American Connections with Holy Sepulchre
As part of the Open House Festival I attended a talk about the importance of St. Sepulchre Church and the speaker discussed the results of an assessement of its historical and cultural significance. Many of the figures and events connected with the parish and Church itself also have links with the United States of America and individuals instrumental in the founding, in fact, the Rector of the Church (techinically of the Benefice which includes Saint Sepulchre without Newgate as well as Christ Chuch Greyfriars and Saint Leonard Foster Lane) has even producted a booklet (no. 2 of the series) to outline all of these links.
The most well-known individual is, of course, John Smith, who is buried in St. Sepulchre and has a large window commemorating his achievements. He was an English soldier, explorer, and author, famous for his role in establishing Jamestown, Virginia, as the first permanent English settlement in North America. He explored a lot of the northeast and was the first to refer to it as "New England" and also created very detailed, accurate maps of the Chesapeake Bay area and rivers in Virginia as well. Most schoolchildren know him as the individual snatched from certain death by the intervention of Pocahantas, but historians dispute whether this event actually happened as Smith descripted it.
Another individual most people would know is Roger Williams, also born in the parish of St. Sepulchre, who went on to be instrumental in the founding of Providence, Rhode Island. He is considered a champion of the Refromation and a defender of the freedom of conscience in America. And have you heard of John Wilkes, after whom Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, and Wilkesboro, North Carolina, were names? He was a great orator and member of Parliament in the 18th century. Wilkes published a pamphlet fiercely criticizing King George III's government and was arrested for seditious libel as a result. He became a hero to the American colonists as a result and provided inspiration for American ideals regarding free speech and the Bill of Rights. His connection to St. Sepulchre is that he serves as an Alderman for the Ward it is in and was also elected Lord Mayor of London in 1774.
Book a private tour to discover these, and other American connections in London! Send me an email for more information and I can put a bespoke tour together for your group.
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