Parish of St James, Duke's Place, City of London , Church of England

Parish of St James, Duke's Place, City of London , Church of England

Saint James, Duke's Place, was established in 1622. Unlike the parish jurisdictions of Saint Andrew Undershaft and Saint Katherine Cree, that of Saint James Duke's Place was unusual. In 1623 the parish church was consecrated on a site in Aldgate Ward in the City of London. This area, until the Reformation, had been part of the monastic precinct of Holy Trinity Aldgate, and had a semi-manorial leet jury (with powers of paving etc.) and thus claimed the status of "liberty", and a partial exemption from Aldgate Ward In the 17th and 18th centuries, Saint James Duke's Place also claimed an exemption from ecclesiastical jurisdiction and became infamous for "irregular" marriages, where couples could be married without licence, banns or parental consent. The site of Saint James Duke's Place is now occupied by the Sir John Cass School; the church was demolished in 1874.

The parish of Saint Andrew Undershaft was united with Saint Mary Axe in 1561. In 1954 the parish was united with the parishes of Saint Katherine Cree and Saint James Duke's Place, which had united in 1873. The churches of Saint Andrew Undershaft and Saint Katherine Cree still stand.