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St Laurence's Church

  • 1 Feb 2019
  • Church Curiosities
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The site of St. Laurences's Church was outside the City walls, where the burnt out shell of Sigley's Sweet Factory stood in what was before,  the Friars burial ground. William de Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick, was buried there in June, 1298, after much ecclesiastic argument and bad feeling, for the Cathedral authorities wanted the body of so great a personage buried in the Cathedral. St Laurence's Church was destroyed at the Dissolution, and the graveyard converted into a skinyard. When Sigley's factory was erected in the mid-10th century many human remain's were found, but only one coffin, and this was of elaborate design, which was broken up for concrete. 

The rule of the Friars required that members be buried without coffins, and as the only person, not a member of the community known to be buried there was the Earl of Warwick, this would point to his grave.

Union Street was a continuation of St Laurence's Lane, and connected with High Street, a little distance north of Lich Street. The lane was later called Newdix Court, for the family of Newdicks, who were clothiers of great account in the reign of Elizabeth I, had their house there, but in later days the house had gone and mean slum dwellings had been built on the site.   

 

(Please note Newdix is not a spelling error but short version of Newdicks)