St. Mary Magdalen, Milk Street

St Mary Magdalen, Milk Street
Photo of Wood Street
Location	City of London
Country	England
Denomination	Roman Catholic, later Anglican
Architecture
Completed	12th century
Closed	1666
Demolished	1666

St. Mary Magdalen, Milk Street, was a parish church in the City of London, England. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666 and not rebuilt.

The church stood on the east side of Milk Street, north of its end in Cheapside, in Cripplegate Ward Within (parts of the parish were also in Bread Street Ward).John Stow, in his Survey of 1603, described Milk Street as having many fair houses for wealthy merchants and others. He attributed the origin of street's name to it being a place where milk was sold.

The earliest mention of the church was in 1162 as "St. Mary Magdalene in foro Londoniarum." It is also recorded as "St. Mary Magdalene, Milk Street" in a document dating from between 1203 and 1215. One notable clergyman who served the church was Francis Fletcher, who was briefly Rector of the parish, resigning in July 1576 to join Drake in his three-year circumnavigation of the world.

Stow, writing in 1603, notes that St. Mary Magdalene's was a small church and that it had recently been repaired. He lists a number of important Londoners who had been buried in the church, including Sir William Cantilo, knight and Mercer (died 1462) and several Lord Mayors of London: John Olney (Mayor in 1446, died 1475), Sir John Browne (mayor in 1480; d. 1497), Sir William Browne (Mayor in 1513, died during his term of office), Sir Thomas Exmewe (Mayor in 1517, d. 1528), and Thomas Skinner (Mayor in 1596). He notes that "Henry Cantlow, Mercer, merchant of the Staple," built a chapel in the church and was buried there in 1495. Hughes confirms that the church records contain the names of many important City dignitaries.