DICK WHITTINGTON

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Richard Whittington made his initial fortune as a mercer; in 1395-6, 1401-2, and 1408-9 he served as the Warden of the Company. Rather than invest his profits in property, he chose to become active as a moneylender. From 1388 onwards he was making large loans to Crown, sometimes as an individual and sometimes as a member of a group. One of the benefits of this was that it enabled him to have a degree of influence with King Richard II, who at the time was trying to exploit accusations of misgovernment that had been made against the City in order to try to advance the Crown's own interests in relation to it. In 1397 the presiding Lord Mayor of London died in office. The monarch appointed Whittington to the post. Within days the new Lord Mayor had negotiated a deal whereby, in returning for a payment of 10,000, the City regained its full liberties. Whittington also served as Lord Mayor in 1406-7 and 1419-20.

In the 15^thC the trustees of Whittington obtained a charter from King Henry VI that enabled them to establish both an alms house and a College of Priests. The two were located near to St Michael Paternoster in College Hill and became known as Whittington College. At the Reformation, the College of Priests was suppressed. However, the alms house continued under the name of Whittington College. In 1808 the institution moved to Highgate Hill and in 1970 to East Grinstead, Sussex.

Website: www.mercers.co.uk/our-role-as-corporate-trustee

Dick Whittington's Cat

The earliest known source for the tale of Dick Whittington is the play The History of Richard Whittington (1605). A key part of the dramatic work's plot is that Whittington made his fortune during one particular voyage. On this, he arrives in an eastern kingdom that is suffering from a plague of mice. Dick has his cat and therefore is able to rid the domain of the rodents and so wins the favour of the potentate. There is one central aspect that is wrong with this story. Through the annals of history, successive varieties of domestic cats have travelled westwards not eastwards. It is possible to date the arrival of cat types in Britain.

Location: Highgate Hill, N19 5NE

See Also: CATS; FOLK TRADITIONS Urban Legends

David Backhouse 2024