Sir John Shaa or Shaw (died c. 1503) was a London

goldsmith A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and servicea ...

. He served as engraver and later joint

Master of the Mint Master of the Mint is a title within the Royal Mint given to the most senior person responsible for its operation. It was an important office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain and then the United Kingdom, between ...

, and as Sheriff and

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...

. While Lord Mayor he entertained ambassadors from Scotland, and was among those who welcomed Catherine of Aragon to England. He is mentioned in a poem by

William Dunbar William Dunbar (born 1459 or 1460 – died by 1530) was a Scottish makar, or court poet, active in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. He was closely associated with the court of King James IV and produced a large body of work i ...

Family

John Shaa was the son of John Shaa of Rochford, Essex, and the nephew and eventual heir of Sir Edmund Shaa,

in 1482, whose son, Hugh Shaa, had died without male issue. Shaa was also the nephew of Ralph Shaa (d. 1484), noted for having preached a sermon at

Paul's Cross St Paul's Cross (alternative spellings – "Powles Crosse") was a preaching cross and open-air pulpit in the grounds of Old St Paul's Cathedral, City of London. It was the most important public pulpit in Tudor and early Stuart England, and many ...

impugning the legitimacy of Edward IV's children, including his heir, Edward V. Shaa had a sister, Elizabeth (d. 21 August 1503), who married William Poyntz (d. 1504), esquire, of

North Ockendon North Ockendon is the easternmost and most outlying settlement of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Havering. It is east-northeast of Central London and consists of a dispersed settlement within the Metropolitan Green B ...

, Essex, by whom she had four sons and two daughters.

Career

Catalina de Aragón, por un artista anónimo

Shaa was a London

. From 1462 until 1483, his uncle, Edmund, also a goldsmith, had been engraver to the Royal Mint. John Shaa succeeded him in the post, and served for several years as engraver until, on 20 November 1492, he and his fellow goldsmith, Sir Bartholomew Rede, were appointed joint Masters of the Mint. Shaa's sales of silver and gold plate to Henry VII are recorded in the privy purse expenses, and on two occasions he was compensated for furnishing the gold heraldic knots and roses for the Order of the Garter. His financial dealings with Henry VII were considerable. On 13 January 1499, he was reimbursed £667 2s 11d for supplying New Year's gifts and for the 'making of divers jewels and setting and polishing of stones', as well as for funds supplied to 'Master Seymour' for the 'works at

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

'. Shaa was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...

in 1495 and

Sheriff of London Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ju ...

in 1496-7,Beaven, Alfred B., ''The Aldermen of the City of London'', Vol. II (London: Eden Fisher & Co. Ltd., 1913
Retrieved 23 June 2013. and with his fellow Sheriff, Richard Haddon, was among those dubbed knight in June 1497 by Henry VII at the foot of London Bridge after the Battle of Blackheath. In 1501 Shaa was elected Lord Mayor. During his term of office, ambassadors were sent from Scotland to arrange the marriage of Henry VII's elder daughter,

Margaret Tudor Margaret Tudor (28 November 1489 – 18 October 1541) was Queen of Scotland from 1503 until 1513 by marriage to King James IV. She then served as regent of Scotland during her son's minority, and successfully fought to extend her regency. Ma ...

, with

James IV James IV (17 March 1473 – 9 September 1513) was King of Scotland from 11 June 1488 until his death at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He inherited the throne at the age of fifteen on the death of his father, James III, at the Battle of Sauch ...

, King of Scotland. At a banquet hosted by Shaa for the ambassadors in Christmas week in December 1501, the poet

declaimed verses in honour of the City of London which included these lines in praise of Shaa: During Shaa's term as Lord Mayor, Catherine of Aragon arrived in London as the bride of Henry VII's eldest son, Arthur, Prince of Wales. Shaa was part of the deputation of London civic authorities and members of the livery companies who were instructed to meet her ship 'in their several barges, after their manner accustomed, at

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...

', and to 'hail and salute her in the best manner they can'.. While he was Lord Mayor, Shaa instituted a 'court of requests' in the City of London to administer justice more equitably. It proved unpopular, as it was said to have favoured the poor more than 'justice and good law required'. During his term as Lord Mayor, Shaa caused a kitchen to be added to the London Guildhall. He was said to have been 'the first that kept his feast there'. He also instituted another tradition, the procession from the Guildhall to the state barge on which the Lord Mayor travelled to

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...

to be sworn. Shaa was appointed for a second term as MP in 1503, though as Parliament did not assemble until 25 January 1504 he may have died before attending. He made his will on 26 December 1503, which was proved 14 May 1504, and was buried in the Mercers' chapel in the church of St Thomas of Acres. Sir John Shaa's arms were

Argent In heraldry, argent () is the tincture of silver, and belongs to the class of light tinctures called "metals". It is very frequently depicted as white and usually considered interchangeable with it. In engravings and line drawings, regions to ...

, a

chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...

between three lozenges ermine.

Marriage and issue

In 1479, Shaa married Margaret Ilam, the daughter of a London

mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...

, Thomas Ilam (d. 1482), and Jane Verdon, by whom he had three sons and several daughters, including: *Edmund Shaa of Horndon on the Hill, Essex, eldest son and heir, who married Lora Wentworth, the daughter of Sir Roger Wentworth (d. 9 August 1539) and Anne Tyrrell, by whom he was the father of Alice Shaa, wife of William Poley. *Reynold Shaa. *Thomas Shaa. *Audrey or Etheldreda Shaa, who married firstly Sir John Shaa's ward, John Writtle; secondly William Ayloffe (d. 1517), a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn, by whom she was the grandmother of William Ayloffe (d. 1584),

Justice of the Common Pleas Justice of the Common Pleas was a puisne judicial position within the Court of Common Pleas of England and Wales, under the Chief Justice. The Common Pleas was the primary court of common law within England and Wales, dealing with "common" pleas ...

; and thirdly Sir John Gainsford (d. 1540) of

Crowhurst, Surrey Crowhurst is a civil parish and dispersed village in a rural part of the Tandridge district of Surrey, England. The nearest town is Oxted, north. Rated two architectural categories higher than the medieval church is the Renaissance manor, C ...

, by whom she had one son, John Gainsford, who died without issue, and five daughters, including Audrey Gainsford, who married firstly George Taylor of

Lingfield, Surrey Lingfield is a village and civil parish in the Tandridge district of Surrey, England, approximately south of London. Several buildings date from the Tudor period and the timber-frame medieval church is Grade I listed. The stone cage or old ...

; secondly Sir George Harper; and thirdly George Carleton.Harper, George (1503–58), of Sutton Valence, Kent and London, History of Parliament
Retrieved 14 December 2013.Carleton, George (1529–1590), of Overstone, Northamptonshire, Wisbech and Coldham, Isle of Ely, History of Parliament
Retrieved 10 December 2013. After the death of Sir John Shaa around 1503, his widow, Margaret (née Ilam), married, as his second wife, Sir John Raynsford of

Colchester Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian. Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colch ...

and Bradfield Hall, Essex, by whom she had a daughter, Julian Raynsford, who married Sir William Waldegrave of

Smallbridge, Suffolk Smallbridge Hall is a Grade II* listed English country house in Bures St. Mary, Suffolk, near Colchester, England. The house is partially surrounded by a moat and stands on the bank of the River Stour. The present building is one wing of a large ...

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External links