Sir Thomas CHITTY (1696-1762), youngest surviving son of Josiah I, was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, 1706-08, and apprenticed 1711 Dec 3 to Richard COOTE, citizen and salter, for £64, becoming a Freeman 1718/9 Feb 5 (CC).

As a Master Salter, he took four apprentices between 1725 and 1746, for premiums rising from 100 guineas to £500, He was Master of the Salters' Company in 1744 and served as Alderman for the Tower Ward from 1750, becoming Sheriff 1753/4 and Lord Mayor of London, 1759/60, being Knighted 1759 Jun 3 - the first CHITTY to achieve that honour.

It was at this time that he registered at the College of Arms the coat which had been borne by his family 'for several generations', though never before officially recorded. We have seen that Matthew of Amsterdam had used the arms - or a variant - and that his ST QUINTIN heirs displayed them; also that Josiah I seems to have had a silver cup with the arms, and that his son Josiah showed them on his chaise; Josiah of Aleppo also used an armorial seal of some kind on his 1751 Will. It would seem from all this that the family believed the arms to have been used at least as early as their common ancestor Abraham I. However, no trace has been found of their use by the Godalming CHITTYs. (Note also the use on a memorial inscription to the daughters of Joseph at St Olave Hart Street, by 1730).

As Lord Mayor, Sir Thomas had his arms displayed on the Corporation pew at All Hallows Barking, where there was also a sword-iron or sword-rest provided for Lord Mayoral use. Dr Douglas Clendon provided a quotation from the vestry minutes for 1755 Oct 23 instructing the Churchwardens to alter the pew for a new Lord Mayor, as had been done earlier, and to provide a handsome sword-iron with proper arms and decorations.

In 1760, 0ct 31, Sir Thomas laid the foundation stone of Blackfriars Bridge. Harrison's 'History of London' included an engraved picture of this ceremony. From 1752 to 1762 he was Colonel of the Green Regiment and Collector of the Orphans' Coal Duties he was a Director of the Bank of England, 1755-7, 1758-61 and i762 and in 1762 vas Treasurer of the Honourable Artillery Company. He was also a benefactor of St Dunstan's College, Catford (CC).

It is reported that in 1734 he bought Goodmayes Farm and in 1748 Godbolts Farm, and that he was at various times of Homerton, Hackney, and of Upper Thames Street.

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