St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside, Cordwainer Ward, City of London, England, British Isles [Map]

Watling Street. From Durobrivae [Map] the road continues through Park Pale, Kent [Map], Vagniacis [Map], Dartford, Kent [Map], Noviomagus [Map], Bexley, Kent [Map], down Shooter's Hill, Greenwich [Map] past Eltham Common, Kent [Map] to Greenwich Park [Map] where the road either (or both):

1. went along the Old Kent Road [Map] and crossed the River Thames at either the London Bridge [Map] or a ford near Westminster Bridge [Map] after which it continued north past St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside [Map], Newgate Gate [Map], Ludgate Hill [Map] and over the River Fleet at Fleet Bridge [Map] to Marble Arch [Map].

2. continued north-west through Camberwell, Surrey [Map] crossing the River Thames near Vauxhall Bridge [Map] after which it continued north to Marble Arch [Map].

Chronicon ex Chronicis. Moreover, on Friday the sixteenth of the calends of November [16th October 1091] a violent whirlwind from the south-west shook and demolished more than six hundred houses and a great number of churches in London. Rushing through the church of St. Mary, called "le Bow," [Map] it killed two men, and tearing up the roof and timbers, and whirling them for a long time to and fro in the air, at last drove six of the rafters, in the same order in which they were before fixed in the roofs, so deep into the earth that only the seventh or eighth part of them was visible, although they were twenty-seven or twenty-eight feet long.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 30th November 1551. The xxx day of November ther was a grett skaffold mad in Westmynster halle agaynst the next day, that was [the] ffurst day of Desember, for the duke of Somersett (age 51), the [which] was raynyd of tresun and qwyt of ytt, and cast of fe[lony], and ther was shyth a shutt of men and women, for they thowght that he had byne qwytt, for [they] thruw a C. caps on he for gladnes, for ther was mony lost ther .... and the stret hangyd with blake ... mantyll frysse gowne boyth ... meny blake gownes, and then cam the cors with ... of armes borne a-bowt her, and a gret ... and ther was the compeny of the Clarkes, and a gret ...

Note. Funeral of lady Locke. The imperfect funeral in this page probably belongs to the widow of sir William Locke, who has been noticed in p. 313. She was buried by his side on the 5th Dec. 1551. (Malcolm, ii. 156.) "Lady Elyzabeth Locke, latte wyf of sir William Locke knyght, decesyd on saynt Androwes daye at iij. of the cloke at afternone in good memory, the v. yere of the rayne of kyng Edward the vj. executors Rycharde Spreyngham and Thomas Nycolles the elder: and buryed in the churche of our laydy of Bowe [Map] within the quyre. Cheffe morner, Mary Spryngened (sic); [other mourners,] Elyzabeth Nycolles, Elyzabeth Fyld, Ellen Meredyth, Jone Rawlyns." (MS. I. 3. in Coll. Arm. f. 846.)

Henry Machyn's Diary. 3rd April 1557. The sam day dyd pryche docthur Perryn the master of the blake frers in sant Bartholomuw in Smyth-feld, at Bowe [Map] in Chepesyd dyd pryche ...

Henry Machyn's Diary. 14th July 1557. The same day was bered good master Worley in the parryche of sant Mare-bowe [Map], in Chepe, with ij whytt branchys, and xij torchys, and iiij gret tapurs, and a xviij morners, and a ij dosen of skochyons.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 25th February 1561. The xxv day of Feybruary was excom[municated] at Bowe chyrche [Map] doctur Thurlbe late byshope of Ely, and on of the consell unto quen Mare, he lyeng with-in the Towre.

Henry Machyn's Diary. 12th March 1561. The xij day of Feybruary was a chyld [christened] in the parryche of owre Lade of Bowe [Map] in Chepe, [the son of] Hare Loke mercer, the sune of ser Wylliam Loke, the wyche had nodur godfather nor godmother hym-seylff.

Before 5th September 1574, the date she was baptised at St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside [Map], Elizabeth Bullock was born.

On 8th June 1583 Anthony Cage Salter (age 68) was buried at St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside [Map].

Before 1596 Bishop Martin Fortherby (age 35) was appointed Rector of St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside [Map].

Samuel Pepys' Diary. 4th February 1663. Up early and to Mr. Moore, and thence to Mr. Lovell about my law business, and from him to Paul's School, it being Apposition-day there. I heard some of their speeches, and they were just as schoolboys' used to be, of the seven liberal sciences; but I think not so good as ours were in our time. Away thence and to Bow Church [Map], to the Court of Arches, where a judge sits, and his proctors about him in their habits, and their pleadings all in Latin. Here I was sworn to give a true answer to my uncle's libells, and so paid my fee for swearing, and back again to Paul's School, and went up to see the head forms posed in Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, but I think they did not answer in any so well as we did, only in geography they did pretty well: Dr. Wilkins and Outram were examiners. So down to the school, where Dr. Crumlum did me much honour by telling many what a present I had made to the school, shewing my Stephanus, in four volumes, cost me £4 10s. He also shewed us, upon my desire, an old edition of the grammar of Colett's, where his epistle to the children is very pretty; and in rehearsing the creed it is said "borne of the cleane Virgin Mary". Thence with Mr. Elborough (he being all of my old acquaintance that I could meet with here) to a cook's shop to dinner, but I found him a fool, as he ever was, or worse.

Samuel Pepys' Diary. 3rd August 1665. By and by he and I fell into acquaintance, having known me formerly at the Exchequer. His name is Nokes, over against Bow Church [Map]. He was servant to Alderman Dashwood. We promised to meet, if ever we come both to London again; and, at parting, I had a fair salute on horseback, in Rochester, Kent [Map] streets, of the lady, and so parted.

John Evelyn's Diary. 13th February 1692. Mr. Boyle having made me one of the trustees for his charitable bequests, I went to a meeting of the Bishop of Lincoln (age 55), Sir Rob.... wood, and serjeant, Rotheram, to settle that clause in the will which related to charitable uses, and especially the appointing and electing a minister to preach one sermon the first Sunday in the month, during the four summer months, expressly against Atheists, Deists, Libertines, Jews, etc., without descending to any other controversy whatever, for which £50 per annum is to be paid quarterly to the preacher; and, at the end of three years, to proceed to a new election of some other able divine, or to continue the same, as the trustees should judge convenient. We made choice of one Mr. Bentley, chaplain to the Bishop of Worcester (Dr. Stillingfleet) (age 56). The first sermon was appointed for the first Sunday in March, at St. Martin's [Map]; the second Sunday in April, at Bow Church [Map], and so alternately.

John Evelyn's Diary. 4th April 1692. Mr. Bentley preached Mr. Boyle's lecture at St. Mary-le-Bow [Map]. So excellent a discourse against the Epicurean system is not to be recapitulated in a few words. He came to me to ask whether I thought it should be printed, or that there was anything in it which I desired to be altered. I took this as a civility, and earnestly desired it should be printed, as one of the most learned and convincing discourses I had ever heard.

On 8th May 1739 Robert Eden 3rd Baronet (age 21) and Mary Davison Lady Eden (age 18) were married at St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside [Map]. She by marriage Lady Eden of West Auckland.

In 1763 Zephaniah Kingsley Senior (age 28) and Isabella Johnston (age 26) were married at St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside [Map].

Before 1771 Henry Vane 1st Baronet (age 42) and Frances Tempest (age 29) were married at St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside [Map].

On 27th August 1782 Bishop Shute Barrington (age 48) was translated to Bishop of Salisbury upon the confirmation of the election at St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside [Map].

Before 1814 Bishop William van Mildert (age 48) became Rector of St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside [Map].

On 28th September 1891 Bishop Augustus Legge (age 51) was confirmed as Bishop of Lichfield at St Mary-le-Bow Church, Cheapside [Map]. He was consecrated Bishop at St Paul's Cathedral [Map] the following day by Archbishop Edward White Benson (age 62).