William Joynier

William Joynier
Mayor of London
In office 1239–1240
Preceded by	Richard Renger
Succeeded by	Gerard Bat
Personal details
Died	c. 1248
Occupation	Merchant, Banker
Religion	Christian

Sir William Joynier was a rich 13th-century merchant, Sheriff and Mayor of London.

In 1204 Joynier was instructed to investigate the condition of Newgate Prison and Holborn Bridge and authorise repairs. He was able to make loans to Henry III from a young age. From 1219 Joynier supplied the royal household with luxury goods and built an extensive trading network that extended from Scotland and Ireland to Poitou.^[1]

Joynier was made Sheriff of London in 1223.^[2] He was subsequently elected to serve as Mayor of London between 1239 and 1240.^[3]

Joyniers relationship with the monarch was not always an easy one. The fine rolls of Henry III for 1224 contain an order for Joynier's arrest in order to recover possessions given to Joynier by the disgraced Falkes de Breauté.^[4] Joynier had a more serious conflict with Henry in 1239 when, whilst serving as Mayor, he defended the city's privileges and refused to admit Simon FitzMary, appointed by the king without election. However, these incidents did not deter Joynier's trade with the royal household or relationship with the court. Joynier supplied wine to the king in 1241 and was appointed as one of the custodians of the royal treasure in the Tower of London in 1242.^[1]

Apart from banking and trade, Joynier also had income from estates in Middlesex and Cambridgeshire. He also had a number of tenements in the city in Cheapside, All Hallows Honey Lane and St. Mary Magdalen, Milk Street^[1]

Joynier used some of his wealth to pay for the entire construction of the Greyfriars chapel and contributed two hundred pounds towards construction of other monastic buildings on the site in Saint Nicholas in the Shambles.^[5] Joynier's support for the Friars spanned the latter two decades of his life.

Joynier died in about 1248.^[1]

References

1. Röhrkasten, Jens (2004). The Mendicant Houses of Medieval London, 1221-1539. LIT Verlag Münster. pp. 413–415.
2. John Noorthouck (1773). "Addenda: The Mayors and Sheriffs of London". A New History of London: Including Westminster and Southwark. Institute of Historical Research. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
3. "Lord Mayors of the City of London from 1189" (PDF). cityoflondon.gov.uk. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
4. "10 HENRY III (28 October 1225–27 October 1226)". Henry III Fine rolls Project. Retrieved 18 March 2013.
5. Little, Alex G.; Boehmer, H. (2003). The Coming of the Friars Minor to England and Germany (reprint ed.). Kessinger Publishing. pp. 29, 52. ISBN 9780766174627.