Freedom of the City Recipients

Who has received the Freedom of the City?

The following list details the recipients since 1800.

• His Grace the Duke of Hamilton
• The Most Noble The Marquis of Douglas
• The Rt Hon Lord Archibald Hamilton
• The Rt Hon Lord Fincastle
• Major-General A J Drummond late Acting General Officer in the Western District of Scotland
• Major James Stirling of the 42nd Regiment of Foot
• His Excellency The Rt Hon The Earl of Moira, Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty's Forces in Scotland
• His Excellency Major-General Wemyss of Wemyss
• Edward Jenner, MD
• His Excellency The Rt Hon Viscount Cathcart, Commander-in-Chief of His Majesty's Forces in Britain
• Sir Samuel Hood Knight of the Bath, Rear Admiral of the White
• Archibald Campbell Esq of Blythswood MP
• James Neild Esq JP
• The Rt Hon Viscount Melville
• Edward Earl, Esq Chairman of His Majesty's Board of Customs for Scotland
• The Hon Henry Cadogan Lt-Col of the 71st or Glasgow Regiment
• Lt-Col Lewes Grant 70th (Glasgow Lowland) Regiment
• Brig-Gen John Downie Colonel of the Legion of Estremadura, Knight of the Distinguished Spanish Military Order of Merit of Charles the Third and of the Grant Cross of San Fernando
• Thomas, Lord Lynedoch
• Lt-Col Charles Cother of the 71st or Glasgow Regiment of Foot
• His Excellency Prince Nicolai Ester-Hazy General of Artillery, Captain of the Noble Hungarian Guard, Austrian Imperial Ambassador Extraordinary
• His Grace the Duke of Buckingham and Chandos
• The Most Noble George Hay, Marquis of Tweeddale KT
• The Hon Charles Douglas, Fellow of All Souls College Oxford and Member of Parliament for the County of Lanark etc
• The Most Noble Henry Fitzmaurice Pett, Marquis of Lansdowne FRS
• Alexander Thomson, Banker in Greenock
• The Rt Hon Charles, Earl Gray KG
• Monsieur Dominique Francois Jean Arago, Member of the Chamber of Deputies, Astronomer-Royal and Secretary of the Institute of France FRS, L and E
• Robert Brown LLd FRS L and E
• The Rt Hon John George, Earl of Durham
• Lord William Bentinck KCB
• The Rt Hon Sir James Graham of Netherby, Baronet
• Richard Cobden MP
• Dr Justus Liebig, Professor of Chemistry in the University of Giessen
• The Rt Hon Major-Gen Sir Henry Pottinger, Baronet GCB
• The Rt Hon Lord John Russell
• Robert Wallace of Kelly
• Lt-Gen Sir Henry Smith, Baronet
• Major-General Edward Fleming
• The Rt Hon Thomas Babington Macaulay
• The Rt Hon Viscount Palmerston, Her Majesty's Secretary of State for the Home Department
• The Rt Hon The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine KT
• Major-Gen Sir Colin Campbell GCB
• Rev Dr David Livingstone LLD
• The Rt Hon Sir John Lawrence, Baronet GCB
• The Rt Hon William Ewart Gladstone, Chancellor of the Exchequer
• His Royal Highness Alfred Ernest Albert, Duke of Edinburgh
• Sir William Thomson, Knight LLD, Professor of Natural Philosophy in the University of Glasgow
• His Royal Highness Albert Edward, Prince of Wales
• The Rt Hon Fox Maule Ramsay, Earl of Dalhousie KT GCB
• The Rt Hon Anthony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury KG DCL FRAS
• The Rt Hon Robert Lowe, Chancellor of Her Majesty's Exchequer
• The Rt Hon Benjamin Disraeli MP, Lord Rector of the University of Glasgow
• The Rt Hon Richard Assheton Cross MP, One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State
• General Ulysses Simpson Grant, Ex-President of the United States of America
• The Rt Hon Spencer Compton Cavendish, Marquis of Hartington MP
• The Rt Hon Sir William Vernon Harcourt MP One of Her Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State
• The Rt Hon Sir Stafford Henry Northcott, Baronet MP
• His Royal Highness Leopold George Duncan Albert, Duke of Albany
• The Rt Hon William Edward Forster MP
• The Rt Hon John Bright MP, Lord Rector of the University of Glasgow, sometimes President of the Board of Trade and afterwards Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
• The Rt Hon Sir John Douglas Sutherland, Marquess of Lorne PC KT GCMG
• Henry Morton Stanley
• The Rt Hon Archibald Philip Primrose, Earl of Rosebery PC LLD, Lord-Lieutenant of the Counties of Edinburgh and Linlithgow
• The Most Hon Robert Arthur Talbot Gascoigne Cecil, Marquess of Salisbury KG PC DCL, Chancellor of the University of Oxford
• The Most Hon John Patrick Crichton Stuart, Marquess of Bute KT LLD
• The Rt Hon Frederick Sleigh Roberts, Baron Roberts of Kandahar in Afganistan and of the City of Waterford GCB GCIE VC DCL and LLD
• The Rt Hon Sir George Otto Trevelyan, Baronet PC MP DCL and LLD Secretary for Scotland
• The Rt Hon Arthur James Balfour of Whittinghame PC MP DCL LLD FRS
• Field-Marshall The Rt Hon Joseph Garnet Wolseley, Viscount Wolseley of Cairo and of Wolseley PC KP GCB GCMG DCL and LLD
• The Rt Hon Joseph Chamberlain PC LLD FRS
• Her Royal Highness Princess Louise of Great Britain and Ireland Duchess of Fife
• His Grace Alexander William George Duke of Fife KT PC
• The Rt Hon Robert William Hanbury PC MP
• The Rt Hon Alexander Hugh Bruce, Baron Balfour of Burleigh KT PC His Majesty's Secretary for Scotland
• Andrew Carnegie of Skibo Castle LLD
• The Rt Hon Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman GCB PC LLD Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
• His Royal Highness George Frederick Ernest Albert, Prince of Wales KG KT
• Her Royal Highness Victoria Mary, Princess of Wales
• The Rt Hon Sir Joseph Lister, Baron Lister of Lyme Regis PC OM DCL LLD DSc MD PRS etc
• The Rt Hon Sir Archibald Campbell Campbell, Baron Blythswood of Blythswood LLD FRS
• Archibald Cameron Corbett MP
• The Rt Hon Herbert Henry Asquith, Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
• Field-Marshall His Royal Highness Arthur William Patrick Albert, Duke of Connaught KG KT etc
• Field-Marshall The Rt Hon Horatio Herbert Kitchener, Viscount Kitchener of Khartoum KP GCB etc
• The Rt Hon Andrew Fisher PC
• The Rt Hon Sir Joseph George Ward, Baronet KCMG PC MP etc
• The Rt Hon Sir Edward Patrick Morris KC PC LLD
• General The Rt Hon Louis Botha PC DDL etc
• The Rt Hon Robert Laird Borden KC PC MP etc
• Robert Graham JP DL
• The Rt Hon Augustine Birrell KC PC LLD MP
• Sir John Stirling-Maxwell, Baronet of Pollok LLD DL
• The Rt Hon William Morris Hughes KC PC MP
• Hugh Reid DL, Lord Dean of Guild
• The Rt Hon James Henry Cecil Hozier, Baron Newlands of Newlands and Barrowfield LLD, Lord-Lieutenant of the County of Lanark and Deputy Lieutenant of the Count of the City of Glasgow
• The Rt Hon David Lloyd George PC MP DCL, Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
• General The Rt Hon Jan Christiaan Smuts KC PC, Member of Legislative Assembly and Minister of Defence, Union of South Africa
• Field-Marshall Sir Douglas Haig KT GCB GCVO KCIE etc
• M. Raymond Poincaré, President of the Republic of France
• Admiral of the Fleet the Rt Hon Earl Beatty of the North Sea, Knight Grand Cross of the Bath, Member of the Order of Merit, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order, Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, Doctor of Laws etc
• The Rt Hon The Lord Viscount Grey of Fallodon KG PC DCL
• His Royal Highness Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David, Prince of Wales, Duke of Rothesay, Earl of Carrick and Baron of Renfrew KG GMMG GMBE GCVO MC
• The Rt Hon Andrew Bonar Law PC MP LLD
• The Rt Hon Archibald Douglas Campbell Baron Blythswood of Blythswood MVO DL
• The Rt Hon The Viscount Bryce of Dechmont PC OM DCL LLD FRS
• The Rt Hon Sir Joseph Paton Maclay Baron Maclay of Glasgow
• The Rt Hon George Nicoll Barnes CH PC LLD
• His Royal Highness Albert Frederick Arthur George, Duke of York, Baron of Killarney and Earl of Inverness KG GCVO
• Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria Alexandra Alice Mary of Great Britain and Ireland, Viscountess Lascelles, Colonel-in-Chief Royal Scots (Lothian Regiment) and a Lady of Justice of the Order of St John of Jerusalem in England
• Sir James Bell, Baronet CB Vice-Lieutenant and Deputy Lieutenant of the County of the City of Glasgow etc
• Sir Thomas Johnstone Lipton Baronet KCVO Grant Officer of the Crown of Italy, Grand Commander of the Serbian Order of St Sava, Lieutenant of the City of London etc
• The Rt Hon James Ramsay MacDonald Privy Councillor, Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Member of Parliament
• Sir Donald MacAllister of Tarbet, Cantire, Baronet, Knight Commander of the Bath; Commander of the Legion of Honour; Chevalier of the Crown of Italy; Deputy Lieutenant of the County of the City of Glasgow; Doctor of Medicine, of Law, of Science, of Philosphy; President of the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom; Fellow of St John's College of Cambridge; Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow
• His Royal Highness The Prince Henry William Frederick Albert, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter and Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
• The Rt Hon Stanley Baldwin DCL LLD Privy Councillor, Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury
• Her Royal Highness Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Duchess of York, Dame Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, Lady of Justice of the Order of St John of Jerusalem, Doctor of Laws
• His Royal Highness The Prince George Edward Alexander Edmund, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order and Lieutenant, Royal Navy
• The Rt Hon Sir Joseph Austen Chamberlain, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Privy Councillor, Member of Parliament, Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, Doctor of Civil Law, Doctor of Laws
• The Rt Hon Sir John Gilmour, Baronet, Privy Councillor, Companion of the Distinguished Service Order, One of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, Member of Parliament, Doctor of Laws
• Madame Marie Curie, Director of Science, Professor of Physics at the Faculty of Science, Paris; Member of the Academy of Medicine; Director of the Curie Laboratory at the Institute of Radium in the University of Paris; Licenciate of the Science of Mathematics; Doctor of Laws
• The Rt Hon William Adamson, Privy Councillor, one of His Majesty's Principal Secretaries of State, Member of Parliament, Doctor of Laws
• Sir Daniel Macaulay Stevenson, Baronet, Chevalier of the Legion of Honour, Commander of the Order of the Crown of Belgium, Officer of the Order of the Crown of Italy, Deputy Lieutenant of the County of the City of Glasgow, Doctor of Laws
• Sir James George Frazer, Member of the Order of Merit; Fellow of the Royal Society; Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge; Barrister-at-Law of the Middle Temple; Doctor of Civil Law of Oxford; Doctor of Laws of Glasgow; Doctor of Literature of Cambridge, Durham and Manchester; Doctor Honoris Causa of the Universities of Paris and Strasbourg; Fellow of the British Academy; Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh; Associate Member of the Institute of France; Commander of the Legion of Honour; Commander of the Order of Leopold of Belgium; Corresponding Member of the Prussian Academy of Science and Extraordinary Member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Science
• The Hon William Forgan Smith, Doctor of Laws, Member of the Legislative Assembly, Premier, Chief Secretary and Treasurer and Vice-President of the Executive Council of Queensland
• The Rt Hon Peter Fraser, Privy Counsellor, Prime Minister of New Zealand
• Sir William Burrell of Hutton Castle, Berwickshire Justice of the Peace for the County of the City of Glasgow
• The Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment): The Freedom of Entry into the City and Royal Burgh of Glasgow on ceremonial occasions with bayonets fixed, drums beating and colours flying, conferred upon the Colonel, Officers and other ranks of the Regiment and accepted on their behalf by Her Royal Highness the Princess Margaret, Colonel-in-Chief of the Regiment
• The Rt Hon Baron McGowan of Ardeer KBE LLD DCL
• His Royal Highness Philip Duke of Edinburgh Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter and Knight of the Most Ancient and most Noble Order of the Thistle 15.2.55
• The Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment): The Freedom of Entry into the City and Royal Burgh of Glasgow on ceremonial occasions with bayonets fixed, drums beating and colours flying, conferred upon the Colonel, Officers and other ranks of the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Margaret's Own Glasgow and Ayrshire Regiment) 12.5.59
• Sir Hector Hetherington KBE DL MA LLD D Litt D-es-L JP 19.10.61
• Mrs Anne Maxwell Macdonald 24.4.69
• Sir Isaac Wolfson Bt FRS 26.5.71
• Sir Samuel Curran MA PhD DSc LLD FRS DL Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Strathclyde 15.6.81
• Dr Benno Schotz RAS LLD Hon FRIAS BSc Artist and Sculptor 15.6.81
• Jim Watt MBE World Championship Boxer, Lightweight Division 15.6.81
• Nelson Mandela South African Prisoner and Freedom Fighter 4.8.81 (formally awarded to Nelson Mandela on 9 October 1993 at a ceremony in the City Chambers)
• Harry McShane in recognition of his services to the Labour and Trade Union Movements 21.12.84
• Kenneth Mathieson Dalglish MBE Scottish International Footballer 21.12.86
• The Very Rev George Fielden MacLeod, Baronet MC DD Lord MacLeod of Fuinary 20.5.91
• Sir Alex Ferguson Manchester United Manager 8.11.99
• Rt Hon The Lord MacFarlane of Bearsden 23.2.2007
• Billy Connolly Comedian 20.8.2010
• Her Majesty's Royal Marines 1.11.2014