Churchwardens Accounts Of St Michael Cornhill 1456-1608

Unlock the Secrets of Your London Ancestors: The Churchwardens' Accounts of St Michael Cornhill, 1456-1608

Step through the vestry door and into the vibrant, tumultuous world of Tudor and late-medieval London.

For over 150 years, the churchwardens of St Michael's, Cornhill, meticulously recorded the life of their parish. Their accounts are more than just dusty ledgers of income and expenditure; they are the living, breathing heartbeat of a community. Within these pages, you won't just find names—you will find the stories of the people who walked the same streets, prayed in the same pews, and shaped the history of one of London's most ancient and important parishes.

This unique, fully transcribed and annotated volume is an indispensable key for any genealogist with roots in the City of London, offering a direct line to the lives of your ancestors from the twilight of the Plantagenets through the dramatic reigns of the Tudors and the dawn of the Stuart age.

What You Will Discover Within These Pages:

The Names of Your Ancestors: Uncover the names of successive churchwardens, auditors, collectors for the poor, and prominent parishioners. Find your ancestors listed as suppliers—carpenters, masons, glaziers, and candle-makers—providing goods and services to the church.

A Glimpse into Daily Life: See the real cost of living. Discover how much was paid for bread, ale, "lynning clothe" for the altar, or the repair of a leaky roof. Read entries for "the watche" on cold winter nights or payments for ringing the bells to celebrate a royal victory or a parish wedding.

The Drama of the Reformation: Witness firsthand the seismic shift of the English Reformation. See entries for the "pulling down of images" and the "whitewashing of walls," followed by the purchase of new Protestant vestments and English-language Bibles. Your ancestors were not just observers; they were participants in this religious revolution.

Faces of Charity and Conflict: Read about the "alms for the poore" and the doles given to widows and orphans, revealing the parish's social safety net. Find notes on fines for non-attendance or for "misbehaving in God's house," painting a vivid picture of parish discipline.

From the Shadows of Cornhill: Myths & Legends Woven into the Records
St Michael’s stands on Cornhill, one of London’s fabled three hills, a place steeped in legend. The churchwardens, though practical men, could not escape the myths that haunted their parish. These accounts contain tantalizing whispers of the stories that captivated Londoners for centuries.

The Legend of the Cornhill Dragon & The Angel's Coin
Local lore held that a great, winged serpent once had its lair deep beneath Cornhill, terrorizing the citizens until it was slain by the Archangel Michael, the church's patron. The legend tells that as the dragon fell, a single, shimmering silver coin—perfectly formed and stamped with the image of an angel—fell from the sky. This "Angel's Coin" was said to have been kept by the churchwardens for centuries as a holy relic, a talisman to protect the parish from fire and plague. Look for entries in the accounts detailing payments for a new silver chain for the coin, or for its ceremonial "cleansing" and display during feast days. Does your ancestor’s name appear next to this legendary treasure?

The Ghostly Goldsmith of Lombard Street
Just a stone's throw from the church lies Lombard Street, the heart of English banking. Legend speaks of Master Alistair Finch, a notoriously wealthy and miserly goldsmith who was a parishioner in the 1560s. Upon his death, he was buried in a grand vault beneath the church floor, supposedly with his entire fortune. Soon after, tales of ghostly clanking and disembodied whispers began to circulate. The churchwardens' accounts from the late 1560s contain several intriguing entries, including:

"Paid to two men for watchinge in the church three nights, by reason of strange noyses."
"For newe iron barres for the finch vault, to secure it against disturbance."
Was this simple maintenance, or were the wardens trying to quiet a restless spirit? Perhaps one of your ancestors was tasked with guarding the church on those terrifying nights.

Why These Accounts Are a Genealogist's Treasure:

Unbroken Timeline (1456-1608): Spanning over a century and a half, these records offer a rare, continuous thread through one of England's most transformative periods.
Prime London Location: Cornhill was the epicentre of commerce, finance, and governance. Your ancestors weren't just in London; they were at its very heart.
Survival Against the Odds: These fragile documents survived the iconoclasm of the Reformation, the plague, and even the Great Fire of London of 1666 (which destroyed the medieval church but not its precious records).