Ancestry: London Freedom of the City Admissions, 1681-1925

[Koromo]

Images of the London Freedom of the City Admission Papers, 1681-1925 were uploaded by Ancestry yesterday:

http://search.ancestry.co.uk/search/db.aspx?dbid=2052

"This database contains papers associated with application for "Freemen" status. Historically, Freedom papers go back to royal charters granted for the privilege to market, trade, or conduct business. Livery Companies (which originated in guilds) are associations of craftsmen whose members can earn Freemen status and who regulated their trade by controlling wages, labor conditions, and admission by apprenticeship. When an individual is granted Freedom papers they are made "Free of the City of London."

It includes apprentices' indentures for the earlier years (~ 18th century) which complements the UK Register of Duties Paid for Apprentices' Indentures, 1710-1811 put up three months ago.

[Chusty]

Just had a quick look and found one of my 'names'
Richons Revell son of Wicoli.

Wicoli is clearly Nicoli (Nicholas)

Do the transcribers not have any training in eg Latin versions of names?
If I was transcribing and saw what looked like Wicoli, I would have a second look and use a bit of commonsense. I do understand the importance of not making assumptions, but better to put Nicoli and allow a searcher to see that and think 'Ah that could be Wicoli', rather than the reverse.

[smudwhisk]

There is a big gap for these after Sept 1682 and before May 1688, does anyone happen to know whether the are definately missing or whether this is an ancestry gaff by any chance? 

Irritatingly one of my ancestors who is down on both his son's freeman admittances as a citizen and dyer doesn't appear and I suspect it's probably because he will have been admitted between these dates.  As May is a common surname and I can't find anything to definately confirm his father is who I think it is (which would make them four generations of citizens and dyers if it is correct), I was hoping a freeman paper might just confirm it.  Typical really.

[Koromo]

This pdf from the City of London Records Office (LMA) suggests the records are not complete:

1681-1940: City Freedom admission papers, comprising 2,884 monthly bundles of documents, covering
all types of admission,

with a few gaps (mostly in the 1680s and 1770s-1780s) in the series.[/list]

http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/nr/rdonlyres/155d63ec-c7bf-4b8f-b7d2-9574c07fe071/0/cityfreedom.pdf

K.

[smudwhisk]

Hi Koromo

Thanks for that, for some reason I missed that when was looking yesterday.  Typical really, I'll have to hope the Dyers Company records contain something to confirm what I'm looking for.