Parish Clerks' Company window

In the City of London parish clerks were formerly responsible for compiling the 'Bills of Mortality' which recorded the number of parochial deaths. They also provided music in parish churches. This section of stained glass is taken from the central window at the east end of the old Parish Clerks' Company Hall on Silver Street. The interior of the Hall was captured by The Sunday Times' sketch artist Hanslip Fletcher in 1938. The Hall was subsequently destroyed by German bombing on the 29th December 1940. The stained glass survived in protective storage in the crypt of St Mary-le-Bow Church nearby.

The main semi-circular section of glass shows the coat of arms of Charles II. This was designed for the opening of the Hall in around 1669 by Richard Wallis, later Master of the Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers. On the bottom left is a portrait of John Clarke, Master of the Parish Clerks' Company in 1675. Next to this is an illustration of St Cecilia playing the organ. Alongside is another depicting King David playing the harp. These panels are visual references to the parish clerks' musical role in churches and may be German in origin. On the bottom right is a portrait of Stephen Penckhurst, who became the Company's Master in 1685.