Abraham Reynardson

Abraham Reynardson (1589 – 4 October 1661) was an English merchant who was Lord Mayor of London in 1649. Early life Reynardson was born at Plymouth, the son of Thomas Reynardson, Turkey merchant of Plymouth and his wife Julia Brace, He served his apprenticeship in London to Edmund James, of the Worshipful Company of Merchant Taylors. Reynardson became a member of the Merchant Taylors' Company, and became a freeman of the city on 5 October 1618. He was a member of the committee of the East India Company from 1630 to 1631 and a Court Assistant from 1630 to 1632. He was a member of the committee of the East India Company from 1634 to 1635, a Court Assistant from 1635 to 1636 and a member of the committee of the East India Company from 1636 to 1640. Political career In 1639 Reynardson purchased his manor house at Tottenham. In the same year, he was elected Sheriff of London and became treasurer of the Levant Company until 1641. In 1640 he took an assignment of Sir W. Acton's house in Bishopsgate Street. He served as Sheriff and master of the Merchant Taylors company from 1640 to 1641. He sympathised with the Royalist cause and as master of the Merchant Taylors he helped to respond to King Charles's demand for a loan from the city companies in 1640. On 12 November 1640, he was elected an alderman of the City of London for Bishopsgate ward. He was a member of the committee of the East India Company from 1641 to 1650. Neither he nor his colleagues on the court of the company assisted the corporation, except under compulsion, in raising loans for the parliament in 1642 and 1643. In 1648 became Alderman for Candlewick ward. In 1648 Reynardson was elected 312th Lord Mayor of London, the first Devonshire man to become Lord Mayor. His election sermon was preached by Obadiah Sedgwick, an eloquent divine, whom Oliver Cromwell had stigmatised as "a rascally priest." Reynardson soon came into conflict with the Rump Parliament, which had declared all oaths of allegiance to the king illegal. He refused to admit to the common council members who had not made the customary loyal subscription, but parliament retaliated on 5 January 1649 by ordering him to assemble the council and suspend the taking of oaths. Expecting resistance, they further directed him to remove the chains which had been placed across the streets as a protection from cavalry charges.