Mike,
At the turn of the century those granted the Freedom of a town or city were made Burgesses. The two terms were therefore interchangeable. On 2 Feb 1900, Glasgow presented the Freedom, together with associated Burgess Tickets, to 360 Volunteers and Yeomen.
Glasgow was particularly free with their presentation of Burgess Tickets, distributing them to all volunteers from Glasgow and Lanarkshire. Several ceremonies took place, including one on 21 Feb 1901 for the members of the Scottish National Red Cross Hospital, when 89 Surgeons & Orderlies were honoured. At this time, women, and thus nurses, were barred from receiving Honorary Freedoms / Burgess Tickets.
Other cities felt the presentation of the freedom to volunteers was unwarranted. Thus, Edinburgh and Aberdeen decided not to confer the honour upon their men. London only presented burgess tickets to members of the City Imperial Volunteers.
Glasgow Herald, 1st February 1900
GLASGOW CORPORATION AND THE VOLUNTEERS.
The Freedom of the City.
A meeting of the Special Committee of the Magistrates entrusted with the making of the arrangements for the entertainment of the local Volunteers who are leaving for South Africa was held yesterday. It was agreed that the burgess ticket to be granted to the men should be the ordinary burgess ticket, but the whole recommendation as to the conferring of the freedom of the city will, of course, have to be submitted to the Town Council at their meeting today. The ordinary burgess ticket entitles the dependents of the holder to benefits from certain mortifications. Each ticket costs £5 14s 6d, which is divided among the funds of the Trades’ House, the Merchants’ House, the Common Good, and the Town Clerk’s Fund, while there is a Government stamp of 5s.
Edinburgh Evening News, 3rd February 1900
THE VOLUNTEERS.
GLASGOW MEN MADE BURGESSES.
The Corporation of Glasgow last night entertained to dinner, in the Berkeley and Kent Halls, the Volunteers belonging to the various rifle battalions in the city of Glasgow and the county of Lanark and the members of the Queen’s Own Yeomanry who have enlisted for active service in South Africa. After dinner an adjournment was made to the large St Andrew’s Hall, where Lord Provost Chisholm, in presence of a large and enthusiastic audience, presented the Volunteers and Yeomen going on active service with burgess tickets entitling them to all the rights and privileges of guild brethren of the City of Glasgow. Colonel Rawlins, commanding the Regimental District, thanked the Corporation for the honour they had conferred on the soldiers. Colonel Neilson spoke on behalf of the Yeomanry. A religious service followed, in which Dr Marshall Lang, Dr A.R. MacEwen, and Principal Story took part. At the close the National Anthem and “Auld Lang Syne” were sung.
The Scotsman, 7th February 1900
THE INLAND REVENUE AND VOLUNTEERS’ BURGESS TICKETS.
A graceful concession has been made by the Board of Inland Revenue in connection with the burgess tickets which the Corporation of Glasgow presented to the local Yeomanry and Volunteers about to proceed to South Africa. Sir James Marwick, Town Clerk, wrote to the Board narrating the circumstances, and suggesting that payment of the stamp duty of 5s on each of the 360 tickets should not be extracted. He has now been informed that the Board has received the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s authority to stamp documents free of charge. A saving of £99 is thus effected to the Corporation.
North British Daily Mail, 20th February 1900
GLASGOW CORPORATION AND VOLUNTEERS.
Presentation of Freedom.
Prior to the ordinary business of the Corporation yesterday the service section of the 1st Lanark Engineers Volunteers were presented with the Freedom of the City of Glasgow and the Burgess Tickets connected therewith.
Dundee Courier, 16th February 1901
THE DUNDEE VOLUNTEERS.
A meeting of the Magistrates of Dundee was held yesterday to consider the question of presenting burgess tickets to the additional members of the 1st (City Rifles) V.B.R.H. and 3rd (Dundee Highlanders) V.B.R.H. who are to proceed to South Africa to reinforce the Black Watch.
Sir Tomas Thornton, the clerk, submitted letters from Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh, and London in regard to what these municipalities are doing or intending to do. It appeared from the letters that Edinburgh and Aberdeen had never presented any burgess tickets to volunteers and did not intend to do so, although Glasgow had presented the burgess tickets to volunteers. With regard to London, the burgess ticket had only been presented to the battalion of Yeomanry [C.I.V.] that had been raised and sent out to South Africa, and to no other volunteers, and that as the Yeomanry [C.I.V.] battalion had now been disbanded, there would be no more burgess tickets issued to any volunteers.
After full consideration, the Magistrates decided to recommend the Town Council to present the Dundee volunteers with burgess tickets similar to those presented to the detachment which left in January 1900.
The number of volunteers, including officers, to receive the Freedom of the City is 48.
..
