{"id":22314,"date":"2023-03-01T10:10:43","date_gmt":"2023-03-01T09:10:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.historyextra.com\/?p=225038"},"modified":"2023-03-01T11:35:33","modified_gmt":"2023-03-01T10:35:33","slug":"dick-whittington-from-medieval-merchant-to-panto-hero","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/bbchistory\/rss_feed\/dick-whittington-from-medieval-merchant-to-panto-hero\/","title":{"rendered":"Dick Whittington: from medieval merchant to panto hero"},"content":{"rendered":"

Michael McCarthy tells the story of the real-life Lord Mayor of London who inspired the famous pantomime character <\/p>

By Jon Bauckham\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Wednesday, 01 March 2023 at 12:00 am<\/p>

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If you grew up watching pantomimes, then you\u2019ll likely be familiar with the story of Richard \u201cDick\u201d Whittington \u2013 the poor country boy who ends up becoming three-times Lord Mayor of London. But did you know that Whittington was a real person? Michael McCarthy tells Jon Bauckham the tale of the wealthy merchant who inspired the tale, and explains why \u2013 on the 600th anniversary of his death \u2013 he deserves to be remembered today.<\/p>\n\n

Michael McCarthy is the author of Citizen of London: Richard Whittington \u2013 The Boy Who Would Be Mayor<\/em> (Hurst, 2022)<\/strong><\/p>\n