St Bartholomew-the-Great Churchyard

St Bartholomew-the-Great Church was originally the church of the Priory founded here in 1123 by Rahere, a monk formerly a courtier and jester of Henry I, who also founded St Bartholomew's Hospital nearby (q.v.). Rahere had a vision of St Bartholomew when he was making a pilgrimage to Rome as a sick man, and made a vow to found a priory and hospital for the poor and sick in Smithfield on his return. He died in 1143 and is buried here, and has a C15th monument in the church. The Hospital and Priory gradually became separate and were independent institutions by 1420, the Priory later dissolved by Henry VIII in 1539. West Smithfield was the site of Roman cemetery and later a famous horse fair which continued throughout the Middle Ages. In 1133 the Priory established Bartholomew Fair through a royal charter, a 3-day event on the eve, day and morrow of St Bartholomew's Day. The Fair became the largest cloth fair in the country, the Priory receiving income from tolls, and it continued until 1855 when it was suppressed, having become disreputable. Before the establishment of the Priory West Smithfield had been used for public executions, a practice that continued until the C18th; Sir William Wallace was famously put to death here in 1305.

When the Priory was surrendered to Henry VIII in 1539, the nave of the priory church was demolished and the churchyard was created here. In 1546/7 Sir Richard Rich bought the church and subdivided the Priory lands, laying out housing on part of the site (housing development which pre-dated that of Covent Garden by 30 years), and the parish was established in 1548. By the 1550s the area was largely built up. William Hogarth was born nearby and was baptised here in 1697. The gateway into the forecourt and churchyard is the remains of the Augustinian Priory that stood where the church is now, with a straight path which leads to the church entrance. This gatehouse was restored in 1932 'in memory of the two brothers Sir Aston Webb and Edward Alfred Webb FSA also of Frederick L Dove DL FSA who worked together on the restoration of the fabric of the church for over 40 years'.

The principal area of churchyard that remains is now a garden on the left of the path raised by some 3 ft and having a dark knapped flint retaining wall with stone coping; steps lead up to the grass with surrounding path, a number of seats and some shrub beds. There are a number of headstones some of which are set into the grass and trees including London plane, and an English yew planted to commemorate the 850th anniversary of the Priory Church. The garden was laid out by Fanny Wilkinson, landscape gardener of the MPGA, in 1885. On the right of the path is a private garden with substantial railings in the ownership of St Bartholomew's Hospital. An informal garden is to the south-east of the church overlooked from Bartholomew Close, with trees including a mulberry tree, paths and some beds next to the church.