BONDS OF BISHOPS GATE

Rector of St Benet Gracechurch and later
St. Paul's Cathedral (favoured by King James 1)

MY MATERNAL CLARK FAMILY TREE IS FIRMLY ROOTED IN ANCIENT LONDON - 10th GG William Clark b.1655 in Whitechapel to Commonwealth soldiers

John and Thomasine Clark has family in Bishopsgate - his Grandmother a Thomasine Bond, daughter of THOMAS BOND b 1583.his Great Grandfather.

ST.THOMAS seems to be a favourite Saint, the 'doubting' Apostle.

Queen Elizabeth 1 makes a Knight of her gallant navigator
Walter Raleigh after he circumnavigates the world,
names an English colony, Virginia for her.

1580: Earthquake in London. The Puritans and members of the Common Council of London blame the emerging theater scene in London, which they saw as the work of the Devil, as the divine cause of the earthquake.

The Neighbourhood of Bishopsgate attracted many of the cultural icons we appreciate to this day, their ideas and thoughts truly expressed, resonate still.

Metaphysical POET  John Donne is also Rector of St Benet Gracechurch and records the marriage of my lucky 13th Grandparents! His handwriting makes it hard to read what Thomas Bond's occupation is so please let me know if you can decipher it!

1606 

This day Marriage of Grt Grandparents x 13 St Benet Gracechurch 1606, officiated by Rector John Donne.

1609   THIS 10th day of September was christened Elizabeth daughter of Thomas Bond .......He was writing Divine poems 1607 link 

EVEN OVER 400 YEARS SOME OF THE FACES IN BISHOPSGATE STREET MY ANCESTRAL KIN AND I BOTH MIGHT RECOGNISE: 

Guy Fawkes and Catholic conspirators executed Jan.1606 for High Treason against King James 1.

                                                                                                                  

Ben Johnson - Playwright and Poet

                                                                                                              

Playwright Aphra Behn

Thomas Bond age 23 - 26th February 1606 gives allegation(affidavit) to marry Elizabeth Swaine age 26yrs of St. Ethelbury parish. Marry here 2nd March 1606.

1609: Is this the famous John Donne recording Grt Grand Aunt Elizabeth Bond at St Benet Gracechurch St.?

1st Nov 1612 christening of Thomas sonne of Thomas Bond

This 1st day of November 1612 was christened Thomas sonne of Thomas Bond

Rector John Donne, Poet 

Grand Uncle Thomas b.1612

Before his promotion as Royal Chaplain to King James 1st in which he finally converted from his family faith of Catholicism the Rector was living precariously on the charity of friends.

     Sometimes reduced to great distress, as may be seen by the following extraćt from a letter to a friend dated from this place.

"The reason why I did not send an answer to your last week's letter was, because it found me under too great a sadness; and at present it is thus with me. There is not one person well but myself of my family: I have ´lready lost half a child, and with that mischance of her's, my wife has fallen into such a discomposure as would afflict her too extremely, but that the sickness of all her other children stupisies her, one of which in good faith I have not much hopes of, and these meet with a fortune so ill provided for physic and such relief, that if God should ease us with burials, I know not how to perform even that; but I flatter myself with this hope—that I am dying too—for I cannot waste father than by such griefs.—From my hospital at Mitcham, "John Donne ."  from British History online

So this is where the American writer,
Ernest Hemingway
found inspiration!

link to Sermon at St Paul's Cross in 3D!