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Dick Whittington and His Cat is the English folklore surrounding the real-life Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423), wealthy merchant and later Lord Mayor of London. [1] The legend describes his rise from poverty-stricken childhood with the fortune he made through the sale of his cat to a rat-infested country.
Dick Whittington was an English merchant and lord mayor of London who became a well-known figure in legend and traditional pantomime. Whittington, who was the son of a knight of Gloucestershire, opened a mercer’s shop in London that supplied velvets and damasks to such notables as Henry Bolingbroke.
The tale of the poor boy who becomes Lord Mayor of London has been a staple of British pantomimes since at least the nineteenth century. But where did this classic home-grown English fairy tale come from? And what basis did the Dick Whittington story have in reality?
Dick Whittington. Who was Dick Whittington? Watch this story, one of our 'British tales' videos about characters and people from British history, to find out!
Sep 25, 2023 · Over the past 200 years, Dick Whittington has become one of Britain’s best-loved pantomime heroes. Yet, as Michael McCarthy tells Jon Bauckham, the real-life story that inspired Dick’s rags to riches tale is even more remarkable than the fiction. By Jon Bauckham. Published: September 25, 2023 at 2:10 pm.
Richard Whittington (c. 1354 – March 1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal, City of London, was an English merchant and a politician of the late medieval period. He is also the real-life inspiration for the English folk tale Dick Whittington and His Cat.
Nov 11, 2023 · Richard Whittington was probably the most famous of all the medieval London Mayors. His renown rests in part on what he achieved in his lifetime (c.1356–1423) and in part on his adoption in the late 16th century as the hero of a story in which a cat brings fame and fortune to a penniless London apprentice.
May 14, 2018 · Whittington, Dick (d. 1423), English merchant and Lord Mayor of London; full name Sir Richard Whittington. Whittington was a mercer who became Lord Mayor three times (1397–8; 1406–7; 1419–20) and left legacies for rebuilding Newgate Prison and establishing a city library.
There is a statue of Whittington and his cat on Highgate Hill, the place where Dick supposedly stood and heard the calling of the Bow Bells, compelling him to return. With such celebrated status, what can be said of the real life inspiration behind such a story?
Jun 16, 2005 · Dick Whittington was a poor boy from Gloucestershire who walked to London to seek his fortune. He found work in the house of a rich merchant Fitzwarren, and fell in love with Fitzwarren's...
