‘St Benet’ is short for ‘St Benedict’. There were four churches with this dedication in London before the Great Fire of 1666. The earliest surviving reference to the church is in a document of 1216, although the discovery of a 10th-century wheel-headed cross in its former churchyard suggests a Saxon foundation. In the case of St Benet, it is certain that the Benedict referred to Benedict Biscop the 7th-century Anglo-Saxon founder of Jarrow Priory, and St Benedict Fink referred to Benedict of Nursia, the 6th century founder of Western monasticism. "Fink", according to John Stow, is derived from Robert Fink ("alias" Finch), a 13th-century benefactor who paid to have the church rebuilt. Finch Lane (originally being named as “Fink” or “Finck” Lane), off Threadneedle Street, was named after the same family.