St James Duke's Place was an

Anglican Anglicanism, also known as Episcopalianism in some countries, is a Western Christianity, Western Christian tradition which developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the ...

parish church in the

Aldgate Aldgate () was a gate in the former defensive wall around the City of London. The gate gave its name to ''Aldgate High Street'', the first stretch of the A11 road, that takes that name as it passes through the ancient, extramural Portsoken ...

ward of the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

It was established in the early 17th century, rebuilt in 1727 and closed and demolished in 1874.

History

The area which was to become Duke's Place was occupied until its dissolution in 1531 by the Priory of Holy Trinity, Christ Church.

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

then gave the land to Sir

Thomas Audley Thomas Audley, 1st Baron Audley of Walden KG, PC, KS, JP (30 April 1544), was an English barrister and judge who served as Lord Chancellor of England from 1533 to 1544. Early life Audley was born in Earls Colne, Essex, the son of Geoffre ...

who cleared it and built houses on the site, although fragments of the medieval buildings still survived at the beginning of the nineteenth century. The area was eventually inherited by Audley's son-in-law, the

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The premier non-royal peer, the Duke of Norfolk is additionally the premier duke and earl in the English peerage. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the t ...

, from whom the name "Duke's Place" is derived. In the early 17th century the residents of the former priory precinct, finding worship at St Katherine Cree "uncongenial" sought permission from the king,

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

to build a parish church for themselves. Permission was granted, and the new church, dedicated to St James in tribute to the king, was consecrated on 2 January 1622. The

patronage Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, art patronage refers to the support that princes, popes, and other wealthy and influential people ...

of the new church belonged to the lord mayor and commonalty of London, and the parish claimed exemption from the

Bishop of London The bishop of London is the Ordinary (church officer), ordinary of the Church of England's Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury. By custom the Bishop is also Dean of the Chapel Royal since 1723. The diocese covers of 17 boroughs o ...

in ecclesiastical matters. It was notable in the late 17th century as a "marriage factory", with multiple ceremonies each day. The church survived the

Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Wednesday 5 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old London Wall, Roman city wall, while also extendi ...

, but fell into disrepair and was rebuilt in 1727, retaining much of the original woodwork.

George Godwin George Godwin (28 January 1813 – 27 January 1888) was an influential British architect, journalist, and editor of ''Building (magazine), The Builder'' magazine. Life He was one of nine children of the architect George Godwin senior (1780� ...

, writing in 1839, called it "a plain warehouse like construction of brick, quite unworthy of description". It was 65 feet long and 42 feet wide, and divided into nave and aisles by wooden columns supporting entablatures and a flat ceiling. The stained glass in the east window, included the arms of Sir Edward Barkham, the Lord Mayor who had been instrumental in the establishment of the church. There was a tower; Godwin suspected its trefoil openings were survivals from the priory building. An organ ("exceedingly small", according to Godwin ) was installed in 1815 and the church restored in 1823. The poverty of the area and its increasing Jewish populationSee

Bevis Marks Synagogue Bevis Marks Synagogue, officially Qahal Kadosh Sha'ar ha-Shamayim (), is an Orthodox Judaism, Orthodox Judaism, Jewish congregation and synagogue, located off Bevis Marks, Aldgate, in the City of London, England, in the United Kingdom. The congr ...

made it increasingly difficult to raise funds to maintain the church; Godwin described it as being "in a very dirty and dilapidated state". In 1874, under the 1860 Union of Benefices Act, it was demolished and the parish joined to that of St Katherine Cree. The site of the church is now occupied by the Sir John Cass School.

References

External links

* at Internet Archive. {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint James Duke's Place 1727 establishments in England 1874 disestablishments in England Buildings and structures demolished in 1874 Churches in the City of London Demolished churches in London Former buildings and structures in the City of London Aldgate