St Bride's Church, City of London

, surveyed between 1553 and 1559]] St Bride's may be one of the most ancient churches in London, with worship perhaps dating back to the conversion of the Middle Saxons in the 7th century. It is believed that its name is derived from Bridget of Ireland, the patron saint of Ireland. It may have been founded by Irish monks, missionaries proselytising the English. It is believed that the original church, founded around the 6th century by Irish missionaries, is the only such Celtic Irish founded church in the east of Britain. The present St Bride's is at least the seventh church to have stood on the site. Traditionally, it was founded by St Bridget in the sixth century. Whether or not she…

What follows is based on the archaeological investigation begun in 1952 directed by W. F. Grimes - and the 1992-5 reassessment by Museum of London staff (MoLAS) reported by Gustav Milne. The 1952 investigation was groundbreaking in many ways and achieved a great deal, but lacked both human and financial resources in the austerity of the post war era. It was done at a time when church archaeology was in its infancy, when excavation and recording techniques were less refined than those of today, before radiocarbon dating had been developed, and isotopic analysis was unknown. There was little on-site security and finds were often stolen or even vandalised. Many of the finds are now stored in…