he concept of the Burgess oath belongs - Aberdeen City Council

ecognition of Burgesses as citizenswilling to accept publicresponsibilities goes back a longway. This is exemplified in the earliestRoyal charters granting them exclusiveprivileges, in return, of course, fortheir support, especially in financialterms.It was necessary, therefore, thatBurgesses possessed the means, as wellas the willingness, to meet theseresponsibilities and be capable ofguarding not only local laws andcustoms but also the burgh itself.By definition, Burgesses were burghcitizens, involved in many aspects ofbusiness and trade, but not everyinhabitant became a Burgess. Employeeswere excluded, as were women, eventhose who ran their own businesses.Fishermen, clergy and lawyers similarlyfound no place in the ranks of themedieval Burgesses, all of whom had topay a fine, an entry fee, to the TownCouncil which went towards theCommon Good.A new Burgess took the oath to respectand further the economic interests of theburgh, to pay the King’s taxes and todefend the burgh against its enemies ­the medieval formula of liability to payScot and lot, watch and ward. Each newBurgess had to present a weapon to theburgh’s armoury and, as a mark ofacceptance in the community, had to payfor a feast for the Provost andCouncillors.So, it is easily seen how it was that onlycertain citizens were regarded as eligibleto be admitted as Burgesses.