St Giles without Cripplegate, Middlesex Genealogy

Return to the London Parishes St D-H page.

St Giles without Cripplegate, the church of, is situated without the walls of London and at and at the southwest corner of Fore Street nearly opposite the entrance of Red Cross Street and Whitecross Street. It defines its name from having been dedicated to St. of that name, who was a native of Athens and flourished about the year 700 of the Christian era, it was abbot of Nismes, in France and its position from its situation. This church was built and founded about the year 1090, by Alfune the first master of St. Bartholomew's hospital, and was destroyed by fire in 1545. The present structure was then erected, which is one of the few churches in the city to escape the great fire of 1666. It is appointed or English style of architecture, is 174 feet in length, 63 and breadth, and 32 in height. The site of this parish was anciently a fen or moor, and its houses and gardens were accounted a village without the Wall of London called Mora whence the district called the Moor and Moorfields. This village increased greatly and was constituted a prebend of St. Paul's Cathedral. Part of the ancient city wall is still remaining on the south and east sides of the churchyard, particularly one of the bastions, which is close against the back part of Barbers Hall, in Monkwells Street.

In this church are deposited the mortal remains of many eminent authors; among which are, Speed, the historian and topographer; Fox, the author of The Book of Martyrs; Glover, the Antiquary; and, above all, Milton, the author of Paradise Lost. The patronage of this church was originally in private hands, tilll it descended to Alemund, who granted it, after the deaths of himself and Hugh, his only son, to the dean and chapter of St. Paul's... The church is a vicarage in the city and Archdeaconry of London.

[Adapted from: Topographical Dictionary of London by James Elmes; published 1831]