Dick Whittington: The Facts Versus the Myths
The rags to riches story of the Gloucestershire-born Dick (Richard) Whittington making his fortune in London has entertained people for centuries, particularly at Christmastime in Britain when his tale is turned into pantomimes performed in countless theatres.
We are told that the poor orphan Dick Whittington rises to become arguably the best-known Lord Mayor of London in history through perseverance, his enterprising cat, and the timely peal of the Bow Bells at London's St. Mary-le-Bow Church that he believes tell him not to turn his back on London, a city with streets "paved with gold."
Some people don't know that Dick Whittington was a real person, while others accept the theatrical version of his life as a fairly accurate biography. The 17th-century play The History of Richard Whittington, of his lowe byrth, his great fortune inspired pantomimes during the 1800s and informs the present-day offerings. The truth has been lost in folklore and embellishments.
Reality Check: Whittington Was Not a Poor Orphan
The real Dick Whittington was born in Pauntley, Gloucestershire, circa 1354. The Whittington's were part of the landed gentry, and Dick's father, Sir William Whittington, was a member of Parliament. Dick's mother was named Joan. She was the daughter of M.P. William Maunsell, a former sheriff of Gloucestershire. Dick's older siblings, Robert and William, were active in politics as adults.
As a third son, there was little hope of an inheritance, so Dick was sent to the City of London's prestigious Worshipful Company of Mercers (founded in the 12th century) to train as a merchant specialising in haberdashery.
The cat that Dick allegedly adopted on his way to London was a creation borrowed from a popular Persian story, presumably to flesh out Dick's story for theatre audiences. The story goes that he sells (or lends) the cat to his employer as a rat catcher on board one of his ships and that the employer is so impressed with the cat that he gives Dick some money and a promotion, which sets him on his path to greatness.
In truth, there has never been any evidence that Dick adopted a cat on the road to London or that a cat played a pivotal role at any stage in his life. Still, it makes for a good story.
Merchant, Money Lender and Lord Mayor of London
Dick Whittington was adept at selling wool, velvet and silk goods. His reputation and fortune rose. His client list included royals King Richard II, John of Gaunt and Thomas, Duke of Gloucester. The king's favourite Robert de Vere, 9th Earl of Oxford, Duke of Ireland and Hugh Stafford, the 2nd Earl of Stafford, were regular customers.
Dick became a money lender in 1388. Richard II took a loan from him in 1397, and in 1399 when Richard was deposed by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke (King Henry IV), he, too, was well known to Dick as the recipient of several loans.
In 1384 Dick was appointed as a councilman in the City of London, and he was later promoted to alderman. In 1393 William Staundone, the Lord Mayor of London, promoted him to the role of Sheriff of the City of London. At around the same time, Dick became a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers.
Staundone was succeeded by Adam Bamme. Bamme died in office in June 1397, and Dick Whittington was selected by King Richard II as the new Lord Mayor of London in an unprecedented step. It had traditionally been an elected role.
People's Champion, King's Trusted Servant
Dick persuaded the king to sell the governance of the City of London's lands back to the people for £10,000. Richard II had seized the lands for the crown seven years earlier. The king agreed, and Dick's popularity soared within the city—within weeks, he was elected lord mayor by the people.
In 1402 Dick Whittington married the heiress Alice FitzWaryn. The couple had no children, and Alice passed away in 1411.
Dick was reelected as Lord Mayor of London in 1406. In 1407 he served as the mayor of the Staple of Westminster, which was, in reality, the business district of Calais in France that was then in English hands.
Henry IV was succeeded by his son Henry V in March 1413. The new king employed Dick Whittington as a tax collector to monitor expenses for the ongoing building work at Westminster Abbey and as a judge for illegal loan trials.
Dick became a member of parliament in 1416; in 1419, Dick was again elected the Lord Mayor of London.
Dick Whittington Passes Into Legend
He was involved in numerous projects that were intended to benefit the City of London. He financed a home for unmarried mothers and construction work at the Guildhall. He commissioned a 128-seat public toilet known as Whittington's Longhouse and extensive drainage systems.
Dick Whittington died in March 1423. He left £7,000 (over £6 million in 21st-century values) to charities and organisations, including hospitals, libraries, Newgate Prison and several of London's almshouses.
He was laid to rest in St. Michael Paternoster Royal Church in the City of London on the south side of the altar close to Alice. In 1409 he'd paid for the reconstruction and extension of the church, and in his will, he bequeathed the funds to establish a priest college and an almshouse adjacent to the church.
His and Alice's tombs were lost during the Great Fire of London in 1666. In 1949 a search was carried out to locate the position of Whittington's remains. A mummified cat was discovered, but the cat was from the late 1600s and Sir Christopher Wren's reconstruction of the church.
Today, Dick Whittington is remembered at the Guildhall with a stained glass window and a statue. So too, is the cat synonymous with him.
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