The ancient office, formerly known simply as Mayor of Leicester, dates back to at least the year 1209 and is one of the oldest mayoralties in the English Midlands along with Lincoln and Northampton.

The Lord Mayor is elected annually by the city councillors to undertake a role in their chamber similar to that of the Speaker in the House of Commons.

It has been held by many notable Leicestrians, such as William Wyggeston, Hugh Aston, Gabriel Newton, John Biggs, and Arthur Wakerley in its 800 year history.

[4][5] The title was elevated to "Lord Mayor" by letters patent dated 18 June 1928 together with the mayoralties of Nottingham, Stoke-on-Trent, and Portsmouth.

[16] The names for the mayors between 1871 and 1894 are taken from John Storey's Historical Sketch of Some of the Principal Works and Undertakings of the Council of the Borough of Leicester (1895).