Freedom was generally by patrimony, that is by being the son of a Freeman, or by serving a full apprenticeship to a Freeman. Manypeople also became Freemen by Act of Council, usually on payment of a fee.* The practice of granting Honorary Freedoms developed further during the 17th century and several historically important persons were so honoured. Thenumber of such honours declined sharply after 1835; there are only 20 names between 1900 and 1982. The Corporation which developed out of the old Merchant Guild kept detailed records of Admissions to the Freedom and Apprenticeship Registers from the early 16th century. The Registers of Freemen or Hanasters provide the Date of Admission, the Name of the Freeman, the name and occupation of his Father, and (where the Freedom had been obtained by Apprenticeship) the name and occupation of the Master. A typical entry in the Apprenticeship Registers includes the name of the Apprentice, the name, occupation and place of origin of the Father, the name, occupation and domicile of the Master, and the date of Indenture and Enrolment. These important documents,and the original index volumes, are preserved in Oxford City Archives; they may be seen by appointment at Oxfordshire Archives. A year or so ago, I made an Index of the Freemen of Oxford 1663-1997. This is available on fiche from Oxfordshire Family History Society - The fiche of the Freemen of the City of Oxford (Index and Listing 1663-1997) - e-mail Hkearsey @aol.com for details.
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