Sir Edmund Shaa was a goldsmith, Sheriff of London in 1475 and Lord Mayor of London

Lord Mayor of London

The Right Honourable Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and...

 in 1482. Shaa lent money to Edward IV

Edward IV of England

Edward IV was King of England from 4 March 1461 until 3 October 1470, and again from 11 April 1471 until his death. He was the first Yorkist King of England...

 and, as mayor (at least), was extensively involved in the coronation of Edward IV’s brother Richard III

Richard III of England

Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field. He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty...

. He was later knighted and made a member of the Privy Council.

Amongst numerous legacies on his death was a sum to found Stockport Grammar School

Stockport Grammar School

Stockport Grammar School is a co-educational independent school in Stockport, England, founded in 1487 by the 1482 Lord Mayor of London Sir Edmund Shaa.The school motto is "Vincit qui patitur" – He who endures, conquers....

. He is commemorated by a Blue Plaque

Blue plaque

A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person or event, serving as a historical marker....

 on Church Brow, Mottram.

Shaa was mayor in interesting times. It is sometimes stated that Shaa’s brother, Ralph Shaa

Ralph Shaa

Ralph Shaa , sometimes called John Shaa, was a 15th century English theologian, the half-brother of the Lord Mayor of London, Edmund Shaa...

, preached against the legitimacy of Edward IV’s marriage and that Shaa (as mayor) offered the crown to Richard III. Shaa is a character in William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...

's play Richard III

Richard III (play)

Richard III is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in approximately 1591. It depicts the Machiavellian rise to power and subsequent short reign of Richard III of England. The play is grouped among the histories in the First Folio and is most often classified...

. Sir John Shaa, the first 16th century Lord Mayor, was his nephew, while William Browne, Lord Mayor in 1513, was his son-in-law.