Mayors of Canterbury (Kent)

Canterbury was granted a City Charter in 1448 which gave it the right to have a mayor and a high sheriff. The city's web site records that

King Henry VI decreed that the City should be "of one Mayor and one commonalty, wholly corporate for ever". The first Mayor elected under Royal Charter was John Lynde. The responsibilities of Mayors have diminished over the years. They were once in charge of keeping the peace, serving as Chief Magistrate and presiding over the local lawcourt. This caused problems as the Mayor could be asked to chair sessions without experience or knowledge of law. The Justices of the Peace Act of 1968 decreed that Mayors were no longer entitled to sit as magistrates by virtue of their office alone.^[1]

A complete chronological list of Bailiffs (1380–1447) and Mayors (1448-1800) is given in Edward Hasted, The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent, vol. 12 (1801) pp. 603–611, available online from British History Online, page 63714.
Names not otherwise referenced in the listed below are taken from this source.

Contents 1 Chronological list of Mayor of Canterbury 1.1 Fifteenth century 1.2 Sixteenth century 1.3 Seventeenth century 1.4 Eighteenth century 1.5 Nineteenth century 1.6 Twentieth century 2 References

Chronological list of Mayor of Canterbury

Please help to fill gaps in this list.

Fifteenth century

1448 : John Lynde[1] 1449 : William Benet 1450 : Gervas Clifton or Clyfton.[2] 1451 : Roger Rydle 1452 : John Mullynge 1453 : John Mullynge 1454 : John Wynter 1455 : Wm. Bonnington 1456 : Richard Prat 1457 : Philip Belknap (deceased) 1457 : William Bolde : notary; possibly a relative of Dom William Boolde [or Bolde], Benedictine monk at the Cathedral priory.[3] 1458 : Roger Rydle 1459 : John Wynter 1460 : Roger Rydle

1461 : William Bygge 1462 : John Frennyngham 1463 : Thomas Forster 1464 : William Sellowe 1465 : Hamon Bele 1466 : John Harnell 1467 : William Bygge 1468 : John Frennyngham 1469 : Roger Rydle 1470-1471 : Nicholas Faunt : publicly executed in the Buttermarket for High Treason[2][4] 1471 : Roger Brent 1472 : Roger Brent 1473 : John Bygge 1474 : John Bygge 1475 : John Whitlok 1476 : Roger Brent 1477 : Thomas Atwode 1478 : Hamon Bele 1479 : Thomas Atwode 1480 : Thomas Atwode

1481 : Richard Carpynter. 1482 : Nicholas Sheldwich 1483 : Nicholas Shelwich 1484 : William Sellowe 1485 : John whitlok 1486 : Thomas Atwode 1487 : Stephen Barett 1488 : William Ingram 1489 : John Crysp 1490 : John Carlille 1491 : John Swan 1492 : Thomas Propchaunt : Thomas Propchant, grocer, became a freeman of the City in 1463.[5] 1493 : Edward Bolney 1494 : Edward Bonley 1495 : Thomas Atwode 1496 : Stephen Baret 1497 : Henry Gosebortne 1498 : Thomas Sare 1499 : John Plompton 1500 : William Atwode

Sixteenth century

1553 : John Twyne : headmaster of the newly reconstituted King's School in 1542, later elected as Member of Parliament for Canterbury.[2] 1572 : James Nethersole : deposed by order of Queen Elizabeth I for forgery.[2] 1572? : William Fisher[2] 15?? : Joseph Colfe : brother of Rev. Isaac Colfe, Six Preacher of Canterbury Cathedral.[6]

Seventeenth century

• 16?? : Edward Nethersole : married the widow of Richard Hooker (1554–1600).^[7]
• 1605 : Sir Peter Manwood, (1571–1625) : judge and antiquary^[8]
• 1643 : George Nott : election declared void by the House of Commons.^[2]
• 1643 : John Lade : elected in the place of George Nott.^[2]
• 1671 : Thomas Fidge : haberdasher, son of Thomas Fidge, mercer; obtained freedom of the City in 1647.^[5]
• 1681 : Jacob Wraight : son-in-law of John Durant [or Durance], Independent minister in Canterbury.^[9]
• 1687 : Henry Lee : discharged from the office of Mayor by order of King James II.^[2] Later, M.P. for Canterbury.
• 1687 : John Kingsford : replaced Henry Lee.^[2]
• 1692 : Matthias Gray : grocer and amateur naturalist, brother of Stephen Gray (1666–1736), 'experimental philosopher'.^[10]

Eighteenth century

• 1727–1728 : Edward Jacob (d. 1756) : surgeon and alderman; father of Edward Jacob (1710?–1788), antiquary and naturalist.^[11]
• 1772-1773 : ??? Tadley : died in office.
• 1772-1773 : George Gipps : banker; elected in the place of Mr Tadley (deceased).^[12]
• 1776-1777 : James Simmons : newspaper proprietor, banker, businessman and M.P. for Canterbury.^[12]
• 1788-1789 : James Simmons : second term.^[12]
• 17?? : John Jackson (1710–1795) : three times mayor of Canterbury; a wealthy brewer and farmer.^[13]

Nineteenth century

• 18?? : William Masters (1796–1874) : nurseryman and hybridizer of plants; founder of the Canterbury Museum in 1823.^[14]

Twentieth century

• 1938-1940 : Catherine Williamson : the first woman Mayor of Canterbury.^[2]
• 1973-1974 : Henrietta Barber : the last Mayor of the old Corporation of Canterbury.^[2]
• 1974 : Thomas Castle : the first Mayor of the new enlarged Canterbury City Council.^[2]
• 1989 : Thomas Steele : the first Lord Mayor of Canterbury.

References