On the plinth at the west end of the church is a stone recording the death of William Collins on 14th April, 1785, at the age of 27 years.
A lich gate (Plate 53) is placed at the western side of the churchyard, opposite the entrance to the church. It is of stone, in the Roman Doric order, and bears the following inscription on the east side of the tympanum: “This gate formerly stood in High Street, A.D. 1800—John, Lord Bishop of Chichester, D.D., Rector—W. L. Davies, William Leverton—Churchwardens—was built in this place A.D. 1865. Anthony W. Thorold, M.A., Rector. J. F. Corben, Thomas Willson—Churchwardens.”
The west side of the tympanum contains a carved oak lunette representing the Resurrection (Plate 54). Other representations of the same subject are to be seen at St. Mary-at-Hill, in the north-west vestibule (stone); St. Stephen, Coleman Street, in the vestry (wood), a replica of which is over the doorway to the churchyard from the street; St. Andrew, Holborn, in the north wall facing Holborn (stone); and St. Nicholas, Deptford, on the east wall of the south aisle (oak, now in a glass case).
The carving is probably the work of a wood-carver, named Love. In 1686, directions were given by the vestry to erect “a substantial gate out of the wall of the churchyard near the round house.” The gateway, which was of brick, was completed in 1687. It cost, with the necessary alterations to the churchyard, £185 14s. 6d., Love’s bill being £27.[[665]] In 1800, according to the inscription, it was rebuilt, this time in stone, and remained on the north side of the churchyard until 1865. The main entrance to the church is still from a gate in the iron railings, at about the same spot.
To the south-west of the church, and now connected by a corridor, are the church rooms which form the vestry. The larger room (Plate 55) is panelled in deal with a wood cornice. Over the chimneypiece is a list of rectors of the parish from 1547, and portraits of rectors hang on the walls. There is a fine large oak table, dating from 1701, and on the walls is a cast iron enlargement facsimile of the old seal of St. Giles’ Hospital.
The Rectors of the Parish up to the year 1800, according to Hennessy,[[666]] were as follows:—
| Date of Appointment. | |
|---|---|
| William Rowlandson, pr. | 1547, April 20. |
| Galfridus Evans, cl. | 1571, Nov. 8. |
| William Steward, cl. | 1579, Aug. 3. |
| Nathaniel Baxter, A.M. | 1590, Aug. 15. |
| Thomas Salisbury, A.B. | 1591, Dec. 24. |
| John Clarke, A.M. | 1592, Sept. 16. |
| Roger Maynwaring, A.M. | 1616, June 3. |
| Wm. Heywood, S.T.B. | 1635–6, Jan. 8 (ejected 1636). |
| Gilbert Dillingham | (died Dec., 1635). |
| Brian Walton, A.M. | 1635–6, Jan. 15. |
| Wm. Heywood, S.T.B. | 1660 restored. |
| Robert Boreman, S.T.P. | 1663, Nov. 18. |
| John Sharp, A.M. | 1675–6, Jan. 3. |
| John Scott, S.T.B. | 1691, Aug. 7. |
| William Haley, cl. | 1695, April 4. |
| William Baker, S.T.P. | 1715, Nov. 10. |
| Henry Gally, D.D. | 1732, Dec. 9. |
| John Smyth, A.M. | 1769, Sept. 21. |
| John Buckner, LL.B. | 1788, May 22. |
| John Buckner, LL.D. | 1798, Sept. 17. |
In the Council’s collection are:—
[[667]]Old Church of St. Giles in 1718 (print).