St Pancras Old Church is a
Church of England parish church in
Somers Town,
Central London. It is dedicated to the Roman martyr
Saint Pancras, and is believed by many to be one of the
oldest sites of Christian worship in England. The church is situated on Pancras Road in the
London Borough of Camden
The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and ...
, with
the surrounding area and
its international railway station taking its name. St Pancras Old Church, which was largely rebuilt in the
Victorian era
In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardia ...
, should not be confused with
St Pancras New Church
St Pancras Church is a Greek Revival church in St Pancras, London, built in 1819–22 to the designs of William and Henry William Inwood.
Location
The church is on the northern boundary of Bloomsbury, on the south side of Euston Road, at the ...
(1819–1822) about away, on
Euston Road.
History
Parish
Originally, the
parish of St Pancras stretched from close to
Oxford Street
Oxford Street is a major road in the City of Westminster in the West End of London, running from Tottenham Court Road to Marble Arch via Oxford Circus. It is Europe's busiest shopping street, with around half a million daily visitors, and ...
almost to
Highgate
Highgate ( ) is a suburban area of north London at the northeastern corner of Hampstead Heath, north-northwest of Charing Cross.
Highgate is one of the most expensive London suburbs in which to live. It has two active conservation organisat ...
. In the early Middle Ages there was a centre of population in the vicinity of what is now known as the old church. However, in the 14th century the population abandoned the site and moved to what is now
Kentish Town
Kentish Town is an area of northwest London, England in the London Borough of Camden, immediately north of Camden Town. Less than four miles north of central London, Kentish Town has good transport connections and is situated close to the open ...
. The reasons for this were probably the vulnerability of the plain around the church to flooding (the
River Fleet
The River Fleet is the largest of London's subterranean rivers, all of which today contain foul water for treatment. Its headwaters are two streams on Hampstead Heath, each of which was dammed into a series of ponds—the Hampstead Ponds a ...
, which is now underground, runs through it) and the availability of better wells at Kentish Town, where there is less clay in the soil.
The church subsequently fell into disrepair. Towards the end of the 18th century, services were only held in the church on one Sunday each month; on other weeks, the same congregation would use a chapel in Kentish Town. 18th and early 19th century urban expansion led to the construction of the capacious
St Pancras New Church
St Pancras Church is a Greek Revival church in St Pancras, London, built in 1819–22 to the designs of William and Henry William Inwood.
Location
The church is on the northern boundary of Bloomsbury, on the south side of Euston Road, at the ...
on what was then the "New Road" (
Euston Road, about a km away). The old building lost its status as the
parish church
A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...
when the New Church was consecrated in 1822, and became a
chapel of ease.
Richard Granger is named as parson of the church of St Pancras, in 1446.
Early history
Evidence for the early history of the church is scanty. It is considered by some to have existed since AD 314, although there is no archaeological or documentary evidence to support this. The claim is discussed below under
Legendary origins
Legendary may refer to:
* Legend, a folklore genre
* Legendary (hagiography)
** Anjou Legendarium
* J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium
Film and television
* ''Legendary'' (film), a 2010 American sports drama film
* ''Legendary'', a 2013 film fe ...
.
![Anon-98179 - The South-East View of Old St Pancras Church - circa 1840](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3d/Anon-98179_-_The_South-East_View_of_Old_St_Pancras_Church_-_circa_1840.jpg)
Phil Emery and Pat Miller discuss the issue in 'Archaeological findings at the site of the St Pancras Burial Ground and its vicinity'.
The 1847 reconstruction of the medieval church revealed Roman tiles in the fabric of its tower and an inscribed altar stone dated to AD 625, which might suggest an early 7th-century foundation. The original cemetery around the church appears to have been sub-circular like many late Saxon cemeteries.
Remnants of
medieval
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
features and references in the
Domesday Book
Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...
suggest it pre-dates the
Norman Conquest
The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the Con ...
.
According to a Victorian architect,
Robert Lewis Roumieu
Robert Lewis Roumieu (1814 – 1877) otherwise R.L. Roumieu, was a 19th-century English architect whose designs include Milner Square in Islington and an idiosyncratic vinegar warehouse at 33–35 Eastcheap in the City of London. A pupil of B ...
, involved in the works:
The old church was principally late Tudor. When it was pulled down to be rebuilt, several small Norman columns, pilaster piers and other remains of a Norman edifice were found among the materials used in the wall, leaving no doubt but that the original church had been a Norman structure which had been at some time completely rebuilt and part used as building material in the reconstruction.
After
the Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
the isolation and decay of the church made it
a tempting resort for Catholics: indeed, it was said that the last bell which tolled for the Mass in England was at St Pancras.
St Pancras (and to a lesser degree
Paddington Church) were the only places in London where Roman Catholics were permitted to be buried. Among the several Catholics buried in the churchyard was
Johann Christian Bach, youngest son of
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
.
His name was misspelled in the burial register as John Cristian Back.
Restoration
![St Pancras (Old Church), London NW1 - West end - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/St_Pancras_%28Old_Church%29%2C_London_NW1_-_West_end_-_geograph.org.uk_-_1507243.jpg)
As it stood in the early 19th century, the church consisted of an unaisled
nave
The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
, a
chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ov ...
without a
chancel arch
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.
Ov ...
and a western tower. The south porch had served as a
vestry
A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...
since the 18th century.
By 1847 the Old Church was derelict, but in view of the growth of population in the southern part of the parish, it was decided to restore it. (
Victorian restoration
The Victorian restoration was the widespread and extensive refurbishment and rebuilding of Church of England churches and cathedrals that took place in England and Wales during the 19th-century reign of Queen Victoria. It was not the same proc ...
of churches is not what we understand today by the phrase
building restoration
Conservation and restoration of immovable cultural property describes the process through which the material, historical, and design integrity of any immovable cultural property are prolonged through carefully planned interventions. The indivi ...
.) The architect of the alterations was
Alexander Dick Gough
Alexander Dick Gough (3 November 1804 – 8 September 1871) was an English architect who practised in London, where much of his work may be found. He was a pupil of Benjamin Dean Wyatt, and worked in partnership with Robert Lewis Roumieu between ...
. The old tower was removed, allowing the nave to be extended westwards, and a new tower was built on the south side. The south porch was removed, and a new vestry was added on the north side. The whole exterior of the church was refaced or reworked.
[ The enlargement and the addition of galleries increased the capacity of the church from about 120 to 500.
There were further restorations in 1888 by Arthur Blomfield with the reredos by C E Buckeridge; in 1925 when the plaster ceiling and the side galleries were removed,][ and in 1948 following Second World War bomb damage. The building was designated a grade II* ]listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
on 10 June 1954.
Present organisation
The church has a chaplaincy
A chaplain is, traditionally, a cleric (such as a minister, priest, pastor, rabbi, purohit, or imam), or a lay representative of a religious tradition, attached to a secular institution (such as a hospital, prison, military unit, intel ...
to the nearby St Pancras Hospital
St Pancras Hospital is part of the Camden and Islington NHS Foundation Trust in St Pancras area of Central London, near Camden Town. The hospital specialises in geriatric and psychiatric medicine.
History
The hospital was established as the in ...
and since 1 June 2003 has formed part of the Old St Pancras Team Ministry (which also includes St Michael's Church, Camden Town
St Michael's Church is the principal Anglican church for Camden Town in north London. The present building, built in the late 19th century, was designed by George Frederick Bodley and Thomas Garner in a Gothic Revival style.
History
Saint Micha ...
, St Mary's Church, Somers Town
St Mary's Church is a Church of England church behind Euston station on Eversholt Street in Somers Town, London Borough of Camden.
History
It was designed by Henry William Inwood as a chapel of ease for St Pancras Old Church (which resumed ...
and St Paul's Church, Camden Square
St Paul's Church is a church dedicated to Paul the Apostle on Camden Square in Camden, north London. It is called St Paul's because the estate was owned originally by the canons of St Paul's Cathedral.
It was built in 1849 to designs by Fred ...
). On 11 December 2007 it marked the opening of the nearby St Pancras International station with a bilingual service and a twinning with the Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, Paris
The Church of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul (''Église Saint-Vincent-de-Paul'') is a church in the 10th arrondissement of Paris dedicated to Saint Vincent de Paul. It gives its name to the Quartier Saint-Vincent-de-Paul around it. It was built between 1 ...
, near the Gare du Nord, Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
. In 2013 an official appeals project was launched to raise the funds necessary to preserve the church and grounds.
As a traditional Anglo-Catholic church that rejects the ordination of women as priests and bishops, it receives alternative episcopal oversight
A provincial episcopal visitor (PEV), popularly known as a flying bishop, is a Church of England bishop assigned to minister to many of the clergy, laity and parishes who on grounds of theological conviction, "are unable to receive the ministry of ...
from the Bishop of Fulham (currently Jonathan Baker).
Legendary origins
As early as 1593 the cartographer John Norden
John Norden (1625) was an English cartographer, chorographer and antiquary. He planned (but did not complete) a series of county maps and accompanying county histories of England, the ''Speculum Britanniae''. He was also a prolific writer ...
had commented in his ''Speculum Britanniae'' that the dilapidated St Pancras church looked older than St Paul's Cathedral. By the 18th century there seems to have been a local belief that St Pancras was of very great age, perhaps the oldest church in England. The contemporary London historian William Maitland dismissed this as a "vulgar Tradition", and suggested that there was confusion with the ancient church with the same dedication in the grounds of St Augustine's Abbey in Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour.
The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...
, which was said to have been converted from a pagan temple by St Augustine of Canterbury in 598.
In 1870 local historian Samuel Palmer reported "This old and venerable church is said to be the first Christian place of worship in the county of Middlesex in the eighth or ninth century." Later attempts to prove an early date for the foundation of the church include the claim by J. Carter Rendell (vicar 1912–26) that a medieval altar slab marked with five consecration crosses
Consecration crosses are crosses on the interior walls and exterior architecture of a Christian church or cathedral showing where the bishop has anointed the church with chrism or holy water in order to consecrate it. There is often a place for ...
, found during the 19th-century building works, could be dated to the 6th century.
An earlier vicar is said to have claimed to have seen in the Vatican Library
The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...
a manuscript mentioning that St Pancras church was built in the 9th century, and another to have seen a similar document placing the foundation in the 4th century.
Information panels outside the church today state that it "stands on one of Europe’s most ancient sites of Christian worship, possibly dating back to the early 4th century" and has been a "site of prayer and meditation since 314 AD". The case for these claims seems first to have been argued by local historian Charles Lee in 1955, who wrote:
There can be little doubt that a Roman encampment was situated opposite the site of St Pancras Church about this period, and that the church is on the site of a Roman Compitum, which served as a centre of public worship and public meeting... It seems probable that the Roman Compitum at St Pancras was adapted to Christian worship shortly after the restoration of religious freedom in 313 (taking its name from the recently-martyred Pancras).
Lee's "Roman encampment" was "Caesar’s Camp at Pancras called the Brill", identified by the antiquary William Stukeley in the 1750s. However, even Stukeley's contemporaries could see no trace of this camp, and considered that Stukeley had let his imagination run away with him. Gillian Tindall has suggested that the lumps and bumps in the fields to the west of the church that Stukeley interpreted as a Roman camp were actually traces of the original medieval village of St. Pancras, before the centre of the settlement moved north to the area now known as Kentish Town.
Lee's use of the word ''compitum'', properly a Roman temple or shrine situated at a crossroads, indicates his indebtedness to the work of Montagu Sharpe
Sir Montagu Sharpe KBE DL (28 October 1857 – 23 August 1942) was an English politician, lawyer, amateur archaeologist, antiquarian, and ornithologist. He came from an old Middlesex family that owned Hanwell Park. He was a member of the Midd ...
(1856–1942), a Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
magistrate, former chairman of the Middlesex County Council
Middlesex County Council was the principal local government body in the administrative county of Middlesex from 1889 to 1965.
The county council was created by the Local Government Act 1888, which also removed the most populous part of the coun ...
and amateur historian and archaeologist. Sharpe had proposed, in a book first published in 1919, that the area of the county of Middlesex had in Roman times been subject to the form of land division known as centuriation Centuriation (in Latin ''centuriatio'' or, more usually, ''limitatio''), also known as Roman grid, was a method of land measurement used by the Romans. In many cases land divisions based on the survey formed a field system, often referred to in mode ...
, marked out by roads in a regular grid pattern covering the whole county. Sharpe noted, when plotting his gridlines, that a number of ancient parish churches appeared to be on or close to intersections, or at least on road alignments. He concluded that these churches must therefore stand on the sites of pagan ''compita'', and represent the deliberate conversion of pagan temples to Christian use by early missionaries to the Middle Saxons
The Middle Saxons or Middel Seaxe were a people whose territory later became, with somewhat contracted boundaries, the county of Middlesex, England.
The first known mention of Middlesex stems from a royal charter of 704 between king Swæfred o ...
in the 7th century. And St Pancras Old Church is one of those marked on Sharpe's map.
The above makes it clear that there is no reliable evidence for an early date for St Pancras, and that the claims are all based on unsupported speculation, with no archaeological or documentary evidence to back the speculation up.
Internal monuments
The church contains the grave of Samuel Cooper (or Cowper), the miniaturist, against its east wall.
Churchyard
The churchyard, which is the largest green space in the locality, is managed by the London Borough of Camden
The London Borough of Camden () is a London borough in Inner London. Camden Town Hall, on Euston Road, lies north of Charing Cross. The borough was established on 1 April 1965 from the area of the former boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, and ...
. It has some fine mature trees, and was restored in the first few years of the 21st century.
The graveyard served not only as a burial place for the parishioners but also for Roman Catholics from all around London. They included many French refugees
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
(émigrés), especially priests, who had fled the Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
, one of them the spy Chevalier d'Éon
Charles-Geneviève-Louis-Auguste-André-Timothée d'Éon de Beaumont or Charlotte-Geneviève-Louise-Augusta-Andréa-Timothéa d'Éon de Beaumont (5 October 172821 May 1810), usually known as the Chevalier d'Éon or the Chevalière d'Éon ( is t ...
. Notable people buried in the churchyard include the notorious colonial administrator Joseph Wall who was executed for cruelty in 1802. The famous vampire writer ( "The Vampyre" published in 1819) and physician John William Polidori (buried in 1821), the composers Carl Friedrich Abel
Carl Friedrich Abel (22 December 1723 – 20 June 1787) was a German composer of the Classical era. He was a renowned player of the viola da gamba, and produced significant compositions for that instrument.
Life
Abel was born in Köthen, ...
and Johann Christian Bach, the eighteenth child of Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach (28 July 1750) was a German composer and musician of the late Baroque period. He is known for his orchestral music such as the '' Brandenburg Concertos''; instrumental compositions such as the Cello Suites; keyboard wo ...
, and the sculptor John Flaxman
John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several ye ...
. William Franklin
William Franklin (22 February 1730 – 17 November 1813) was an American-born attorney, soldier, politician, and colonial administrator. He was the acknowledged illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. William Franklin was the last colonial G ...
, the illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
and last colonial Governor of New Jersey
The governor of New Jersey is the head of government of New Jersey. The office of governor is an elected position with a four-year term. There is a two consecutive term term limit, with no limitation on non-consecutive terms. The official r ...
, was interred here in 1814. There is a spousal memorial tomb for philosophers and writers Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft (, ; 27 April 1759 – 10 September 1797) was a British writer, philosopher, and advocate of women's rights. Until the late 20th century, Wollstonecraft's life, which encompassed several unconventional personal relationsh ...
and William Godwin, though their remains are now in Bournemouth. In 2009, commemorations of the 250th anniversary of Wollstonecraft's birth were held by various groups, both inside the church and at the gravestone. In the 17th and 18th centuries, many foreign dignitaries and aristocrats were buried in the graveyard; they are commemorated on the Burdett-Coutts Memorial Sundial
The Burdett Coutts Memorial Sundial is a structure built in the churchyard of Old St Pancras, London, in 1877–79, at the behest of Baroness Burdett-Coutts. The former churchyard included the burial ground for St Giles-in-the-Fields, where ma ...
, an elaborate memorial commissioned by the philanthropist Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts
Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts (21 April 1814 – 30 December 1906), born Angela Georgina Burdett, was a British philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and Sophia, formerly Coutts, daught ...
.
The architect John Soane
Sir John Soane (; né Soan; 10 September 1753 – 20 January 1837) was an English architect who specialised in the Neo-Classical style. The son of a bricklayer, he rose to the top of his profession, becoming professor of architecture at the R ...
designed a tomb for his wife and himself in the churchyard, which is now Grade I listed. This mausoleum may have provided the inspiration for the design by Giles Gilbert Scott
Sir Giles Gilbert Scott (9 November 1880 – 8 February 1960) was a British architect known for his work on the New Bodleian Library, Cambridge University Library, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, Battersea Power Station, Liverpool Cathedral, and ...
of the iconic red telephone box
The red telephone box, a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, is a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar.
Despite a reduction in their numbers in recent years, ...
es.
Other people associated with the churchyard include the poet Percy Bysshe Shelley and the future Mary Shelley
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley (; ; 30 August 1797 – 1 February 1851) was an English novelist who wrote the Gothic novel '' Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus'' (1818), which is considered an early example of science fiction. She also ...
, who planned their 1814 elopement over meetings at the grave of her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft, mentioned above. Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
mentions it by name in his 1859 novel ''A Tale of Two Cities
''A Tale of Two Cities'' is a historical novel published in 1859 by Charles Dickens, set in London and Paris before and during the French Revolution. The novel tells the story of the French Doctor Manette, his 18-year-long imprisonment in ...
'', making it the location of body snatching
Body snatching is the illicit removal of corpses from graves, morgues, and other burial sites. Body snatching is distinct from the act of grave robbery as grave robbing does not explicitly involve the removal of the corpse, but rather theft from ...
to provide corpses for dissection at medical schools, a common practice at the time. Burials in the churchyard eventually ceased under the Extramural Interment Act in 1854, and St Pancras and Islington Cemetery
St Pancras and Islington Cemetery is a cemetery in East Finchley, North London. Although it is situated in the London Borough of Barnet, it is run as two cemeteries, owned by two other London Boroughs, Camden (formerly St Pancras) and Isling ...
was opened in East Finchley. In the mid-1860s, the young Thomas Hardy was in charge of the excavation of part of the graveyard, in the course of the construction of the Midland Railway
The Midland Railway (MR) was a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1844. The Midland was one of the largest railway companies in Britain in the early 20th century, and the largest employer in Derby, where it had its headquarters. It ama ...
's London terminus. More burials were removed in 2002.
The churchyard was reopened in June 1877 as St Pancras Gardens, following the movement to allow conversion of disused burial grounds into public gardens. Angela Burdett-Coutts
Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts (21 April 1814 – 30 December 1906), born Angela Georgina Burdett, was a British philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and Sophia, formerly Coutts, daughte ...
, an important local benefactress, laid the foundation stone of the memorial sundial she had presented.
A recent addition is a polished marble stone at the entrance to the church, a collaboration between and a gift from the poet Jeremy Clarke and the sculptor Emily Young
Emily Young FRBS (born 1951) is a sculptor, who has been called "Britain's greatest living stone sculptor". She was born in London into a family of artists, writers and politicians. She currently divides her time between studios in London and It ...
. It is inscribed: "And I am here / in a place / beyond desire or fear", an extract from the long poem "Praise" by Clarke.
Names of note listed on the Burdett Coutts Memorial as lost
This impressive monument was erected in 1877 when the northern half of the churchyard was formalised as a public park, clearing most of the smaller gravestones. It lists stones lost to this and earlier clearances for the railways.
*William Brett (d.1828), artist and engraver
*Henry Burdett, goldsmith (d.1736) and ancestor of Angela Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts
Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, 1st Baroness Burdett-Coutts (21 April 1814 – 30 December 1906), born Angela Georgina Burdett, was a British philanthropist, the daughter of Sir Francis Burdett, 5th Baronet and Sophia, formerly Coutts, daught ...
(the probable inspiration for the monument)
*Mary Burke, wife of John Burke (genealogist)
John Burke (12 November 1786 – 27 March 1848)Burke's Peerage website, Company sectionFounder pagedate accessed: 16 December 2020There is a discrepancy in the date of birth between thwebsite for Burke's Peerageand the "John Burke" listing in th ...
, author of Burke's Peerage
*Tiberius Cavallo
Tiberius Cavallo (also Tiberio) (30 March 1749, Naples, Italy21 December 1809, London, England) was an Italian physicist and natural philosopher.
His interests included electricity, the development of scientific instruments, the nature of " ai ...
, physicist and philosopher
* John Danby, musician
*Arthur Richard Dillon
Arthur Richard Dillon (1721–1806) was archbishop of Narbonne in France. He was the youngest son of Arthur Dillon (1670–1733), who came to France with Mountcashel's Irish Brigade. At the French Revolution he refused the civil constitution ...
, French archbishop (later re-interred in France)
*Rufane Shaw Donkin
Lieutenant-General Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin (17721 May 1841), was a British army officer of the Napoleonic era and later Member of Parliament.
Background
Rufane Donkin came of a military family and was the eldest child of General Robert Donkin, w ...
, military hero who committed suicide
*Chevalier d'Eon
Chevalier may refer to:
Honours Belgium
* a rank in the Belgian Order of the Crown
* a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold
* a rank in the Belgian Order of Leopold II
* a title in the Belgian nobility
France
* a rank in the French Legion d'h ...
, spy and fencer
*John Flaxman
John Flaxman (6 July 1755 – 7 December 1826) was a British sculptor and draughtsman, and a leading figure in British and European Neoclassicism. Early in his career, he worked as a modeller for Josiah Wedgwood's pottery. He spent several ye ...
, sculptor
* John Fleetwood, baronet
*Bonaventure Giffard
Bonaventure Giffard (1642–1734) was a Roman Catholic bishop who served as the Vicar Apostolic of the Midland District of England from 1687 to 1703 and Vicar Apostolic of the London District of England from 1703 to 1734.
Life
He was the second ...
and his father Andrew Giffard
*John Ernest Grabe
John Ernest Grabe (July 10, 1666 – November 3, 1711), Anglicanism#Anglican divines, Anglican divine, was born at Königsberg, where his father, Martin Sylvester Grabe, was professor of theology and history.
Life
In his theological studies ...
, theologian
* John Gurney, judge; this grave is intact and legible but the inscription faces the boundary
* Louis Charles d'Hervilly
*Giacomo Leoni
Giacomo Leoni (1686 – 8 June 1746), also known as James Leoni, was an Italian architect, born in Venice. He was a devotee of the work of Florentine Renaissance architect Leon Battista Alberti, who had also been an inspiration for Andrea Pallad ...
, architect
*Maurice Margarot
Maurice Margarot (1745–1815) is most notable for being one of the founding members of the London Corresponding Society, a radical society demanding parliamentary reform in the late eighteenth century.
Early life
Maurice Margarot was the son of ...
, reformer
*Thomas Mazzinghi, father of Joseph Mazzinghi
Joseph Mazzinghi (25 December 1765 – 15 January 1844) was a British composer.
Biography
He was descended from an ancient Corsican family, the eldest son of Tommaso (Thomas) Mazzinghi (d. Old St. Pancras 1775), a wine merchant settled in Londo ...
* Arthur O'Leary, Franciscan preacher
*Pasquale Paoli
Filippo Antonio Pasquale de' Paoli (; french: link=no, Pascal Paoli; 6 April 1725 – 5 February 1807) was a Corsican patriot, statesman, and military leader who was at the forefront of resistance movements against the Genoese and later ...
, Corsican hero (later re-interred in Corsica)
* Stephen Paxton, musician
*Simon François Ravenet
Simon François Ravenet (1706 – c. 4 April 1764) was a French engraver. In Britain he is usually termed Simon Francis Ravenet. He was one of William Hogarth's assistants.
Biography
He was born in Paris, where he studied engraving under Ja ...
, engraver
*Mary Slingsby
Mary, Lady Slingsby, born Aldridge (perhaps died 1693), was an English actress. After a marriage lasting 1670 to 1680 to John Lee, an actor, during which she was on the stage as Mrs. Lee, she was widowed. She then married Sir Charles Slingsby, ...
, actress
* Charles Henry Talbot, baronet
*Henry Tempest
Henry Roger Tempest (2 April 1924 – 6 May 2017) was an English landowner of the Tempest family and the owner of Broughton Hall. He was married to Catholic philanthropist Janet Tempest and was the father of the artist Annie Tempest.
Refer ...
(d.1753)
* John Walker, lexicographer; this monument still survives and was independently restored by Angela Burdett-Coutts
Other known burials
see and
*Carl Friedrich Abel
Carl Friedrich Abel (22 December 1723 – 20 June 1787) was a German composer of the Classical era. He was a renowned player of the viola da gamba, and produced significant compositions for that instrument.
Life
Abel was born in Köthen, ...
, composer
* Johann Christian Bach, composer
*Peter van Bleeck
Petrus Johannes (Pieter) van Bleeck (baptized 25 June 1697 in The Hague – 20 July 1764 in London) was a Dutch portrait painter and mezzotint engraver active in London, where he moved in 1723.
Van Bleeck is especially known for theatrical sub ...
, artist
* Francis Blyth, Carmelite friar and Roman Catholic priest
*Edward Boteler
There have been three baronetcies created for persons with the surname Boteler, all in the Baronetage of England. All three creations are extinct.
The Boteler Baronetcy, of Hatfield Woodhall in the County of Hertford, was created in the Baronetag ...
(d.1681), MP for Poole
* George Chalmers, artist
*Jeremy Collier
Jeremy Collier (; 23 September 1650 – 26 April 1726) was an English theatre critic, non-juror bishop and theologian.
Life
Born Jeremiah Collier, in Stow cum Quy, Cambridgeshire, Collier was educated at Caius College, University of Cambridg ...
, bishop
* Timothy Cunningham (d.1789), founder of the Cunningham Medal
The Cunningham Medal is the premier award of the Royal Irish Academy. It is awarded every three years in recognition of "outstanding contributions to scholarship and the objectives of the Academy".
History
It was which was established in 1796 at ...
* Charles Dillon, 10th Viscount Dillon (d.1741) and Lady Dillon (d.1751) and other family members
*Thomas Dongan, 2nd Earl of Limerick
Thomas Dongan, (pronounced "Dungan") 2nd Earl of Limerick (1634 – 14 December 1715), was a member of the Irish Parliament, Royalist military officer during the English Civil War, and Governor of the Province of New York. He is noted for hav ...
*William Franklin
William Franklin (22 February 1730 – 17 November 1813) was an American-born attorney, soldier, politician, and colonial administrator. He was the acknowledged illegitimate son of Benjamin Franklin. William Franklin was the last colonial G ...
, son of Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin ( April 17, 1790) was an American polymath who was active as a writer, scientist, inventor, statesman, diplomat, printer, publisher, and political philosopher. Encyclopædia Britannica, Wood, 2021 Among the leading inte ...
*Bevil Higgons
Bevil Higgons (1670–1735) was an English historian and poet, He was born at Kezo.
Life
Higgons was the third son of Sir Thomas Higgons, by his second wife, Bridget, who was herself the daughter of Sir Bevil Grenville, and widow of Sir Simon Lea ...
, historian
*Antoinette-Cecile de Saint-Huberty, opera singer
*Abraham Langford
Abraham Langford (1711–1774) was an English auctioneer and playwright.
Life
He was born in the parish of St Paul, Covent Garden. As a young man he wrote for the stage, and was responsible, according to the ''Biographia Dramatica
Isaac Re ...
, auctioneer and playwright
* Thomas Mackworth (d.1744), baronet
* Joseph Richards (d.1738), baronet
*Thomas Scheemakers
Thomas Scheemakers (c. 1740 – 15 July 1808), or Thomas Scheemaeckers according to his own signature, was a sculptor in late 18th-century London. He was the last of the Scheemaeckers family of sculptors originally from Antwerp. Several of his wor ...
(1740–1808), sculptor
* Giovanna Sestini (1749–1814), opera singer
* Giambattista Tocco, Duke de Sicignano (c.1760–1793), ambassador from the Kingdom of Naples to Great Britain, committed suicide shortly after his arrival in London in 1793.
* Henry Sidgier, holder of a 1782 patent on a design for a washing machine
* Duncan Stewart of Ardsheal, clan chief
* Benjamin Turney (1755–1836), doctor trained at St Thomas. Lived for some years in Jamaica on Golden Grove Sugar Plantation.
* Joseph Wall, governor of Coree in West Africa, hanged for flogging a soldier to death
*Ned Ward
Ned Ward (1667 – 20 June 1731), also known as Edward Ward, was a satirical writer and publican in the late 17th and early 18th century in London. His most famous work, ''The London Spy'', appeared in 18 monthly instalments from November 1698. ...
, publican and comic author (no memorial)
*Samuel Webbe
Samuel Webbe (1740 – 25 May 1816) was an English composer.
Life
Born in Menorca in 1740, Webbe was brought up in London. His father died when he was still an infant, and his mother returned to London where she raised Webbe in difficult c ...
, composer (monument and inscription survives but its upper obelisk is missing)
*Jonathan Wild
Jonathan Wild, also spelled Wilde (1682 or 1683 – 24 May 1725), was a London underworld figure notable for operating on both sides of the law, posing as a public-spirited vigilante entitled the "'' Thief-Taker General''". He simultaneously ran ...
, criminal
* John Wittewrong (d.1743), baronet
* Abraham Woodhead, academic
*William Woollett
William Woollett (15 August 173523 May 1785) was an English engraver operating in the 18th century.
Life
Woolett was born in Maidstone, of a family which came originally from the Netherlands.
He was apprenticed to John Tinney, an engraver in F ...
, engraver (no monument, despite not being listed on the Burdett Coutts memorial as an important grave lost). Woollett certainly was important as he was nationally recognised by a memorial in Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the Unite ...
.
Popular culture
On 28 July 1968, The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...
were photographed in the churchyard grounds, in a famous series of pictures designed to promote the single " Hey Jude" and the ''White Album
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
''. A memorial bench bears a plaque commemorating the group's "Mad Day Out".
The video for Lene Lovich
Lene Lovich (; born Lili-Marlene Premilovich; March 30, 1949) is an English-American singer, songwriter and musician. She first gained attention in 1979 with the release of her hit single "Lucky Number", which peaked at number 3 on the UK Singl ...
's 1979 hit "Bird Song" was filmed in the church and churchyard.
In 2013, British R&B singer Sam Smith
Samuel Frederick Smith (born 19 May 1992) is an English singer and songwriter. After rising to prominence in October 2012 by featuring on Disclosure's breakthrough single " Latch", which peaked at number eleven on the UK Singles Chart, they ...
performed two concerts at the church. The live version of "I've Told You Now" was included on deluxe editions of their album ''In the Lonely Hour
''In the Lonely Hour'' is the debut album by English singer and songwriter Sam Smith. It was released in the United Kingdom on 26 May 2014 via Capitol UK and Method Records. In the United States, it was released on 17 June 2014 through Capitol ...
''.
On 24 September 2014, singer Claudia Brücken
Claudia Brücken (born 7 December 1963) is a German singer and songwriter. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the synth-pop band Propaganda.
In 1996, Brücken started working with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark co-founder Paul Humphre ...
, best known for her work with German electronic group Propaganda, performed a solo show at the church.
St Pancras Old Church is frequently mentioned in the Bryant and May detective series by author Christopher Fowler
Christopher Fowler (born 26 March 1953) is an English thriller writer. While working in the British film industry he became the author of fifty novels and short-story collections, including the Bryant & May mysteries, which record the adventures ...
.
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
Further reading
*'
*
External links
Official website
Official diocesan info
St Pancras Old Church section
at the ''Survey of London
The Survey of London is a research project to produce a comprehensive architectural survey of central London and its suburbs, or the area formerly administered by the London County Council. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Robert Ashbee, an A ...
'' online.
''Excavations at St Pancras Burial Ground 2002–2004'' British Archaeology magazine (April 2006)
Saint Pancras Churchyard
at Find A Grave
History Project Blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Pancras Old Church
Grade II* listed churches in London
Church of England church buildings in the London Borough of Camden
Diocese of London
Anglo-Catholic church buildings in the London Borough of Camden
St Pancras, London
Anglo-Catholic churches in England receiving AEO