Person Lawrence; Sir; John (c 1625 - 1692); politician and haberdasher Lawrence John Sir politician and haberdasher c 1625 - 1692 British Male c 1625 26 January 1692 16920126 Burial: St Helen's, Bishopsgate, London, England, Europe (29 January 1692 OS)

Merchant; haberdasher Education: Christ's Hospital, London Career: Alderman for Queenhithe ward (1658-1683; 1688-1692); Commissioner of the HEIC (1659-1660, 1675-1678, 1679-1680, 1681-1683); Sheriff of London (1658-1659); Lord Mayor of London (1664-1665); President of St Thomas' Hospital (1668-1683) Honours: Kt 1660 Memberships: Haberdashers' Company Parents: Abraham Lawrence and Mary Lawrence Married: Abigail Cullen Children: ten overall Lawrence was Lord Mayor of London while the plague was spreading through the city. He was a committee member of the Honorable East India Company (HEIC), an English and later British company formed to trade in the Indian Ocean region. The company ended up seizing control of large parts of the Indian subcontinent (and briefly Afghanistan) and colonised parts of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. Although he is not listed amongst shareholders of the New Royal African Company in 1672, he is reported to have held £1,600 in stock in the first iteration of the Company. The RAC was a British trading company established by Royal Charter in 1660 which enslaved and sold African people. The company was chartered by Charles II, the founding royal Patron of the Royal Society, which was also chartered in 1660. The RAC was made up of and funded by members of the Stuart royal family and London merchants many of whom were, or went on to become, Fellows of the Royal Society. The Royal Society itself held shares in the company from 1682 until 1699. The RAC held a monopoly on English trade on the west coast of Africa. The principal interest of the company was originally gold and secondarily other natural resources. The Company's second charter in 1663 mentions trade in enslaved people, who were mainly sold into slavery on British owned estates in the West Indies and America. Royal Society roles: Council: 1674, 1678, 1680 Ejected due to non-payment of arrears 22 July 1685 Fellow 27/11/1673 Seth Ward 22 July 1685 Sources: Bulloch's Roll; Hunter; Woodhead Notes: Hunter and Woodhead give date of death as 1692; BR gives 1718 (amended in pencil). Some sources have a range of 1621-1628 as possible years of birth. International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 - 26 Jan 1692 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 29/07/2022 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA4995 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 14/01/2026 RS_NET\VidaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/45719250 5172828f-eb6e-4ae5-af74-b22cd308a16d