History of The Lord Mayor of London

Th earliest existence of London was a Roman military settlement built across two small hilly peaks, Cornhill and Ludgate Hill, with the freshwater stream of the Walbrook running between them. The areas were built of gravel, easily defended and near to the Thames. 

The first bridge across the Thames was probably a Roman military pontoon, which was later developed into a wooden piled bridge (wooden poles hammered into the soft soil)

No natural stone found in London, the earliest buildings were wooden before 1080. 

The defensive wall built by the Romans in 200 AD and has retained its original line, with a slight adjustment when the Dominicans (Black Friars) persuaded Edward I to enclose their priory to incorporate the mouth of the River Fleet. 

Chancery Lane is the walls' western border where the City meets Westminster. The wall is adjacent to the Tower of London, which is not in the City of London, but in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The open space known as Tower Hill separates the two and would once have have has its own county government. Inhabitants of this area would have enjoyed certain Tower Liberties, including the right to claim any beast that fell from London Bridge or any swans under it. The distance of the liberties was once defined by the distance of an arrows flight from the outer walls of the Tower.

In 1087, King William (the conquerer) came to the walled City of London. He negotiated with the merchants to get them to accept him as the new King. As a result he provided them with their first Royal Charter confirming continuation of the liberties they had enjoyed under the reign of Edward 1. The charter was four and a half lines long and written in Anglo Saxon. 

In 1189, Richard 1 elected the first Mayor of London, a draper named Henry Fitz-Ailwyn, who served for 24 years. There is a portrait of him in Drapers Hall.

In 1223, King John granted the right of choosing a Mayor to the citizens, and the first formal Mayor was elected - Richard Renger.