St Alban Wood Street with St Olave Silver Street, London Family History Guide
St Alban Wood Street with St Olave Silver Street is an Ecclesiastical Parish in the county of London, created in 1670 from St Alban, Wood Street Ancient Parish and St Olave Silver Street Ancient Parish.
Parish church:
Parish registers begin: 1662
Separate registers exist for:
- St Olave Silver Street: 1561
- Lamb’s Chapel: 1621
Nonconformists include: Independent/Congregational and Presbyterian.
Table of Contents
Adjacent Parishes
- St Giles without Cripplegate
- St Mary Aldermanbury
- St Michael Wood Street with St Mary Staining
- St Lawrence Jewry with St Mary Magdalene Milk Street
- St Ann and St Agnes with St John Zachary
- St Alphage London Wall
Parish History
London Parishes 1824
St. ALBAN’s, WOOD STREET, and St. OLAVE’s, SILVER STREET.
The church of St. Alban takes its name from being dedicated to that saint, who was the first martyr in England. He suffered under the bloody persecution of Dioclesian, about the year of Christ 300. It was founded about the year 930, and, becoming greatly dilapidated, was rebuilt in 1630; but, being destroyed by the fire of 1666, the present structure was erected A.D. 1685, which cost £3l65. 0s. 8d.
This church is situated on the east side of Wood-street, in the ward of Cripplegate within; to which is united the parish of St. Olave’s, Silver-street.
It is a rectory, in the gift of Eaton college, and the dean and chapter of St. Paul’s, who present alternately. On the next vacancy occurring, the college will present. Rated in the King’s books at £7 7s. 11d. Value, per act of parliament, 44 Geo. III., £283. 6s. 8d. Rector, Rev. E. I. Beckwith. Parish-clerk, Mr. Richard Lea.
The Vestries are general. 2 bells. About 230 houses. The hall of the company of Parish-clerks is in the parish of St. Alban.
The boundaries of St. Alban’s commence at the back of Haberdasher’s hall, on the north side of Maiden lane, and extend as far as 73 Wood-street, including part of Silver- street, and the courts, &c. in this compass.
On the east side of Wood Street they begin at No. 27 and end at 55, taking in two or three houses in Addle-street, the whole of Little Love-lane and part of Love-lane.
St. Olave’s boundaries begin at No. 1 Silver-street, and extend to the corner of Hart-street; from thence to Tyler’s manufactory in Cripplegate-buildings, up the north side of Hart-street to 20 Talcon-square (taking in the whole of the four courts in that compass); cross to 25 Falcon-square, as far as 27 Noble-street; they commence again at 18 on the opposite side, and end at 23 Silver-street, taking in Fitchetfs court and Hind-court.
Source: London parishes: containing the situation, antiquity, and re-building of the churches within the bills of mortality. B. Weed 1824
A Topographical Dictionary of London and Its Environs 1831
St ALBAN’S CHURCH Wood street Cheapside is situated about the middle of the east side. It is an indifferent attempt at the pointed style of architecture by Sir Christopher Wren who it is clear by this and other of his churches in the ancient English style of Gothic architecture had but little knowledge and feeling for this appropriate and elegant style of ecclesiastical architecture. It is dedicated to St Alban the Anglo protomartyr who suffered under the persecution of Diocletian and gave his name to the ancient town and abbey of St Alban in Hertfordshire. The first church on this site was erected in the year 930 and dedicated to the same saint. After various repairs the ancient church was taken down in 1634 and another erected that was destroyed by the great fire of London in 1666 when the present edifice was erected after the same plan as the former. The living is a rectory in the patronage of Eton college and the dean and chapter of St Paul’s alternately and the parish of St Olave Silver street was united to it after the fire. Its present rector is the Rev Edward J Beckwith one of the minor canons of St Paul’s who was instituted in 1800. In Munday’s edition of Stow are several curious epitaphs transcribed from this church particularly the following
“Hic jacet Tom Short-hose,
Sine tombe, sine sheet, sine riches,
Qui vixit sine gowne,
Sine cloake, sine shirt, sine breeches.”
Source: A Topographical Dictionary of London and Its Environs 1831; James Elmes; Whittaker, Treacher and Arnot, 1831
Saint Albans Wood Street A Handbook for London 1849
Alban’s (Saint), Wood Street. A church in Cripplegate Ward; a piece of Well-proportioned quasi-Gothic, built in the years 1684-5 by Sir Christopher Wren. There is a curious old hour-glass attached to the pulpit. The church described by Stow was taken down in 1632, and the new one built in its stead was burnt in the Great Fire.
Source: A Handbook for London, Past and Present. Peter Cunningham. Published by John Murray 1849.
Parish Records
FamilySearch
St Alban Wood Street
Ecclesiastically united to St. Vedast Foster Lane in 1954. St. Mary Staining and St Michael Wood Street united to St. Alban in 1894. St. Olave Silver Street united to St. Alban in 1670.
St Olave Silver Street
Ecclesiastically united to St. Alban Wood Street in 1670; and to St. Vedast Foster Lane in 1954.
Administration
- County: London
- Civil Registration District: London City
- Probate Court: Court of the Commissary of the Bishop of London (London Division)
- Diocese: London
- Rural Deanery: Pre-1869 – None, Post-1868 – West
- Poor Law Union: City of London
- Hundred: London, Within the Walls
- Province: Canterbury