St James' Parish Church
About our Church
The Parish Church occupies a prominent position in the centre of Barton-under-Needwood village where several roads converge and where The War Memorial is situated. Barton-under-Needwood was originally a small farming community but with the addition of several housing developments since 1960, has now developed into a large village with a population of about 5,000.
There are normally two services every Sunday at St James. An early morning communion at 8.00am (which follows the Book of Common Prayer on the third Sunday of the month) and the main morning worship with Family Communion at 10.30am. The format of this service on the first Sunday of the month is All-Age Worship.
There is a choir of Senior Choristers at Sunday morning worship and also a strong junior section of 13 choristers who perform their own items on special occasions and often take an active part in All-Age Worship. There are special services at Festivals throughout the year on Sundays and midweek evenings. There is a midweek communion on Wednesdays at 9.45am.
The Mother’s Union meet on the last Tuesday of the month in the Church Hall.
A children’s group meets regularly. It is called The Light Factory and is organized ecumenically. It usually meets on Friday evenings in the Methodist Church.
The Building of the Church
St James' Church was built by John Taylor, the oldest triplet born to William and Joan Taylor in about 1480. The family probably lived in a cottage to the north-east of the Church, where several of the village's oldest timber-framed cottages still stand.
The triplets were presented as a rarity to King Henry VII while on a hunting trip to Needwood Forest so he undertook to educate the three boys if they came to manhood. All three entered the learned professions after studying at University. John went on to achieve high office in the employ of Henry VII and subsequently became Master of the Rolls to Henry VIII.
When his career reached it peak, John Taylor decided to build a new church to replace the ancient chapelry dedicated to St. James around 1157. The new building was said to be near the site of John Taylor's parents' cottage and building work started in 1517, which date appears on the Tower. The Tudor church was finished and dedicated in 1533. It is built of stone with embattled parapets and is surrounded on all sides by a well kept churchyard containing some finely carved headstones, some of which were laid flat in 1957.
Barton became a Parish in its own right in 1881. It had been a Chapel of Ease to its mother parish of Tatenhill. Since there have been seven Vicars of the Parish. The Patron is the Bishop of Lichfield. On the South side of the tower -`IT. 1517. Archidiac Derby and Bucking;' used to be inscribed. John Taylor's Coat of Arms are evident in several places, but these and the Royal Coat of Arms above the East Window are badly eroded. The external stone-work was restored between 1986 and 1992.
Tour of the Church
The high 18th century box pews, were replaced by the present seats in the restoration of 1864. At the same time the North and South aisles were widened to provide more seating and the Tudor windows were replaced by the present large Victorian Gothic windows. In the North aisle there are memorial tablets to former local landowners, the Antrobus and Webb families.
The window with figures of Sts. Gabriel, Michael and Raphael was bought by public subscription in 1909 at a cost of £85 as a memorial to the late Lord Burton. A new window was given in1981 by the late Amy Smith in memory of her parents Thomas and Dorothy Johnson Taylor. It shows Christ in Resurrection, and is designed by John Lawson of Goddard and Gibbs. The altar here came from the former Mission Church at Barton Turn whose stone dedication tablet stands nearby. The manuscript case has a memorial book to loved ones who have been cremated.
On the East wall is a memorial tablet to the Sanders family who donated charity for the Barton poor. The oldest item in the Church is the ancient Parish Chest which is estimated to be one of the oldest Church Chests in existence. The three locks bear witness to the keys held separately by Parish Officers to ensure security of the contents.
The new chancel arch was also built in 1864, and a new pulpit and font replaced the Tudor ones. In the priest's vestry there is a collection of Charity boards, which tell of many local benefactions.
The Tudor panelling in the chancel was removed in 1885 and sold. It was replaced with the new oak panelling and the organ case designed by Basil Champneys, Architect of London, and made by Messrs. Lascells. At the same date the Sanctuary was paved with encaustic tiles which echo a medieval monastic design and with marble. The altar and reredos are of the same period and influenced by the Tractarians. The Tudor communion rails were kept and an early double sedilia and a piscina re-opened on the South side of the sanctuary. A brass lectern was also placed at the chancel step. The Choir stalls were also introduced at this time.
The Sanctuary forms an unusual shape, a three-sided apse. This shape is rare in Tudor buildings. It’s apsidal end encloses an interesting 12 Apostles window, which was the gift of John Taylor himself. Little of the actual Tudor glass now remains in the 18 lights. The window has undergone two restorations but fortunately they are very faithful copies of the original. The style of this east window is Flemish and the King's own glaziers Barnard Flower and Galyon Hone were both Flemings, and must have been well-known to John Taylor.
Above the sedilia and priscina is a brass tablet of 1651 bearing details of the Benefaction of William Key who gave land, the rents from which were to be an annual gift to the poor and for the maintenance of the Church. This charity is still in existence. William Key also left 10 shillings (50p) annually to the Priest of Barton to preach a sermon here on Good Friday. This also continues to this day.
The organ in the Chancel is a modern Allen digital computer organ which replaced a similar instrument in September 2004. The first pipe organ installed in 1847 was made by the renowned organ builder Holditch. This was replaced in 1877 by a two manual organ built by Alfred Kirkland of London and Wakefield, the gift of John Church Grinling Esq. of Radhurst House who was for twenty years Churchwarden. A third manual was added in 1951 when this organ was revoiced.
The Chapel of Peace was furnished in 1946 and dedicated on Easter Sunday as a memorial to the dead of two world wars. Two stone tablets on the Chapel wall recall the names of 32 men of Barton who gave their lives in 1914-18 and 12 who died in the 1939-45 war. Here also are two modern stained glass windows the work of Arthur Buss of Goddard and Gibbs Studios, London in memory of local people, and an older window depicting St. Cecilia. One of the modern windows shows St. James with his cockle shell and pilgrim's staff.
The memorials in the South Aisle were re-sited in the 1864 enlargements. Galleries filled both aisles but these were pulled down when it became necessary to enlarge the church to provide sufficient seating for the population of the growing village. (The pillars bear marks showing where the galleries were joined to them). There are more stained glass windows along the South wall. The window in memory of Mr. Lyon of Silverhill is dated 1874 by Ward and Hughes, and another 1886 by Burlisson and Grylls in memory of Mr. and Mrs. Garnett Taylor (descendants of the triplets). The modern Virgin and Child window in memory of Lily Speed is also the work of Goddard and Gibbs.
St. James Church has some beautiful Communion Plate which has of necessity to be kept in a safe deposit. The finest piece is a pre-Reformation Chalice with a modern paten used at Festivals and a silver-gift Chalice and paten. There is a small silver Chalice and paten given at the dedication of the Chapel at Barton Turnings, a modern Ciborium in memory of Susan Shelton given by her family, and a silver baptismal shell to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II, the gift of the Barton M.U. A silver salver in memory of Herbert Woodall has been given by his wife. There is also a fine brass Almsdish.
In 1984 a new Choir Vestry was created out of the chamber formerly occupied by the old organ works.
Parish records for St James, Barton under Needwood
A catalogue of these records is available in "Gateway to the Past" (http://www.archives.staffordshire.gov.uk) - the online catalogue of the Staffordshire and Stoke on Trent Archive Service. The Archive Service's website (http://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/archives) provides further information on planning a visit to the office to consult records, should you wish to do so.