1389 WILLIAM de HUMBERSTON
(60)
(Mercer).
A member of an old Leic. family, being a son of William de Humberston, merchant, living 1336: was born about 1330, admitted a member of the gild as a free burgess in 1354,5, was one of the bailiffs in 1376-7 and sat at the Parliament holden at Gloucester for Leic. in 1378. The records are silent as to the actual date of his election as mayor. Both Throsby and Thompson give the civic year of his mayoralty, in error, as 1390-1, and place the name of Henry de Clipston as mayor for the third time in 1389. Again the local records fail to support the historians' statement of the latter's choice of election in 1389, and his supposed third year of office must remain a matter of doubt. That William de Humberston was mayor 1389-90 seems certain. According to the records he was a mercer but there is evidence that he was also a cutler. In 1392, in conjunction with John Cook or Cuc, the younger, he enlarged the gild of Corpus Christi and endowed the brotherhood with additional property. He died about 1397.
(The king, Richard Il, with his Queen and court were entertained in splendour by John of Gaunt, duke of Lancaster, at Leic. castle for several days in August 1390).
