Civic
The name Mayor comes from Major and before that the word 'Magnus' which means 'great' in Latin. The first Lord Mayor was elected in 1189. Elected by councillors, the Mayor serves a term of office of one year, commencing the third Wednesday in May.
Lord Mayors used to have a lot of power within the town or city they served often presiding over their own town or city's finances, jobs which were to be later undertaken by the Town Clerk. The Lord Mayors duties as we know them today were set out in the Local Government Act 1972.