St Clement Danes, Middlesex Genealogy

England   Middlesex   Middlesex Parishes   St Clement Danes

Parish History
St Clement Danes, Strand, the church of, is the first church westward of Temple Bar; it stands nearly in the middle of the street. It is supposed by most historians that it derives its name from having been dedicated in very ancient times to St Clement, a disciple of St Peter the Apostle, and the fourth Pope of Rome, who is said in Papal chronology to have been created Pope in the year of Christ 91, and died about the year 100. Baker in his chronicles says it received the epithet "Danes" from having been the burial place of Harold the Dane. William of Malmsbury mentions a great conqueset over the Danes near this spot, where many were slain in a place since called Clement the Danes; but Fleetwood, the antiquary, who was Recorder of London in the reign of Elizabeth, reported to the Lord Treasurer Burleigh, who resided in this parish, that when most of the Danes were driven out of this kingdom, those few that remained were permitted to settle and to marry English wives, and had the district between Thorney Isle, now called Westminster, and Caer Lud, Ludgate, assigned to them, where they built a church that was afterwards consecrated and called after them and the before-mentioned saint--Ecclesia Clementis Danorum.

The old church was taken down in 1680, and the body of the present church was rebuilt to the old tower by Sir Christopher Wren, in 1682. By an inscription on a slab of white marble in the north aisle it appears that Sir Christopher Wren gave valuable services, when he stood alone in this country as an architect, to the parish, gratiutously. Generosity a nd liberality are among the most prominent features of that great man's character.

In the year 1719, when Wren was in his ninetieth year, when Steele published his beautiful and appropriate apologue of Nestor, concerning the ungrateful neglect of Wren; Gibbs,no unworthy follower, added the present lofty, picturesque and handsome tower and steeple to this church.

The church is very handsome structure, built entirely of solid stone, lighted by two stories of windows, and has a commodious and well arranged interior, ninety six feet in length, sixty-three in breadth and forty-eight in height. It is a rectory, in the City of Westminster, in the diocese of London and in the county and archdeaconry of Middlesex. The patronage was anciently in the Knights Templars; but after passing through several hands, it came into the family of the Earls of Exeter, with whom it remained till recently. Gilbert's Clerical Guide, which is generally received as good authority, gives the [then, current--as of 1831] patronage to "Lord St. Helen's, &amp; C"...

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
To find the names of the neighboring 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
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

 * Sketch of front of St Clement Danes Parish Church (1817), courtesy: London Ancestor
 * Sketch of side of St Clement Danes Parish Church, courtesy: London Ancestor