Dick Whittington's Cat

“Cats were put into the world to disprove the dogma that all things were created to serve man.”-Paul Gray

If you've ever watched the musical, Cats, you may remember a line by Gus the Theater Cat who says, "I once understudied Dick Whittington's Cat". For years I had no clue what this meant until my newest commuting lecture, "London : a short history of the greatest city in the Western world." explained the story.

In the 14th century a poor country orphan walked to the great city of London to seek his fortune. Once there, cold and tired, Dick Whittington fell asleep in front of the great house of Mr. Fitzwarren, a rich but kindly merchant, who took Dick into his house and employed him as a scullery boy. Dick was happy except for the rats that infested his bedroom. So he earned a penny shining a gentleman's shoes, and with this penny bought a cat, a proficient mouser who drove off the rats.

One day, Mr. Fitzwarren asked his servants if they wished to add something to his ship's cargo to sell in a far off port. Reluctantly Dick sent his cat as his only possession. As time passed, in Mr. Fitzwarren's absence, his cook treated Dick cruelly. Dick ran away but as he was leaving the city, he heard the Bow Bells ring out saying, "Turn again Whittington, thrice Lord Mayor of London". Dick retraced his steps and found that Mr. Fitzwarren's ship had returned. The cat had been sold for a great fortune to the King of Barbary, whose palace was overrun with mice. Dick became a rich man, joined Mr. Fitzwarren in his business, and married his daughter Alice. In time he became the Lord Mayor of London three times, just as the bells had predicted.

Bottom Line

Dick Wittington really was Mayor of London three times but he came from a wealthy family and there is no historical proof that a cat changed his life. Never-the-less, when Newgate Prison was rebuilt according to the terms of Whittington's will, a cat was carved over one of the gates. In 1572, a chariot with a carved cat was presented by Whittington's heirs to the merchant's guild. Today, on Highgate Hill in front of the Whittington Hospital, there is a statue in honor of Whittington's legendary cat (pictured above).