St Giles in the Fields
Encyclopedia
St Giles in the Fields, Holborn
, is a church in the London Borough of Camden
, in the West End
. It is close to the Centre Point
office tower and the Tottenham Court Road tube station
. The church is part of the Diocese of London
within the Church of England
. Several buildings have stood on the site; the present structure (in the Palladian style) was built in 1734.
, in 1101. At that time, it stood well outside the boundaries of the city of London, though on the main road
to Tyburn
and Oxford
. This chapel probably came to function as the church of the small village that grew up to provide services to the hospital.
The hospital was supported by the Crown and administered by the City for its first two hundred years; in fact, it was named a royal free chapel
. Beginning in 1299, on the order of Edward I
, it was administered by the Order of Saint Lazarus
(in full, the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus), one of the chivalric orders to survive the era of the Crusades. The fourteenth century was a turbulent one for the hospital, with frequent accusations from the City authorities that the members of the Order of Saint Lazarus, known as Lazar brothers, put the affairs of the monastery ahead of caring for the lepers. During the fourteenth century, the king, on several occasions, interfered by appointing a new head of the hospital.
In 1391, Richard II
sold the hospital, chapel, and lands to the Cistercian abbey of St. Mary de Graces, just by the Tower of London. This was an action opposed by both the Lazars, who, true to their origins as a military order, used force to express their displeasure with Richard II, and by the authorities of the City of London, who withheld rent money in protest. The property at the time included 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) of farmland; a survey-enumerated eight horses, twelve oxen, two cows, 156 pigs, sixty geese, and 186 domestic fowl.. The grant was revoked in 1402 and the property returned to the Lazars Lepers were cared-for at this location until the mid sixteenth century, when the disease abated, and the monastery, instead, began to care for indigents.
During the reign of Henry V
, in 1414, the village was the headquarters of Sir John Oldcastle
's abortive Lollard rebellion and the site of Oldcastle's execution in 1417.
The monastery was dissolved
in 1539 during the reign of Henry VIII
, with the lands (excluding the church) eventually being granted to Lord Lisle
in 1548. However, the chapel survived as a local parish church. The first Rector of St Giles was appointed in 1547, and the phrase, 'in the fields', was added to the church's name. An illustration from this time shows the church with a round tower and dome.. A spire replaced this structure in 1617.
. The new building was consecrated by William Laud
, Bishop of London
. An illuminated manuscript listing the subscribers to the rebuilding, is still kept in the church.
The first victims of the 1665 Great Plague
were buried in St. Giles's churchyard and by the end of the plague year there were 3,216 listed plague deaths in this church's parish, which had fewer than 2,000 households.
Other notable burials of the period include twelve Roman Catholic martyrs (killed on the testimony of Titus Oates
), who were later beatified, and are buried near the church's north wall:
for a grant to rebuild. Initially refused because it was not a new foundation, they were eventually allocated £8,000 and a new church was built in 1730-34, designed by the architect Henry Flitcroft
in the Palladian style (the first English church in that style). The model he made so that parishioners could see what they were commissioning, can still be seen in the church's north transept. The Vestry House was built at the same time.
As London grew in the 18th and 19th centuries, so did the parish's population, to 30,000 by 1831. The parish included within its boundaries two neighbourhoods notorious for poverty and squalour: the Rookery
between the church and Great Russell Street
, and Seven Dials
. These neighbourhoods became a centre for prostitution and crime and the name St Giles became likewise associated with the underworld. St Giles's Roundhouse
was a jail and St Giles' Greek a thieves' cant
. As the population grew, so did their dead, and eventually there was no room in their grave yard, so during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many were buried in the cemeteries surrounding St Pancras
.
St Giles was also the last church on the route between Newgate Prison
and the gallows at Tyburn
, and the churchwardens paid for the condemned to have a drink (popularly named "St Giles' Bowl") at the next door pub, the Angel, before they went to be hanged, a custom that had started in the early 15th century. The dissolute nature of the area is described in Charles Dickens
' Sketches by Boz
.
The architects Sir Arthur Blomfield
and William Butterfield
made some alterations in 1875 and 1896. St Giles escaped severe bombing in the Second World War
, losing only most of the Victorian glass. The church underwent a major restoration in 1952–53, described by journalist and poet John Betjeman
as "one of the most successful post-war church restorations" (Spectator 9 March 1956). The parish today sits in the middle of a commercial district, and the resident population is about 4,600.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 24 October 1951.
. George Dallam built a replacement in 1678; the instrument was rebuilt in 1699 by Christian Smith, a nephew of the great organ builder 'Father' Smith. A second rebuilding (in the new structure) was done in 1734 by Gerard Smith the younger, possibly assisted by Johann Knopple. Much of the pipework from 1678 and 1699 was recycled.
The final rebuilding, still recycling the original pipes, was done in 1856 by the London organ builders Gray & Davison, then at the height of their fame. The mechanical key and stop actions were replaced with an electro-pneumatic action in 1960, and the organ was extensively restored in 2006 by WIlliam Drake.
's daughter Mary was baptised in the Gothic brick building in 1647 and the Poetry Society
holds its annual general meeting in the vestry house. Two memorials inside the church commemorate George Chapman
, the translator of Homer (buried outside) and politician and poet Andrew Marvell
.
Other famous people with memorials in St Giles include:
Recent memorials commemorate:
and is the same pulpit from which Methodist founders John
and Charles Wesley
preached between 1741 and 1793.
The two paintings of Moses and Aaron on either side of the altar are by Francisco Vieira the Younger
, court painter to the King of Portugal
.
The mayoral chair of the Borough of Holborn (St Giles was the municipal church of this borough until the 1960s) was moved to the church when the borough ceased to exist and is carved with the Italian words 'Che sara, sara' (whatever shall be, shall be), the motto of the Dukes of Bedford, who were and are important land owners in the local area.
and King James Bible for all main services.
St Giles has a number of groups within the church, including a theatre club and professional choir.
There is a voluntary choir, open to all, which sings regularly on Sunday Evenings and has up to 24 members. The choir was started in 2005 by the current Director of Music, Mr Jonathan Bunney. The voluntary choir has sung at Guildford Cathedral and further cathedral visits are planned for the future.
St Giles holds a number of secular concerts and events, including graduation ceremonies (organisations include the College of Law); classical music concerts and demonstrations of the newly restored organ.
The current Rector is The Venerable Dr William (Bill) Jacob, who is also the Archdeacon of Charing Cross. He came to St Giles in 2000, following the retirement of his predecessor, The Reverend Gordon Taylor, who was the Rector for over 50 years. Mr Taylor died in June 2009. http://www.stgilesonline.org/calendar/news.php?id=F4A48B26772705
The Church has recently appointed The Reverend Alan Carr, currently Vicar of St. Margaret's and All Saints, Highbrook
, West Hoathly, West Sussex to the post of Associate Rector. Mr Carr was licensed by the Bishop of London at St Giles on 5 September 2010.
Current church wardens are Mrs Jill Hutchings and Mr Thomas Hardin. The Verger and Parish Clerk is Mr Mark Hodgin.
Many local businesses contribute towards the work of the church. Other community groups use the facilities, including various self-help groups such as Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous.
Holborn
Holborn is an area of Central London. Holborn is also the name of the area's principal east-west street, running as High Holborn from St Giles's High Street to Gray's Inn Road and then on to Holborn Viaduct...
, is a church in the London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Camden
In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough were already developed and had a total population of 96,795. This continued to rise swiftly throughout the 19th century, as the district became built up; reaching 270,197 in the middle of the century...
, in the West End
West End of London
The West End of London is an area of central London, containing many of the city's major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment . Use of the term began in the early 19th century to describe fashionable areas to the west of Charing Cross...
. It is close to the Centre Point
Centre Point
Centre Point is a substantial concrete and glass office building in central London, England, occupying 101-103 New Oxford Street, WC1, close to St Giles Circus and almost directly above Tottenham Court Road tube station. The site was once occupied by a gallows...
office tower and the Tottenham Court Road tube station
Tottenham Court Road tube station
Tottenham Court Road is a London Underground station in central London. It is an interchange between the Central line and the branch of the Northern line.On the Central line it is between and , and on the Northern line it is between and...
. The church is part of the Diocese of London
Diocese of London
The Anglican Diocese of London forms part of the Province of Canterbury in England.Historically the diocese covered a large area north of the Thames and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the north and west. The present diocese covers and 17 London boroughs, covering most of Greater...
within the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
. Several buildings have stood on the site; the present structure (in the Palladian style) was built in 1734.
Medieval church
The first recorded church on this site was a chapel of the parish of Holborn attached to a monastery and leper hospital founded by Matilda of Scotland, the wife of Henry IHenry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
, in 1101. At that time, it stood well outside the boundaries of the city of London, though on the main road
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major thoroughfare in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, United Kingdom. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, as well as its most dense, and currently has approximately 300 shops. The street was formerly part of the London-Oxford road which began at Newgate,...
to Tyburn
Tyburn, London
Tyburn was a village in the county of Middlesex close to the current location of Marble Arch in present-day London. It took its name from the Tyburn or Teo Bourne 'boundary stream', a tributary of the River Thames which is now completely covered over between its source and its outfall into the...
and Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
. This chapel probably came to function as the church of the small village that grew up to provide services to the hospital.
The hospital was supported by the Crown and administered by the City for its first two hundred years; in fact, it was named a royal free chapel
Royal Peculiar
A Royal Peculiar is a place of worship that falls directly under the jurisdiction of the British monarch, rather than under a bishop. The concept dates from Anglo-Saxon times, when a church could ally itself with the monarch and therefore not be subject to the bishop of the area...
. Beginning in 1299, on the order of Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
, it was administered by the Order of Saint Lazarus
Order of Saint Lazarus
This article concerns the order of knighthood named after Saint Lazarus. For other uses of the name Lazarus, see Lazarus .The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem is an order of chivalry which originated in a leper hospital founded by the Knights Hospitaller in 1098 by the...
(in full, the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus), one of the chivalric orders to survive the era of the Crusades. The fourteenth century was a turbulent one for the hospital, with frequent accusations from the City authorities that the members of the Order of Saint Lazarus, known as Lazar brothers, put the affairs of the monastery ahead of caring for the lepers. During the fourteenth century, the king, on several occasions, interfered by appointing a new head of the hospital.
In 1391, Richard II
Richard II of England
Richard II was King of England, a member of the House of Plantagenet and the last of its main-line kings. He ruled from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. Richard was a son of Edward, the Black Prince, and was born during the reign of his grandfather, Edward III...
sold the hospital, chapel, and lands to the Cistercian abbey of St. Mary de Graces, just by the Tower of London. This was an action opposed by both the Lazars, who, true to their origins as a military order, used force to express their displeasure with Richard II, and by the authorities of the City of London, who withheld rent money in protest. The property at the time included 8 acres (32,374.9 m²) of farmland; a survey-enumerated eight horses, twelve oxen, two cows, 156 pigs, sixty geese, and 186 domestic fowl.. The grant was revoked in 1402 and the property returned to the Lazars Lepers were cared-for at this location until the mid sixteenth century, when the disease abated, and the monastery, instead, began to care for indigents.
During the reign of Henry V
Henry V of England
Henry V was King of England from 1413 until his death at the age of 35 in 1422. He was the second monarch belonging to the House of Lancaster....
, in 1414, the village was the headquarters of Sir John Oldcastle
Sir John Oldcastle
Sir John Oldcastle is an Elizabethan play about John Oldcastle, a controversial 14th-15th century rebel and Lollard who was seen by some of Shakespeare's contemporaries as a proto-Protestant martyr.-Publication:...
's abortive Lollard rebellion and the site of Oldcastle's execution in 1417.
The monastery was dissolved
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
in 1539 during the reign of Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
, with the lands (excluding the church) eventually being granted to Lord Lisle
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey on the English throne after the King's death...
in 1548. However, the chapel survived as a local parish church. The first Rector of St Giles was appointed in 1547, and the phrase, 'in the fields', was added to the church's name. An illustration from this time shows the church with a round tower and dome.. A spire replaced this structure in 1617.
17th century church
The early church fell into disrepair and a Gothic brick structure was built between 1623 and 1630, mostly paid for by Alice Dudley, wife of Robert DudleyRobert Dudley, styled Earl of Warwick
Sir Robert Dudley was an English explorer and cartographer. In 1594, he led an expedition to the West Indies, of which he wrote an account. The illegitimate son of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, he inherited the bulk of the Earl's estate in accordance with his father's will, including...
. The new building was consecrated by William Laud
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
, Bishop of London
Bishop of London
The Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
. An illuminated manuscript listing the subscribers to the rebuilding, is still kept in the church.
Great Plague of London
The Great Plague was a massive outbreak of disease in the Kingdom of England that killed an estimated 100,000 people, 20% of London's population. The disease is identified as bubonic plague, an infection by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted through a flea vector...
were buried in St. Giles's churchyard and by the end of the plague year there were 3,216 listed plague deaths in this church's parish, which had fewer than 2,000 households.
Other notable burials of the period include twelve Roman Catholic martyrs (killed on the testimony of Titus Oates
Titus Oates
Titus Oates was an English perjurer who fabricated the "Popish Plot", a supposed Catholic conspiracy to kill King Charles II.-Early life:...
), who were later beatified, and are buried near the church's north wall:
- Oliver PlunkettOliver PlunkettSaint Oliver Plunkett was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland....
, Archbishop of Armagh, burial (according to the parish Burial Register) on 1 July 1681, canonised in 1975 (he was later exhumed and taken to LamspringeLamspringeLamspringe is a village and a municipality in the district of Hildesheim, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated approx. 20 km south of Hildesheim....
in Germany, with the head being now at DroghedaDroghedaDrogheda is an industrial and port town in County Louth on the east coast of Ireland, 56 km north of Dublin. It is the last bridging point on the River Boyne before it enters the Irish Sea....
and the body at DownsideDownsideDownside can refer to:*Downside Abbey, a monastery in Somerset, England*Downside School, a public school in Somerset, England*Downside, a sub-district of Redhill, Somerset, England*Downside, Surrey, a small village in the county of Surrey, England...
) - the five Jesuit fathers with whom Plunkett asked to be buried
- Thomas WhitbreadThomas WhitbreadBlessed Thomas Whitbread was an English Jesuit missionary, wrongly convicted of conspiracy to murder Charles II of England. He was beatified in 1929.-Life:...
, William Harcourt, John FenwickJohn Fenwick (Jesuit)Blessed John Fenwick, real surname Caldwell was an English Jesuit, executed at the time of the fabricated Popish Plot. He is a Catholic martyr, beatified in 1929 by Pope Pius XI.-Life:...
, John GavanJohn GavanBlessed John Gavan was an English Jesuit and victim of the Popish Plot, wrongfully executed for conspiracy to murder Charles II. He was beatified in 1929.- Life :...
and Anthony Turner (martyr)Anthony Turner (martyr)Blessed Anthony Turner was an English Jesuit and victim of the Popish Plot, executed for conspiracy to murder Charles II. He was beatified in 1929.- LIfe :...
.
- Thomas Whitbread
- Edward Coleman (or ColmanEdward ColmanEdward Colman or Coleman was an English Catholic courtier under Charles II of England. He was hanged, drawn and quartered on a treason charge, having been implicated by Titus Oates in his false accusations concerning a Popish Plot...
), secretary to the Duchess of YorkMary of ModenaMary of Modena was Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of King James II and VII. A devout Catholic, Mary became, in 1673, the second wife of James, Duke of York, who later succeeded his older brother Charles II as King James II... - Richard LanghorneRichard LanghorneBlessed Richard Langhorne was a barrister executed as part of the Popish Plot. He was admitted to the Inner Temple in May 1647 and called to the bar in November 1654. He provided legal and financial advice for the Jesuits....
, barrister - Edward Micó, priest (died soon after arrest; the only one of the twelve not to be executed at Tyburn)
- William Ireland, priest
- John Grove, priest
- Thomas PickeringBlessed Thomas PickeringBlessed Thomas Pickering was a Benedictine lay brother who served in England during the time of recusancy. He was martyred as a result of the fraudulent claims of Titus Oates that he was part of a plot to murder King Charles II....
, laybrother
Present church
The high number of plague victims buried in the church and its yard were the probable cause of the damp problem evident by 1711. The parishioners petitioned the Church CommissionersCommission for Building Fifty New Churches
The Commission for Building Fifty New Churches was an organisation set up by Act of Parliament in England in 1711, with the purpose of building fifty new churches for the rapidly growing conurbation of London...
for a grant to rebuild. Initially refused because it was not a new foundation, they were eventually allocated £8,000 and a new church was built in 1730-34, designed by the architect Henry Flitcroft
Henry Flitcroft
Henry Flitcroft was a major English architect in the second generation of Palladianism. He came from a simple background: his father was a labourer in the gardens at Hampton Court and he began as a joiner by trade. Working as a carpenter at Burlington House, he fell from a scaffold and broke his leg...
in the Palladian style (the first English church in that style). The model he made so that parishioners could see what they were commissioning, can still be seen in the church's north transept. The Vestry House was built at the same time.
As London grew in the 18th and 19th centuries, so did the parish's population, to 30,000 by 1831. The parish included within its boundaries two neighbourhoods notorious for poverty and squalour: the Rookery
Rookery (slum)
A rookery was the colloquial British English term given in the 18th and 19th centuries to a city slum occupied by poor people...
between the church and Great Russell Street
Great Russell Street
Great Russell Street is a street in Bloomsbury, central London, England. It is the location of the main entrance of the British Museum to the north. The Congress Centre of the Trades Union Congress is located at number 28...
, and Seven Dials
Seven Dials
Seven Dials is a small but well-known road junction in the West End of London in Covent Garden where seven streets converge. At the centre of the roughly-circular space is a pillar bearing six sundials, a result of the pillar being commissioned before a late stage alteration of the plans from an...
. These neighbourhoods became a centre for prostitution and crime and the name St Giles became likewise associated with the underworld. St Giles's Roundhouse
St Giles's Roundhouse
The St Giles's Roundhouse was a small roundhouse or prison, mainly used to temporarily hold suspected criminals.It was located in the St Giles area of present-day central London, which - during the 17th and 18th centuries - was a 'rookery' notorious for its thieves and other criminals.The...
was a jail and St Giles' Greek a thieves' cant
Thieves' cant
Thieves' cant or Rogues' cant was a secret language which was formerly used by thieves, beggars and hustlers of various kinds in Great Britain and to a lesser extent in other English-speaking countries...
. As the population grew, so did their dead, and eventually there was no room in their grave yard, so during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, many were buried in the cemeteries surrounding St Pancras
St Pancras, London
St Pancras is an area of London. For many centuries the name has been used for various officially-designated areas, but now is used informally and rarely having been largely superseded by several other names for overlapping districts.-Ancient parish:...
.
St Giles was also the last church on the route between Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison
Newgate Prison was a prison in London, at the corner of Newgate Street and Old Bailey just inside the City of London. It was originally located at the site of a gate in the Roman London Wall. The gate/prison was rebuilt in the 12th century, and demolished in 1777...
and the gallows at Tyburn
Tyburn, London
Tyburn was a village in the county of Middlesex close to the current location of Marble Arch in present-day London. It took its name from the Tyburn or Teo Bourne 'boundary stream', a tributary of the River Thames which is now completely covered over between its source and its outfall into the...
, and the churchwardens paid for the condemned to have a drink (popularly named "St Giles' Bowl") at the next door pub, the Angel, before they went to be hanged, a custom that had started in the early 15th century. The dissolute nature of the area is described in Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
' Sketches by Boz
Sketches by Boz
Sketches by "Boz," Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-day People is a collection of short pieces published by Charles Dickens in 1836 accompanied by illustrations by George Cruikshank. The 56 sketches concern London scenes and people and are divided into four sections: "Our Parish",...
.
The architects Sir Arthur Blomfield
Arthur Blomfield
Sir Arthur William Blomfield was an English architect.-Background:The fourth son of Charles James Blomfield, an Anglican Bishop of London helpfully began a programme of new church construction in the capital. Born in Fulham Palace, Arthur Blomfield was educated at Rugby and Trinity College,...
and William Butterfield
William Butterfield
William Butterfield was a Gothic Revival architect and associated with the Oxford Movement . He is noted for his use of polychromy-Biography:...
made some alterations in 1875 and 1896. St Giles escaped severe bombing in the Second World War
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
, losing only most of the Victorian glass. The church underwent a major restoration in 1952–53, described by journalist and poet John Betjeman
John Betjeman
Sir John Betjeman, CBE was an English poet, writer and broadcaster who described himself in Who's Who as a "poet and hack".He was a founding member of the Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture...
as "one of the most successful post-war church restorations" (Spectator 9 March 1956). The parish today sits in the middle of a commercial district, and the resident population is about 4,600.
The church was designated a Grade I listed building on 24 October 1951.
Items of interest
Organ
The first seventeenth-century organ was destroyed during the English Civil WarEnglish Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
. George Dallam built a replacement in 1678; the instrument was rebuilt in 1699 by Christian Smith, a nephew of the great organ builder 'Father' Smith. A second rebuilding (in the new structure) was done in 1734 by Gerard Smith the younger, possibly assisted by Johann Knopple. Much of the pipework from 1678 and 1699 was recycled.
The final rebuilding, still recycling the original pipes, was done in 1856 by the London organ builders Gray & Davison, then at the height of their fame. The mechanical key and stop actions were replaced with an electro-pneumatic action in 1960, and the organ was extensively restored in 2006 by WIlliam Drake.
Tombs
St Giles is known as 'The Poets' Church'. Poet John MiltonJohn Milton
John Milton was an English poet, polemicist, a scholarly man of letters, and a civil servant for the Commonwealth of England under Oliver Cromwell...
's daughter Mary was baptised in the Gothic brick building in 1647 and the Poetry Society
Poetry Society
The Poetry Society is a membership organisation, open to all, whose stated aim is "to promote the study, use and enjoyment of poetry".The Society was founded in London in February 1909 as the Poetry Recital Society, becoming the Poetry Society in 1912...
holds its annual general meeting in the vestry house. Two memorials inside the church commemorate George Chapman
George Chapman
George Chapman was an English dramatist, translator, and poet. He was a classical scholar, and his work shows the influence of Stoicism. Chapman has been identified as the Rival Poet of Shakespeare's Sonnets by William Minto, and as an anticipator of the Metaphysical Poets...
, the translator of Homer (buried outside) and politician and poet Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell
Andrew Marvell was an English metaphysical poet, Parliamentarian, and the son of a Church of England clergyman . As a metaphysical poet, he is associated with John Donne and George Herbert...
.
Other famous people with memorials in St Giles include:
- Richard Penderell, who accompanied king Charles IICharles II of EnglandCharles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
on his famous escapeEscape of Charles IIThe Escape of Charles II from England in 1651 is a key episode in his life. Although it took only six weeks, it had a major effect on his attitudes for the rest of his life.-The fugitive king:... - Lord BelasyseJohn Belasyse, 1st Baron BelasyseJohn Belasyse, 1st Baron Belasyse PC was an English nobleman, soldier and Member of Parliament, notable for his role during and after the English Civil War.-Early life:...
, a noted royalistEnglish Civil WarThe English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists... - Sir Roger L'EstrangeRoger L'EstrangeSir Roger L'Estrange was an English pamphleteer and author, and staunch defender of royalist claims. L'Estrange was involved in political controversy throughout his life...
, the last public censor - John FlaxmanJohn FlaxmanJohn Flaxman was an English sculptor and draughtsman.-Early life:He was born in York. His father was also named John, after an ancestor who, according to family tradition, had fought for Parliament at the Battle of Naseby, and afterwards settled as a carrier or farmer in Buckinghamshire...
, sculptor - Luke HansardLuke HansardLuke Hansard was an English printer, born in St Mary's parish, Norwich, who gave his name to Hansard, the record of Parliamentary debate, which he printed.-Early life:He was the son of a Norwich manufacturer...
, printer to the House of CommonsBritish House of CommonsThe House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members... - Thomas EarnshawThomas EarnshawThomas Earnshaw was an English watchmaker who following John Arnold's earlier work, further simplified the process of marine chronometer production, making them available to the general public...
, watch and chronometer maker.
Recent memorials commemorate:
- Cecilius CalvertCecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron BaltimoreCecilius Calvert, 2nd Baron Baltimore, 1st Proprietor and 1st Proprietary Governor of Maryland, 9th Proprietary Governor of Newfoundland , was an English peer who was the first proprietor of the Province of Maryland. He received the proprietorship after the death of his father, George Calvert, the...
, the first Proprietor of the Maryland colonyProvince of MarylandThe Province of Maryland was an English and later British colony in North America that existed from 1632 until 1776, when it joined the other twelve of the Thirteen Colonies in rebellion against Great Britain and became the U.S...
in 1633 (some of the colonists were from St Giles' parish). His memorial was unveiled on 10 May 1996 by the Governor of Maryland, Parris N. Glendening. Calvert's son and daughters-in-law are buried at St Giles. - William BalmainWilliam BalmainWilliam Balmain was a British naval surgeon who sailed as an assistant surgeon with the First Fleet to establish the first European settlement in Australia, and later became its principal surgeon.-Early life and career:...
, one of the founders of New South WalesNew South WalesNew South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
and Principal Surgeon of the Colony. His memorial on the north-west wall was put up by the Balmain Society of Sydney in 1996.
Other
The wooden pulpit on the north side of the church is from the nearby (now no longer a church) West Street ChapelWest Street Chapel
The West Street Chapel is a Methodist chapel at 26 West Street, WC2. It was John Wesley’s first Methodist chapel in London’s West End. It is no longer used as a church but has a commemorative plaque and its pulpit is now in the nearby St Giles in the Fields.It is a quarter of a mile from the...
and is the same pulpit from which Methodist founders John
John Wesley
John Wesley was a Church of England cleric and Christian theologian. Wesley is largely credited, along with his brother Charles Wesley, as founding the Methodist movement which began when he took to open-air preaching in a similar manner to George Whitefield...
and Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley
Charles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Anglican clergyman John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley , and father of musician Samuel Wesley, and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley...
preached between 1741 and 1793.
The two paintings of Moses and Aaron on either side of the altar are by Francisco Vieira the Younger
Vieira Portuense
Francisco Vieira de Matos , who choose the artistic name of Vieira Portuense, was a Portuguese painter, one of the introducers of Neoclassicism in Portuguese painting. He was, in the neoclassical style, one of the two great Portuguese painters of his generation, with Domingos Sequeira.He first...
, court painter to the King of Portugal
Peter III of Portugal
Peter III became King of the Kingdom of Portugal and the Algarves by the accession of his wife and niece Queen Maria I in 1777, and co-reigned alongside her until his death.-Biography:...
.
The mayoral chair of the Borough of Holborn (St Giles was the municipal church of this borough until the 1960s) was moved to the church when the borough ceased to exist and is carved with the Italian words 'Che sara, sara' (whatever shall be, shall be), the motto of the Dukes of Bedford, who were and are important land owners in the local area.
Parish activities
The church is one of the few churches within Central London to use the Book of Common PrayerBook of Common Prayer
The Book of Common Prayer is the short title of a number of related prayer books used in the Anglican Communion, as well as by the Continuing Anglican, "Anglican realignment" and other Anglican churches. The original book, published in 1549 , in the reign of Edward VI, was a product of the English...
and King James Bible for all main services.
St Giles has a number of groups within the church, including a theatre club and professional choir.
There is a voluntary choir, open to all, which sings regularly on Sunday Evenings and has up to 24 members. The choir was started in 2005 by the current Director of Music, Mr Jonathan Bunney. The voluntary choir has sung at Guildford Cathedral and further cathedral visits are planned for the future.
St Giles holds a number of secular concerts and events, including graduation ceremonies (organisations include the College of Law); classical music concerts and demonstrations of the newly restored organ.
The current Rector is The Venerable Dr William (Bill) Jacob, who is also the Archdeacon of Charing Cross. He came to St Giles in 2000, following the retirement of his predecessor, The Reverend Gordon Taylor, who was the Rector for over 50 years. Mr Taylor died in June 2009. http://www.stgilesonline.org/calendar/news.php?id=F4A48B26772705
The Church has recently appointed The Reverend Alan Carr, currently Vicar of St. Margaret's and All Saints, Highbrook
All Saints Church, Highbrook
All Saints Church is an Anglican church in the hamlet of Highbrook in Mid Sussex, one of seven local government districts in the English county of West Sussex. The tiny settlement, in the parish of West Hoathly, was distant from the parish church in that village; two wealthy sisters accordingly...
, West Hoathly, West Sussex to the post of Associate Rector. Mr Carr was licensed by the Bishop of London at St Giles on 5 September 2010.
Current church wardens are Mrs Jill Hutchings and Mr Thomas Hardin. The Verger and Parish Clerk is Mr Mark Hodgin.
Many local businesses contribute towards the work of the church. Other community groups use the facilities, including various self-help groups such as Alcoholics and Narcotics Anonymous.
Rectors of St Giles
| Date | Name | Other/previous posts |
|---|---|---|
| 1547 | Sir William Rowlandson | |
| 1571 | Geoffrey Evans | |
| 1579 | William Steward | |
| 1590 | Nathaniel Baxter Nathaniel Baxter Nathaniel Baxter was an English clergyman and poet. In earlier life tutor to Sir Philip Sidney, and interested in the manner of Sidney's circle in literature and Ramist logic, he became more sternly religious in his opinions... |
|
| 1591 | Thomas Salisbury Thomas Salisbury Sir Thomas Salisbury was one of the conspirators executed for his involvement in the Babington Plot.... |
|
| 1592 | Joseph Clerk | |
| 1616 | Roger Manwayring | Chaplain to James I James I of England James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603... , Dean of Worcester Worcester Cathedral Worcester Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in Worcester, England; situated on a bank overlooking the River Severn. It is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Worcester. Its official name is The Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Mary the Virgin of Worcester... , Bishop of St David's Bishop of St David's The Bishop of St David's is the ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of St David's.The succession of bishops stretches back to Saint David who in the 6th century established his seat in what is today the city of St David's in Pembrokeshire, founding St David's Cathedral. The current Bishop of St... |
| Undated | Gilbert Dillingham | |
| 1635 | Brian Walton | Bishop of Chester Bishop of Chester The Bishop of Chester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chester in the Province of York.The diocese expands across most of the historic county boundaries of Cheshire, including the Wirral Peninsula and has its see in the City of Chester where the seat is located at the Cathedral... |
| 1636 | William Heywood | Domestic Chaplain to Archbishop Laud William Laud William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism... , Chaplain to Charles I Charles I of England Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles... , Prebendary Prebendary A prebendary is a post connected to an Anglican or Catholic cathedral or collegiate church and is a type of canon. Prebendaries have a role in the administration of the cathedral... of St Paul's St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother... |
| English Commonwealth | Henry Cornish Henry Cornish Henry Cornish was a London alderman, executed in the reign of James II of England.-Life:He was a well-to-do merchant of London, and alderman of the ward of St. Michael Bassishaw; in the London Directory for 1677 he is described as a factor residing in 'Cateaton Street, near Blackwelhall Gate.' He... , Arthur Molyne and Thomas Case Thomas Case Thomas Case was an English clergyman of Presbyterian beliefs, member of the Westminster Assembly where he was one of the strongest advocates of theocracy, and sympathizer with the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy.-Life:... were "ministers" respectively of this church |
|
| 1660 | William Heywood | Returned on English Restoration English Restoration The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms... |
| 1663 | Robert Boreman Robert Boreman Robert Boreman or Bourman D.D, was a Church of England clergyman who supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War.-Biography:... |
|
| 1675 | John Sharp | Archdeacon Archdeacon An archdeacon is a senior clergy position in Anglicanism, Syrian Malabar Nasrani, Chaldean Catholic, and some other Christian denominations, above that of most clergy and below a bishop. In the High Middle Ages it was the most senior diocesan position below a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church... of Berkshire Berkshire Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and... , Prebendary of Norwich Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation.... , Chaplain to Charles II Charles II of England Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War... , Dean of Canterbury Dean of Canterbury The Dean of Canterbury is the head of the Chapter of the Cathedral of Christ Church, Canterbury, England. The office of dean originated after the English Reformation, and its precursor office was the prior of the cathedral-monastery... , Archbishop of York Archbishop of York The Archbishop of York is a high-ranking cleric in the Church of England, second only to the Archbishop of Canterbury. He is the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of York and metropolitan of the Province of York, which covers the northern portion of England as well as the Isle of Man... |
| 1691 | John Scott | Canon Canon (priest) A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule .... of Windsor Windsor Castle Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it... (a royal peculiar) |
| 1695 | William Hayley | Dean Dean (religion) A dean, in a church context, is a cleric holding certain positions of authority within a religious hierarchy. The title is used mainly in the Anglican Communion and the Roman Catholic Church.-Anglican Communion:... of Chichester Chichester Cathedral The Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity, otherwise called Chichester Cathedral, is the seat of the Anglican Bishop of Chichester. It is located in Chichester, in Sussex, England... , Chaplain to William III William III of England William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland... |
| 1715 | William Baker William Baker (bishop) William Baker was an English churchman and academic, Warden of Wadham College, Oxford, Bishop of Bangor and bishop of Norwich.-Life:... |
Bishop of Bangor Bishop of Bangor The Bishop of Bangor is the Ordinary of the Church in Wales Diocese of Bangor.The diocese covers the counties of Anglesey, most of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire and a small part of Montgomeryshire... , Bishop of Norwich Bishop of Norwich The Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers most of the County of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The see is in the City of Norwich where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided... |
| 1732 | Henry Gally Henry Gally Henry Gally, D.D. was an English divine and classical scholar.-Life:Gally was the son of the Rev. Peter Gally, a French Protestant refugee, was born at Beckenham, Kent, in August 1696. He was admitted a pensioner of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, under the tuition of Mr. Fawcett, 8 May 1714,... |
Chaplain to George II |
| 1769 | John Smyth | Prebendary of Norwich Norwich Cathedral Norwich Cathedral is a cathedral located in Norwich, Norfolk, dedicated to the Holy and Undivided Trinity. Formerly a Catholic church, it has belonged to the Church of England since the English Reformation.... |
| 1788 | John Buckner | Bishop of Chichester Bishop of Chichester The Bishop of Chichester is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Chichester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the Counties of East and West Sussex. The see is in the City of Chichester where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy Trinity... |
| 1824 | Christopher Benson | Master of the Temple Temple Church The Temple Church is a late-12th-century church in London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built for and by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. In modern times, two Inns of Court both use the church. It is famous for its effigy tombs and for being a round church... |
| 1826 | James Endell Tyler | Canon Residentiary of St Paul's |
| 1851 | Robert Bickersteth Robert Bickersteth (bishop) The Rt Rev Robert Bickersteth was the Anglican Bishop of Ripon in the mid 19th century.Robert Bickersteth was born into an ecclesiastical family and educated at Queens' College, Cambridge. Ordained in 1845, his first post was as a Curate to his father... |
Bishop of Ripon |
| 1857 | Antony Wilson Thorold | Bishop of Rochester Bishop of Rochester The Bishop of Rochester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Rochester in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers the west of the county of Kent and is centred in the city of Rochester where the bishop's seat is located at the Cathedral Church of Christ and the Blessed Virgin... , Bishop of Winchester Bishop of Winchester The Bishop of Winchester is the head of the Church of England diocese of Winchester, with his cathedra at Winchester Cathedral in Hampshire.The bishop is one of five Church of England bishops to be among the Lords Spiritual regardless of their length of service. His diocese is one of the oldest and... |
| 1867 | John Marjoribanks Nisbet | Canon Residentiary of Norwich |
| 1892 | Henry William Parry Richards | Prebendary of St Paul's |
| 1899 | William Covington | Prebendary and Canon of St Paul's |
| 1909 | Wilfred Harold Davies | |
| 1929 | Albert Henry Lloyd | |
| 1941 | Ernest Reginald Moore | |
| 1949 | Gordon Clifford Taylor | |
| 2000 | William Mungo Jacob | Archdeacon of Charing Cross Charing Cross Charing Cross denotes the junction of Strand, Whitehall and Cockspur Street, just south of Trafalgar Square in central London, England. It is named after the now demolished Eleanor cross that stood there, in what was once the hamlet of Charing. The site of the cross is now occupied by an equestrian... |
See also
- St. Lawrence's Church, Mereworth, the spire of which is a copy of St Giles in the Fields.