Join Murray Craig to hear light-hearted stories from his 25 years admitting famous figures to the Freedom of the City of London.

Murray Craig was the Clerk of the Chamberlain's Court between 1997 and 2022, only the 37th Clerk since 1294. This unique role involved conducting the ancient ceremony of admitting people to the Freedom of the City of London. During his time in office Murray admitted over 43,000 people. While many were associated with Livery Companies, there were also many famous and influential figures from the world of politics, Royalty, film and TV, sport, the clergy, military and literature including Morgan Freeman, Joanna Lumley, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Prince Edward, JK Rowling, Bob Geldof, Dame Judi Dench, Tony Adams, England Cricket captains Alastair Cook, Andrew Strauss and Michael Vaughan, Theresa May, Joshua Leakey VC and Luciano Pavarotti.

In this talk, Murray will discuss his memories of these high-profile ceremonies.

About the speaker:

Murray Craig holds a BA in History from Queen Mary, University of London, and is a member of the City of London Guide Lecturers Association. Murray is an experienced lecturer and accomplished after‑dinner speaker, and also a member of six Livery Companies.

What to expect:

The talk will last approximately 50-60 minutes followed by Q&A.

IMPORTANT: This talk will be taking place in-person only at The London Archives.

About The London Archives:

The London Archives is a free public archive focusing on the history of London, from 1067 to the present day. We preserve and share millions of historical manuscripts, maps, photographs, books which tell the story of the city.

You can find us in central London in Clerkenwell, close to Farringdon Station - details on our Getting to The London Archives webpage.

Description supplied by the event organiser.