Sir Stephen Pecoke: Lord Mayor of London

Many rich people gave money or valuable objects to their local church. In his will, dated 1535, Sir Stephen Pecoke left a silver box to St Martin's Church in Ludgate to be delivered immediately after his death.

Sir Stephen was Lord Mayor of London and saw many of the grand events and religious changes taking place at the time. In 1533 King Henry VIII divorced his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and married Anne Boleyn. In June that year, Sir Stephen went to the Tower of London dressed in a crimson velvet gown. He greeted Anne as part of the ceremony leading up to her coronation in Westminster Abbey.

In September, Anne gave birth to a daughter, Elizabeth. Sir Stephen and 40 other leading citizens of London travelled by state barge along the River Thames to Greenwich Palace to attend Elizabeth's christening by the Bishop of London. The nearby church had been hung with fine tapestries and a fire was lit to make sure the baby did not catch cold.

As Lord Mayor, Sir Stephen was the leader of the council that governed the City of London. When he was elected, Sir Stephen would have pledged his loyalty to the king in a ceremony similar to that of the Lord Mayor's Show today.

Silver chalice, 1535-59. Lent by St Martin's Church, Ludgate

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