THE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON

See Also: THE CERMONY OF THE ROSE; THE CITY OF LONDON; LIBERTY S LIBERTINE; DICK WHITTINGTON

Within the City, the Lord Mayor has precedence over everyone except the sovereign. The first mayor was Henry FitzAlwyn. He held the office from 1192 until his death in 1212. In 1215 King John bestowed upon London the right to elect its own chief magistrate. He did this in an attempt to secure the city's support for himself in his struggles with the barons. However, a few weeks later the noblemen compelled the monarch to sign Magna Carta. (John's predecessor and older brother King Richard I is reputed to have declared, If I could sell London I would. )

If an individual wishes to serve Lord Mayor s/he must be an alderman who has already been a sheriff.¹ It is the usual practice for the most senior alderman who has not served as Lord Mayor to be chosen. The Lord Mayor is usually returned from among the aldermen at the first ballot, the matter being determined by a show of hands. The vote takes place in the Guildhall. The electorate is made up of the City's liverymen. Usually, about a thousand of them participate. If the vote is close then there is a ballot. The last time that there was one was in 1894.

Each Lord Mayor holds office for a single year, from November to November.

The new Lord Mayor gives a banquet at the Guildhall that is usually attended by the current Prime Minister and various senior members of government. The occasion is often used by an invited politician as an opportunity for making a key-note speech about the state of the economy.

Website: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-us/about-the-city-of-london-corporation/lord-mayor

¹. S/he does not need to have been a common councilman.

The Lord Mayor's Procession

On the second Saturday of November, the new Lord Mayor assumes the post. In order to do so s/he travels from the Guildhall in the City of London to the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. The latter lies just outside of the Square Mile. This journey is known as the Lord Mayor's Procession. Until 2006 the Lord Mayor's coach was pulled by horses that earned their daily keep by delivering beer within the City. At the Courts, the Lord Chief Justice, the most senior judge in England and Wales, swears the official into office.

By the 2010s the Procession had come to involve several thousand people. As a result, it was about three-miles-long. Therefore, it extended over a greater distance than exists between the Guildhall and the Courts.

Location: The Royal Courts of Justice, Strand, WC2A 2LL (orange, purple)

See Also: THE CITY OF LONDON Payments To The Crown; COACHES The Lord Mayor s Coach; FOLK TRADITIONS Legends, Gog & Magog

Website: https://lordmayorsshow.london

The Company of Pikemen & Musketeers

The Company of Pikemen & Musketeers are the Lord Mayor's Guard of Honour during the Lord Mayor's procession. It is composed of older members of the Honorable Artillery Company.

Website: www.pikemen.org.uk

The State Barge

The Lord Mayor's State Barge was used in the procession for the last time in 1849.

The Mansion House

Until the 18^thC there was no official residence for the Lord Mayor. The dignitaries did their official entertaining either in livery companies halls or in their own homes. The Stocks Market was chosen as the site for the mayoralty's permanent residence and in 1739 the foundation stone of the George Dance the elder-designed Mansion House was lain. Sir Crisp Gascoyne was the first Lord Mayor to reside in the building.

The Lord Mayor has powers as a magistrate. The Mansion House has its own court room and cells. Nine of these are for men and one - the birdcage - is for women. The building s banqueting room became known as the Egyptian Hall. The room's columns were derived from the work of Palladio (d.1580) but were held to be Egyptian in character.

Location: Walbrook, EC4N 8BH (blue, yellow)

See Also: COURTS Magistrates Courts; TOWNHOUSES

Website: www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-us/about-the-city-of-london-corporation/mansion-house

S.P.Q.L.

The letters's.P.Q.L. feature in the decorations of the Mansion House.

The Silent Ceremony

On the day before the Lord Mayor's Procession the formal transfer of jurisdiction from one Lord Mayor to the next occurs in a ceremony that is held in the Great Hall of the Guildhall. During it, the incoming official is vested with a series of symbolic articles. These include a mace, a purse, a seal, and a sword. The individuals who present the objects endeavour to avoid showing any disrespect towards her/him. Therefore, they do not display their backs to her/him. This means that, once they have handed over their item, they walk away backwards. The only speech that is involved in the 90-minute-long procedure is a brief declaration that the new mayor makes. As a result, the occasion is known as the Silent Ceremony.

Location: The Guildhall, Gresham Street, EC2V 7HH (purple, white)

See Also: THE CITY OF LONDON The Guildhall

Website: www.liverycommittee.org/event/silent-ceremony

David Backhouse 2024