For this month’s ‘Document of the Month’ feature we are examining more about just what made a Royal Burgh special. The inhabitants were known as ‘Burgesses’ and there were rules governing who could qualify as a Burgess. The benefits to the citizens of becoming a Burgess were numerous including the ability to vote for the local Council and to trade within the Burgh boundaries without having to pay customs. Burgess status also created advantages for traders.
When the Royal Burgh of Stirling was created early in the twelfth century, all the people who held land within the Burgh boundaries would have been granted the status of Burgess. Burgess status gave them certain privileges. As well as holding their property within the Burgh directly from the King as their feudal superior, they were allowed to vote to choose the Councillors and Magistrates who administered the burgh. The majority of these people were well to do landowners, and their Burgess status also gave them the right to trade within the town. Traders from outside the area were permitted to buy and sell but only at the Burgh Market, and once they had paid the appropriate dues to the Town Council.
During the Mediaeval period, the right to become a Burgess was passed down the male line from father to son, and to those who married the daughter of a Burgess who became Burgesses by right of their wife’s father. After a few centuries, it became apparent in Stirling that the pool of Burgesses was dwindling, and it was evident to the Council that there was money to be made through selling the right to become a Freeman of the Town. As a result of discussions on the issue in 1563, the Council decreed that it would accept people as Burgesses if they lived in the Town and were able to pay forty shillings or two pounds Scots to the Burgh for admission. This was quite a lot of money at the time, indicating that the Council were interested in attracting wealthy and influential individuals into the community.
All admissions as Burgesses had to be made formally by the Town Council and were then recorded in the minute books along with the administrative decisions taken by the Council. These records have been indexed and can be very useful for family historians.
Entry for the admission of Donald Capbell, Saddler in 1778 
Entry for the admission of John Ferguson, Weaver in 1778
Burgesses were often also members of the Merchant Guildry of Stirling or one of the Incorporated Trades. There will be a further blog post about these institutions and their links with the Burgh and other local organisations later in the year. The records of their admission as Burgesses are usually found around the same date in the Council minutes as they are in the minutes of the Guildry or of the relevant Trade Incorporation. Often the minutes record the name of the individual’s father, which can be useful for family history research.
The Council also granted Honorary Burgess status to people who had performed a service to the Burgh or distinguished themselves in some other way. The conferring of this status was initially recorded in the Burgh minutes, but later a separate register of honorary Burgesses was kept.
Honorary Burgess register
When a Burgess was admitted to the Freedom of the City they were expected to take an oath, the form of which dated back as far as the reign of King Robert the Bruce. The ancient wording of this oath was sworn by the recipient and was then followed by him kissing the Provost and, if he was a Member of the Guildry, kissing those Guild brothers present.
Register of Burgesses with oath 1770s 
Register of Burgesses with oath 1920s
Each new Burgess was issued with a certificate, known as a Burgess Ticket, indicating that they had been admitted as a Burgess.
Burgess ticket of Captain James Forrest, 1794
In the case of Honorary Burgesses, this document was usually offered in an ornate box or casket.
Burgess casket presented to the Princess Elizabeth, 1947
When all of the Royal Burghs of Scotland were abolished in 1975, the successor body, in this case Stirling District Council, was permitted to continue honouring individuals by the granting of the status of Freeman under the provisions of the Local Government (Scotland) Act, 1973. This has continued to be the case for the current Council after the local government reorganisation of 1996. Since 1975, the Council has honoured five individuals and organisations in this way, as follows:
• 43 (Fighter) Squadron 4th June 2005.
• Lieutenant Colonel Francis William Saunders MBE, ERD 11th July 2008
• Mr Irvin Iffla 3rd April 2009.
• Royal Regiment of Scotland 10th March 2012.
• Mr Andrew Murray OBE 23rd April 2014.
Andy Murray’s Burgess certificate, April 2014
