St Clement Eastcheap with St Martin Orgar, London Genealogy

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St Clement Eastcheap with St Martin Orgar, the church of, is situated on the east side of St Clement's Land, which forms the western extremity of Eastcheap. This church is dedicated to the same saint and pope as the last, and derives its addition from its situation. The date of its foundation is at present unknown, but William de Southlee appears to have been its rector prior to 1309, and before the suppression of religious houses, it was in the gift of the aboot and brethren of the convent of St Peter, Westminster. Queen Mary, however, in the first year of her reign, gave the advowson of this church to the Bishop of London and his successor in that see for ever, with whom it...remains, as hereafter mentioned.

The ancient church burned down in 1666, and the present erected by Sir Christopher Wren in 1686. It is a neat plain and appropriate but unpretending building, of the Composite order, with a square tower and a balustrade. The interior is well arranged and neartly pewed, is sixty-four feet in length, forty feet in breadth, and thirty-four in height. It is a rectory, and the living was considerably augmented by having the neghbouring parish of St Margtin Orgar united to it by an act of Parliament, after the fire of London.

The Parish church of St Martin Orgar stood on the east side of St Martin's Lane, Cannon Street, and was so designated from its dedication to St Martin, and from one Ordgarus, who is generally supposed to have been the founder. This church was also a rectory, the patronage of which was granted about the 1181 by Ordgarus, with the consent of his wife and sons, to the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's, in whom, except as hereafter mentioned, it still remains. Since the union of this parish with that of St Clements, the living is presented alternately by the Bishop fo london and the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's.

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