AS A lad in north London, I did not need to wait for a pantomime to encounter Dick Whittington. Although we lived on the outskirts, my parents had lived nearer Highgate; so, as a child, I was taken to see the small “cage” wherein sat Dick’s mythical cat, just outside Whittington Hospital; the famous rhyme went with it:

Turn again, turn again, turn again Whittington —
Three times Mayor of London.

Michael McCarthy’s book sensitively dispels the myth of the cat, but hazards guesses about the myth’s origins; he also reminds us that Richard Whittington was four times Lord Mayor of London. Don’t be put off by the small fount and volume of pages: it is an excellent read; McCarthy has great style. As you proceed, you learn of so much more — not just of Whittington, although you learn a great deal about him.

Contrary to popular legend, Whittington did not grow up a pauper, but came from lesser gentry in the Forest of Dean village of Pauntley. Born in 1354, a younger son, he decided to make his way to the capital, probably in 1369 or 1370. Arriving there, he was apprenticed to the Mercer Sir Ivo Fitzwarin, in Leadenhall. This, in itself, assured the 15-year-old lad a good start, both through Fitzwarin’s patronage and through his induction into the Mercers’ Company, still today the richest of the London livery companies. Whittington had great ability and was clearly personable. He ascended through the heights of the company, eventually becoming Warden at least twice.

His intelligence was such that he spread his dealings broadly, becoming a significant trader in wool, when wool was perhaps the most important of all commodities. From there, he built up reserves and effectively became a banker, offering loans time and again to three successive sovereigns: Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V. Being banker to the King could be a dangerous vocation, but Whittington negotiated the financial currents with great skill.

The King imposed him as candidate for the mayoralty on the first occasion, and he was elected on three later occasions. He enjoyed much popularity. The King also made him his Clerk of Works in the City: a post, we learn that had earlier been held by one Geoffrey Chaucer. McCarthy’s book offers many surprises. It would make an excellent Christmas read.
 

The Rt Revd Stephen Platten is a former Bishop of Wakefield.

Citizen of London: Richard Whittington — The boy who would be Mayor
Michael McCarthy
Hurst £25
(978-1-78738-791-1)
Church Times Bookshop £22.50