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The bells of Aldgate do not
refer to principally to a
church but to the Aldgate
Bell foundry. A Master
Founder, called Robert
Chamberlain, can be traced
back through records dated
1420. In 1588 another Master
Founder called Robert Mott,
who worked for the Aldgate
Foundry from 1574 to1606,
recast one of the bells of
the Church of St. Botolph's
in Aldgate. The Church of
St. Botolph's is mentioned
in records dating back to
1125. St. Botolph was a
pious Saxon Abbot who had
built a monastery in
Lincolnshire in 654AD. Saint
Botolph is the Patron Saint
of Boston, Massachusetts.
The name was taken as a
derivative of "Botolph's
town" which became known
"Boston". The current church
was erected between 1725 and
1740 and dedicated to the
Patron Saint of Travellers
and Itinerants. The Church
of St. Botolph's was known
as the 'Prostitutes' church'
because the ladies would
solicit their trade in this
area. Catherine Eddowes, a
victim of the notorious Jack
the Ripper was seen drunk in
the vicinity of the church
on the night of her murder
on 30th September 1888. The
reference to "Old Father
Bald Pate" relates to Saint
Botolph. A bald pate was a
colloquialism used to
describe a bald-headed
person. |
