Sir Edward Clarke (died 1703), of Brickendon, Hertfordshire, was an English merchant who served 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 pow ...

in the year 1696 to 1697. Clarke was born at

Heighington, Lincolnshire Heighington ( ) is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated about south-east from the city and county town of Lincoln. In the 2001 Census the population of the parish was recorded as ...

, the son of Thomas Clarke, yeoman of Heighington. In 1645 he was apprenticed to his uncle, George Clarke, a mercer of Cheapside, and became a successful merchant. His first wife was Elizabeth Gough, daughter of Rev. Thomas Gough, a Puritan clergyman, of St Sepulchre. Before 1672, he married, as his second wife, Jane Clutterbuck, daughter of Richard Clutterbuck. He was a member of the

Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors ] The Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors is one of the 110 Livery company, livery companies of the City of London. The Company, originally known as the ''Guild and Fraternity of St John the Baptist in the City of London'', was founded prio ...

and in 1675, he became a Common Councillor for the City of London ward of Farringdon Within. In 1677, he was a silkman, and merchant in partnership with Henry Sherbrooke. In 1682, he acquired the Liberty of Brickendon three miles from Hertford from Sir William Soame, 1st Baronet. The manor was ‘considered “one of the delightful seats of this neighbourhood, having to the front a dry pleasant soil towards Hertford, and on the contrary view woods at half a mile distance, with vistas all pointing to the House’ Clarke was probably responsible for the earliest and most imposing part of the mansion. Clarke was Deputy from 1682 to 1683 and in 1688 and 1689. He was elected Alderman for Bread Street ward on 1 October 1689, and was knighted on 29 October 1689. In 1690, he was elected

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 ...

, when he was described as ‘of the same temper with the mayor’ Sir Thomas Pilkington suggesting he was a strong Whig, possibly with dissenting sympathies. He was also Master of the Merchant Taylors for the year 1690 to 1691. In 1694 he was elected

Director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

of the Bank of England. He became Lord Mayor for the year 1696 to 1697. Clarke died on 1 September 1703 and was buried at St Mathew Friday Street. His son Thomas, who was MP for Hertford, inherited Brickendon. His daughter Jane married

Maynard Colchester Maynard Colchester (4 March 1665 – 1715), of Westbury Court and the Wilderness, was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1701 to 1708. Colchester was the eldest son of Sir Duncombe Colcheste ...

References

External links

Art UK - Portrait of Sir Edward Clarke
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarke, Edward 1621 births 1703 deaths 17th-century lord mayors of London Sheriffs of the City of London