Editing Lord Mayor of London (section)

==History==
{{see also|List of lord mayors of London}} 
[[File:Stained glass illustrating Henry Fitz-Ailwin, Guildhall. London.JPG|thumb|Stained glass in Guildhall, London, showing Henry fitz Ailwin]]
[[File:Lord Mayor's Show (Canaletto).JPG|thumb|In 1747, the Lord Mayor proceeded to Westminster Hall via [[barge]] on the River Thames.]]
[[File:Admission ticket to Lord Mayor Thomas Gabriel's reception of H.I.M. The Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz Khan at The Guildhall, 18 July 1867 issued to the Chairman of P. & O. Navigation Company.jpg|thumb|Copy of admission ticket as issued to the Chairman of P&nbsp;&&nbsp;O Navigation Company for Lord Mayor Sir Thomas Gabriel's reception of [[Abdülaziz of the Ottoman Empire|Sultan Abd-ul-Aziz Khan]] at Guildhall, 18 July 1867]]
The office of Mayor was instituted in 1189, the first holder of the office being [[Henry Fitz-Ailwin de Londonestone]]. The Mayor of the City of London has been elected by the City, rather than appointed by the sovereign, ever since a royal charter providing for a Mayor was issued by [[John of England|King John]] in 1215. The title "Lord Mayor" came to be used after 1354, when it was granted to Thomas Legge (then serving his second of two terms) by [[King Edward III]].

Lord Mayors are elected for one-year terms; by custom, they do not now normally serve more than one consecutive term. Numerous individuals have served multiple terms in office, including:

As Mayor
* 24 terms: Sir [[Henry fitz Ailwin|Henry FitzAlan]] (1189–1212)
* 9 terms: [[Ralph de Sandwich]] (1285–1289, 1289–1292)
* 8 terms: [[Gregory de Rokesley]] (1274–1280, 1284)
* 7 terms: [[Buckerl|Andrew Buckerel]] (1231–1237); [[John de Breton|John le Breton]] (1289, 1293–1298); [[John le Blund]] (1301–1307)
* 6 terms: [[Richard le Ranger]] (1222–1226, 1238); [[Hamo de Chigwell]] (1319, 1321, 1322, 1324, 1325, 1327)
* 5 terms: [[Serlo le Mercer]] (1214, 1218–1221)
As Lord Mayor
* [[Nicholas Brembre|Sir Nicholas Brembre]] (1377, 1383–1385; 4 terms)
* [[Richard Whittington|Sir Richard ('Dick') Whittington]] (1397, 1398, 1406 and 1419; 4 terms)
* [[William Sevenoke]] (1418)
* Sir [[Sir Robert Fowler, 1st Baronet|Robert Fowler]] (elected in 1883 and in 1885).<ref>{{cite web |title=History of the Mayoralty |url=http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/history-and-heritage/mansion-house/Pages/history-of-the-mayoralty.aspx |publisher=City of London |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020124623/http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-the-city/history-and-heritage/mansion-house/Pages/history-of-the-mayoralty.aspx |archive-date=20 October 2013 }}</ref>
* Sir [[William Russell (Lord Mayor)|William Russell]] (2019–2021, 2 terms)

Almost 700 people have served as Lord Mayor. 

Dame [[Mary Donaldson, Baroness Donaldson of Lymington|Mary Donaldson]], elected in 1983, and Dame [[Fiona Woolf]], elected in 2013, are the only women to have held the office. In June 2024, the Court of Aldermen confirmed that Alderwoman Dame Susan Langley would be supported for the Mayoralty in 2025–2026, subject to election at Common Hall in 2025.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/about-us/about-the-city-of-london-corporation/lord-mayor/about-mayoral-appraisal-process | title=About Mayoral Appraisal process }}</ref>

Some Lord Mayors in the [[Middle Ages]], such as Sir [[Edward Dalyngrigge]] (1392), did not live in London. Since 1435, the Lord Mayor has been chosen from amongst the [[aldermen]] of the City of London.