The History of St. Sepulchre Church, London
Stories of Grave-Robbers, Tyburn, Newgate Prison and Pocahontas
A sepulchre is a biblical term meaning tomb. St. Sepulchre's Church has a fitting name for its long history and relationship with Newgate Prison. And it went through an assortment of names since its founding in the 12th century. In medieval times, it was known as "St. Sepulchre in the Bailey by Chamberlain Gate," and later, "The Church of the Holy Sepulchre Without Newgate." The Victorian cockney simply called it "St. 'pulchre's."
St. Sepuchre Church and Newgate Prison
St. Sepulchre's close proximity to a London gate made it a useful gathering for those going off on the Crusades and for centuries it was important structure in the city. But it had another structure in close proximity. Newgate Prison.
The St. Sepulchre Bell
In 1612 a tailor by the name of Robert Dow, left an annual endowment to the church in the amount of 26s. 8d. This fund was to ensure the bellman of the church never failed to sound the bell on the eve of execution days and to ring it again as the cart carrying the condemned left Newgate for Tyburn the following morning.
The cart would stop outside St. Sepulchre's and the prisoners were each given a nosegay and forced to endure a prayer of admonition.
There was a tunnel in the church that led into the Prison and on the midnight before the executions, the sextant walked solemnly through the passageway and stood outside the cells of the condemned. There, he rang the bell twelve times and recited a warning prayer.
Robert Dow's bequest for the bell-ringing continued thus until later in the 19th century. Today, the bell is encased in glass and on display inside the church.
St Sepuchre Church after the Great Fire of London
St. Sepulchre's has its origins in the 12th century. It was rebuilt in the 15th century, destroyed in 1666 in the Great Fire of London and rebuilt again by Sir Christopher Wren. Only some of its medieval stonework remained after the fire.
The old church basin remains as a relic and sad reminder of the fire with scorch marks still visible. There were modifications in the 18th century and it received major restoration in 1878. It escaped destruction during the London Blitz, but the watch-house in the attached graveyard didn't and had to be rebuilt.
Resurection Men and St. Sepulchre Graveyard
In the 18th century, the graveyard of St. Sepulchre Church was a favorite haunt of grave-robbers. The "Resurrection Men," as they were known, had a habit of selling fresh corpses to the surgeons of St. Bartholomew's Hospital. As a result, a watch-house was built. Robbing graves was a macabre choice of profession, but one that paid very well.
Eventually, the graves were removed from the church cemetery to various cemeteries outside of the inner city. There was a time in London, when the city stunk of decomposing corpses that had been improperly buried and not just during times of plague. The stench was a common odor inside churches as well. People pressured to city to have them moved and reburied elsewhere.
Famous Burials at St. Sepulchre Church
There are few church graveyards left in the city of London, but many of the old churches retained those buried within.
John Smith, the Englishman who was protected by Pocahontas in the New World worshiped at St. Sepuchre's and is buried within. John Rogers was a vicar of St. Sepulchre's during the short reign of Queen Mary in the 16th century. Mary was a catholic. In 1555, Rogers took the dangerous step of publishing the first bible in the English language. He was executed for it and is buried in the church.
By 1790, the building was decaying and restoration began throughout. The walls were covered in Portland stone and the building was re-roofed. Despite its miserable associations with Newgate Prison, the interior is beautiful and peaceful. However, due to its numerous renovations, the exterior has lost most of its original features and beauty. For those interested in London History, it is worth a visit.
St. Sepuchre's is the largest of London's parish churches. They are open for viewing on Wednesdays from noon to 3pm. Take the Chancery Lane or St. Paul's tube stop. St. Sepulchres is located at 10 Giltspur Street.
References
St. Sepulchre Church, London
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