Festive talk by guide and lecturer Jill Finch on the real Dick Whittington, the merchant and Lord Mayor of London behind the legend.
Jill Finch takes on the legend of Dick Whittington at Goldsmiths' Hall on Monday 7 December, as part of the History at The Hall series. It's a festive edition of the talk, and the subject is one of the City's most famous names. Whittington was a merchant, a money lender, a Liveryman of the Mercers, and eventually Sheriff and Lord Mayor of London, succeeding the goldsmith Adam Bamme. He dealt with kings, governed the City, and became a legendary philanthropist, while also remaining the star of one of London's most loved pantomimes.
Finch spends the hour separating fact from fiction about the man behind the myth. She looks at whether he really started as a poor boy, if he actually had a cat, which bells rang to tell him he would be Lord Mayor, and whether he truly gave London its first public toilet. From there, she explores how he's remembered 600 years after his death, tracing the line from the historical figure to the folk hero.
Finch is a City of London Guide and Lecturer, and a Londoner by love rather than birth. Her interests lie in the city's literary heritage, St Paul's Cathedral and the Christopher Wren churches, and she qualified in 2013 as an Associate of the Institute of Tourist Guiding.
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Doors open at 17:15, with the talk starting promptly at 18:00. Tickets are £15 per person, which includes light refreshments — wine, soft drinks and nibbles — after the talk. Members of The Goldsmiths' Company can book up to four tickets at a 50% discount through the Member's Portal. The hall is at Foster Lane, London EC2V 6BN.
