List of lord mayors of London Facts for Kids

This page is about the mayors and lord mayors of the City of London. For a list of mayors of Greater London, see List of mayors of London.

John Boydell, the Lord Mayor of London in 1790

This page lists all the important leaders of the City of London Corporation, known as the Mayors and later the Lord Mayors of London. They are like the "first citizens" of the City of London.

Before 1354, the leader was simply called the Mayor of London. After that, the title changed to Lord Mayor of London. These leaders are usually chosen on September 29th, a day called Michaelmas Day. However, they don't officially start their job until the second week of November. So, the year they are elected isn't always the main year they serve.

In 2006, the longer title "Lord Mayor of the City of London" was sometimes used to avoid confusion with the separate role of Mayor of London (who leads the wider Greater London area). But the official and most common title is still Lord Mayor of London.

Mayors of London (Before 1354)
- Early Mayors (Before 1300)
- Mayors in the 14th Century (Before 1354)
Lord Mayors of London (After 1354)
See also

Mayors of London (Before 1354)

These leaders were called "Mayors" before the title changed to "Lord Mayor." Each person was also part of a "livery company", which were like powerful trade groups or guilds in London.

Early Mayors (Before 1300)

Here are a few examples of the early Mayors of London. They played a big role in shaping the city.

Term	Name	Livery Company	Notes
1189–1212	Henry FitzAilwin	(Draper)	London's very first Mayor. He served for a long time!
1214	Serlo le Mercer	(Mercer)	Served five times in total.
1231–1237	Andrew Buckerell	(Pepperer)	Served seven terms.
1274–1280	Gregory de Rokesley	(Goldsmith)	Served eight terms in total.

Mayors in the 14th Century (Before 1354)

The Mayors continued to lead London through the early 1300s.

Elected	Name	Livery Company	Notes
1301–1307	Sir John le Blund	(Draper)
1308	Sir Nicholas de Farndone	(Goldsmith)	Served four times.
1319	Sir Hamo de Chigwell	Fishmonger	Served seven times.
1330–1331	Sir John de Pulteney	(Draper)	Served four times.
1347	Sir Thomas Legge	Skinner	He later became the first Lord Mayor.

Lord Mayors of London (After 1354)

From 1354 onwards, the leader of the City of London was known as the "Lord Mayor." This title showed their increased importance.

Lord Mayors in the 14th Century

The first Lord Mayors took office in the mid-1300s.

Elected	Name	Livery Company	Notes
1354	Sir Thomas Legge	Skinner	The very first Lord Mayor of London.
1356	Sir Henry Picard	(Vintner)
1374	Sir William Walworth	Fishmonger	Served two terms.
1377	Sir Nicholas Brembre	Grocer	Served four terms.
1397	Sir Richard Whittington	Mercer	Famous for his story, he served four times!

Lord Mayors in the 15th Century

Many important figures served as Lord Mayor during the 1400s.

Elected	Name	Livery Company	Notes
1406	Sir Richard Whittington	Mercer	His third term as Lord Mayor.
1419	Sir Richard Whittington	Mercer	His fourth and final term.
1445	Sir Simon Eyre	Draper
1457	Sir Geoffrey Boleyn	Mercer	Grandfather of Anne Boleyn.
1482	Sir Edmund Shaa	Goldsmith

Lord Mayors in the 16th Century

The 1500s saw many Lord Mayors from various livery companies.

Elected	Name	Livery Company	Notes
1501	Sir John Shaw	Goldsmith
1514	Sir George Monoux	Draper
1537	Sir Richard Gresham	Mercer	Father of Thomas Gresham.
1549	Sir Rowland Hill	Mercer	He helped publish the Geneva Bible.
1583	Sir Edward Osborne	Clothworker

Lord Mayors in the 17th Century

The 1600s included times of great change for London, like the Great Fire.

Elected	Name	Livery Company	Notes
1605	Sir Leonard Halliday	Merchant Taylor
1619	Sir William Cockayne	Skinner
1641	Sir Richard Gurney, 1st Baronet	Clothworker
1665	Sir Thomas Bloodworth	Vintner	Lord Mayor during the Great Fire of London.
1674	Sir Robert Viner, 1st Baronet	Goldsmith

Lord Mayors in the 18th Century

The 1700s saw London grow as a global city.

Elected	Name	Livery Company	Notes
1708	Sir Charles Duncombe	Goldsmith
1712	Sir Richard Hoare	Goldsmith	A famous banker.
1740	Humphrey Parsons	Grocer	Served two terms and died in office.
1762	Sir William Beckford, MP	Goldsmith	Served two terms.
1790	John Boydell	Stationer	A well-known engraver and publisher.

Lord Mayors in the 19th Century

The 1800s brought new challenges and changes to the role of Lord Mayor.

Elected	Name	Livery Company	Notes
1815–1816	Sir Matthew Wood, 1st Baronet	Fishmonger
1832	Sir Peter Laurie	Saddler
1855	Sir David Salomons, 1st Baronet	Cooper	The first Jewish Lord Mayor.
1884	George Nottage	Spectacle Maker	The last Lord Mayor to die while in office.
1885	Sir Robert Fowler	Spectacle Maker	The last Lord Mayor to serve more than once.

Lord Mayors in the 20th Century

The 1900s saw the Lord Mayor's role adapt to modern times.

Elected	Name	Livery Company	Notes
1902	Sir Marcus Samuel, 1st Baronet	Spectacle Maker	He founded the Shell Transport and Trading Company.
1915	Sir Charles Wakefield, 1st Baronet	Haberdasher
1938	Sir Frank Bowater, 1st Baronet	Girdler
1953	Sir Noël Bowater, 2nd Baronet	Vintner	From a family with several Lord Mayors.
1983	Dame Mary Donaldson	Gardener	The first female Lord Mayor of London.

Lord Mayors in the 21st Century

The Lord Mayors continue to represent the City of London today.

City of London coat of arms

Elected	Name	Livery Company	Notes
2003	Sir Robert Finch	Solicitor
2013	Dame Fiona Woolf	Solicitor	The second female Lord Mayor.
2019–2020	Sir William Russell	Haberdasher	He served for two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
2023–2024	Michael Mainelli	World Trader	He was the first American-born Lord Mayor.
2024–present	Alastair King	Mason	The current Lord Mayor.

List of lord mayors of London facts for kids

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