Sir Robert Parkhurst was an English merchant who was Lord Mayor of London

Lord Mayor of London

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...

.

Parkhurst was the son of Henry Parkhurst and his wife Alice Hills. He was a member of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers

Worshipful Company of Clothworkers

The Worshipful Company of Clothworkers was incorporated by Royal Charter in 1528, formed by the amalgamation of its two predecessor Companies, the Fullers and the Shearmen...

 and became an Alderman of the City of London

City of London

The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...

. In 1628, he acquired estates at Pyrford. In 1625 he served as Sheriff of London and in 1635 he became Lord Mayor of London.

Parkhurst died in 1636 and was buried at Holy Trinity, Guildford on 27 October 1636 where there is a large monument to his memory.

Parkhurst married Eleanor Babington, daughter of William Babington. His son Robert

Robert Parkhurst (died 1651)

Sir Robert Parkhurst was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1625 and 1651. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War....

was MP for Guildford.