Every winter, Dick Whittington turns up in pantomime: a penniless boy, a clever cat and a journey to London. The real Richard Whittington has his own story, and it is better documented than most people expect. This myth-versus-fact guide draws on the history published for the Lord Mayor's Show.
Myth: he arrived in London as a poor boy
Fact: The Lord Mayor's Show history says Whittington was not a poor boy. He lived from about 1356 to 1423 and was the son, though not the eldest son, of Sir William Whittington of Pauntley in Gloucestershire. He was apprenticed to a mercer, a merchant who dealt in luxury cloth. That is a respectable start in the medieval City, not a rags-to-riches one.
Myth: a cat made his fortune
Fact: The same source says the cat story reached England in the late sixteenth century and later became attached to Whittington. It adds that, so far as anyone knows, he did not have a cat with which he ventured on a ship to Barbary. His money came from trade. A breakthrough came in 1392, when he sold mercery worth more than £3,000 to the wardrobe of Richard II. He later moved into the wool export trade and lent money to the Crown, although those royal loans were not repaid with interest. When he died he left more than £5,000 in cash and plate.
Myth: he married the merchant's daughter
Fact: In the pantomime, the hero wins the hand of his master's daughter. In the record, Whittington married Alice, the daughter of Sir Ivo Fitzwarren, a Dorset knight. Alice died in 1410. The couple had no surviving children, and Whittington did not remarry.
Myth: he was Lord Mayor once, briefly
Fact: He held the office three times. According to the Lord Mayor's Show history, the King chose him as Mayor in June 1397 and the citizens elected him that October. He was elected again in 1406 and 1419. The page notes that being Lord Mayor three times was extremely rare, since no Londoner served three times in the rest of the fifteenth century.
Myth: his story ends with the wealth
Fact: The part that tends to be left out of the pantomime is what he did with the money. Whittington endowed a college of priests at St Michael Paternoster Royal and an almshouse for 13 poor men and women. He placed both under the Company of Mercers rather than the Church. The Lord Mayor's Show history says this set a precedent for the charitable work of the livery companies, which still give to causes across the City and beyond today.
What about the streets paved with gold?
The source we used does not discuss the legend of the streets of gold or the milestone at Highgate, so we have not tried to rule on them here. If you want to explore those parts of the legend, look for a well-sourced local history rather than relying on retellings.
Why the real story still matters
The story of a person who builds a business, serves the City and gives a large part of the proceeds away is easy to recognise. It is also a reminder of how closely trade, civic office and charity were linked in medieval London. Next time the pantomime comes around, you can enjoy the cat and know a little more about the man behind it.
Alive! is an independent heritage and community brand. This article is general historical information based on the sources listed in our notes.