The first written record of this church appears in 1115 when it was received by the Holy Trinity Priory but the parochial foundations may very well be pre-1066. The church was rebuilt in the 16th Century and then again between 1741-1744 to designs by George Dance the Elder. The church is a short walk away from Mitre Square, the site of the murder of Catherine Eddowes by Jack the Ripper as well as easy access to the other 4 murder sites off 1888. It was often referred to as the "Church of Prostitutes" in the late Victorian period for a very strange reason. The church is situated on an island of land surrounded by roadways. It was common in Victorian times to be suspicious of women stood on street corners and so the this made them easy targets for the police. To avoid this the prostitutes would parade around the island that the church and Aldgate tube station now occupy, thus avoiding "hanging around an street corners".