On 29 Sep 1561 William Harpur (age 65) was elected Lord Mayor of London.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 29 Sep 1561. The xxix day of September was nuw mayre electyd master Harper (age 65), marchand-tayller, on Myghellmas day.

Note. P. 268. Master Harper elected lord mayor. Sir William Harper, son of William Harper, of the town of Bedford, sheriff 1556–7, lord mayor 1561–2. "He dwelled in Lombard-streete, where Mr. Butler now (1605) dwelleth. But was buried at Bedford, where he was borne." Arms, Azure, on a fess between three spread eagles or a fret between two martlets azure. (List by Wm. Smith, Rouge-dragon.) This was another of those worthy citizens, so many of whom have occurred in these pages, whose names are still remembered as the founders of our great educational establishments. The estates left by sir William Harper for the grammar-school of Bedford, lying in the vicinity of Bedford Row, the Foundling Hospital, and Lamb's Conduit-street, have of late years vastly increased in value, and proportionately benefited his foundation. He died Feb. 27, 1573, aged 77; and was buried in St. Paul's at Bedford, where is his effigy in brass plate, from which an engraving was published in Waller's Monumental Brasses, fol. 1841.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 29 Oct 1561. The xxix day of October the nuw mare toke ys barge towhard Westmynster my nuw lorde mare master Harper (age 65), with the althermen in ther skarlett, and all the craftes of London in ther leverey, and ther barges with ther baners and streamers of evere occupasyon('s) armes; and ther was a goodly foist mad with stremars, targatts, and banars, and [arms], and grett shutyng of gunes and trumpettes blohyng; and at xij of the cloke my lord mare and the althermen landyd at Powlles warffe [Map], and so to Powlles chyrche-yarde [Map], and ther met ym a pagantt gorgyously mad [made], with chylderyn, with dyvers instrumentes playng and syngyng; and after-non to Powlles with trumpetes, and ther wher a (blank) men in bluw gownes and capes [caps] and hose and bluw saten slevys, and with targetts and shyldes of armes.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 01 Nov 1561. [The j day of November went to saint Paul's [Map] the lord mayor (age 65)] and the althermen at afternon [and all the crafts of] London in ther leverey, and with iiijxx men all carehyng of torchys, and my lord mare [tarried until] nyght, and so whent home with all torches [lighted,] for my lord mare (age 65) tared the sermon; my lord of London (age 42) mad the sermon; but yt was latt, [and so] there torchys was lyght to bryng my lord home.

Henry Machyn's Diary. Jan 1562. [The .. day of January Thomas Howard duke of Norfolk (age 25) was conducted by] the master and the ward[ens of the Fishmon]gers and all the clothyng in-to the [guild-hall in] London, and ther he was mad fre of [the company]; ys grane-father was Thomas Haward [duke of] Northfoke the last, and fre of the worshephull c[ompany of] the Fyssmongers; and after to my lord mare (age 66) to dener. The compene of the Fyssmongers dynyd at the Kyng('s) -hed in .... Fysstrett.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 12 Jan 1562. The xij day the lord mayre (age 66) and the althermen whent to Powlles, and all the craftes in London in ther leverey, and the bachelars, and after cam into Chepe-syd a lord of mysrulle from Whyttchapell with a grett compene with many gones and halbardes, and trumpettes blohyng; and ys men well be-sene; and thrugh Nuwgatt and in at Ludgatt and so abowtt Powlles, and so into Chepe-syde, and so hom to Algatt.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 12 May 1562. The sam day at nyght ther was a grett frey, [and my] lord mare (age 66) and the ij shreyffes was send fore, and they had a do to pasefy the pepull, and dyvers wher hurtt, and s[ertain] cared to Nuwgatt [Map] and to the conturs, and ther was .... the best archers of London with the flethe, and master Underelle hu.. the master of the comen-huntt.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 13 May 1562. The next nyght after my lord mare (age 66) commondyd that serten constabulles shuld kepe all Smyth-feld to stand in a-ray in harnes to see wo wold be so bold to com and make any besenes, and my lord mare and the shreyffes dyd walke abowt Smyth-feld to se wether any wold make any salt [assault] as they dyd over nyght.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 15 Jun 1562. The sam day was the Goldsmyth(s') fest, and at sant Foster's ther prechyd master Gowth the parsune of sant Peter's in Cornhyll, and dynyd my lord mare (age 66) and the ij shreyffes, ser Marten Bowse (age 65), and master Gylbart, with dyvers odur althermen.

Henry Machyn's Diary. Jul 1562. The sam day a commondementt cam downe to my lord mare (age 66) that evere craft in London shuld resortt to theyre [halls] to make owt a vj C. men well be-sene in cosseletts, gones and bowes and pykes, with all sped, and to take clen ... up and comely.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 01 Jul 1562. The furst day of July was the Marchand-tayllers' fest, and dynyd my lord mare (age 66), the yerle of Sussex (age 37), the yerle of Kyldare (age 37), ser (blank) Stanley, and ser Thomas Whytt, ser Thomas Offeley (age 62) and master Ro .., ser Wyllyam Huett, ser Marten Bowes (age 65), master Cowper, master Allen, master Gyl[bert,] master Chamburlayn altherman, master Champyon, master Avenon, master Malere, and master Baskerfeld, and the master and the iiij wardens and the clarkes and the bedyll of the Skynnars, and mony worshephull men, and mony lades and gentyllwomen, and they had agaynst the dynner iijxx and (blank) bukes [bucks] and iiij stages; and master Wylliam Allen (age 47) electyd shreyff for the quen, and master Whettelle the master, and master Raff Whytt hed warden and master Mar .. and master serjant Halle and master Browne wardens; and master Garter (age 52) and master Clarenshux (age 52) dynyd there.

Note. P. 287. The Skinners attend the Merchant-taylors' feast. In the 1st Rich. III. a dispute for precedency between the Skinners and Merchant-taylors was determined by agreement that either should take precedence in alternate years, and that the master and wardens of each should dine with the other company on their respective feasts of Corpus Christi and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist. See the ordinance effecting this arrangement in Herbert's Twelve City Companies, vol. ii. p. 319; and see remarks by the present writer in Archæologia, vol. xxx. p. 500.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 20 Jul 1562. The xx day of July was goodly weddyng in (blank) parryche, of master Coke and master Nycolles dowther; for ther were the lord mare (age 66) and alle the althermen, and mony lades and mony w[orshipful] men and women, and after the wedyng was done [they went] home to the Bryghowse to dener, for ther w[as a great dinner] as ever was sene, and all maner musyke, and d[ancing all the] day longe, and at nyght goodly soper; and after a goodly [masque? at] mydnyght; at the wedyng master Becon dyd pryche; for [there were] no maner mettes [meats] nor drynges [drinks] that cold be had for money that were wanting.

Note. P. 288. Marriage of master Coke and master Nicholls's daughter. "John Nicolls of London, gentleman, at this present (1568) comtroller of the workes at London bridge, and all other lands and revenues of the same, and in charge for provision of corne for the city of London," married for his first wife Christian Thompson, and had issue two daughters, Mary married to Francis Gerrard, and Elizabeth married to Edmond Cooke of Lizens in Kent gentleman—the marriage mentioned by Machyn. Mr. Nicholls married, secondly, Elen daughter of James Holt of Stubley, co. Lancaster. (Visitation of Middlesex, by Robt. Cooke, Clarencieux, 1568.) Machyn has afterwards ( p. 305) noticed a christening at Mr. Nicholls's, probably of a daughter, by his second marriage. The descendants of his brother Thomas Nicholls (among whom was William Nicholls, dean of Chester,) are recorded in the Bedfordshire visitation of 1628. MS. Harl. 1531, f. 158.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 01 Aug 1562. The sam day my lord mare (age 66) and the althermen and all craftes of London whent to Yeld-hall [Map] to chuse a nuw shreyff, and thay dyd chuse master Chamburlayn altherman, yrmonger, shreyff for the nex(t) yere.

Note. P. 289. Alderman Chamberlain chosen sheriff. "Rychard Chamberlen, ironmonger, alderman and late shreve of London, dyed on tuesday the xixth of November, 1566, in A° 9° Elizabeth' Regine, at his howsse in the parishe of St. Olyff in the Old Jury, and was beryed on Monday 25. of November, in the parishe churche there. He married first Anne, doughter of Robert Downe of London, ironmonger, and had issue Elizabeth wyff to Hugh Stewkley of London lawyar, Thomas Chamberlen, Rychard, Alexander, Robert, Margery, John, George; secondly, Margarat, wedo of Bristo groser of London, doter and one of th'eyrs of Nycolas Hurleton, of Cheshire, somtyme clerk of the grene cloth to king H. 8. She dyed sans issu." (MS. Harl. 897, f. 30.) Alderman Chamberlain's epitaph will be found in Stowe.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 18 Aug 1562. The xviij day of August was a commondementt to my lord mare (age 66) and to my masters the althermen that all the compene of all craftes that dyd dyscharge alle the men that where prest and taken up to go of the qwene('s) afarerse [affairs] where her grace wold, that shuld goo to grett charge to the cette of London and here grace, boyth corselettes and clokes of brod bluw gardyd with red, and gones, and bowes, and mores pykes.... ther hall; and ther dynyd ser Thomas Whytt, ser Tho ....

Henry Machyn's Diary. 08 Sep 1562. The viij day of September whent thrughe London a prest, with a cope, taken sayhyng of masse in Feyter lane at my lade (blank), and so to my lord mare (age 66), and after to the contur in ...; and the thursday after he was cared to the Masselsay [Map]... an for kyllyng of her ....

Henry Machyn's Diary. 18 Sep 1562. The xviij day of September was my lord mare (age 66) dyd warne all the craftes to bryng in ther men in harnes to Leydynhall [Map] with pykes and gones and bowes and bylles, in bluw clokes gardyd with red, and ther to take a wue [review] of them tyll nyght, and they wernyd to muster in Morefeld the morowe after, and ther captaynes' names master Wakham and master (blank).... ard Brandford, and at vj captayn (blank) .... ther jorney to Byshope-gatt, and so to Sowthwarke, [and so to Por]thmowth, and ther harnes cared in dry fastes [vats].

Henry Machyn's Diary. 18 Sep 1562. The xviij day of September my lord mare (age 66) and my masters the althermen, and mony worshephull men, and dyvers of the masturs and wardens of the xij compenys, red [rode] to the condutth hedes for to se them, after the old coustum; and a-[fore] dener they hundyd the hare and kyllyd, and so to dener to the hed of the condyth, for ther was a nombur, and had good chere of the chamburlayn; and after dener to hontyng of the fox, and ther was a goodly cry for a mylle, and after the hondys kyllyd the fox at the end of sant Gylles, and theyr was a grett cry at the deth, and blohyng of hornes; and so rod thrugh London, my lord mare Harper (age 66) with all ys compene home to ys owne plase in Lumberd strett [Map].