Freedom of the City is an honor bestowed on esteemed members of the community by a number of commonwealth nations. The practice dates back to a Roman military privilege that allowed especially loyal or trustworthy military units to enter the city under arms.
Of interest is The Freedom of the City of London which comes with some interesting apocryphal rights including:
- The right to herd sheep over London bridge
- The right to go about the City with a drawn sword
- The right to be hung with a silken rope if ever convicted of a capital offence
- Immunity to being press-ganged
- The right to be married in St Paul's Cathedral
- The right to be buried in the City
- The right to be drunk and disorderly without fear of arrest.
The evidence that these rights were honored in the past is shaky, but they are interesting none the less.
