Why a Gen Z Londoner can graze sheep on land in the Welsh valleys

Why a Gen Z Londoner can graze sheep on land in the Welsh valleys 8 hours ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Miriam Barker BBC Wales Caleb Tutt Caleb travelled from London to a hilltop in Wales to claim his birthright Caleb Tutt's life looks much like that of many Gen Z professionals in London - rent, student debt and a routine shaped by commutes and convenience food. But there is one thing that is very different. He has the right to graze livestock on common land - a 680-year-old honour - in Llantrisant, a town in south Wales 160 miles (257km) from where he lives. Freemen can graze animals on the land owned by them , which in this case is Cymdda Bach and Brynteg. Caleb, 24, remembers having the conversation about the freemanship with his dad when he was growing up, who explained he inherited the historic title from his grandmother's mining family and would be be able to attend a ceremony to celebrate his birthright. "I wasn't 100% sure what it was, but in my mind it would look something like a grand coronation with ermine cloaks and gold," he said. He had forgotten about it all and, as Covid hit in 2020 when he went to university, the freemanship "fell by the wayside slightly as life got in the way". So, when dad James messaged him out of the blue about his ancient right to look after animals on the land, it was "like finding a fiver down the back of the sofa". "All of a sudden here's something eccentric, albeit materially meaningless, that I could do." Caleb Tutt Caleb's grandfather Roger (pictured) was his grandmother Gwen's husband, and it was through Gwen's family that he and his siblings inherited the freemanship Growing up in the home counties, Caleb said it was "painfully obvious to everyone within a few metres of me that I'm English". But he is entitled to be a freeman of Llantrisant through his grandmother Gwen as he is "descended from coal miners from Senghenydd and housewives from Pontypridd", and is related to an existing freeman. "I think being able to trace my family back to that small hilltop town and the surrounding land is something I didn't appreciate until I was right there," he said. "Being able to go back to the room on the hilltop where my Welsh ancestors wrote their name in the exact same book was pretty emotional, even for someone like me who's kind of cynical at the best of times. "I think that's the charm of the freemanship. It isn't a lordship with swanky estates or privileges. It is literally the right to graze on a patch of grass in south Wales." Caleb Tutt Caleb, his siblings, and 20 others became freemen in May In his head, Caleb thought it would be like Anne Hathaway in the Princess Diaries - being swept up in meetings with dignitaries and having his inheritance read to him from a scroll. He admits that, even if he wanted to graze livestock, he wouldn't know where to begin. "I think deep down I knew that I only stood to gain the right to graze a sheep or two in a country I don't live in, but I didn't have m