William Garrard
Encyclopedia
Sir William Garrard was a merchant of London
and a royal financier.
between 1547-1550. He would also serve as an Alderman for the London wards of Broad Street
between 1550–1556 and Lime Street
between 1556-1571.
In 1552, he was elected Sheriff of London, serving a term. In 1555, he was elected Lord Mayor of London, and he was also knighted that same year. In 1556 he became Auditor of London, and in 1557, he was elected as Member of Parliament for London.
between 1553–1554, Bridewell Hospital between 1558–1559, and St. Bartholomew's Hospital from 1559-1571. He was the Surveyor of Hospitals between 1566–1567, and Comptroller-General of the city's hospitals from 1568 until his death.
in 1557, as well as a member of the Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands
. He was a consul of the Russia Company between 1555–1556, and Governor from 1561 until his death, which was also referred to as his company by this time. Garrard served as the Governor of the Company of Mineral and Battery Works in 1568, and he was considered one of the great merchants of London.
on behalf of King Edward IV
, negotiated a £40,000 loan from the Merchant Adventurers through Garrard. In 1561, Garrard, along with Sir William Chester, loaned £30,000 to Queen Elizabeth I
, in which she personally exempted them from usury laws, allowing them to receive 10% interest on their loan.
In 1564, Garrard helped finance Sir John Hawkins
second voyage, in which fundraising for the trip was done through a meeting at his personal residence. He would also support Hawkins' third voyage, which ended in disaster and cost Garrard £21,000.
Garrard is worth today a stagaring 1,ooo,ooo dollars
granted exclusive trading rights to Garrard's Russia Company. The Tsar wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth I personally awarding the rights to Garrard, as well as several others within the company.
's first Royal Exchange
. Garrard would be named a commissioner of the undertaking. In February of 1566, a group of men met at Sir John Rivers
' residence to celebrate the finalization of the plans for the exchange, in which Gresham personally thanked Garrard in front of the crowd. The building was opened in 1570 during a celebration by the Queen.
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and a royal financier.
Early life
Garrard was born in 1518, the son of John Garrard, a grocer and descendant of Sir Simon Attegare; Attegare being origin of the surname Garrard. He grew up in the parish of St. Magnus the Martyr near London Bridge. He became a haberdasher and involved himself with public affairs.Public service
In 1545, he was appointed by the Court of Aldermen as a Surveyor of the Poor, with the duties of trying to find ways to combat poverty. He served in that position until 1549, while also serving as the Treasurer of St. Bartholomew's Hospital between 1548-1549. During this time was an Alderman for the London ward of AldgateAldgate
Aldgate was the eastern most gateway through London Wall leading from the City of London to Whitechapel and the east end of London. Aldgate gives its name to a ward of the City...
between 1547-1550. He would also serve as an Alderman for the London wards of Broad Street
Broad Street (ward)
Broad Street is one of the 25 ancient wards in the City of London.In mediaeval times it was divided into ten precincts and contained six churches, of which only two, St Margaret Lothbury and All Hallows-on-the-Wall now survive: St Bartholomew-by-the-Exchange was demolished in 1840, St Benet Fink...
between 1550–1556 and Lime Street
Lime Street (ward)
Lime Street is one of the 25 ancient wards in the City of London.It is divided into four precincts; and it is worthy a remark that, though the ward includes parts of several parishes, there is not even a whole street in it. John Noorthhouck...
between 1556-1571.
In 1552, he was elected Sheriff of London, serving a term. In 1555, he was elected Lord Mayor of London, and he was also knighted that same year. In 1556 he became Auditor of London, and in 1557, he was elected as Member of Parliament for London.
Hospitals
Garrard dedicated his time to drawing up constitutions for new hospitals, in which he would serve as President of Christ's HospitalChrist's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
between 1553–1554, Bridewell Hospital between 1558–1559, and St. Bartholomew's Hospital from 1559-1571. He was the Surveyor of Hospitals between 1566–1567, and Comptroller-General of the city's hospitals from 1568 until his death.
Merchant
He was a Master of the Haberdashers CompanyWorshipful Company of Haberdashers
The Worshipful Company of Haberdashers is one of the senior Livery Companies of the City of London. The organisation, following on from the Mercers' Company, another Livery Company connected with clothing and haberdashery, received a Royal Charter in 1448...
in 1557, as well as a member of the Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands
Company of Merchant Adventurers to New Lands
The Company of Merchant Adventurers was founded in London, possibly in 1551 by Richard Chancellor, Sebastian Cabot and Sir Hugh Willoughby...
. He was a consul of the Russia Company between 1555–1556, and Governor from 1561 until his death, which was also referred to as his company by this time. Garrard served as the Governor of the Company of Mineral and Battery Works in 1568, and he was considered one of the great merchants of London.
Royal financier
In 1552, William CecilWilliam Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...
on behalf of King Edward IV
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
, negotiated a £40,000 loan from the Merchant Adventurers through Garrard. In 1561, Garrard, along with Sir William Chester, loaned £30,000 to Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
, in which she personally exempted them from usury laws, allowing them to receive 10% interest on their loan.
Voyages and trade
Garrard financed a voyage to Barbary in 1552, which introduced him to the slave trade. Several voyages to Guinea would follow, including voyages in 1553 and 1567. Garrard was one of the original developers of the Moroccan trade in 1553. That year he also helped finance the first voyage of the Russia Company, an attempt by Sir Hugh Willoughby to find a Northeast Passage.In 1564, Garrard helped finance Sir John Hawkins
John Hawkins
Admiral Sir John Hawkins was an English shipbuilder, naval administrator and commander, merchant, navigator, and slave trader. As treasurer and controller of the Royal Navy, he rebuilt older ships and helped design the faster ships that withstood the Spanish Armada in 1588...
second voyage, in which fundraising for the trip was done through a meeting at his personal residence. He would also support Hawkins' third voyage, which ended in disaster and cost Garrard £21,000.
Garrard is worth today a stagaring 1,ooo,ooo dollars
Exclusive trading rights with Russia
In 1567, Tsar Ivan IVIvan IV of Russia
Ivan IV Vasilyevich , known in English as Ivan the Terrible , was Grand Prince of Moscow from 1533 until his death. His long reign saw the conquest of the Khanates of Kazan, Astrakhan, and Siberia, transforming Russia into a multiethnic and multiconfessional state spanning almost one billion acres,...
granted exclusive trading rights to Garrard's Russia Company. The Tsar wrote a letter to Queen Elizabeth I personally awarding the rights to Garrard, as well as several others within the company.
Royal Exchange
In 1566, Garrard contributed financing toward the creation of Sir Thomas GreshamThomas Gresham
Sir Thomas Gresham was an English merchant and financier who worked for King Edward VI of England and for Edward's half-sisters, Queens Mary I and Elizabeth I.-Family and childhood:...
's first Royal Exchange
Royal Exchange (London)
The Royal Exchange in the City of London was founded in 1565 by Sir Thomas Gresham to act as a centre of commerce for the city. The site was provided by the City of London Corporation and the Worshipful Company of Mercers, and is trapezoidal, flanked by the converging streets of Cornhill and...
. Garrard would be named a commissioner of the undertaking. In February of 1566, a group of men met at Sir John Rivers
John Rivers
Sir John Rivers was born to Richard Rivers, steward of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham's lands. Alternate spelling includes John Ryvers....
' residence to celebrate the finalization of the plans for the exchange, in which Gresham personally thanked Garrard in front of the crowd. The building was opened in 1570 during a celebration by the Queen.
Marriage and issue
Garrard married Isabel Nethermill, heiress of Julius Nethermill, and they had five children:- Sir William Garrard II
- George Garrard, who married Margaret D'Acres
- Sir John Garrard, who would become Lord of Mayor of London and progenitor of the Garrard baronetcy
- Peter Garrard
- Anne Garrard, who married Sir George Barne IIIGeorge Barne IIISir George Barne III was a prominent merchant and public official from London during the reign of Elizabeth I, and the son of Sir George Barne II, and Alice Brooke.-Life:...