Richard Martin (Lord Mayor of London) facts for kids

Sir Richard Martin was an important English goldsmith and a key person at the Royal Mint. He also served as a top leader in London, like a Sheriff and twice as the Lord Mayor, during the time of Queen Elizabeth I. He passed away in July 1617 in London.

Sir Richard Martin's Early Life and Career

Richard Martin was likely born around 1534. We know this from a portrait made in 1562, which said he was 28 years old then.

He became a full member of the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths in 1558. This was one of the important craft guilds in London. He was also chosen as an alderman for different parts of London from 1578 to 1602. In 1581–1582, he served as the Sheriff of London.

Martin was made a knight in 1588 or 1589. He became Lord Mayor for part of 1589 after the previous mayor died. He led the Goldsmiths' Company from 1592 to 1593. He served a second time as Lord Mayor from 1593 to 1594. He also held other important jobs, like being in charge of Christ's Hospital, a famous school.

Martin also invested money in some exciting adventures. He helped fund Sir Francis Drake's famous trip around the world from 1577 to 1580. He also supported Drake's expedition in 1585–1586 to challenge Spanish ports.

Working at the Royal Mint

By 1572, Martin was the Warden of the Royal Mint. This meant he was in charge of making sure the mint worked correctly and that the coins were of good quality. He made sure the right amount of pure metal was used for gold coins.

There was a disagreement between Martin and John Lonison, who was the Master of the Mint. Martin believed Lonison had made mistakes. Important people, including Queen Elizabeth's advisors, looked into the matter. They decided that Martin had acted correctly and was just doing his duty to the Queen.

In 1582, Martin himself became the Master of the Mint. He held this important job until he died in 1617.

Making and Selling Silver Items

Sir Richard Martin was a skilled goldsmith. He made and sold many beautiful silver items. In 1583, he supplied silver items for the Queen's kitchen. One special item was a large, gilded cup with a lid. It was decorated with animals like snakes and frogs and had a stag on top. This cup was admired by visitors to the Tower of London. It was later given as a gift at the baptism of Prince Henry in 1594.

He also provided silver items for Mary, Queen of Scots. This included a silver-gilt bowl with a lid in 1585, which had a pattern of fish on it.

In 1589, Martin supplied silver items, silks, and other goods worth a lot of money to Queen Elizabeth. She gave these as gifts to James VI of Scotland for the arrival of his wife, Anne of Denmark. Some of these silver items were later given to Danish officials. In 1591, Martin and Hugh Kayle supplied Queen Elizabeth with more silver items. Some were for New Year's Day gifts, and others were for christening gifts.

Martin also helped track down stolen silver. In 1597, a thief stole silver items belonging to Queen Elizabeth from Theobalds House. Martin helped find the people who bought the stolen silver. A successful goldsmith named John Williams was Martin's apprentice in 1584.

Family Life

Richard Martin married Dorcas Ecclestone sometime before 1562. They had a silver medal made with their portraits to celebrate their marriage. A famous artist named Steven Corneliszoon van Herwijck designed the medal.

Richard and Dorcas had five sons and one daughter. Both Richard and Dorcas were interested in religious reform in England.

Their country house, later known as Lauderdale House, was built for them in 1582.

Their son, Captain John Martin, was an adventurer. He commanded a ship called the Benjamin under Sir Francis Drake in 1585–1586. Later, John Martin became a leader in the Jamestown Colony in Virginia in 1607. He owned a large piece of land there called Martin's Brandon Plantation.

Another son, also named Richard, worked with his father at the mint from 1599 to 1607.

Their daughter, Dorcas, married Sir Julius Caesar. He later became an important government official under King James I.

Later Life

Sir Richard Martin held two important jobs at the Royal Mint for many years: Warden and Master. In 1597, he sold his Warden job to Sir Thomas Knyvet.

Martin and Knyvet later had disagreements about money. Martin was even put in prison for a short time because of these money problems. This led to him being removed from his alderman position in 1602. The disputes continued for several years.

In 1608, Martin was asked to help test silver ore from Scotland. He sent a report to the Earl of Salisbury about the silver.

Sir Richard Martin died in July 1617 and was buried in Tottenham Church. He was said to be nearly a hundred years old when he passed away. His wife Dorcas had been buried in the same church in 1599, and his son Richard in 1616.