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<\/a>Black and white photograph of Dorothy Ward as \u2018Principal Boy\u2019 in Dick Whittington, taken at the Whittington Stone (created 1821) at the foot of Highgate Hill, London. Photograph in the David Drummond Pantomime Collection<\/p><\/div>\n
The Story of Dick Whittington and His Cat<\/strong><\/p>\n The story of Dick Whittington is one of England\u2019s most famous folk tales, harking back to the early modern period, with one of the first fictionalised references to Richard Whittington and his cat being made in a ballad written by Richard Johnson in 1612. The story was adapted into prose form during the later 17th<\/sup> century by Thomas Heywood, who wrote The Famous and Remarkable History of Sir Richard Whittington<\/em>, and then it was crafted into a puppet play during the 18th<\/sup> century by Martin Powell. As from 1814, the story was further adapted as a staged pantomime, with the first performance starring Joseph Grimaldi as Dame Cicely Suet, the Cook, and later as a tale for children.<\/p>\n Flyer for a performance of Emile Littler\u2019s Dick Whittington and His Cat at the Palace Theatre in London. Flyer in the David Drummond Pantomime Collection<\/p><\/div>\n The story that modern day audiences are familiar with tell the tale of an orphan boy, Dick, who ventures to London hoping to make his fortune, believing the streets of London to be \u2018paved with gold\u2019. He enters the employment of the merchant FitzWarren, who takes him in, yet Dick finds life as a scullion boy miserable as he is bullied by the Cook and does not enjoy being plagued by rats and mice. It is during this time that he buys his cat, hoping to keep the vermin away. Dick, however, soon ventured his cat to acquire a stake in the cargo ship that was set to sail for north Africa. Nevertheless, when the bullying of the Cook intensifies, Dick runs away yet soon returns after hearing the bells of Bow Church speak to him \u2018Turn again Whittington Thrice Lord Mayor of London\u2019.<\/p>\n Extract from Scene 4 of the pantomime \u2018The Adventures of Dick Whittington\u2019 from a script collection of Clarkson Rose\u2019s. In this scene, Dick hears the bells call out and predict that he will be Mayor of London. This performance took place at the Palace Theatre in Westcliff-On-Sea. Item in the David Drummond Pantomime Collection<\/p><\/div>\n Extract from Scene 4 of the pantomime \u2018The Adventures of Dick Whittington\u2019 from a script collection of Clarkson Rose\u2019s. In this scene, Dick hears the bells call out and predict that he will be Mayor of London. This performance took place at the Palace Theatre in Westcliff-On-Sea. Item in the David Drummond Pantomime Collection<\/p><\/div>\n Upon his return to FitzWarren\u2019s home, he finds out that he is a rich man. His cat who had formed part of the crew of the vessel that set sail for north Africa was loaned to the King of Barbary as his Palace was overrun with rats. The king was so grateful for the cat\u2019s service, that he paid for the entire cargo and ten times as much for Dick\u2019s cat. From this point onwards, Dick\u2019s fortunes continue to improve by marrying Alice FitzWarren, his employer\u2019s daughter, and becoming Mayor of London three times, just as the bells of Bow Church had foretold.<\/p>\n Where History and Myth Meet<\/strong><\/p>\n Whilst the story that we recognise has been largely fictionalised, elements of the life of the true Richard Whittington form the basis of the pantomime. Even those responsible for staging the pantomime Dick Whittington, recognised the performance\u2019s historical links to this medieval mayor of London, questioning aspects of the myth surrounding Whittington, such as whether he had a cat and where the origins of this story came from.<\/p>\n Short article explaining the historical links between the pantomime Dick Whittington to Richard Whittington, mayor of London during the late medieval period. The news article also gives details of the upcoming pantomime starring the Principal Boy Jean Adrienne as Dick Whittington in the upcoming pantomime at the Palace Theatre in Manchester. News cutting in the David Drummond Pantomime Collection<\/p><\/div>\n These links can be further explored within the source material available for the pantomime Dick Whittington in Special Collections & Archives\u2019 David Drummond Pantomime Collection, which is currently being catalogued after being awarded an Archives Revealed grant from The National Archives.<\/p>\n Travels to London<\/strong><\/p>\n Central to the story is London as a focal point for the fortunes of Dick Whittington and the real historical figure of Richard Whittington. Like the fictional character Dick Whittington, the real Whittington also came from outside of London. In contrast to his dramatised counterpart, however, Richard Whittington was born in Pauntley, Gloucestershire during the 1350s and did not begin his tale in Lancashire. Whittington\u2019s story was also not a tale of rags to riches. Unlike young Dick Whittington, who was an orphan, Richard Whittington came from a landowning family and was sent to London to undertake an apprenticeship to learn to be a mercer, a type of tradesman that specialised in textiles and luxury goods.<\/p>\n Miscellaneous item showing Dick Whittington and his Cat 4 miles from London. Item forms part of the David Drummond Pantomime Collection<\/p><\/div>\n Both Richard Whittington and Dick Whittington also inhabit the same spaces within London. In both the pantomime and in the time period that Richard Whittington lived, both Cheapside and the Guildhall are prominent features of the stories of both of these individuals. Historically, Cheapside was one of the most important streets within London for trade and many of the individual guildhalls were based near this area (and still are to this day). Dick was taken into the home of the merchant Fitzwarren and the real life Richard Whittington himself was engaged in trade because of his profession. It is of no wonder, therefore, that the area known as Cheapside has been incorporated into the pantomime. Similarly, the Guildhall was a place that would have been central to those involved trade. Moreover, the Guildhall was the centre of civic governance and politics, being THE place that mayors of London would have frequented and conducted their business from. The Guildhall and Cheapside were core focal points for Londoners during the medieval period and it is significant that these locations feature in the pantomime of Dick Whittington, showing the clear historic links between both stories. Understanding the importance of London in both their stories is key for audiences to understand that by going to England\u2019s capital, both Whittingtons secured their fortune and created successful careers.<\/p>\n Tradesmen in the Metropolis<\/strong><\/p>\n Understanding the type of worlds that both Whittingtons inhabit in the city of London is also important in establishing this historical link between these two figures. Dick Whittington may not have been an apprentice to a merchant or artisanal tradesman but he does live in the house of a merchant known as Fitzwarren, who he works as a scullion boy for.<\/p>\n Extract from Scene 2 from a Book of Words of the pantomime Dick Whittington written by Frank Ayrton, produced at the Alexandra Theatre in Birmingham from 1910-1911. It is in this moment that Alderman Fitzwarren agrees to give Dick employment. Item in the David Drummond Pantomime Collection<\/p><\/div>\n The inspiration for Dick to live in the house of a merchant may come from the work life of the real-life Whittington, who was himself a very successful artisanal tradesman and an established mercer in London by 1379. Whittington also had an upmarket clientele by the 1380s and 1390s, for he sold luxurious goods to customers such as Richard II and other members of the royal family, including John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, and Thomas Woodstock, Duke of Gloucester. Despite the change of regime and usurpation of Richard II by the Lancastrian king Henry IV, Richard Whittington continued to prosper and he also sold goods to the new royal family, even supplying goods for the marriages of Henry IV\u2019s daughters, Blanche and Philippa.<\/p>\n Marriage to Alice Fitzwarren<\/strong><\/p>\n The historical Whittington\u2019s links to the world of trade even influenced the choice of love interest for the character Dick Whittington, for both individuals marry a woman of the same name \u2013 Alice FitzWaryn\/Fitzwarren.<\/p>\n Extract from Scene 12 from a Book of Words for the pantomime Dick Whittington and His Cat written by Newman Maurice, produced at the Brixton Theatre. Now that Dick is Mayor of London, he asks for Alice\u2019s hand in marriage. Item from David Drummond Pantomime Collection<\/p><\/div>\n Where the pantomime departs from the true historical narrative, however, is in how that these marriages come about. The historic Richard Whittington married Alice Fitzwaryn, the daughter of Sir Ivo FitzWaryn (clearly the inspiration for Fitzwarren who employs Dick), a landowner in Dorset. Sir Ivo only had daughters and so this was probably an advantageous marriage for Whittington, who married Alice at the age of 48 and who would have inherited certain of Sir Ivo\u2019s estates in Wiltshire and Somerset that would have been passed on to Alice. In contrast, in the pantomime, Alice is the daughter of Dick\u2019s employer, Fitzwarren, and Dick\u2019s love interest throughout, marrying once Dick has made his fortune and is mayor.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>