Standing where they stood
The foundation was laid before the year 1000.
The chancel dates from the 13th century. The main building itself dates from the 15th century.
Once known as the Church of the High Seas, it still flies the Red Ensign, flag of the British Merchant Navy.
Its churchyard — now seven acres in size — was enlarged in the 1660s to cope with the deaths from the Great Plague of London.
It is St. Dunstan’s and All Saints, an Anglican Church in Stepney, London, England.1
And it was there, this past week, that The Legal Genealogist walked its grounds, touched its stone and wood, gazed on its organ and stained glass, and listened to its bells strike the hours.
Because it was there, on the 18th of March 1622/3, that my 11th great grandmother Elizabeth (Strondall) Petipoole — later spelled Pettypool by her American descendants — was buried.2
And it was there, on the 19th of September 1627, that my 10th great grandparents Samuell and Alice (Jackson) Pettipoole were married.3
And there, on the 20th of October 1630, that my 9th great grandfather William was baptized.4 (My line continues, for kith and kin following along, from William and his wife Ann, to William and Elizabeth Pettypool, to Seth and Martha Pettypool, to John and Sarah Pettypool, to Elizabeth Pettypool and John Jones, to Elizabeth Jones and William Buchanan, to Elizabeth Buchanan and Martin Baker, to Martha Louisa Baker and George Cottrell, to Martin Gilbert and Mattie (Johnson) Cottrell, to Clay Rex and Opal (Robertson) Cottrell, my mother’s parents.)
And there, on the 20th of August, 1637, that my 10th great grandfather Samuel was buried.5
There is nothing in this world to describe the feeling of walking those grounds, touching that stone and that wood, gazing on that organ and that stained glass, and listening to those bells.
Walking in their footsteps.
Standing where they stood.
Nearly 400 years ago.
Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “In their footsteps,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 8 June 2019).
SOURCES
- See “Welcome to St Dunstan’s,” St Dunstan and All Saints Stepney (http://www.stdunstanstepney.com/ : accessed 7 June 2019). Also, Wikipedia (https://www.wikipedia.com), “St Dunstan’s, Stepney,” rev. 12 Dec 2018. ↩
- Saint Dunstan and All Saints, Register of burials, Jun 1622 – Nov 1644, P93/DUN, Item 277, image 7, Elizabeth Pettipoole, 18 March 1622; digital images, “London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812,” Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 7 June 2019); citing London Metropolitan Archives, Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812. ↩
- Ibid., Register of marriages, Jan 1609/10 – Jan 1631/2, P93/DUN, Item 265, image 110, Samuell Pettipoole & Alice Jackson, 19 September 1627. ↩
- Ibid., Register of baptisms, Sep 1608 – Jan 1637/38, P93/DUN, Item 256, William Petipoole, 20 October 1630. ↩
- Ibid., Register of burials, Jan 1666/7 – Oct 1684, P93/DUN, Item 279, Samuel Pettipole, 20 August 1667. ↩
I know the feeling too well. When I was stationed in Germany around 2008, I went to England to see some of the villages, but I never made it because I was caught up in Cambridge. I crossed the Roman crosswalk and saw the wagon ruts in the stone. I took the train to Ely thinking that is where John Howland came from. John, as it turned out, came from Fenstanton – about 10 miles distance northwest of Cambridge. I did see Ely Cathedral. I hope I can go back one day and see the villages where my Pilgrim and Great Migration forebears came from.
Very cool!
WOW!
I wish my family had known about this site and visited it when, years ago, we lived near London for a semester. One set of my husband’s great-grandparents were Thomas Jefferson Childs (perhaps Chiles earlier), c. 1825-1907, and Annie Street Poole (Pettypool etc.) Childs, c. 1828-1909). At least after marriage and until death they lived in Pickens Co., SC. Annie’s parents were Seth Poole (c. 1795-1879) and Maiden Pace Poole (c. 1802-1882), who are buried in the small Poole-family cemetery near Travelers Rest, SC (quite close to Pickens Co.). I’ll have to send this posting on to my sons and hope that eventually one of us figures out how the numerous Williams and Seths on back in this family relate to each other and which for sure are in my son’s branch.
For good info on the SC branch, check out http://pettypool.com/.
12 years ago, I had the privilege of visiting two churches in villages in Lincolnshire where my paternal ancestors, for many generations, were baptized, married, and buried. I put my hands on those stone walls and wondered what those walls had seen and heard. It is an experience I will never forget.
Hello Judy. I saw the first picture before reading and knew exactly where it was taken. I was in London in 2004 with a friend and we visited St. Dunstan’s. I had contacted the Rector and he arranged for us to visit inside the church as well. My 10th gt. grandparents, Richard Pace and Isabella Smith, married there in 1608 before going to Jamestown as ancient planters. This history was gifted to me; I have not researched it, myself, but the lady who met us at the church was very familiar with the Pace name and the Pace Society which was giving financial support to the church. A small world, first Alabama and now St. Dunstan’s. Will send you more about my visit there.
Several of my ancestors were baptized and/or married there…I would love to stand where you were last week…
We also visited St Dunstans during our recent family history tripping travels in the UK. St Dunstan’s is part of my family history from the 19th Century. We only able to view the outside and the ground and not inside the church. Thanks for sharing the interior photos