George Monoux (born in or before 1465; died 1544), born in Walthamstow,

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, was an English merchant in Bristol and London. Six times Master of the

Worshipful Company of Drapers The Worshipful Company of Drapers is one of the 110 livery companies of the City of London. It has the formal name The Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Dr ...

, he 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 ...

and was an important benefactor in Walthamstow. He was a descendant of John Monoux of Stanford, Worcestershire. A member of the

Drapers Company The Worshipful Company of Drapers is one of the 110 livery companies of the City of London. It has the formal name The Master and Wardens and Brethren and Sisters of the Guild or Fraternity of the Blessed Mary the Virgin of the Mystery of Dr ...

, Monoux as a merchant traded out of

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

to France, Spain and Portugal during the late 15th century, and was Mayor of that city in 1501. In 1507 he became

alderman An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members t ...

for Bassishaw ward in the City of London, and held that ward for 34 years until his death. Serving as Master of the Drapers first in 1508–09, he became

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 1509 and, after two years as auditor, was Lord Mayor of London in 1514. He was again master of his company in 1516–17, 1520–21, 1526–27, 1532–33 and 1539–40. In 1523 he 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 the

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 ...

On 15 June 1527 Monoux purchased land for almshouses as well as a school in Walthamstow. He left property worth £50 a year to pay the salaries of a schoolmaster and parish clerk, who were to pray for the souls of Monoux and his wives and to teach up to thirty children. This chantry endowment lasted until 1548 when it was suppressed in the

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

. He died in February 1544 and was buried at Walthamstow. He had married twice: firstly Joan, with whom he had a son and 2 daughters; and secondly Anne, the daughter and coheiress of John Wood of Southwark, Surrey, and the widow of Robert Wattes of London. He left no children. It is commonly assumed that the pronunciation of his name excludes the 'x'. However, a letter sent to him spells his name 'Monneks', indicating that the 'x' was pronounced. The Monoux School, now

Sir George Monoux College Sir George Monoux College is a sixth form college located in Walthamstow, London. It is a medium-sized college with around 1,620 full-time students as of 2018. Brief history Sir George Monoux, the founder of the Grammar School (later College ...

, traces its history back to that 1527 endowment as do the Monoux Hall almshouses in Church End, Walthamstow.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Monoux, George 15th-century births 1544 deaths People from Walthamstow 15th-century English people English MPs 1523 Sheriffs of the City of London 16th-century lord mayors of London Founders of English schools and colleges Members of the Parliament of England for the City of London Year of birth uncertain

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