Dick Whittington

Dick Whittington, the hero of English folk tales and pantomime; also, as Richard Whittington (c. 1358-1423), a successful merchant, and three times Lord Mayor of London.

The legend of Dick Whittington was popularized by a ballad and play of 1605 which begin with Dick as an orphaned country boy whose only possession is a cat. Hearing that the streets of London are paved with gold, Dick journeys to London and finds work in the kitchens of a rich merchant. The cook treats him so harshly that he runs away, leaving the cat behind for his master to sell. As he reaches the outskirts of the city, Bow Bells seem to cry out:

Dick Whittington returns to discover that his cat has been sold to the King of Barbary, who is plagued by mice and rats, for a huge sum. Dick then marries the merchant's daughter, Alice, and becomes Lord Mayor as the Bells foretold.

The historical Richard Whittington was the youngest son of Sir William of Pauntley in Gloucestershire. On Sir William's death, the 13-year-old boy left for London, where he apprenticed himself to the prosperous mercer Sir John Fitzwarren (whose daughter Alice he did, indeed, marry). Richard gained influence as supplier of velvet and damasks to the Earl of Derby (who became Henry IV) and amassed enough wealth to make large loans to three successive kings of England (Richard II, Henry IV, and Henry V). In June 1397, he was appointed to complete the late mayor of London's term of office and was subsequently elected in October. He served two further terms (1406-1407, 1419-1420), and was a member of parliament in 1416. A childless widower, Whittington bequeathed a college and a hospital to the City of London.