St Marylebone

12. ST. MARYLEBONE.

(O.S. 6 in. London Sheet K.)

The borough of St. Marylebone is conterminous with the parish of the same name.

Ecclesiastical

(1) Old Parish Church of St. Mary was entirely rebuilt in 1741, but contains from the old building the following:—

Fittings—Monuments: On E. wall—(1) to Sir Edward Dowce, 1644, cupbearer to Queen Anne, wife of James I, and Queen Henrietta Maria, black and white marble tablet with pediment, cherubheads and cartouche-of-arms; (2) to Deborah (Messenden), wife of Richard Chambers, 1680, marble tablet with broken pediment and cartouche-of-arms; (3) to Frances (Forcett), wife of Matthew Howland, 1668, and to their daughter, Elizabeth, wife successively of Thomas Roberts and Humphrey Scott, 1658, black and white marble tablet with broken pediment, cartouche and four shields-of-arms. At W. end—(4) to John Crosbie, 1699, plain oval tablet of white marble; (5) to Edward Guynn, 1644, plain black marble tablet with shield-of-arms. In churchyard—(6) to William Sowtherne, 1704, head-stone with skull and crossbones; (7) to Edward Hudd, probably early 18th-century, head-stone. Miscellanea: On front pew— plate with inscription: "These: pewes: unscrud: and: tane: insunder/ in: stone: thers: graven: what: is: under/: to: wit: a: valt: for: burial: there: is/: which: Edward: Forset: made: for: him: and: his."

Condition—Rebuilt.

Secular

(2) Clock and figures (Plate 101) at St. Dunstan's, Regent's Park, about ¾m. N.W. of Marylebone church.

The Clock was removed here from St. Dunstan's church, Fleet Street, when that building was demolished in 1829. It is said to have been the work of Thomas Harrys, and was originally set up in 1671; the structure was altered and bells renewed in 1738–9. The existing clock-turret is a square wooden structure standing on a modern base; the front has a recess with an elliptical head and flanked by Ionic columns supporting an entablature and pediment; the entablature is continued round and the pediment repeated at the back; within the recess are two carved figures of 'woodmen' with clubs, which strike the hours and quarters on two bells; at the back of the recess is a panelled door. The clock itself is set on a square beam supported on a scrolled bracket and projecting from the lower part of the turret.

The Figures (Plate 170) of Lud and his two sons originally occupied niches on the outer face of Ludgate, erected in 1586, and demolished in 1760; they were thence removed to St. Dunstan's church, where they remained until 1829. The figures, of freestone, painted, now occupy three niches below the clock-turret; they are in Roman military costume with long hair and moustaches.

Condition—Of clock-turret, good; of figures, somewhat damaged.