Believe It or Not: Damian Lewis Will Drive Sheep Over The Southwark Bridge

“As a proud London Welshman, playing the drover and driving my sheep, as if from Llandeilo, across The Thames, will be a career highlight. Can’t wait”.

Well, I don’t know if Damian has been waiting for this day to come but I certainly have since…

…the day he received the Freedom of the City of London honour in recognition of his achievements as an actor in March 2013 at London’s Guildhall.

Freedom of the City of London is one of the oldest surviving traditions still in existence today. The first Freedom is believed to have been granted in 1237. According to Wikipedia, being a “free man” in old times came with certain privileges, varying from the right to drive sheep and cattle over London Bridge to carrying a naked sword in public.

Here is how Damian reacted to be granted the Freedom of the City of London honour.

“It’s remarkable, I’m still surprised. I wasn’t quite sure if they’d got the right person so I’m very happy to be here. It’s a rare occasion.” – Damian Lewis

BBC reported that Damian mourned these “privileges” are today effectively symbolic:

“I’ve got a flock in my garden in Tufnell Park but I wasn’t allowed to bring them down.”

Well, it seems these “privileges” are not as symbolic as Damian thought.Here is an image of Stephen Fry who liberally used his privilege to walk his sheep across the London Bridge…

…and GUESS WHAT?

Damian is getting ready to exercise his ancient privilege September 29! Here is the announcement by Sheep Drive London on Instagram

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A post shared by @sheepdrivelondon

Now, we do not know about our guy’s skills in driving sheep, but we know about his skills in drawing sheep from when Tsvete gave him a copy of the Little Prince in Manchester! Remember the first exchange between the Little Prince and the narrator?

“If you please–draw me a sheep!”

“What!”

“Draw me a sheep!”

And he does.

Joke aside, a Freeman’s ancient “right” to bring sheep to market over the Thames is celebrated these days to raise funds for The Woolmen Charity and The Lord Mayor’s Appeal. Southwark Bridge is hosting the Sheep Drive this year. The event is the second largest in London, after the Lord Mayor’s Parade.

Freedom of the City of London honour which gives Damian the exclusive privilege of walking his sheep over the Thames, toll free, is today a recognition of lifetime achievement or international standing. And, it should feel great to receive such an honour from “your city” which you think is the “greatest city in the world!”

And Damian seemed quite thrilled about being recognized as a Freeman of London  🙂

“It’s the most extraordinary honour to be offered the Freedom of the City of London – the city that I have grown up in, and love, more than any other. I’m very, very proud to be associated with it.”

He talked about some historical family connections to the city:

“Four previous lord mayors were related to me – my great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather and a great-uncle, and my grandfather. They started out as girdlers. They’d probably be making Spanx now if they were around today.”

“My grandfather was a Haberdasher, one of the Great Twelve Guilds, and I trained at Guildhall in the Square Mile. For over 700 years, merchants, financiers and actors – to name but a few – have lived and worked here ‘cheek by jowl’ and this illustrates just what diversity there is in the City of London. I’m very, very proud to be associated with it, and to be recognised in this way.”

When Damian received the Freedom of the City of London honour in 2013, he was indeed related to four Lord Mayors. But now that Damian’s brother Sir William Russell served as the 692nd Lord Mayor of London between 2019 – 2021, he is related to five.

Given his family’s historical connections to the City of London, it is no wonder that Damian is participating in this fantastic event this year. We cannot wait for him to play the drover and raise funds for the charity. And we wonder whether he will exercise his ancient “right” to carry a naked sword one day 😀

Now, I imagine some fans in London would love to be there (honestly I’d be dying to go but I can’t!)  London Sheep Drive seems to be an invitation-only event. Note that Damian is the celebrity guest at the event but a thousand other Freemen will also walk their sheep on the bridge. Thus, access is restricted to registered and pre-booked Freemen and their guests. Since it is the second largest event in London, only after the Lord Mayor’s Parade, we are quite sure there will be media coverage. So please watch damian-lewis.com for news coverage, stills and videos on September 29!

Author: Damianista

Academic, Traveler, Blogger, Runner, Theatre Lover, Wine Snob, Part-time New Yorker, and Walking Damian Lewis Encyclopedia :D Procrastinated about a fan's diary on Damian Lewis for a while and the rest is history! View all posts by Damianista