• In the original dustsheet. Brown cloth binding with gilt title on the spine.

  • F.B.A. provides an in-depth photographic presentation of this item to stimulate your feeling and touch. More traditional book descriptions are immediately available.

Some 700 men and two women have over the centuries held the position of head of the City of London. Lord Mayors are elected for one-year terms; today by custom they do not serve more than once. Numerous individuals have served multiple terms in office, but the last to do so was Robert Fowler in 1883 and in 1885. The title ‘Lord Mayor’ is of great age. In the Latin of the 13th century ‘dominus major’ is found, and in English ‘Lord Mair’ in 1414. By the 16th century the prefix ‘Right Honourable’ was in use. The first recorded Mayor of London was Henry Fitz-Ailwyn in 1189. Throughout history, though many have considered it an honour to become Lord Mayor or take other civic office as Alderman or Sheriff, others fought to avoid it because of the expense of these unpaid positions: and many preferred to pay fines rather than take office. Some unfortunate Lord Mayors even ended up in debtors’ prisons. Some distinguished themselves greatly, such as Dick Whittington and William Hardel, who played a part in Magna Carta; others were less fortunate, like the hapless Sir Thomas Bludworth, Mayor during the Great Fire of London.

        The Lord Mayor’s Collar of Esses also used as the symbol of office by Lord Chancellor Sir Thomas More

The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London, England, and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powers, rights, and privileges, including the title and style The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London.

One of the world’s oldest continuously elected civic offices, it is entirely separate from the directly elected Mayor of London, a political office controlling a budget which covers the much larger area of Greater London.

The Corporation of London changed its name to the City of London Corporation in 2006, and accordingly the title Lord Mayor of the City of London was introduced, so as to avoid confusion with that of Mayor of London. However, the legal and commonly used title remains Lord Mayor of London. The Lord Mayor is elected at Common Hall each year on Michaelmas, and takes office on the Friday before the second Saturday in November, at The Silent Ceremony. The Lord Mayor’s Show is held on the day after taking office; the Lord Mayor, preceded by a procession, travels to the Royal Courts of Justice at the Strand to swear allegiance to the sovereign before the Justices of the High Court.

The Lord Mayor’s main role nowadays is to represent, support and promote the businesses and residents in the City of London. Today these businesses are mostly in the financial sector, and the Lord Mayor is regarded as the champion of the entire UK-based financial sector regardless of ownership or location throughout the country. As leader of the Corporation of the City of London, the Lord Mayor serves as the key spokesman for the local authority and also has important ceremonial and social responsibilities. The Lord Mayor is non-affiliated politically, typically delivering many hundreds of speeches and addresses per year and attending many receptions and other events in London and beyond. Incumbents usually make overseas visits under the auspices of the FCDO. The Lord Mayor, ex officio Rector of City, University of London and also Admiral of the Port of London, is assisted in day-to-day administration by the Mansion House ‘Esquires’ whose titles include the City Marshal, Sword Bearer and Common Crier.

Michael Mainelli serves as the 695th Lord Mayor (for 2023–2024). The Lord Mayor is also assisted by the Revd Monsignor James Curry as Lord Mayor’s Chaplain. The Lord Mayor’s office is also served by Aide de Camp representing the Uniformed Youth Organisations and they will be pleased to assist in the arranging of new affiliations. The Lord Mayor has six individual Cadet ADCs representing the various Uniformed Youth Organisation branches who provide him with a connection to the City Cadet Forces.