William Harpur

Sir William Harpur
Lord Mayor of London
In office 1561–1561
Preceded by	William Chester
Succeeded by	Thomas Lodge
Personal details
Born	c. 1496
Died	27 February 1574
Resting place	St Paul's Church, Bedford,England
Occupation	Merchant
Known for	Establishing theHarpur Trust

Sir William Harpur(c. 1496– 27 February 1574) was an English merchant and philanthropist who served asLord Mayor of Londonin 1561. Born inBedford,he moved toLondonand amassed a large fortune.In 1566, Harpur and his wife Alice gave anfinancial endowmentto support severalcharitiesincluding ones focused oneducation.The endowment eventually became theHarpur Trust,which supports fourindependent schoolsin Bedford today.

Career

Statue outside theOld Town Hall

The name Harper (or Harpur) is mentioned around 1500 in connection with families from Bedford andBiddenham.Little is known about the life of William.He attendedBedford Schoolwhilst it was still administered by theAugustinian CanonsofNewnham Priory.It is not certain whether he was atailor.He was certainly a shrewd businessman. He went to London and was admitted to theguildofMerchant Taylorsin 1533.There he would have come into contact with the leading citizens of the day.We know that in 1553 he was electedaldermanfor the ward of Bridge Without and, three years later, he was elected alderman of the more prestigious ward of Dowgate in preference to three other candidates, one of whom wasThomas Gresham.It had become the custom, after the dissolution of the monasteries, to appoint aldermen as governors to the royal hospitals.Harpur was treasurer ofSt Bartholomew's Hospital.He served asSheriff of the City of Londonfrom 1556 to 1557, and became Lord Mayor of London in 1561.In 1562 he wasknightedbyQueen Elizabeth I.

It was at this time that he arranged Bedford's endowment.On 30 September 1562 he bought 13acresof land and 3roodsof meadow for £180 13s atHolborn,which was just a little way outside the expanding city ofLondon,and this was therefore a good investment.On 22 April 1566 he and Dame Alice conveyed the purchase to the Bedford corporation.

Later life

Harpur continued to lead an active life until he was over 70.He contributed to the purchase of a site forGresham's newRoyal Exchangein 1565.He was regularly in attendance at the meetings of theMerchant Taylors.His wife died on 10 October 1569, and in September 1570 Harpur married Margaret Lethers.He died in 1574, aged 77.He was buried, according to his wishes, in the church ofSt Paul's Church, Bedford.His widow arranged for the erection of amonumental brassto him, with the inscription: "Hereunder lieth buried the body of Sir William Harpur, knight, alderman and late Lord Mayor of the city of London, with Dame Margaret, his last wife". The plaque is on the south wall of the church, and is supposed to have been moved away from the site of the tomb, making the word "hereunder" slightly incorrect.Dame Margaret herself remarried twice before dying in Bedford on 3 November 1596.

Legacy

The Harpur Trust continues today, supporting education as well as leisure activities for the people of Bedford. The five schools which are governed by the trust areBedford Academy,Bedford Girls' School,Bedford School,Bedford Modern Schooland Pilgrims Pre-Preparatory School.

The name Harpur is borne today by the estate office, a street in London, a street in Bedford, theHarpurelectoral ward of Bedford, a hospital ward, a group ofalmshouses,theHarpur Suite(former assembly rooms by the Central Library), and a shopping centre.

References

• De-la-Noy, Michael (1999).Bedford School: A History.Bedford School.ISBN0-9536685-0-9.
• Sargeaunt, John; Hockliffe, Ernest (1925).A History of Bedford School.F.R.Hocliffe & T. Fisher Unwin Ltd. ISBN N/A.
• Godber, Joyce (1973).The Harpur Trust 1552-1973.White Crescent Press Ltd.ISBN0-9502917-0-6.