#115 A LORD MAYOR
Sir John Mundy lived in the time of Henry VII and Henry
VIII Tudor. I am almost certain we are related…but I am just not sure if he is
my 12th, 13th or 14th great grandfather,
or a great uncle or perhaps a cousin. John and his second wife, Julianna Browne had
three sons—Thomas, John, William and I can trace my Harper roots back twelve
generations to a set of Thomas, William and John Mundy. But the birthyears do
not exactly match (although how accurate are records from the 1400 and 1500s?)
and genealogists are not in consensus. So far I cannot exactly say that John is
my direct great grandfather.
Mundy—the Goldsmith
Mundy began his career as a goldsmith. He rose through the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, one of the wealthiest and most powerful livery companies in Tudor London.
Livery companies are London-based guilds and professional groups. Initially there were 48 companies, but in 1516, these were reduced
to the Great 12. The Great 12 were powerful and influential and they controlled
all aspects of daily life and trade. The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths dates
to at least the 1100s and ranks fifth in civic precedence among the Great 12.
Apprentices (usually aged 14-21) trained for seven years
under a master goldsmith and were expected to reach certain education standards. In 1490, it was ordained that apprentice had to be able read a passage to the Wardens and write in English and Latin in a book that was to "lie dormant" in the Hall for that purpose. (Occasionally the rule was relaxed, most often for an orphan, but the master was then bound to teach him to read and write and produce evidence that he had done so.) Freemen were the craftsmen who had completed the apprenticeship
and could legally trade in the city. Liverymen were senior guild members who wore
the Company’s distinctive livery in civic ceremonies and elected the Lord Mayor
and Sheriffs. Four Wardens managed the Company’s affairs; John Mundy held the
role of Prime Warden in the Goldsmith guild.. Wardens often progressed into City government as
aldermen, sheriffs and sometimes Lord Mayor, the path that Mundy followed.
For wealthy patrons and religious institutions, goldsmiths produced precious metal crafts like jewelry, plate, cups, reliquaries and church ornaments. For the rising merchant elite, they crafted domestic silverware like tankards, candlesticks, spoons, saltcellars. They made the jewelled badges, chains and rings for civic officials. They repaired or “refined” old plate by letting and re-alloying metal; this was a lucrative sideline. And because they worked with precious metals and had secure strongrooms, goldsmiths acted as early bankers; they kept deposits, advanced credit and issued promissory notes. They lent money at interest (carefully, since usury was restricted). The Crown sometimes had to borrow money from leading goldsmiths to finance military campaigns.
The Goldsmith Company maintained London’s Assay Office, testing all
gold and silver for purity. Items that met standards were struck with the
leopard’s head mark. Any fraudulent or under-standard work could lead to fines,
confiscation or imprisonment. The Company, therefore, served as a craft guild
and also a statutory regulator on the Crown’s behalf.
Henry VII and Henry VIII relied on the goldsmiths for coinage, plate and jewels; court and civic ceremonies, coronations and royal progresses required vast quantities of gilt plate. Henry VIII’s court was very spendthrift and in constant need of money, jewels and plate. Frequently the kings demanded “loans” from wealthy members, and civic leaders, like Mundy, had to navigate a delicate balance between royal service and civic autonomy. A well-placed goldsmith was indispensable to the Crown.
By the 1510s, John Mundy was already a freeman and senior
liveryman; his skills and fortune propelled him to become Prime Warden (essentially chairman) of the Company. As Prime Warden, he could influence who
could trade, access privileged information, and connect with elite clients (nobles,
clergy, royals). Dealing with monarchs, courtiers and bishops gave Mundy the
kind of relationships to elevate him into London’s civic elite.
Mundy---Civic Offices
Alderman: Mundy first served as an alderman of a city ward;
this role gave him both judicial and financial responsibilities over the ward’s
citizens. Offices were expensive (banquets, pageantry) so only the wealthy
could afford them; but holding them reinforced a man’s prestige. Mundy represented
the ward of Queenhithe from 1513 to 1515, then the ward of Bread Street from
1515 until his death in 1537.
Sheriff: In 1515, Mundy was elected as one of the two London Sheriffs—one represented the aldermen and one the liverymen. The Sheriff maintained the Crown’s justice in London, yet they were chosen by the City’s own electors; thus, their dual loyalty to King and City made this office symbolically powerful. For the Goldsmith Company, having one of their members elected sheriff was a personal honour and corporate triumph as it showed that the Company could supply men of wealth and learning and it also reinforced the guild’s reputation of precision and trust.
The Sheriff administered justice in the City’s courts, managed the Marshalsea and Newgate prisons, collected royal revenues, enforced writs in London, and served as a financial officer handling custom duties, fines and debts owed the Crown or City. Sheriffs supervised the election of juries and sat at the Guildhall to hear minor pleas and debts. The post required not only legal acumen, but also personal integrity; abuses by sheriffs (especially over prisoner fees) could cause scandals, so a man of good Company standing was needed.
Sheriffs wore scarlet robes trimmed with fur and bore
white staves of office. They processed with the Lord Mayor in civic pageants,
accompanied by trumpeters and banner-bearers from their Companies. Their households
maintained coaches, footmen and beadles. Every sheriff had to host a grand inaugural
feast and equip a full retinue of servants in City livery. These were heavy expenses,
but it brought immense social capital and pretty much guaranteed political
advancement. For Mundy, it tied him to both the City’s merchant aristocracy and
the Tudor monarchy and gave him influence in trade and politics.
Lord Mayor: John Mundy was elected Mayor of London in 1522 by the City’s wealthy guild members. A man had to have been an alderman and perhaps a sheriff. Terms were for one year only, but the title and influence lasted a lifetime. The Lord Mayor was second only to the King in authority within London’s borders. Each year the Mayor had to travel to Westminster in grand procession and swear fealty to the Crown.
The Lord Mayor presided over the Court of Aldermen and the
Court of Common Council, making decisions on trade, markets, taxation and law
within the City; he presented the interests of the London merchants and
guilds to the Crown. He sat as chief judge in the City courts and had oversight
of the city’s prisons, including Newgate. He supervised the collection of customs,
tolls and taxes owed to both the Crown and City. He maintained law and order
within London and was responsible for the City’s militia which could be called
on by the King in times of war. In 1522, Henry VIII was at war with France and
Spain and London was raising loans and taxes for the King; Mundy, as Lord Mayor,
played a key role in negotiating these,
The office of Mayor was as much about pageantry as politics.
He was expected to host lavish banquets for king, court and foreign
dignitaries, and organize civic feasts and religious ceremonies. This all
required enormous personal wealth and the Lord Mayor paid much of the expense
from his own purse. But once someone had served as Lord Mayor, he was part of
the permanent ruling elite of the City and often remembered with a grand tomb
or memorial.
Knighthood: Mundy was a leading merchant, enormously wealthy, well connected, and trusted by his fellow Londoners. His financial resources, trusted status as a goldsmith/banker, his civic service as sheriff and mayor, and his successful dealings and favours to Henry VIII brought Mundy a knighthood. Although no direct records survive of private meetings, as Lord Mayor in 1522 he was required to appear before the King on civic and financial matters, so he must have personally interacted with Henry VIII. Mundy was knighted by Henry sometime between 1522 and 1529 for his indispensable civic service, his financial importance and his loyalty to the Crown. (His knighthood was definitely not a battlefield honour.) In Tudor England, knighthoods for London merchants and aldermen were fairly common. The Crown could reward loyal service without needing to grant land or hereditary titles.
Legacy
With wealth from trade, Mundy followed a common upward path
of buying country estates. In 1516, he purchased three manors in Derbyshire and
this turned his merchant wealth into hereditary gentry status and long-term
rents. This cemented his family’s position for generations, as the Mundys became established landowners. John Mundy had risen far from his apprenticeship
days, through the Company of Goldsmiths to Sheriff, Lord Mayor and
knighthood.
John Mundy died May 27, 1537, just three months before his wife Julianna. This was during a plague year in London. They were buried in the church of St. Peter Westcheap, London.
In his will, he gave his manors and main estates to son
Vincent, and made other provisions to his wife and younger children. He gave alms to
the poor of his parish and gifts to his church. Money was given to the Goldsmith
Company.
SIR JOHN MUNDY b. High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England m. Johanna Browne (1491-1537) in 1509 d. May 27, 1537 in London, England my Harper line
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