Interior of All Saints, Gautby - geograph

Sir Thomas Vyner, 1st Baronet (1588–1665) was a wealthy English businessman and politician who served as the

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 ...

. Vyner supplied gold bullion to two English kings and to the Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell. Born at North Cerney,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

, on 15 December 1588, Vyner was the son of Thomas and Anne Vyner. After his father's death in 1600, Vyner was sent to London to live with his sister and brother-in-law, Samuel Moore. Samuel Moore introduced Vyner to the

goldsmithing A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with gold and other precious metals. Nowadays they mainly specialize in jewelry-making but historically, goldsmiths have also made silverware, platters, goblets, decorative and serviceabl ...

trade. Vyner soon became a member of the

Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths 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 ...

and later became its prime warden. In 1622, Vyner purchased a mansion in what was then the village of Hackney near London. On 8 July 1624, James I appointed Vyner to the office of

comptroller A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level exec ...

of the mint. Under the regime of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

, Vyner supplied large quantities of

gold bullion A gold bar, also called gold bullion or gold ingot, is a quantity of refined metallic gold of any shape that is made by a bar producer meeting standard conditions of manufacture, labeling, and record keeping. Larger gold bars that are produce ...

to and created coinage for both the English government and the

East India Company The East India Company (EIC) was an English, and later British, joint-stock company founded in 1600 and dissolved in 1874. It was formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region, initially with the East Indies (the Indian subcontinent and Sout ...

. In 1656, he and a partner purchased a large quantity of Spanish bullion to be converted into coins. As Vyner became more successful in business, he started venturing into politics. In 1646, he was elected alderman of the

Billingsgate Billingsgate is one of the 25 Wards of the City of London. This small City Ward is situated on the north bank of the River Thames between London Bridge and Tower Bridge in the south-east of the Square Mile. The modern Ward extends south to th ...

ward of London, a post he would hold until 1651. In 1648, he was elected sheriff. In 1651, Vyner ran for election as alderman in the Langbourn ward. In 1653, he became the Lord Mayor of London. That same year, Vyner was knighted by Cromwell. In 1660, with the loss of his post as alderman, Vyner appears to have retired from public service. On 18 June 1661 Charles II made Vyner a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

. Vyner died in Hackney on 11 May 1665. He was buried in

St Mary Woolnoth St Mary Woolnoth is an Anglican church in the City of London, located on the corner of Lombard Street and King William Street near Bank junction. The present building is one of the Queen Anne Churches, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. The pari ...

church in Langbourn, although his monuunment was moved by his great nephew Robert Vyner to

Gautby Gautby ( ) is a village in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. The village is situated north-west from the town of Horncastle, and is part of the Minting civil parish. Gautby parish church is dedicated to All Saints, and is a ...

. Vyner had three wives, four daughters, and two sons. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son George. George remained living in Hackney until his death in 1673. George's son and heir, Thomas, was baptised at St John's church, Hackney, in 1664.

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