Sir Hugh Hamersley (6 July 1565 – 19 October 1636) was a 17th-century merchant who was

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 1627.

Business interests

Hamersley's family estate was at Pyrton Manor near

Watlington, Oxfordshire Watlington is a small market town and civil parish about south of Thame in Oxfordshire, near the county's eastern edge and less than from its border with Buckinghamshire. The parish includes the hamlets of Christmas Common, Greenfield and Ho ...

, but he rose to prominence in London as a merchant. From 1601 he was a member of the Haberdasher's Company. He was a member of the committee of the East India Company from 1606 to 1611 and again from 1614 to 1620. He was a member of the Court of Assistants from 1614 to 1618 and Treasurer from 1618 to 1620. 'Chronological list of aldermen: 1601-1650', The Aldermen of the City of London: Temp. Henry III - 1912 (1908), pp. 47-75. Date accessed: 16 July 2011
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Later career

Hamersley was

Sheriff of London Two sheriffs are elected annually for the City of London by the Liverymen of the City livery company, livery companies. Today's sheriffs have only nominal duties, but the historical officeholders had important judicial responsibilities. They have ...

for the year 1618 to 1619 and was elected an alderman of the City of London for

Bishopsgate Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate gave its name to the Bishopsgate Ward of the City of London. The ward is traditionally divided into ''Bishopsgate Within'', inside the line wall, and ''Bishop ...

ward on 16 July 1619. He was Master of the Haberdashers Company from 1619 to 1620 and became president of the

Honourable Artillery Company The Honourable Artillery Company (HAC) is a reserve regiment in the British Army. Incorporated by royal charter in 1537 by King Henry VIII, it is the oldest regiment in the British Army and is considered the second-oldest military unit in the w ...

in 1619, retaining the position until 1633. In 1622 he became alderman for

Aldgate Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London. It gives its name to Aldgate High Street, the first stretch of the A11 road, which included the site of the former gate. The area of Aldgate, the most common use of ...

ward until his death. He became Governor of the Russia Company and Governor of the Levant Company in 1623. In 1627 he became

and served another term as Master of the Haberdashers Company. After his term as Mayor he was knighted by King Charles I on 8 June 1628. He was a member of the committee of the East India Company from 1630 to 1636. He became Colonel Trained Bands of the City in 1631. In 1634 he became president of

Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. The school was founded in 1552 and received its first royal charter in 1553 ...

charitable school. After Hamersley's death a memorial was erected by his widow in the church of

St Andrew Undershaft St Andrew Undershaft is a Church of England church in the City of London, the historic nucleus and modern financial centre of London. It is located on St Mary Axe, within the Aldgate ward, and is a rare example of a City church that survived both ...

, London. He had married in 1597, fathering fifteen children. A portrait of him in mayoral robes was donated to Haberdasher's Hall, London by his great-grandson in 1716. The Ashbourne portrait is also believed to represent Hamersley, and not, as long thought,

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamersley, Hugh 1565 births 1636 deaths People from Watlington, Oxfordshire Sheriffs of the City of London 17th-century lord mayors of London 16th-century English businesspeople 17th-century English businesspeople Knights Bachelor