St Gregory by St Paul's
Encyclopedia
St Gregory's by St Paul's was a parish church in the Castle Baynard ward of the City of London It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and not rebuilt. It was built against the walls of St Paul's Cathedral
.
It was in existence as by 1010, when Bishop Alwynn removed the remains of King Edmund the Martyr
there from Bury St Edmunds to keep them safe from Danish raiders.
Between June and November 1571, services were transferred from St Paul's to St Gregory's while fire damage was being repaired in the cathedral.
In a report dated 11 June, 1631, Inigo Jones
said " the church is in no way hurtful to the foundations or walls of St. Paul's, nor will it take away the beauty of the aspect when it shall be repaired. It abuts on the Lollards' Tower , which is joined on the other side by another
tower, unto which the Bishop's hall adjoins. Conscious that neither of them is any hindrance to the beauty of the church."
Within a few years, Jones had changed his mind. As part of his renovation of the cathedral he decided to remove St Gregory's. Demolition started, and Jones ordered the parishioners to take down the remainder, threatening " that if the parishoners would not take down the rest of it, then the galleries should be sawed down and with screws the materials thrown down into the street." This not proving effective he said "that if they did not take down the said church, they should be laid by the heels." The parishioners complained to the House of Commons, and the Commons passed their complaint on to the House of Lords, appending a declaration that the parishoners deserved redress, and that action should be taken against Jones for the destruction. The Lords decided against Jones and the church was rebuilt using stones intended for the rebuilding of St Paul's.
In June 1658, a minister of the church, Dr John Hewitt, a royalist, was executed for high treason He was beheaded on Tower Hill
by order of Cromwell
's high court and buried in the church.
Following the Great Fire the parish was united with that of St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street.
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...
.
History
The church stood in the south-west angle of St Paul's Cathedral, adjoining the Lollards' Tower, its northern wall touching the Cathedral.It was in existence as by 1010, when Bishop Alwynn removed the remains of King Edmund the Martyr
Edmund the Martyr
St Edmund the Martyr was a king of East Anglia, an Anglo-Saxon kingdom which today includes the English counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire.D'Evelyn, Charlotte, and Mill, Anna J., , 1956. Reprinted 1967...
there from Bury St Edmunds to keep them safe from Danish raiders.
Between June and November 1571, services were transferred from St Paul's to St Gregory's while fire damage was being repaired in the cathedral.
In a report dated 11 June, 1631, Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones
Inigo Jones is the first significant British architect of the modern period, and the first to bring Italianate Renaissance architecture to England...
said " the church is in no way hurtful to the foundations or walls of St. Paul's, nor will it take away the beauty of the aspect when it shall be repaired. It abuts on the Lollards' Tower , which is joined on the other side by another
tower, unto which the Bishop's hall adjoins. Conscious that neither of them is any hindrance to the beauty of the church."
Within a few years, Jones had changed his mind. As part of his renovation of the cathedral he decided to remove St Gregory's. Demolition started, and Jones ordered the parishioners to take down the remainder, threatening " that if the parishoners would not take down the rest of it, then the galleries should be sawed down and with screws the materials thrown down into the street." This not proving effective he said "that if they did not take down the said church, they should be laid by the heels." The parishioners complained to the House of Commons, and the Commons passed their complaint on to the House of Lords, appending a declaration that the parishoners deserved redress, and that action should be taken against Jones for the destruction. The Lords decided against Jones and the church was rebuilt using stones intended for the rebuilding of St Paul's.
In June 1658, a minister of the church, Dr John Hewitt, a royalist, was executed for high treason He was beheaded on Tower Hill
Tower Hill
Tower Hill is an elevated spot northwest of the Tower of London, just outside the limits of the City of London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Formerly it was part of the Tower Liberty under the direct administrative control of Tower...
by order of Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's high court and buried in the church.
Following the Great Fire the parish was united with that of St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street.