Lord Mayor's Day

When King John allowed the city to choose its Mayor it was with the caveat that the king should be informed as to who this was, with the new office holder being presented to the Lord Chief Justice and the other senior judges (originally the Barons of the Exchequer, now represented by the Queen's Remembrancer).

The idea originated in the stipulation made in a charter then granted by John that the citizen chosen to be mayor should be presented to the king or his justice for approval.

The crowd of citizens who accompanied the mayor on horseback to Westminster developed into a yearly pageant, which each season became more elaborate.

Until the 14th century the mayor either rode or walked to Westminster, but in 1453 Sir John Norman appears to have set a fashion of going by water.

In 1757 this was superseded by a gilded and elaborately decorated equipage costing £1,065 which was used until 1896, when a replica of it was built to replace it.