Whittington, Dick

Whittington, Dick (about 1358-1423), merchant, b. perhaps in Gloucestershire, England.

We know that Richard Whittington was the Lord Mayor of London four times from 1397 to 1419. By trade he was a cloth merchant.

The story goes that he left his home in Gloucestershire at the age of thirteen to find his fortune in London. There he became an apprentice and later married his master's daughter.

There is a legend about how be became rich. His master was about to send a cargo to a foreign port and he said that Dick might send something. All Dick owned was his cat. So he sent that. It was sold for an enormous sum to a king whose land was overrun by rats. Meantime Dick had made up his mind to leave London. As he was on his way, he heard Bow Bells ringing and they seemed to say, 'Turn again, Whittington, Lord Mayor of London.' Dick went back to his master. The ship had just returned and he found himself rich. There are German, Italian, Russian and Danish stories about a person like Dick Whittington and his story is often performed as a pantomime in England.