A chain of mayors: the Mayors of Chichester (1239-2013), with portraits and brief biographies

The history of the Mayoralty in Chichester reaches back at least to 1239, from which date there exists a continuous list of Mayors across the centuries. All these Mayors are listed by their date of office, and from 1700 or thereabouts are accompanied (where available), by extant images of Mayors together with brief biographical information. Detail is included about the range of activities undertaken by the Mayor – who may attend around 1,000 events each year; together with information about the granting of Freedom of the City since 1901 – notably to Sharp Garland (Mayor throughout WW1) and Walter Stride (Mayor throughout WW2), and to other notable benefactors to the City - for instance Charlie Newell, Bishop George Bell, Leslie Evershed-Martin. The volume also includes comment on the history of Chichester’s status as a City, and reproduces the first extant charter from 1135, which confirmed the City’s rights as enjoyed from the time of William the Conqueror. An image is also included of the most recent charter granted by our present Queen in 1975, which permitted Chichester to retain its title as a City – despite local government reorganisation earlier that decade. The volume concludes with a listing of all Councillors from 1909, together with a selection of antiquarian photographs of Council - reaching back to 1895.