FREEMAN

one who is not a slave. In early society there was a sharp distinction between freemen and slaves, this being the case in Greece and Rome, as well as among the AngloS axon and other Teutonic tribes, the freemen forming the fighting and governing cla . Gradually, as slaves became free, the distinction disappeared. In England a serf or villein could, among other ways of winning it, obtain his freedom by residing for a year and a day in a chartered town. By the end of the 15th century serfdom had entirely disappeared in Britain, and the word freedom had lost its special meaning. In other European countries the same proce took place, but at a slower rate. The word freeman was then used in England for a man who had the right to take part in the government of the city or borough in which he lived. These privileges were greatly abused and in 1835 they were swept away, the municipal corporations being reformed. London, however, was an exception, and there freemen still remain and take part to a slight extent in the city’s government. This freedom is usually obtained by heredity, or by apprenticeship, although the latter is only nominal, and all freemen are members of one or the other of the city companies. A third kind of freeman came into existence in the 19th century. These are men of distinction, such as a Prime Minister or a leading soldier, who are given the honorary freedom of 578 FREEMAN a city or borough, now a popular way of recognising distinguished services to the state.