On Monday 9th January 2023, The Right Reverend Damien Mead, Rector of St Augustine’s Church, Painters Forstal, Nr Faversham, Kent, was honoured to receive the privilege of the Freedom of the City of London at the Court of the Chamberlain in the Guild Hall. The ceremony, which dates back to 1237, was presided over by the Deputy Clerk to the Chamberlain’s Court assisted by the Court Beadle.
The approval for Bishop Mead’s nomination was given on 8th September 2022, the day of the late Queen’s death, by the Court of Common Council. Bishop Mead wishes to express his thanks to Dr Craig Paterson and Bishop Robert Todd Giffin, Liverymen of the City of London, for their kind nomination.
Bishop Mead told the Deputy Clerk, who was very interested to hear about the work that the bishop’s fostering agency, Credo Care Ltd, does with disabled children and young people, that the real “stars” deserving recognition were the phenomenal carers and staff who work with his fostering agency.
Steeped in long-held tradition, and believed to have been first presented in 1237, the Freedom of the City of London is one of the oldest surviving traditional ceremonies still in existence. Since the mid-1800s the Freedom of the City of London has been granted as a ‘honour’ by a general resolution of Common Council. The Freedom of the City of London is open to a wide section of society, and includes many notable dignitaries and celebrities who have achieved success, recognition, acknowledgement, or distinction in their chosen field.