A rare event took place today as Jackie Smith was granted the Freedom of the Town of Abingdon-on-Thames – the highest honour the Town Council can bestow. She was recognised as “a person of distinction who has rendered eminent service to the people of the town.” The Freedom badge was presented by the Mayor of Abingdon, Cllr Rawda Jehanli, at a ceremony today (27th September 2025) in the Roysse Room.
The Council voted unanimously to confer the honour. In his speech proposing the award, the Leader of the Town Council, Cllr Jim Halliday, praised Jackie for caring for the town archives “with professionalism, love and care.” Jackie said afterwards that she was “overcome with emotion” and had never imagined receiving such an honour.
Jackie has served as Honorary Archivist for Abingdon Town Council since 1993. For more than 30 years she has been there every week to answer questions from councillors, residents and researchers from beyond the town. She supports events such as the annual John Mason Charter Day and Heritage Open Day, undertakes specialist tasks including the Albert Park Conservation Area Appraisal, has written numerous articles for the Abingdon Herald, and prepares background briefs for councillors and local organisations. In 2008 Jackie also became archivist for Christ’s Hospital of Abingdon.
The last Freedom ceremony was held in 2019. In the photograph above, Jackie is pictured with the three women who became Honorary Freewomen in 2019: Marilyn Badcock, Julie Mayhew-Archer and Lesley Legge.
Jackie has also written books about Abingdon and is the archivist of the Abingdon Area Archaeology and History Society and is seen here with Roger Thomas and Elizabeth Drury, fellow historians from the society.
Since the honour was first conferred on John Morland in 1922, only 25 individuals and organisations have been granted the Honorary Freedom of Abingdon. (A full list is available on the Town Council’s website: abingdon.gov.uk/freedom-of-abingdon.)
A very well deserved award – well done Jackie
Yes, very well done. I did think that this was a rare honour and I would be interested to hear what the three women who got it in 2019 actually did to deserve it?
I covered that Freedom ceremony on the blog here: https://abingdonblog.co.uk/?p=23491 . All of them had served as Mayor and as councillors, as well as on other voluntary community groups, for many years. During her mayoralty Lesley Legge revived traditions such as the Boundary Walk. Julie Mayhew-Archer drove the Market Place refurbishment in 2006 and, with Town Clerk Nigel Warner, the County Hall refurbishment in 2012 – she got things done. Marilyn Badcock was likewise a highly effective, practical councillor. Jackie Smith is unusual as a Freewoman in that she never served in a political way – so all the more remarkable. Bill Liversidge, was the archivist before Jackie and was also made a freeman but he had also been the Mayor and a councillor.
Thank you. I hadn’t realised that it was – generally speaking- for political figures.