Adam Bamme (died 1397) was an English

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

and politician who served two non-consecutive terms as

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 powe ...

in the 14th century.

Early career

Bamme's early origins are completely obscure, with nothing known about him prior to 1369.History of Parliament: Adam Bamme (d. 1397)
/ref> A member of the

Goldsmiths' Company The Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths, commonly known as the Goldsmiths' Company and formally titled The Wardens and Commonalty of the Mystery of Goldsmiths of the City of London, is one of the Great Twelve Livery Companies of the City of Londo ...

, he gained a reputation for skillful workmanship that earned him a place as a chief supplier to the household of

John of Gaunt John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster (6 March 1340 – 3 February 1399) was an English royal prince, military leader, and statesman. He was the fourth son (third to survive infancy as William of Hatfield died shortly after birth) of King Edward ...

Marriages and family

Bamme is known to have married twice. His first wife, whom he married in 1375, was the widow of another goldsmith, while his second was a thrice-widowed, wealthy heiress, the daughter of John Stodeye, MP. He had one son, Sir Richard Bamme, whose son in turn would serve as

High Sheriff of Kent The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (prior to 1974 the office previously known as sheriff)."Sheriffs appointed for a county or Greater London shall be known as high sheriffs, and any reference in any enactment or instrum ...

.Philpot, John, and Philpot, Thoma
"Villare Cantianum: Or, Kent Surveyed and Illustrated"
pg. 167 Another goldsmith, Henry Bamme, may have been his brother; the latter succeeded him as alderman of Aldersgate.Aldermen of the City of London: Aldersgate Ward
/ref>

Political career

Bamme held a variety of political offices over the course of his life. He was one of the

Sheriffs of the City 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 1382–3, and an alderman for, successively,

Aldersgate Aldersgate is a Ward of the City of London, named after one of the northern gates in the London Wall which once enclosed the City. The Ward of Aldersgate is traditionally divided into Aldersgate Within and Aldersgate Without, the suffix denot ...

Ward (1382–3),

Cripplegate Cripplegate was a gate in the London Wall which once enclosed the City of London. The gate gave its name to the Cripplegate ward of the City which straddles the line of the former wall and gate, a line which continues to divide the ward into tw ...

Ward (1384-5, 1387–8), Cheap Ward (1388–1393), and

Lime Street Ward __NOTOC__ Lime Street is one of the 25 ancient wards of the City of London. ''It is divided into four precincts; and it is worthy a remark that, though the ward includes parts of several parishes, there is not even a whole street in it.'' ( ...

(1393 until his death). Bamme served his first term as mayor in 1390, succeeding William Venour. During this term, Bamme negotiated the purchase of a very large quantity of grain to store in anticipation of future shortages in the city.Hatfield, Emm
"London's Lord Mayors: 800 Years of Shaping the City"
pg. 47 This act was quite popular with the city's citizens, and helped gain Bamme a second term in 1397. Also during his first term, he issued a proclamation to silence the ongoing political dispute between the supporters of two previous mayors,

Nicholas Brembre Sir Nicholas Brembre (died 20 February 1388) was a wealthy magnate and a chief ally of King Richard II in 14th-century England. He was Lord Mayor of London in 1377, and again from 1384–5,6. Named a "worthie and puissant man of the city" by Rich ...

and

John Northampton John Northampton (also known as John Comberton) (died 1398) was a reformist Lord Mayor of London in 1381 and 1382, during dissension in favour of reform of its Common Council in the early years of Richard II's reign. When the oligarchic leader ...

."Memorials of London and London Life"
pg. 526

Death

Bamme did not finish his second term as mayor. He died in office on 6 June 1397, and

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father died ...

chose his replacement,

Richard Whittington Richard Whittington (c. 1354–1423) of the parish of St Michael Paternoster Royal, City of London, was an English merchant and a politician of the late medieval period. He is also the real-life inspiration for the English folk tale ''Dick ...

."Memorials of London and London Life"
pg. 544 He was buried at

St George Botolph Lane St George Botolph Lane was a church off Eastcheap, in the ward of Billingsgate in the City of London. The rear of the church overlooked Pudding Lane, where the fire of London started. It was first recorded in the twelfth century, and destroyed in ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bamme, Adam 14th-century births Year of birth unknown 1397 deaths Sheriffs of the City of London 14th-century lord mayors of London 14th-century English politicians English goldsmiths