The Honorary Freedom of the Borough of Douglas is the highest honour the Council can confer on an individual (or in some cases, a military body) as an acknowledgement or appreciation of their outstanding contribution or service to the Borough and the Isle of Man.
As the sole local authority in the Isle of Man with borough status, Douglas is the only one that can confer the Honorary Freedom of the Borough.
The power to do so is contained in the Local Government Act 1985, an Act of Tynwald, but it had existed for many years in former legislation.
The power was first exercised in 1924 when the Right Honourable the Earl of Derby was honoured in recognition of his war service and his part in creating the Douglas war memorial. Since then the honour has been bestowed on 34 occasions.
Among the honorary freemen are Field Marshal the Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Norman Wisdom and, more recently, the Bee Gees and Manx-born world cycling star Mark Cavendish/
Recipients of the Honorary Freedom of the Borough:
|
Date Granted |
Recipient |
|---|---|
|
1924, 29th May |
Rt. Hon. the Earl of Derby, K.G., P.C., G.C.V.O.,C.B. |
|
1926, 28th April |
Mr. Alderman John Thomas Faragher, J.P. |
|
1929, 23rd July |
Sir Hall Cain, K.B.E., C.H., J.P., O.O.L. |
|
1930, 29th October |
Mr. Alexander Robertson, O.B.E., J.P. |
|
1932, 20th July |
Mr. Alderman Robert Corlett, J.P. |
|
1948, 13th May |
Field Marshall the Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, K.G., G.C.B., D.S.O. |
|
1950, 13th April |
Mr. Alderman James Henry Skillicorn |
|
1955, 7th July |
Royal Air Force Station, Jurby |
|
1956, 27th September |
His Honour Sir Percy Cowley, C.B.E. |
|
1957, 23rd July |
Rt. Hon. Sir. Winston Churchill, K.G., O.M., C.H., F.R.S., M.P. |
|
1964, 10th September |
Mr. Alderman John Crellin Fargher Mr. Alderman Alfred James Teare, M.B.E., J.P. |
|
1975, 22nd May |
Mr. Alderman Robert Fletcher Quayle, J.P. Mr. Alderman William Bowman Kaneen Mr. Alderman Thomas Douglas Lewis, O.St.J., J.P. Mr. Alderman Thomas Albert Corkish |
|
1985, 22nd April |
Sir William Alexander Moore |
|
1986, 29th April |
Mr. Alderman Cyril Simpson Mr. Alderman Frederick Ernest Griffin |
|
1989, 5th May |
Mr. Frederick Douglas Buxton |
|
1994, 28th January |
Mr. Norman Wisdom |
|
1998, 20th February |
His Honour John William Corrin, C.B.E. |
|
2001, 15th August |
Mr. Ernest Ackary His Honour Henry William Callow, C.B.E. |
|
2003, 9th April |
Sir Charles Kerruish, O.B.E. Mr. Geoff Duke |
|
2005, 18th March |
Mr. Councillor Inkerman Albert Faragher Mr. Frederick Andrew Kennish |
|
2007, 11th July |
Mr. Councillor George Robert Chatel, M.B.E. Mr. Alfred Duggan |
|
2008, 18th August |
Mr. Mark Cavendish The Bee Gees |
|
2012, 14th March |
Mr Geoffrey Friend Karran MBE |
|
2016, 5th February |
Mr Hector Duff |
|
2018, 21st September |
Mr Councillor David William Christian MBE JP |
His Worship the Mayor Michael Gelling (2009-2010) with Honorary Freemen Inkerman Faragher, the late Robin Gibb, the late George Chatel MBE, the late Sir Norman Wisdom, the late Geoff Duke OBE and Barry Gibb.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many times has the honour been awarded?
Freedom of the Borough is very rarely conferred with only 34 recipients since 1924.
What does it entitle the freeman to?
The honour does not confer any rights upon the Freeman. However, the conferring of the title of Honorary Freeman is the highest honour that a council of a city or borough can bestow. A Freeman of Douglas Borough Council also receives a permanent record of the extraordinary esteem in which he is held by the Council and the people of Douglas, in the form of a framed, sealed and illuminated address, recording the resolution of the Council, featuring a unique illustration by a local artist (most recently Colleen Corlett) of aspects of the recipient’s life and work.
Mark Cavendish receives his award in 2008 from the then Mayor Councillor Ritchie McNicholl, JP.
