The church stood on the east side of Milk Street, north of its end in Cheapside, in Cripplegate Ward Within. John Stow, in his Survey of 1603, described Milk Street as having many fair houses for wealthy merchants and others. He attributed the origin of street's name to it being a place where milk was sold.
History
The earliest mention of the church was in 1162 as "St. Mary Magdalene in foro Londoniarum." It is also recorded as "St. Mary Magdalene, Milk Street" in a document dating from between 1203 and 1215. One notable clergyman who served the church was Francis Fletcher, who was briefly Rector of the parish, resigning in July 1576 to join Drake in his three-year circumnavigation of the world. Stow, writing in 1603, notes that St Mary Magdalene's was a small church and that it had recently been repaired. He lists a number of important Londoners who had been buried in the church, including Sir William Cantilo, knight and Mercer and several Lord Mayors of London: John Olney, Sir John Browne, Sir William Browne, Sir Thomas Exmewe, and Thomas Skinner. He notes that "Henry Cantlow, Mercer, merchant of the Staple," built a chapel in the church and was buried there in 1495. Hughes confirms that the church records contain the names of many important City dignitaries. Also buried at the church was the eminent physician Dr Thomas Moundeford. A longtime resident of Milk Street, Moundeford was six times President of the Royal College of Physicians and personal physician to Arbella Stuart. His wife Mary Moundeford died aged 94 in 1656 and was also buried in St Mary's. She was godmother to Rachel Speght, who dedicated her poem Mortalities Memorandum to her. The parish was a Presbyterian stronghold in the years leading up to the Civil War. Its incumbent, Thomas Case, was the first London clergyman to host Morning Exercises – special services to cater for prayers for friends and relations in the Parliamentarian army of the Earl of Essex. However, along with most of the Presbyterians, Case objected to the execution of King Charles and was deprived of his position in 1650. The Presbyterian ministerThomas Vincent continued the Presbyterian government in the parish until his ejection under the Great Ejection on 24 August 1662.
