Henry le Walleis

Last updated

Henry le Walleis (sometimes spelled le Waleys) (died 1302) was a 13th-century English politician and Mayor of London. [1] His origins are obscure; he was an outsider to London and may have been Welsh by birth. After making his fortune in the wine trade, he became an alderman in 1269 and sheriff in 1270. [2] As alderman, he represented the ward of Cordwainer. [3] He went on to serve five terms as mayor.

Henry's career was marked by strong support for King Edward I, whom he served as an advisor. In his first term as mayor, in 1273, Henry acted against prior mayor Walter Hervey, who had led a populist movement that nearly resulted in a revolt coinciding with the death of King Henry III. Walleis had Hervey's sheriffs arrested for corruption and persuaded the aldermen to annul the charters Hervey's movement had fought for, before bringing Hervey himself up on numerous charges for his actions as mayor and bailiff. He was succeeded as mayor by his political ally, Gregory de Rokesley. In 1275, Edward I appointed Henry as mayor of Bordeaux, and Henry also served as a diplomat to both France and Scotland over the next two decades. [4] He also was appointed as one of the planners (along with Thomas Alard) of the city of Winchelsea. [5] Henry returned for three more years as mayor from 1281 to 1283, after years of increasing discontent among the citizens of London. In 1282, he established the Stocks Market, where fishmongers and butchers could sell their wares, with the rents going towards the maintenance of London Bridge. [6] [7] He also, in 1283, had a series of shops built along Paternoster Row which would later become a center of the London publishing trade. [8] In 1298, he was elected to his fifth (and final) term as mayor.

Henry married Joan, daughter of Adam de Basing, a previous mayor of London. His son, Augustine le Waleys (sometimes referred to as Augustine de Uxbridge), served as Warden of the Mint for King Edward II. [9] Henry died in 1302, leaving a significant bequest to the Poor Clares and Franciscans.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walter de Merton</span> Bishop and Chancellor of England (c. 1205 – 1277)

Walter de Merton was Lord Chancellor of England, Archdeacon of Bath, founder of Merton College, Oxford, and Bishop of Rochester. For the first two years of the reign of Edward I he was - in all but name - Regent of England during the King's absence abroad. He died in 1277 after falling from his horse, and is buried in Rochester Cathedral.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Walworth</span> Member of the Parliament of England

Sir William Walworth was an English nobleman and politician who was twice Lord Mayor of London. He is best known for killing Wat Tyler during the Peasants' Revolt in 1381.

Sir John Lovekyn was a City of London fishmonger who was three times Lord Mayor of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Barton</span> Member of the Parliament of England

Sir Henry Barton was twice Lord Mayor of London in the 15th century.

Joan Butler, Countess of Carrick was an Irish noblewoman, and the wife of Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick, Justiciar of Ireland. She was the mother of James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormond.

Waleys is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:

Augustine Steward, of Norwich, Norfolk, was an English politician.

Sir Richard Lyons (1310–1381) was a prosperous City of London merchant, financier, and property developer, who held a monopoly on the sale of sweet wine in London, during the 14th century. He was a Privy Counsellor, an Alderman of the City, and a member of the Worshipful Company of Vintners, and served as both as Sheriff of London and MP for Essex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Bodrugan</span> Member of the Parliament of England

Sir Henry de Bodrugan was a Cornish landowner, knight and politician.

Sir Thomas Cooke was an English merchant and Lord Mayor of London.

Adam de Basing was a 13th-century English politician and Mayor of London. The scion of a London political family, he was the son of alderman Peter Basing and grandson of an earlier mayor, Salomon de Basing. Adam was a draper who supplied the household of Henry III, for which he was rewarded with several pieces of property in the Bassishaw and Milk Street areas. He served as sheriff in 1243/1244, alderman from 1247 - 1260, and mayor in 1251/1252. He married a woman named Desiderata and they had at least one son, Thomas de Basing, who entered the wool trade but died young. Another of their children, Joan, married Henry le Walleis, who would later serve five terms as mayor of London. Basinghall Street in London is named after his family.

Walter Hervey was a 13th-century English Lord Mayor of London. He was elected mayor in the waning days of the reign of Henry III, while the heir apparent was away on a crusade in the Holy Land. At the time of his election, there was an ongoing rivalry between the common citizens of London and the city's aldermen. The aldermen proposed Philip le Tayllor as the new mayor, but a large portion of the citizenry installed Hervey as mayor over their objections. During his term, Hervey signed charters for the various crafts, in effect creating an early form of trade unions. After his term as mayor was ended, Hervey was succeeded by Henry le Walleis. Walleis, along with his political ally Gregory de Rokesley, nullified the charters. Although Hervey attempted to rally his followers to preserve the charters, his efforts were in vain. With royal backing, Henry le Walleis had Hervey formally arraigned on a variety of charges, and ultimately Hervey was hounded out of his office as alderman and forbidden to ever again take part in the governance of the city. After this, there is little record of Walter Hervey, other than that he had a daughter, Anne, who married Thomas Woodchurch.

Sir Robert Chichele was a 15th-century English merchant and Lord Mayor of London.

Nicholas de Farndone was a 14th-century English goldsmith and politician who served four non-consecutive terms as Mayor of London.

Andrew Aubrey was an English merchant and politician, who served three terms as Lord Mayor of London during the reign of Edward III.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Fresshe</span> John Fresshe, Mayor of London 1394–95

John Fresshe was a citizen, alderman, and Mayor of London in the latter years of the fourteenth century. A merchant by trade, he was a member of the Mercers' Company, a medieval London trade guild, and has been described as one of London's "leading citizens at the end of the century".

Sir William Hampton was an English Lord Mayor of London and a member of parliament. He died childless and left his estate to Alice Hampton, vowess and benefactor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicholas Sotherton</span> English politician

Nicholas Sotherton, of Norwich, Norfolk, was an English merchant and politician.

Sir John Woodcock was an English merchant and politician. He held several offices over the course of his life, including Lord Mayor of London, and exercised considerable influence during the reigns of both Richard II and Henry IV. One of the richest Londoners of his time, he lent large sums to both those rulers.

Hamo de Chigwell was an English merchant and politician. He served seven terms as Lord Mayor of London, between 1319 and 1327. He was a controversial figure, described by a contemporary alderman as "the vilest worm that had been in the City for more than twenty years", and played a role in the struggle for power between King Edward II and Queen Isabella.

References

  1. ↑ "Lord Mayors of the City of London from 1189" (PDF). www.citybridgetrust.gov.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 9 June 2014.
  2. ↑ Williams, Gwyn A. "Medieval London" pg. 245
  3. ↑ Loftie, William John "A History of London" pg. 159
  4. ↑ Röhrkasten, Jens "The Mendicant Houses of Medieval London, 1221 - 1359" pg. 421
  5. ↑ Abercrombie, Patrick "Early Urban Planning, Vol. 8" pg. 50
  6. ↑ "Dictionary of London, "Stocks Market"" . Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  7. ↑ Riley, Henry Thomas "Chronicles of the Mayors and Sheriffs of London AD 1188 to AD 1274" pg. 173
  8. ↑ Griffiths, Jeremy, and Pearsall, Derek "Book Production and Publication in Britain, 1375 - 1475" pp. 92 - 94
  9. ↑ Ruding, Rogers "Annals of the Coinage of Britain and Its Dependencies" pp.387 - 388
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.