The Chairman Writes

Author: Howard Crapper

The Freemen of England and Wales AGM meeting in Gloucester was a great success and thanks to our host for a memorable September weekend.

A new President was elected from Grimsby, an exciting visit to the historic docks and a colourful and musical procession to Gloucester Cathedral. The magnificent Town Crier, Alan Myatt, acted as MC at the Banquet and Marshall for the Church Parade. All this and more at the comfortable Chase Hotel where our Patron, the Earl Bathurst was most helpful, agreeable and open to new friendships.

Please contact me if you wish to join this unique association of Freemen.

The Annual Round up on Port Meadow was held on Monday 23 September on the most beautiful of mornings. As day broke, the Sheriff and City Rector, the assembled volunteer Freemen and Wolvercote Commoners, City Parks staff and Town Hall stalwarts met at Walton Well Road entrance. Julian Cooper, the head of the Parks Dept declared that we would only be counting cattle and not impounding the beasts.

This was a bit deflating but reflected the inability over recent years to secure the cattle within the compound without more help.

We set off in good order to drive the cattle toward the distant corral and with initial encouraging success. It was joy to be on the meadow and we even passed the troublesome geese without mishap. Cattle being what they are, quite suddenly took off in three directions and our optimism of impounding the cattle was lost. We had however an accurate count of the cattle and this concurred with the known numbers of 260 grazing animals.

The new paling fencing erected on the Binsey bank was viewed and we gave thanks for how successful this had proved in keeping cattle on the Meadow since it was put in place in June. The fencing will be dismantled before the winter floods and re-erected in the Spring.

Consider coming along to the Remembrance Service in November at St Giles and I dearly hope to see you all at the forthcoming Annual Dinner in December.