The first Mayor of London was Henry Fitz-Ailwyn in 1189 but before then, London was ruled by the Sheriffs and a Portreeve. The title Lord Mayor first appears in the Latin of the 13th century as Dominus Major, and by the 16th century the prefix Right Honourable was in use. In 1385 a regulation provided that the Lord Mayor should have previously been Sheriff and by 1435 anyone elected Mayor must also be an Alderman at the time. Prior to 1742 the Lord Mayor was always chosen from members of the Great Twelve Livery Companies. In 1406, a religious service before the election was instituted and this is now held in the church of St Lawrence-Jewry next-Guildhall.

Election as both the Sheriff and Lord Mayor requires the approval of the Sovereign and the Lord Chancellor gives the Monarch’s approval for the Lord Mayor Elect in October and the Lord Chief Justice receives his formal oath of allegiance on Lord Mayor’s Show Day in November.

The right of all Freemen of the City to elect their own Mayor dates from the Charter granted by King John in 1215 but since the 15th century the franchise has been limited to Liverymen of more than one year’s standing. Until the 18th century government of the City was carried out by the Court of Aldermen but this is now the electoral college which considers the grant of a Livery to a Company and it is the trustee of City traditions. Common Council which originated as a consultative body in the 13th century has developed to its present position, whereby Parliament has granted it the powers of a local authority.

The Lord Mayor is Chief Magistrate in the City where he takes precedence over all except the Sovereign. As in centuries past when the Sovereign wishes to enter the City on state ceremonial occasions, the Lord Mayor waits at Old Temple Bar, which is the frontier between Westminster and the City. Here, he surrenders the pearl sword point downwards and on receiving it back it is born erect in procession before the Sovereign.

Without the City, the Lord Mayor takes precedence over Earls and on the death of the Sovereign he is summoned to the Privy Council to sign the Proclamation.He attends State openings of Parliament; presides over the Courts of Aldermen and Common Council; is Admiral of the Port of London; a Trustee of St Paul’s Cathedral; Chancellor of the City University and President or Patron of many other civil and charitable organisations. His official home during his year of office is Mansion House and it is here and at Guildhall that he provides hospitality for visiting heads of state and foreign dignitaries.

The Lord Mayor of today has a wide business role, supporting and promoting the City of London as the world’s leading financial centre.He travels abroad in liaison with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office fostering goodwill and promoting British trade and in his position as a trusted professional in his own right with non-party political status he is a respected advocate for the nation as a whole. The office of Sheriff is the oldest in the City of London and the role was to collect royal revenues and enforce royal justice. It was not, therefore, a comfortable appointment and to avoid it, potential candidates paid fines which were subsequently used to finance the building of the Mansion House.

Today, two Sheriffs of equal standing attend the Lord Mayor on his official business. One Sheriff is known as the Aldermanic Sheriff whilst the other is called the Lay Sheriff, who need be neither an Alderman nor a Common Council man. The privilege of electing the Sheriffs secured in 1475 and confirmed by parliament in 1724 belongs to Liverymen alone. Sheriffs today, in addition to attending the Courts of Aldermen and Common Council open daily the central Criminal Courts at the Old Bailey and there attend to the well being of judges and distinguished visitors. In addition they are the administrative officers of the court and High Court writs are directed to Sheriffs, who also present petitions to Parliament on behalf of the Court of Common Council. Additionally they attend the Sovereign to seek Royal leave for the Corporation of London to present addresses.