Burgess of Edinburgh

A Burgess of Edinburgh is an individual who has been granted a Burgess ticket in the City of Edinburgh, Scotland. Historically to be a Burgess was to be a 'free man' or 'citizen' of the Burgh, who could own land (known as a Burgage), contribute to the running of the town, and was not under the jurisdiction of any feudal lord.

With the transition of economic dominance from feudalism to the Mercantile economy in the medieval era, it also brought with it the right to join the Merchant Company or Incorporated Trades, who held exclusive right to trade, or practice a craft, within the city. Given the eventual power of the Merchant Company and Incorporated Trades it was therefore essentially impossible to conduct business in Edinburgh without having been granted a Burgess ticket. The Merchants' Company and Incorporated Trades also sat within the Town Council, and so to be a Burgess was to also be able to partake in the politics of the city. The burgesses' exclusive trading rights were abolished in 1846, and the Merchants and Incorporated Trades were de-coupled from the council in 1973.

Today, the Burgess-ship of Edinburgh is still awarded, but no longer carries many substantive rights, taking on a predominantly prestigious ceremonial function. The word "Burgess" also lives on in Edinburgh institutions and place names, such as The Royal Burgess Golfing Society of Edinburgh or Burgess Road. Provided by Wikipedia