St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street with St Gregory by St Paul, London Genealogy

London St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street with St Gregory by St Paul ancestry, family history, and genealogy research page. Guide to parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Parish History
The parishes of St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street and St Gregory by St Paul, London were united in 1669 after the Great Fire of 1666. These two congregations attended the same church under the name of St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street. However, they kept their church records separate under their original, separate parish names. In 1886 this building of the united parish of St Mary Magdalen Old Fish St with St Gregory by St Paul burned down. Three years later (1889) it was combined with St Martin Ludgate. From this point forward there were three separate congregations – attending only two parish buildings and the parish registers were combined under the name St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street with St Gregory by St Paul and St Martin Ludgate.

St Gregory by St Paul Timeline

 * 1010 - first mentioned
 * 1666 - church destroyed in Great Fire of London; never rebuilt; united with St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street Parish

St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street Timeline

 * 1181 - first mentioned
 * 1666 - church destroyed in Great Fire of London
 * 1683-1687 - church rebuilt; united with St Gregory by St Paul Parish
 * 1886 - church damaged by fire; demolished

1831 description
'St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street with St Gregory by St Paul, the church of, is situated on the north side of Knightrider Street at the west corner of the Old Change. Its name is derived from that of the saint to which it is dedicated, and its situation in the ancient fish market. This church was formerly a vicarage, in the tenure of the canons of St Paul's, so early as 1181; but for some centuries past, it has been a rectory in the gift of the minor canons of that cathedral. The old church was destroyed at the time of the great fire of 1666, as well as its neighbor St Gregory [by St Paul's] which is at the southwest corner of St Paul's Cathedral. This latter is a rectory of very ancient foundation, and took its name from Pope Gregory the Great, who sent St Austin the Monk to convert the English nation to Christianity. The church was rebuilt in 1685 by Sir Christopher Wren. The patronage of this church is also in the minor canons of St Paul's Churchyard, and the two parishes united by act of parliament.

'The united parishes are a rectory in the city of London, and exempt from archidiaconal visitation, the patrons being its ordinaries [no notable 'officials' or people belonged to the church].'

'After obtaining Archbishop's licence from Doctors Commons couples often married at nearby churches such as St Benet Paul's Wharf, St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street or St Gregory by St Pauls.' St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street was a popular place to marry, even after the 1754 marriage act. After the Great Fire of London (1666), St Gregory by St Paul Parish united with St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street Parish.

St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street belonged to Castle Baynard Ward.

1848 parish description
St. Mary Magdalene, Old Fish-street with St. Gregory by St. Paul, are parishes of the city of London Within the Walls. The patron is the Dean and Chapter of St. Paul’s. They are within the poor-law union of the City of London.

Church records
For a thorough research of ancestors attending any one of these parishes, search through the registers of all three parishes. Most of the christenings, marriages, and burial records survived the fires mentioned above.

St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street Parish
Webb published an index to burials for the years 1813 to 1853.

To find the names of the neighbouring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

1541 Subsidy

 * 1541 London Subsidy Roll, Bread Street Ward - Parte of Saynt Nicholas Coll Abby and Mary Magdalen in Fysshstrettat British History Online
 * 1541 London Subsidy Roll, Castle Baynard Ward - Parochia Beatae Marie Magdaleneat British History Online
 * 1541 London Subsidy Roll, Castle Baynard Ward - Parochia Sancti Gregoriiat British History Online

1547 Subsidy

 * St Mary Magdalen, Old Fish Street, Bread Street Ward, London (The National Archives, Ref: E179/145/140); copy:.

1564 Subsidy

 * St Mary Magdalen, Old Fish Street, Castle Baynard Ward, London (The National Archives, Ref: E179/145/219); copy:.
 * St Gregory by St Paul's, Castle Baynard Ward, London (The National Archives, Ref: E179/145/219); copy:.


 * St Nicholas Cole Abbey and St Mary Magdalen, Old Fish Street, Bread Street Ward, London (The National Archives, Ref: E179/145/220); copy:.
 * St Nicholas Cole Abbey, St Mary Magdalen, Old Fish Street, and St Mary Mounthaw, Queenhithe Ward, London (The National Archives, Ref: E179/145/220); copy:.

1577 Subsidy

 * 1576 London Subsidy Roll, St Nich{ol}as Coldabye Mary Magdalyn &amp; Mary Mountall at Alan H. Nelson website (The National Archives, Ref: E179/145/252)
 * St Nicholas Cole Abbey, St Mary Magdalen, Old Fish Street, and St Mary Mounthaw, Queenhithe Ward, London (The National Archives, Ref: E179/145/252); copy:.

1582 Subsidy

 * 1582 London Subsidy Roll, Castle Baynard Ward - St Gregoryes Parishat British History Online
 * 1582 London Subsidy Roll, Castle Baynard Ward - St Marye Magdalens Parishat British History Online
 * 1582 London Subsidy Roll, Bread Street Ward - St Nicholas Cold Abbey &amp; St Mary Magdaleyne (Old Fish Street) Parishesat British History Online

1621 Subsidy

 * St Mary Magdalen, Old Fish Street, Bread Street Ward, London (The National Archives, Ref: E179/147/483); copy:.

1625 Subsidy

 * St Gregory by St Paul's, Castle Baynard Ward, London (The National Archives, Ref: E179/147/546); copy:.
 * St Mary Magdalen, Old Fish Street, Castle Baynard Ward, London (The National Archives, Ref: E179/147/546); copy:.
 * S. Mary Magdalen (The National Archives, Ref: E179/147/546); transcript by Charles Edward Banks:.

1638 Inhabitants List

 * Inhabitants of London in 1638 - St Gregorie's parishat British History Online
 * Inhabitants of London in 1638 - St Maudlin near Old Fish Streetat British History Online

1666 Hearth Tax

 * Hearth Tax: City of London 1666 - St Gregory by St Paul'sat British History Online

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Probate records
Records of wills, administrations, inventories, indexes, etc. were filed by the court with jurisdiction over this parish.

Before 1858, St Gregory by St Paul fell under the jurisdiction of the Court of the Peculiar of the Dean and Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral. St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street fell under the jurisdiction of the Court of the Archdeaconry of London. In practice, many St Mary Magdalene Old Fish Street residents left their wills in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury from the 1700s through 1858. From 1858 to the present, refer to the Principal Probate Registry.

Go to London Probate Records to find the names of the courts having secondary jurisdiction. Scroll down in the article to the section Court Jurisdictions by Parish.

Records of the Poor
Contributor: Add information about the pertinent poor law unions in the area.

In the seventeenth century, 'Gregory' was a surname given to foundlings found in St Gregory by St Paul Parish.

Maps and Gazetteers
Maps are a visual look at the locations in England. Gazetteers contain brief summaries about a place.


 * England Jurisdictions 1851
 * Vision of Britain

Websites

 * London Family History Centre Catalogue (St. Gregory by St. Paul records)
 * London Family History Centre Catalogue (St. Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street records)
 * Sketch of St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Streetat London Ancestor
 * (to narrow results, conduct a subject search for 'London St Gregory by St Pauls' or 'London St Mary Magdalen Old Fish Street')