Erection date: 1879
AD GLORIAM SUMMI SACERDOTIS
DOMINI NOSTRI JESU CHRISTI
ET IN COMMODUM COLLEGII MINOR-
UM CANONICORUM IN ECCLESIA CAT-
HEDRALI SANCTI PAULI LONDINENSI
DOMUS AEDIFICATAE SUNT
DECANO RICARDO GUL CHURCH
CANONCIS R GREGORY H P LIDDON
J B LIGHTFOOT P C CLAUGHTON EPIS
ANNO INCARNATIONIS DOMINICAE
MDCCCLXXIX
{Translated from the Latin:}
These houses were built by Dean Richard Will. Church, Canons R. Gregory, H.P. Liddon, J.B. Lightfoot and Bish. P.C. Claughton for the glory of the high priest of our Lord Jesus Christ and for the use of the College of Minor Canons in St Paul’s Cathedral in London in the year of our Lord’s incarnation 1879.
{The crossed swords at the top are a symbol of St Paul and DP = Deanery of St Paul’s.}
This cast of characters also appear on the nearby St Paul's Choir school plaque, erected 5 years earlier when Claughton was still only a Canon, not yet a Bish.
Our translator, David Hopkins, thinks the “high priest” probably refers to St Paul himself. David also points out a typo in the word “CANONICIS”. We'll take his word on that one.
Site: Amen Court (1 memorial)
EC4, Warwick Lane, Amen Court
If you are lucky enough to find the gates to this close open (if you see what we mean), take the opportunity for a look around. It's a haven of peace in the busy City. As well as this plaque we found two others, each with a well-chosen biblical quotation about constructing buildings. These are also in Latin and we thank David for translating them, even if it was only to allow us to dismiss them as non-memorial in content.
The wall you can see to the left of our picture is on the site of the western London Wall. At one time Newgate Prison was on the other side.
