St Mary Woolchurch Haw was a parish church in the
City of London, destroyed in the
Great Fire of London of 1666 and not rebuilt. It came within the
ward
Ward may refer to:
Division or unit
* Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward
* Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...
of
Walbrook
Walbrook is a City ward and a minor street in its vicinity. The ward is named after a river of the same name.
The ward of Walbrook contains two of the City's most notable landmarks: the Bank of England and the Mansion House. The street runs ...
.
History
The church of St Mary Woolchurch Haw was an ancient foundation, dating from the time of
William I, when it was given to the
Abbot
Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The fe ...
and Convent of
St John's, Colchester, by
Hubert of Ryes, who was the father of
Eudo Dapifer
Eudo Dapifer (sometimes Eudo fitzHerbertBarlow ''William Rufus'' p. 474 and Eudo de Rie); (died 1120), was a Norman aristocrat who served as a steward (server, Latin 'dapifer') under William the Conqueror, William II Rufus, and Henry I.
Life
Eu ...
, William's
steward. In the Charter of Endowment, it is referred to as "
St Mary
Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother of ...
of West Cheaping, which is called Newchurch"; the eastern end of
Cheapside
Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, which forms part of the A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St. Martin's Le Grand with Poultry. Near its eastern end at Bank junction, whe ...
is now called
Poultry. It became the property of the crown after the
dissolution.
The name is said to be derived from a beam that was once fixed in the churchyard, which was used for weighing wool. The church was rebuilt in the reign of
Henry VI.
[ At the end of the sixteenth century John Stow described it as "reasonably fair and large", and ]John Strype
John Strype (1 November 1643 – 11 December 1737) was an English clergyman, historian and biographer from London. He became a merchant when settling in Petticoat Lane. In his twenties, he became perpetual curate of Theydon Bois, Essex and l ...
recorded that it was "richly repaired and beautified, at the Charge of the Parishioners" in 1629.
St Mary Woolchurch Haw was one of the 86 parish churches destroyed by the Great Fire in 1666. The parish clerk and the sexton were able to rescue the "plate" (the silverware used during services), "the new great Bible" and some vestments
Vestments are liturgical garments and articles associated primarily with the Christian religion, especially by Eastern Churches, Catholics (of all rites), Anglicans, and Lutherans. Many other groups also make use of liturgical garments; th ...
; while the clerk was doing this, all his own property was burned. In 1670 a Rebuilding Act was passed and a committee set up under the stewardship of Sir Christopher Wren to decide which would be rebuilt. Fifty-one were chosen, but St Mary Woolchurch Haw was not among them. The parish was united to that of St Mary Woolnoth
St Mary Woolnoth is an Anglican church in the City of London, located on the corner of Lombard Street and King William Street near Bank junction. The present building is one of the Queen Anne Churches, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor. The par ...
.
The Mansion House now stands on the site.
Present day
The parish now forms part of the combined parish of '' St Edmund the King and Martyr, and St Mary Woolnoth Lombard Street with St Nicholas Acons
St Nicholas Acons was a parish church in the City of London. In existence by the late 11th century, it was destroyed during the Great Fire of London of 1666 and not rebuilt.
History
The church was situated on the west side of Nicholas Lane in ...
, All Hallows Lombard Street, St Benet Gracechurch
St Benet Gracechurch (or Grass Church), so called because a haymarket existed nearby (Cobb), was a parish church in the City of London. First recorded in the 11th century, it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London of 1666 and rebuilt by the o ...
, St Leonard Eastcheap
St. Leonard, Eastcheap, sometimes referred to as ''St Leonard Milkchurch'', was a parish church in the City of London. Of medieval origin, it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and not rebuilt. The site of the church was retained a ...
, St Dionis Backchurch and St Mary Woolchurch Haw'' - usually shortened to "St Edmund & St Mary Woolnoth". It is part of the Church of England's Diocese of London
The Diocese of London forms part of the Church of England's Province of Canterbury in England.
It lies directly north of the Thames. For centuries the diocese covered a vast tract and bordered the dioceses of Norwich and Lincoln to the nort ...
.Diocese of London
St Edmund & St Mary Woolnoth
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Mary Woolchurch Haw
Churches destroyed in the Great Fire of London and not rebuilt
Churches in the City of London
Former buildings and structures in the City of London
13th-century establishments in England
1666 disestablishments in England