I was on a tour today that was all about Sir Richard Whittington who was an merchant and politician during the latter part of the medieval time. He is also the real-life inspiration for the English folk tale Dick Whittington and his cat, which has very little to do with the real Whittington as he didn’t come from a poor background nor if he ever even owned a cat.
He was a member of parliament and a sheriff of London as well as he was Lord Mayor of London four times. He financed different public projects, such as a hospital ward for unmarried mothers, and drainage systems in the poorer areas of medieval London. He also donated his fortune to a charity which, nearly 600 years later, continues to assist people in need.
But as usual we heared a lot of other history on our walk around London.
