Celebrating 10 years of Women Freemen– Part Two

Since the last issue of the Freemen magazine, we have managed to track down the remaining original 10 women who were sworn in as hereditary Freemen of Newcastle Upon Tyne at the Easter Guild on 12 April 2010.

Professor Ruth Plummer (Bricklayer)

“I was delighted to be one of the first group of women to be sworn in as Freemen. The work of the Freemen of the City was part of family life throughout my childhood. My father was a member of the Stewards Committee for years, and I had been with him and the rest of the family to social events such as the Town Moor opening ceremonies. Working also at the “Freeman Hospital” for more than 20 years, Sir Leonard had kept me updated with progress of the Beverley Bill, a step my father was also strongly in favour of. Historically, my company is the Bricklayers, Wallers and Plasterers. I have also become a member of the Scriveners Company, as my father was involved when this was re-energised - so it felt right to join”

Maureen Brien (Joiner) –

“I was very surprised when I was invited to be one of the first women Freemen, the build up to the event itself was a mixture of nerves and excitement; on the day I just knew my dad would be have been so proud. Since then, I have been going to the yearly meetings at the Guildhall on St Peter’s day and I’m now a Junior Steward. My father Joseph William Carr and his brothers Harry & Jack Carr (sons of William Armstrong Carr) were all sworn in on the same day 1 February 1947. My cousin John Carr was made a Freeman when he was 22 in 1968 - he was also a Steward. It was lovely to see my cousins: June, Sandra and Fiona being sworn in on the same day 19 July 2010”

Beverly Heron (Ropemaker)

“I felt really privileged to be one of the first 10 ladies to be sworn in. I had been closely following the progress of the Beverley Bill with my father, who sadly passed away just days after the bill went through the House of Commons.

The day itself was nerve wracking, but also a very proud moment to be part of history and a Freeman of the city I love. I love family history and found an old newspaper cutting from when my father was sworn in during 1959 – something I will treasure always. Whilst tracing my family tree back to the 1700’s, I discovered that my great, great, great grandfather’s occupation was Ropemaker on the 1861 census. My eldest daughter was sworn in during 2017 and I’m looking forward to seeing my youngest daughter get sworn in next year when she turns 20.

Maureen Bell (Weaver)

Our 10th and final lady from the original 10 to be sworn into the Freemen sadly passed away in March this year, but her daughter Maureen Laydon (nee Bell) kindly stepped in to tell us more about this wonderful lady and her love of the Freemen: “I attended the ceremony on the day my Mother was made one of the first women Freemen. It was a real family affair with her son John, son-in-law Les, daughter-in-law Susan and her grandchildren also attending. We were all so very proud of her and went for a celebratory meal that evening. My Mother had researched her family history and was very proud of her heritage and her Geordie roots. Her father and uncle had both been Weavers, but as neither of them had sons, the family tradition would have died with them; so she was over the moon when she was contacted and informed that due to the change in legislation, she could become a Freeman. My Mother’s family going by the name of Skirving, actually fought the Scots and defended Newcastle; my Mother was married to a wonderful Scotsman John Bell, who moved to Newcastle when they married in 1957 and he loved the City as much as his wife. Our family have become quite involved in the Freemen over the last 10 years. At the earliest opportunity myself and John (my brother) both became Weavers too. Tragically, John was killed in an accident at work in 2014 which devastated the whole family. John has three children, Sophie, James and Daniel who will carry on in his footsteps with the Freemen as soon as they are old enough. My two daughters, Sarah and Lauren are now Freemen, and they in turn have children, Elena and Seb [Maureen Bell’s great grandchildren], who we hope will eventually become Weavers too. My Mother was a junior steward and thoroughly enjoyed attending meetings at the Guildhall. In later years, she found that her health and mobility were preventing her from attending as many meetings as she would have liked, so in 2019 aged 82, she stepped down from the position, but was delighted when her granddaughter Lauren, took on the role of steward in her place. My grandfather, James Skirving became a Freeman on 24 February 1937, he was also a steward in the company of Weavers and we have all seen his lovely copperplate writing in our company ledgers. His father and grandfather had also been Weavers with the family name “Skirving” going back over many decades. To become a Freeman was considered by my Mother and her family to be a great honour. We have a beautiful city with a rich, cultural history, beautiful buildings and unique areas like the Town Moor that should be protected, cherished and passed on to future generations. The Weavers was a small company, with sometimes only a couple of members attending annual meetings, however, thanks to passing of the Beverly Bill, our numbers have dramatically increased and now we have a new generation waiting in the wings to continue with this wonderful tradition”