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Introduction

This area will hold information about the various churches our ancestors were familiar with.  I would be pleased to receive any further information you may have so please e-mail the Webmaster if you have anything to add, thank you.

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List of Church Descriptions

AKA: HOLY SEPULCHRE WITHOUT NEWGATE
Situated: Holborn Viaduct

PR's in GL: baptisms 1662-1886, marriages 1662-1901, burials 1662-1857
Later baptisms and marriage registers held by incumbent.
Partial index to baptisms 1662-1875 on IGI

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Destroyed 1666 and not rebuilt.
United to St Benet Paul's Wharf 1670, St Nicholas Cole Abbey 1879

PR's in GL: baptisms 1607-1886, marriages 1607-49 & 1653-60, burials 1607-1848
For marriages c.1680-1879 see St Benet Paul's Wharf.
For later baptisms and marriages see St Nicholas Cole Abbey.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1607-1837 on IGI

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Destroyed 1666 and not rebuilt
United to St Alban Wood Street 1670, St Vedast Foster Lane 1954

PR's in GL: baptisms 1562-1770, marriages 1562-1680, burials 1561-1770
The registers for baptisms 1770-1812 and burials 1770-1812 were damaged beyond repair by enemy action in 1940.
For later registers of marriages and burials see St Alban Wood Street.
Partial index to baptisms 1616-1736 on IGI

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Situated: Fenchurch Street
Survived the Great Fire but badly damaged 1941 and restored post WW2

PR's in GL: baptisms 1706-1978, marriages 1704-1961, banns 1754-1815 & 1823-6 & 1840-1936, burials 1801-1853.
The registers for baptisms 1563-1706, marriages 1563-1704, burials 1563-1801 are retained by the incumbent.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1563-1878 on IGI

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Situated: Poultry
Destroyed 1666, rebuilt by Wren 1670-6, was demolished in 1888-1891 except for tower which are now offices.
United to St Margaret Lothbury 1886

PR's in GL: baptisms 1538/9-1884, marriages 1538/9-1886, banns 1771-1803 & 1824-86, burials 1538-1849
For later baptisms, marriages and banns see St Margaret Lothbury which have been retained by the incumbent.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1538-1885 on IGI

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Situated: Upper Thames Street
Built by Wren 1676-82

PR's in GL: baptisms 1535-1692/3, 1708-1971, marriages 1535-1692/3, 1708-1970, banns 1754-1816, 1823-52, 1950, marriage licences 1859-70, burials 1535-1692/3, 1708-1853
Registers for baptisms, marriages and burials 1693-1708 not extant.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1535-1868 on IGI

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Situated: Fore Street
Damaged WW2, rebuilt 1953-63

PR's in GL: baptisms 1561-1961, marriages 1561-1953, 1963-1987, banns 1782-6, 1791-1832, 1838-1940, burials 1561-1853
Later baptisms and marriage registers retained by incumbent.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1561-1885 on IGI

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Situated: Fleet Street
Rebuilt John Shaw and John Shaw jnr. 1831-3

PR's in GL: baptisms 1558-1857, marriages 1559-1970, banns 1653-59, 1754-7, 1811-41, 1891-1959, marriage licences 1731-1884, burials 1558-1856
For baptisms 1842-86 and marriages 1845-85, see also St Thomas in the Liberty of the Rolls
Later baptisms registers retained by incumbent.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1800-1840 on IGI

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Situated: Great Tower Street
Rebuilt 1817-21, gutted in 1941, Tower Only Remaining
United to Allhallows Barking by the Tower 1960

PR's in GL: baptisms 1558-1816, marriages 1558-1939, banns 1754-89, 1821-51, burials 1558-1853
The baptisms registers 1816-1938 damaged beyond repair by enemy action in 1941.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1558-1880 on IGI

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AKA: ST BOTOLPH WITHOUT BISHOPSGATE
Situated: Bishopsgate
Damaged 1666, rebuilt 1725 James Gold

PR's in GL: baptisms 1558-1898, marriages 1558-1958, banns 1653-60, 1833-1950, marriage licences 1848-1873 burials 1558-1849
Later baptisms and marriages registers held by incumbent.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1558-1862 on IGI

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Situated: Fleet Street
Destroyed 1666, rebuilt by Wren 1670-84, gutted WW2, rebuilt post WW2

PR's in GL: baptisms 1587-1672, 1673-1939, 1952, marriages 1587-1666, 1675-1969, banns 1735-1825, 1850-1908, marriage licences 1869-72, 1883-1907, burials 1587-1672, 1673-1854.
Registers for baptisms for part of 1672-73, marriages 1666-75, burials for part of 1672-1673, no registers are known to exist.
For baptisms 1842-1906, marriages 1869-1906, and banns 1879-1906 see also Holy Trinity Gough Square.
Later baptisms and marriage registers retained by incumbent.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1587-1880 on IGI

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AKA: ST BOTOLPH WITHOUT ALDGATE
Situated: Aldgate High Street
Destroyed 1666, rebuilt 1741 George Dance the elder.

PR's in GL: baptisms 1558-1927, marriages 1558-1695, 1711-1945, banns 1653-8, 1754-1846, burials 1558-1695, 1711-1853
Later baptisms and marriage registers retained by incumbent.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages on IGI Partial index to baptisms 1558-1875 on IGI

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AKA: ST BENET'S WELSH CHURCH
Situated: Queen Street
Destroyed 1666, rebuilt by Wren 1677-85
United to St Nicholas Cole Abbey 1879
The church has been used by a Welsh congregation since 1879

PR's in GL: baptisms 1619-1877, Welsh congregation baptisms 1880-1931, marriages 1619-1879, banns 1754-91, burials 1619-1853
Later registers of Welsh congregation held by the incumbent. For baptisms and marriages of St Benet's parish from 1879 see St Nicholas Cole Abbey.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1619-1879 on IGI

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Destroyed 1666, rebuilt by Wren, demolished 1844
United to St Peter le Poer 1842, St Michael Cornhill 1906

PR's in GL: baptisms 1538-1845, marriages 1538-1719, 1754-1845, banns 1653-62, 1699-1715, 1754-1845, marriage licences 1796-1845, burials 1538-1845.
For later baptisms and marriage registers see St Peter le Poer.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1538-1880 on IGI

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Situated: Holborn Circus
Destroyed 1666, rebuilt by Wren 1687, damaged 1941 by enemy action, rebuilt 1960

PR's in GL: baptisms 1558-1889, marriages 1559-1698 & 1714-1952, banns 1653-8, 1754-8, 1862-93, 1900-53, burials 1558-1855.
The marriage register 1698-1714 not extant.
Later baptisms and marriage registers retained by incumbent.
Partial index to baptisms 1558-1875 on IGI

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AKA: CHRISTCHURCH GREYFRIARS
Situated: Newgate Street
Formed in 1547, in the place of the parishes of St Ewin and St Nicholas Shambles which were dissolved. The church of the former monastery of the Friars Minor, or Grey Friars, became the parish church of the new parish. Burials 1275-c.1540 are recorded in British Library manuscripts.
Destroyed 1666, rebuilt by Wren 1677-91, gutted in 1940, Tower restored in 1960
United to St Sepulchre Holborn 1954

PR's in GL: baptisms 1547-88, marriages 1547-88, burials 1547-88
The registers for baptisms 1588-1656, marriages 1588-1666 and burials 1588-1666 were probably destroyed in the Great Fire.
The registers for baptisms 1656/7-1724, marriages 1667-1837, burials from 1666 were destroyed by enemy action in 1940.
Partial index to baptisms and marriages 1538-1880 on IGI

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Hospital and precinct church.
United to St Bride Fleet Street 1864
PR's in GL: baptisms 1695-1812, marriages 1694-1754, burials 1695-1812
The registers for baptisms 1669/70-82, marriages 1671-81 & 1754-1818, and burials 1666/7-81/2, now largely illegible following damage by enemy action in 1940.

The registers for baptisms 1813-63, marriages 1822-63 and burials 1813-45 were destroyed by enemy action in 1940.
For baptisms, marriages and banns from 1864 and marriage licences from 1869 see St. Bride Fleet Street.
Partial index to baptisms on IGI

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SAINT MATTHEW - BETHNAL GREEN

Saint Matthew is the original parish church of Bethnal Green. It was formed from part of the parish of St Dunstan and All Saints, Stepney, in 1746, due to the increase in population. Building commenced in 1743 and was completed by 1746 to a design by George Dance the Elder. The church we see nowadays was rebuilt in 1859 after a fire; and remodelled after severe damage in the Second World War.  From 1837 onwards, St Matthew's parish was itself divided into a number of smaller parishes and the Bethnal Green Registration District ended up with 17 churches in its area, the majority of which were built between 1840 and 1845.  The church is situated in St Matthew's Row, a quiet street off the busy Bethnal Green Road. It was in the Bethnal Green Registration District and, in 1965, became part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The parish registers are at the London Metropolitan Archives and the dates available are:

Baptisms 1746-1964
Banns - dates unknown
Marriages 1746-1976
Burials 1746-1877

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SAINT DUNSTAN - STEPNEY

St Dunstan and All Saints Church, in Stepney High Street, is a church of great antiquity. About the year 952 Dunstan, Bishop of London and Lord of the Manor of Stepney, replaced the small wooden church on this site with a new stone church dedicated to All the Saints. When Dunstan was canonised in 1029 the name was changed to Saint Dunstan and All Saints.  Until the early 1300s, when new churches were built at Whitechapel and Bow, this church served the whole of Middlesex east of the City of London - an enormous area.  The present church is the 3rd one on this site and dates mainly from the 1400s although the chancel, where the altar stands, is 200 years older. The church has been  repaired outside including porches and a  parish room added in 1872.  There have been a number of interior renovations over the years and the latest  have cleared  many of the earlier additions showing the original architecture to its best advantage. In the 1700s galleries were put in and the walls were panelled - many of the present-day pews were made from that dismantled panelling.   The font is over 1,000 years old and has Norman work on two sides (overlapping Romanesque arches) interspersed with later carvings (crosses within circles) from the 19th century.  The bells are commemorated in the rhyme 'Oranges and Lemons'...."When will that be, say the bells of Stepney". The oldest of the ten bells was recast in 1385.  The churchyard was once famous for its crowded mass of tombstones, of which only a few 18th century table tombs remain. In the 1600s the churchyard was enlarged to make room for victims of the plague - no less than 6,583 within an 18-month period and 154 on one day alone. As you can tell, there is not much chance of finding an ancestor's grave here but the grounds are pleasant and park-like if you need a rest after too much walking.   The parish was part of the Stepney Registration District until October 1, 1857 and then became part of the newly-formed Mile End Old Town Registration District. In 1900 it became part of the Borough of Stepney and, since 1965, has been part of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

The parish registers are at the London Metropolitan Archives and the dates available are:

Baptisms 1568-1954
Marriages 1568-1962
Burials 1568-1929

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