Thomas White (merchant)

Sir Thomas White (* 1492 in Reading, Berkshire, † February 12, 1567 in Gloucester Hall, Oxford University, Oxfordshire ) was an English textile merchant, Lord Mayor of London and founder of St John 's College, Oxford and the Merchant Taylors' School in London.

Thomas White was the son of clothier William White from Rickmansworth in Hertfordshire and his wife Mary, daughter of John Kebblewhite from South Fawley in Berkshire. At the age of twelve he was given to Hugh Acton, a prominent member of the Merchant Taylors ' Company in teaching. After his master had left him at his death in 1520 a modest legacy, he set in 1523 in the cloth business independently and led to circa 1535 in this capacity, the Merchant Taylors ' Company, before he could acquire them.

Since that time, he also appeared as a benefactor. 1542 and 1545 he granted the cities of Coventry and Bristol larger loans and supported the Church of St. Michael, Cornhill, to which he belonged, and in 1544 elected him to the City Council. In 1547 he was county Vogt. 1561 he concluded, on behalf of his company a Trust Deed in favor of the city of Coventry, which should receive generous funds for charitable and benevolent purposes after his death. On October 2, 1553 he was in the presence of Queen Mary defeated by the Earl of Arundel knighted and raised to the peerage. On 29 October of the same year he was appointed Lord Mayor of London. Splendor and pomp of the procession on the occasion of his inauguration have survived. His time as mayor was marked by several proclamations and laws against gambling and dancing pleasure.

Also in 1553 he was a member of the Judicial Committee in the trial of Lady Jane Grey her followers.

After the end of this task, White concentrated on charitable projects outside the city. His friend, Sir Thomas Pope (1507-1559) had recently established Trinity College in Oxford, what inspired him, even to found a college in the town where he already held lands. On 1 May 1555, he received the royal permission, a college "for the learning of the sciences of holy divinity, philosophy and good arts" ( for the teaching of the sciences of theology, philosophy and the fine arts ) to operate that the Holy should be consecrated to the Virgin Mary and St. John the Baptist ( the patron saint of the Merchant Taylors ' Company).

1559 acquired Gloucester White Hall, where he spent his last years of life. From 1562 he increasingly suffered from the crisis of the cloth industry and ran into financial difficulties. Nevertheless, he was able to continue to establish various trust funds for the benefit of various cities, London draper companies and its own nationals.

When White died on 12 February 1567 he was a poor man. Many of the funds he gave to his college or other social purposes, never reached their destination, but were consumed by intermediaries, trustees and other staff.

Sir Thomas was twice married. His first wife, Avicia whose name is unknown, died on 26 February 1558th On 25 November of the same year, he married Joan, daughter and co-heiress of John the Lake from London and the widow of Sir Ralph Warren. He had no descendants.

Sir Thomas White is sometimes confused with his namesake Sir Thomas White of South Warnborough in Hampshire, which was lodged on the same day to the nobility and was called his wife Agnes. The confusion is all the more understandable than the lands of this Thomas White in South Warnborough also came into the assets of St John 's College. This, however, due to a donation of Archbishop Laud, who had received the lands in 1636 by William Sandys.