Henry le Walleis (sometimes spelled le Waleys) (died 1302) was a 13th-century

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

politician and

Mayor of London The mayor of London is the chief executive of the Greater London Authority. The role was created in 2000 after the Greater London devolution referendum in 1998, and was the first directly elected mayor in the United Kingdom. The current ...

. His origins are obscure; he was an outsider to London and may have been

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, of or about Wales * Welsh language, spoken in Wales * Welsh people, an ethnic group native to Wales Places * Welsh, Arkansas, U.S. * Welsh, Louisiana, U.S. * Welsh, Ohio, U.S. * Welsh Basin, during t ...

by birth. After making his fortune in the wine trade, he became an alderman in 1269 and sheriff in 1270. As alderman, he represented the ward of

Cordwainer A cordwainer () is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes. This usage distinction is ...

. He went on to serve five terms as mayor. Henry's career was marked by strong support for

King Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 1254 ...

, whom he served as an advisor. In his first term as mayor, in 1273, Henry acted against prior mayor Walter Hervey, who had led a populist movement that nearly resulted in a revolt coinciding with the death of King Henry III. Walleis had Hervey's sheriffs arrested for corruption and persuaded the aldermen to annul the charters Hervey's movement had fought for, before bringing Hervey himself up on numerous charges for his actions as mayor and bailiff. He was succeeded as mayor by his political ally,

Gregory de Rokesley Gregory de Rokesley (died 1291) was an English goldsmith, Mayor of London and Warden of the Mint. He was originally from Rokesley in Kent and was a wealthy wool merchant and goldsmith. In 1263, 1265 and 1270, he served as Sheriff of London and t ...

. In 1275, Edward I appointed Henry as mayor of

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...

, and Henry also served as a diplomat to both France and Scotland over the next two decades. He also was appointed as one of the planners (along with Thomas Alard) of the city of

Winchelsea Winchelsea () is a town in the county of East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately south west of Rye and north east of Hastings. The current town, which was founded in 1288, replaced an earli ...

. Henry returned for three more years as mayor from 1281 to 1283, after years of increasing discontent among the citizens of London. In 1282, he established the

Stocks Market Stocks Market was a market in central London operating between 1282 and 1737 and for centuries was London's main retail meat and produce market. The market was located to the east of the Walbrook in the heart of the City of London. It was demo ...

, where fishmongers and butchers could sell their wares, with the rents going towards the maintenance of

London Bridge The name "London Bridge" refers to several historic crossings that have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark in central London since Roman Britain, Roman times. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 197 ...

. He also, in 1283, had a series of shops built along

Paternoster Row Paternoster Row is a street in the City of London that was a centre of the London publishing trade, with booksellers operating from the street. Paternoster Row was described as "almost synonymous" with the book trade. It was part of an area call ...

which would later become a center of the London publishing trade. In 1298, he was elected to his fifth (and final) term as mayor. Henry married Joan, daughter of

Adam de Basing Adam de Basing (died 1266) was a 13th-century English politician and Mayor of London. The scion of a London political family, he was the son of alderman Peter Basing and grandson of an earlier mayor, Salomon de Basing.Fox, Christine M. (2014)"A ...

, a previous mayor of London. His son, Augustine le Waleys (sometimes referred to as Augustine de Uxbridge), served as

Warden of the Mint Warden of the Mint was a high-ranking position at the Royal Mint in England from 1216 to 1829. The warden was responsible for a variety of minting procedures and acted as the immediate representative of the current monarch inside the mint. The role ...

for

King Edward II Edward II (25 April 1284 – 21 September 1327), also known as Edward of Caernarfon or Caernarvon, was King of England from 1307 until he was deposed in January 1327. The fourth son of Edward I, Edward became the heir to the throne follo ...

. Ruding, Rogersbr>"Annals of the Coinage of Britain and Its Dependencies"
pp.387 - 388 Henry died in 1302, leaving a significant bequest to the

Poor Clares The Poor Clares, officially the Order of Saint Clare (Latin language, Latin: ''Ordo Sanctae Clarae''), originally referred to as the Order of Poor Ladies, and also known as the Clarisses or Clarissines, the Minoresses, the Franciscan Clarist Or ...

and

Franciscans The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor being the largest conte ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walleis, Henry le 13th-century births 1302 deaths Year of birth unknown Sheriffs of the City of London 13th-century mayors of London Mayors of Bordeaux