Henry Rowe (Lord Mayor) Henry Rowe (Lord Mayor) Sir Henry Rowe (died 12 November 1612) was an English merchant who was Lord Mayor of London in 1607. Rowe was the son of Sir Thomas Rowe who was Lord Mayor from 1568 to 1569 and grandson of Sir John Gresham, Lord Mayor from 1547 to 1548. He was a city of London merchant and a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers. On 22 July 1596, he was elected an alderman of the City of London for Coleman Street ward. He was auditor for the City in 1596 and was Sheriff of London from 1597
Lord Mayor of London as a symbol of the latter's overlordship. The monarch does not, as is often purported, wait for the Lord Mayor's permission to enter the City. When the sovereign enters the city, a short ceremony usually takes place where the Lord Mayor symbolically surrenders his or her authority to the monarch by presenting the sword to them. If the sovereign is attending a service at St Paul's this ceremony would take place there rather than at the boundary of the City for matters of convenience. The importance of the office is reflected by the composition of the Accession Council, a body