Parish of St George the Martyr, Queen Square , Church of England

Saint George the Martyr Church was built as a proprietary chapel in 1705-1706 by a group of substantial inhabitants of the newly developed area of Queen Square within the parish of Saint Andrew, Holborn. By a deed of settlement dated 1 July 1706 (ref. P82/GE02/48/1) they drew up an agreement to elect trustees to manage the affairs of the chapel and appointed a minister, lecturer and clerk.

By 1713 the proprietors of pews in Saint George's Chapel had entered into negotiations with the Commissioners for Building 50 New Churches to make the chapel a new parish church. The Commissioners bought both the lease and the freehold of the chapel, they provided money to repair the chapel and to purchase pews for the use of parishioners, and they bought a piece of land near Gray's Inn Road to serve as a burial ground for the parish. Saint George's Church was consecrated by the Bishop of London on 26 September 1723. A new parish of Saint George the Martyr, Middlesex was constituted and separated from Saint Andrew, Holborn for church purposes. The two parishes remained united for the care of highways and the poor.

The Rector of Saint George the Martyr was not provided with a proper endowment by the Commissioners, but received a salary from the quarterly assessments levied on the proprietors of pews. Two Acts of Parliament were obtained in 1816 and 1819 for the repair of the church and to make further provision for the Rector. These Acts provided for the appointment of trustees who were empowered to levy church rates.

Saint George the Martyr was united with the parish of Holy Trinity, Gray's Inn Road in 1931 and with Saint Bartholomew, Gray's Inn Road in 1959.

The burial ground of Saint George the Martyr (which was situated to the north of the Foundling Hospital adjoining the burial ground of Saint George, Bloomsbury) appears to have attracted many burials of non-parishioners in the 18th and early 19th centuries.

BENEFICE: The property of the benefice consisted of the Vestry House and the original two houses built adjoining the church, later known as nos. 8 and 10 Cosmo Place (see P82/GE02/47/1-7). It also included the burial ground (disused after 1855) situated on the north side of the Foundling Hospital in the parish of Saint Pancras, together with Prospect Terrace, the private road leading to the burial ground from Gray's Inn Road, which was owned jointly with the Rector of Saint George, Bloomsbury.

TRUSTEES FOR REPAIRING AND ALTERING THE CHURCH: The trustees were established by an Act of Parliament of 1816 (56 Geo III c 28).

MRS ELIZABETH PALMER'S CHARITY: By will dated 4 Aug 1726 Mrs Palmer left £500 to St George's Charity School.

CAPTAIN JAMES SOUTH'S CHARITY: Chimney Sweep's Sermon Fund and Educational Foundation.

REVEREND JOHN BACK'S CHARITY: Object - Mission Hall and parochial activities.