Aldermen of the City of London: Bread Street ward

BREAD STREET WARD.

Note A.—I have assigned Clopton to this Ward from 1492 to 1496, but it is at least possible that the Alderman of Bread Street during this period was William Purchase (see Cheap and Dowgate Wards), though the balance of probability seems to be in favour of the former. There is no direct evidence so far as I can discover, of Clopton's serving for Bread Street at all, nor is there any record to show beyond doubt the Ward or Wards represented by Purchase before his removal (during his Mayoralty) to Cheap on February 1, 1498. It may, however, be inferred from the fact that a vacancy in Dowgate was filled up on February 5, that he was transferred to Cheap from Dowgate. The last Alderman of Dowgate recorded before that date is Clopton, who was present in October 1495, and appears to have died between March 8, 1496, the date of his will, and February 13, 1497, when it was enrolled [H.R. 224 (15)]. Purchase first appears as an Alderman in 1492; the last recorded attendance of Billesdon, Alderman of Bread Street, was in December 1491, and Shaa was elected for Bread Street in June, 1496. From this it will be seen that the assignment of Clopton to Bread Street from 1492 to 1496 and of Purchase to Dowgate from 1492 to 1498 is entirely consistent with the other facts recorded. The only other alternative appears to be that Clopton may have remained Alderman of Dowgate till 1496, when he was succeeded by Purchase who had been elected for Bread Street in 1492.
It should be noted that the Bread Street vacancy in 1492 occurred during Clopton's Mayoralty, and that it was quite a common occurrence for the Lord Mayor to change his Ward during his year of office. This consideration seems to support the theory adopted in the text, while the alternative solution of the difficulty involves the placing of Purchase in three Wards successively within a period of six years, which is somewhat improbable, although similar instances may be found.