Sir William Walworth (died in 1385) was an English nobleman, politician, and a member of the Fishmonger's Guild in London. During his years as a political figure, he served twice as Lord Mayor of London (1374âÂÂ75 and 1380âÂÂ81) which led to much of his fame from today as the man who killed Wat Tyler which massively hindered the Peasants' Revolt of 1381.
Before Walworth's career as a politician, he was a part of the Fishmongers Guild in London. The information on Walworth at this point in time is minimal because he was a commoner â someone that people at the time would have not bothered writing extensively about. This does not seem to shape his decisions in the future, however, such as eliminating one of the most notable revolts of the common people in English history.
His family came from Durham. He was apprenticed to John Lovekyn (also a member of the Fishmongers Guild) whom he succeeded as Alderman of Bridge ward in 1368. Walworth became Sheriff of London in 1370 and Lord Mayor of London in 1374. He was a Member of Parliament for the City of London in 1371, 1376, 1377, and 1383, as one of the two aldermanic representatives of the city.
He is said to have suppressed usury in the city during his term of office as Lord Mayor. His name frequently figures as advancing loans to Edward III and Richard II. There was strong factionalism in the city of London during Walworth's time and faction of wealthy food merchants attracted complaints in the House of Commons for conspiring to inflate food prices, they were also generally opposed to the influence of the king's uncle John of Gaunt.
During Walworth's time, England was in a period of uncertainty. They were not a state by any means, but they were not as scattered as they had once been and this was leading to people becoming unruly and concerned. This led to Walworth's most famous exploit which was his encounter with Wat Tyler during the English peasants' revolt of 1381, in his second term of office as Lord Mayor.
In June of that year, when Tyler (the leader of the revolt) and his followers entered south London, Walworth defended London Bridge against them. The method that Walworth used to kill Tyler is debated because the accounts are messy to the point that one scholar went on to compare it to the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Some scholars would suggest that Walworth slashed him heroically and he fell over half dead while others would suggest an alternate story that portrays Tyler and the revolters as the heroes.
Walworth rode immediately back to London to raised the city bodyguard in the king's defence, for which service he was rewarded by knighthood and a pension. With four colleagues, he was knighted by Richard II following the death of Wat Tyler at Smithfield in June 1381, making him one of the few Londoners to be so elevated in the 14th century. With Walworth were four other aldermen, Nicholas Brembre, John Philpot, Nicholas Twyford and Robert Launde. The only other Londoners knighted in the century were Richard de Refham around 1312 and Mayor John de Pulteney in 1337; after 1381, the next Londoner knighted was William Estfield nearly 60 years later, in 1439.
He subsequently served on two commissions to restore the peace in the county of Kent.
He died in 1385, and was buried in the church of St. Michael, Crooked Lane, of which he was a considerable benefactor. Sir William Walworth was the most distinguished member of the Fishmongers Guild, and he invariably figured in the pageants prepared by them when one of their members attained the mayoralty. He became a favorite hero in popular tales, and appeared in Richard Johnson's Nine Worthies of London in 1592.
Centuries after his death, a survey of London and Westminster was wrote which depicts him as a hero. Writings about him would not have been as favorable during his time â he killed a revolt, he betrayed his class, and he was the Lord Mayor of London.
Walworth gives his name to one of the six houses of Kingston Grammar School. The emblem of which is a green tiger.
William Walworth is commemorated with a statue on Holborn Viaduct, near the boundary of the City of London.
His wife, Margaret, survived him; she died before 1413.