Charity

Great St Bartholomew’s has been a focus for charity for over 900 years.

Since our foundation, the priory church of St Bartholomew the Great and (from a later date) the church of St Bartholomew the Less have been closely connected with the work of St Barts Hospital as well as charitable works throughout the City of London, particularly around Smithfield and its market.

We proudly continue that tradition of charity as part of our Christian mission to our community.

Our annual charity

Every year, alongside our other charitable activities, we choose to support a local charity by fundraising among the parish.

This year, we are pleased to support the work of the Whitechapel Mission, which has been serving the homeless since 1876.

The Butterworth Charity

On Good Friday each year, the Rector distributes the “Butterworth Charity” to poor widows of the parish, in our very own version of the famous “Maundy Money” service. The whole congregation are invited to share in hot cross buns.

This ancient ceremony, supported by a legacy left by legal publisher Joshua Butterworth (d. 1887), continues to act as a reminder of the importance of charity to our lives as Christians, on one of the holiest days of the year.