Perring, Sir, Ralph Edgar (1905-1998) 1st Baron Perring, businessman and public servant

Administrative/biographical history

Ralph Edgar Perring was born in March 1905, the youngest son of Colonel Sir John Perring and his wife Florence Higginson. He was educated at University College School and, during the Second World War, served as a Lieutenant in Royal Artillery, although was invalided in 1940.

After the war, Perring worked as Chairman of his own company, Perring Furnishings Ltd (1948-1981) but also took a variety of public roles, serving as member of the Court of Common Council (Ward of Cripplegate) (1948-1951), Alderman of the City of London (Langbourn Ward) (1951-1975) and one of Her Majesty's Lieutenants of the City of London and Sheriff (1958-1959). Between 1962 and 1963, Perring served as Lord Mayor of London.

Furthermore, he was Chairman of the Spitalfields Market Committee (1951-1952), member of the London County Council for Cities of London and Westminster (1952-1955) and served on the County of London Planning Committee, the New Guildford Cathedral Council and the Consumer Advisory Council of the British Standards Institute between 1955 and 1959. Perring also worked as a governor of various public institutions, including St Bartholomew's Hospital (1964-1969) and Imperial College of Science and Technology (1964-1967). He was also a Master of the Worshipful Company of Tin Plate Workers (1944-1945), a Master of the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers (1977-1978) and Senior Past Master and founder member of the Worshipful Company of Furniture Makers, along with serving as the Chairman of the BNEC Committee for Exports to Canada (1968-1970) and the Confederation Life Insurance Company of Canada (1969-1981). He died in June 1998.

Scope and content

• Five large scrapbooks of press cuttings, invitations, photographs and other ephemera relating to Perring's service as Lord Mayor of London, 1962-1963
• Large photograph album and loose photographs of ceremonial engagements undertaken by Perring as Lord Mayor of London, 1962-1963
• Papers, estimates, photographs and correspondence with Wilkinson Sword regarding the production and design of a city processional sword, 1962
• Three volumes of the published work, 'Presentation of the Lord Mayor to Her Majesty's Judges', 1946-1966.

Quantity

7 boxes.