The pantomime star was a wool merchant, a banker and the man who financed Henry V at Agincourt. By Mary Kenny
In the spring of 2024, if the Almighty spares me, I’ll be 80, which is to have gratefully attained the status of a long life. As is an octogenarian’s wont, I look back on early influences and memories. One of the most vivid is attending the Christmas pantomime – Dick Whittington in particular. I was something of a dunce at school. So it seemed inspiring that Dick was portrayed as an orphan and a failure, whose only friend was a cat. I relished the chorus of audience encouragement. It egged him on with the cry of ‘Turn again, Whittington,’ urging him to keep on keeping on. At the age of eight, I remember being drawn to the idea of persistence and not losing heart. And so, this year, I read a lovingly researched tome about the real Dick Whittington, Paved with Gold, written by an author and former actor, Gregory...
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