_St._ SEPULCHRE’S, on the north side of the top of Snow hill near Newgate, and in the ward of Faringdon without, owes its name to its being dedicated in commemoration of Christ’s sepulchre at Jerusalem. It is of great antiquity, and was probably founded during the time, when all Europe were employed in crusades to the holy land; however, about the beginning of the twelfth century, it was given by the Bishop of Salisbury to the Prior and Canons of St. Bartholomew in Smithfield, who, in virtue of that grant, had the right of advowson till the dissolution of their monastery, when coming to the Crown, it continued therein till King James I. in the year 1610, granted the rectory and its appurtenances, with the advowson of the vicarage, to Francis Philips and others; after which the rectory with its appurtenances were purchased by the parishioners, to be held in fee-farm of the Crown, while the advowson was obtained by the President and Fellows of St. John Baptist’s college in Oxford, in whom the patronage still continues. _Dugd. Mon. Ang._ The present structure was much damaged, though not destroyed by the fire of London; after which it was thoroughly repaired in 1670, when nothing of the old building, except the walls, was suffered to remain, and not those entirely. This is a very spacious church, it being 126 feet long, besides a broad passage through at the west end; the breadth is fifty-eight feet, exclusive of the north chapel; the height of the roof in the middle isle is thirty-five feet, and the height of the steeple to the top of the pinacles, is 146 feet. The whole length of the side is in a manner taken up by a row of very large Gothic windows, with buttresses between, over which runs a slight cornice, and on the top a plain and substantial battlement work. The steeple is a plain square tower crowned with four pinacles. The wall of this church yard, till very lately, extended so far into the street all along the south side of the church, as to render the passage narrow and dangerous; but after the church yard on that side had been shut up about fourteen years, it was levelled, and laid open to the street in the beginning of the present year 1760. The Vicar of this church, besides other advantages, receives 200_l._ in money in lieu of tithes. Munday, in his edition of Stow’s Survey, mentions the following monumental inscription in this church.