“HOMELAND” ACTOR DAMIAN LEWIS JUST HERDED SHEEP ACROSS THE SOUTHWARK BRIDGE IN LONDON
If you’ve ever watched “Band of Brothers,” “Homeland,” or “Wolf Hall,” then you probably already have name recognition for the actor, Damian Lewis. But in real life, it’s quite possible that he’s a little stranger than fiction. Or, maybe, more interesting. Because above you see him herding sheep across Southwark Bridge. And while that’s pretty random these days, there’s a pretty good reason why he’s there, even though he lacks the biblical shepherd beard. Even better, it marks some rather old medieval English tradition, and this is one that fortunately has nothing to do with the Royal Family.
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DRIVING SHEEP INTO LONDON TOLL FREE IS A TRADITION GOING BACK TO MEDIEVAL TIMES
So back to the medieval tradition. Back in those said times, anyone with the honorary title of “Freeman of the City” included the right to bring livestock across the river and into the market without paying any tolls. And it seems that there is some interest in keeping us all minded of the tradition. And Damian Lewis was one of just a few thousand people that were granted the honorary Freeman title, and the pretty rare chance to herd livestock like sheep across the Thames on the Southwark Bridge. And no, there are still no tolls involved.
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THE NOW ANNUAL LONDON SHEEP DRIVE WAS REVIVED JUST 15 YEARS AGO, NOW A MAJOR FUNDRAISER
The event happened on Sunday, at the now annual London Sheep Drive. Many of the Freeman attending wore black hats and red cloaks. But Damian Lewis opted to wear his grandfather’s wool coat whole carrying a crook to herd the sheep across the Southwark Bridge. The Freeman there that day were there to memorialize the tradition of the Worshipful Company of Woolmen, which is a trade guild that goes all the way back to the 12th Century. The tradition of driving sheep or other livestock fell out of practice a long time ago. But the tradition was revived 15 years ago, and the annual event now raises major funds for charity.
Fortunately, some other Freeman traditions will stay un-revived, like carrying an unsheathed sword in public, and having an escort home if drunk. But I don’t know, maybe that last one could still be useful.
