Sir Bartholomew Reade (or Rede; died 1505) was an English

goldsmith A goldsmith is a Metalworking, metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Modern goldsmiths mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, they have also made cutlery, silverware, platter (dishware), plat ...

and politician who served as

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the Mayors in England, mayor of the City of London, England, and the Leader of the council, leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded Order of precedence, precedence over a ...

Family

Reade was born in

Cromer Cromer ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish on the north coast of the North Norfolk district of the county of Norfolk, England. It is north of Norwich, northwest of North Walsham and east of Sheringham on the North Sea coastline. The local ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

. His parents were Roger Reade (d. 1470) and his wife Catherine, and he had at least two siblings, John and Simon. He was already well-established in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

by 1486, when he is mentioned in his mother's will as a "citizen and goldsmith of London". Rye, Walterbr>"Cromer, Past and Present"
pg. 51

Offices

Reade, a goldsmith, was for several years the

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 office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain and then the United Kingdom, between the 16th ...

. Along with Lord Daubeney, he was commissioned to mint the first gold sovereigns in 1489. He was one of the

Sheriffs of London Two Sheriffs of the City of London are elected annually by the members of the City livery companies. Today's Sheriffs have only ceremonial duties, but the historical officeholders held important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ...

in 1497. Two years later, he was alderman of the ward of

Aldersgate Aldersgate is a Wards of the City of London, Ward of the City of London, England, named after one of the northern City gate, gates in the London Wall which once enclosed the City. The Ward of Aldersgate is traditionally divided into Aldersga ...

. He was elected Lord Mayor of London in 1502, succeeding fellow goldsmith John Shaa. During his mayoralty, he used Crosby Place, which he had acquired in 1501, as his hall. He is recorded as throwing extravagant feasts for ambassadors sent by Emperor Maximilian. Chaffers, Williambr>"Gilda Aurifabrorum"
pg. 35-36

Death

Reade died in 1505. He and his wife were interred at the church of St John Zachary, the burial place of many of the city's prominent goldsmiths. Stow, Johnbr>"A Survey of London"
pg. 305 In his will, he established a free school in his home town of Cromer, under the management of the Goldsmiths' Company.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reade, Bartholomew 15th-century births Year of birth unknown 1505 deaths Sheriffs of the City of London 16th-century lord mayors of London English goldsmiths