~ ST. JOHN THE POOR ~

St. John the Baptist

AN ANCIENT CHURCH

CANTERBURY

"St. John the Baptist's church, called from the slenderness of its income, St. John the Poor, had a parish called St. John belonging to it. It stood much about the upper end of that lane leading from Castle street called St. John's Lane.

This church coming to ruin, was, with the consent of the patrons, the abbot and convent of St. Augustine, united in 1349, by the prior and convent of Christchurch ordinaries during a vacancy of the see, to the church of St. Mary de Castro before mentioned; the profits of the former then amounting to forty shillings, and the latter to five marcs; the church of St. Mary being made the mother church by virtue of which union, John SKIPPE, clerk, was admitted to both churches on Nov. 11, 1349.

After which, I find no further mention of this parish church of St. John; but it seems to have been included in that of St. Mary de Castro, and as such united with it to the church of All Saints, as has been already mentioned before. The remains of it were for a long time used as a malthouse, or in tenements, and continue to at present." HT

1538. The burial ground of St. John's chapel is first letten to a tenant. The altar stone, paving tiles and timber of the steeple of the chapel are sold for 10s. HT

1795. The mayor and commonalty sell the scite of St. John's chapel, and burial-ground adjoining, to William BALDOCK, esq. the lessee thereof. HT

"....Another church, St. John's, afterwards Christ's Church, is stated to have been built in 746, temp. K. Eadbert, by Cuthbert archbishop. (Lambarde, who does not give the authority for his assertations, but at the commmencement of his work names the records, whence he obtained his information.)" Notes on the churches in the counties of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey 1852

*St. John the Baptist Church, called, from the slenderness of its income, St. John the Poor, stood at the upper end of St. John's lane, leading from Castle street. The church coming to ruin, was united, 1349, to the church of St. Mary de Castro. (in the parish of St. Mildred)

"Within the walls twelve parish churches now remain, and five have been demolished; in the suburbs are three churches, and one has been destroyed. Of the desecrated churches within the walls there are vestiges of only two; namely, St. John's, ' the remains of it were for a long time used as a malt-house, or in tenements, and continue so at present;"

Notes on the churches in the counties of Kent, Sussex, and Surrey 1852

"The bench ends on the Clergy pews, depicting an eagle, are thought to have come from St. John's church which was demolished in 1520." www.stpeters-stmildreds.org.uk

 

"OLD BENCH-HEAD, ST. MILDRED'S" drawing from my Rambles Round Old Canterbury 1884

 

..of the desecrated churches within the walls there are vestiges of only two: namely St. John's, "the remains of it were for a long time used as a malt-house, or in tenements, and continue so at present:" Notes on the churches in the counties of Kent, Sussex and Surrey

 

"Some labourers employed in trenching the land adjoining the Don-Jon field, came in contact with a steamed grave containing the perfect skeleton of a man, who, from the teeth which remained in the jaws, appeared to have been of great age. The grave was steamed in chalk, and from the composition of the mortar with which it was worked, as well as from some old foundations near it, is conjectured to have been within the site of the church of Saint John, which it is said formerly stood thereabouts. From the appearance of the grave, it is supposed to have remained undistrubed many centuries." The Annual Register 1820

 

Reports - 1543-4 St. John's Chapel, disestablished, with its churchyard was let for four shillings a year


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© T. Machado 2016