St Botolph without Bishopsgate, Middlesex Genealogy

England London  London Parishes  St Botolph without Bishopsgate

Parish History
"St Botolph without Bishopsgate, the church of, is situated on the Westside Bishopsgate Street Without and nearly opposite the western end of Houndsditch. The ancient Church of this name was of very ancient foundation, and received its name from the before mentioned Anglo-Saxon Saint, who died about the year 680.  The first authentic account of this church is in 1323, when John de Northhampton resigned rectorship which then was and still is in the gift of the Bishop of London.  The old church which stood upon the bank of the ancient city ditch escaped the fire of London but became so ruinous that it was taken down in 1726, and rebuilt from the designs of the elder George Dance. Was finished in 1729, and is a spacious, substantial, and well-built structure.  The spire is peculiarly handsome, and with that of Shoreditch, by the same architect, among the best since the days of Wren.  The east end, which is next the street, is decorated with Doric pilasters, and a large window, with entrance doors at the sides, which excited much criticism at the time of its completion. It arises from the circumstances of necessity of placing the altar always at the east end, which, in this instance deprived the principal front of the advantage of a grand central door. The living is a rectory in the gift of the King and the Bishop of London..."

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records

 * Hallen, A.W. Cornelius. The Registers of St. Botolph, Bishopsgate, London. 3 vols. 1889. Vol. I (marriages 1558-1753, baptisms 1558-1628, burials 1558-1628); Vol. II (burials 1628-1725): digital versions at Google Books; Internet Archive; Vol. III (baptisms 1628-1690): digital versions at Google Books; Internet Archive.

To find the names of the neighbouring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

Contributor: Include here information for parish registers, Bishop’s Transcripts, nonconformist and other types of church records, such as parish chest records. Add the contact information for the office holding the original records. Add links to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Census records

 * Inhabitants of London in 1638 - St Botolph without Bishopsgate, courtesy: British History Online

Contributor: Include an overview if there is any unique information, such as the census for X year was destroyed. Add a link to online sites for indexes and/or images. Also add a link to the Family History Library Catalog showing the film numbers in their collection.

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish. Go to Middlesex Probate Records to find the name of the court having primary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Poor Law Unions
Contributor: Add information about the pertinent poor law unions in the area.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Web sites

 * London Family History Centre Catalogue
 * Sketch of St Botolph without Bishopsgate Parish Church, courtesy: London Ancestor
 * Society of Genealogists Library Catalogue (to narrow results, conduct a subject search for 'London St Botolph without Bishopsgate')