Teesdale accountant made a Freeman of London in rare honour

A TEESDALE accountant now has the right to carry a naked sword in London.
Copley's Glynis Catterson has worked at S&A Builders Merchants in Barnard Castle for 15 years. Earlier this month, she became one of the few people in the North East to be recognised as a Freeman of the City of London.
The 51-year-old was invited to join the Worshipful Company of Builders Merchants in 2015 and her time with the builders’ Livery Company led to her freeman nomination.
“It’s a real honour,” said Mrs Catterson.
“To be honest I did not know a lot about livery companies and the City of London until I was approached a year and a half ago – it takes a long time to go through the process. I now have the right to carry a sword and I cannot be arrested for being drunk and disorderly within the City of London – I won’t try that one out though.”
Mrs Catterson works as a finance director on Harmire Enterprise Park and represents S&A at various events.
A private ceremony with the Chamberlain and Beadle of the City of London saw her handed a handwritten certificate as a mark of her new stature. She said: “I did not want the certificate framed but it is handwritten on sheep vellum which is incredibly expensive.
”I thought it was just a photograph on a bit of paper, so now I understand why I need to get it framed.”
The tradition of merchant freemen and livery companies dates back to the 13th century. London’s medieval guilds evolved into livery companies and corporations which were responsible for training and workmanship standards in their respective trades.
Illustrious names bestowed with the Freeman honour include Florence Nightingale, JK Rowling and Nelson Mandela.
The mother-of-two was made a Freeman of the building merchants livery company in June and was awarded her London status after passing background checks.
“A lot of people think of London as big but the City of London itself is small and part of the original city,” she explained. “I do the next stage in October when I go to another ceremony.”
Mrs Catterson added that her livery company did a lot of charity work and still had a role to play in modern times.
“We are trying to set up training programmes so youngsters come in and see it as a proper career rather than as something people fall into by accident,” added Mrs Catterson. “It helps people in the industry who might have fallen on hard times – it’s a good thing to be involved in and gives a lot back.”