The information and history of St. James' is taken from a booklet which is available at the church.
A History of St. James' Christleton.
Written by David Cummings and illustrated by Philip Hodges.
New additions and changes to the church with recent photographs
will be added by the webmaster Richard Nicholson

Recent investigations suggest that a church existed on this site soon after the Roman occupation of Chester. The evidence for this comes from the fact that early churches of this period were built with a circular churchyard, and Christleton like several others in the Chester area followed this pattern. The balance of probability is that the church was in existence before the arrival of the pagan Saxons during the 7thC. The name "Christetone" in the Domesday Book of 1086 suggests the existence of a Christian Settlement. The name Christleton means "the village or place of Christ", or alternatively "Cristentum" the " enclosed farm of the Christians". It is likely that this early meeting place was in the vicinity of the Manor House Farm or on the present church site, which sits on a broad expanse of underlying old red sandstone on the top of a ridge running from Helsby to Waverton, overlooking the Cheshire Plain, and with good views of the city of Chester.

It is almost certain that a more substantial building existed by the 14thC, and the present tower is thought to be from the second church built in the time of Rector Thomas in 1484. The earliest recorded clergyman was Robert, Parson of Christleton in 1215, but as the church was connected to the Abbey in Chester there might have been a small meeting place rather than a formal building at this time. The list of clergy is continuous from 1215 to the present day.

During the Civil War (1642-45) the church did not escape the havoc and destruction suffered by the village. However because it was garrisoned by the Parliamentarian army under Sir William Brereton it was well protected, and any damage was comparatively light. As the Parliamentarians remained in control of the area long after the Battle of Rowton Moor in September 1645, no revenge attack occurred to cause further harm to the building. Any damage was temporarily patched up until the nave and chancel were completely rebuilt in brick in the 1730's.

This part of the church was re-built in Georgian style in 1736 by the Rev. Phillip Smallridge Rector and a Chaplain to Queen Caroline, who managed to obtain money by the issue of a Parliamentary "Brief", a device used to get churches from a wide area to contribute to the building of a new church. £1,250 was gathered for Christleton through this appeal, but £1,000 of this went in legal costs, with local people then contributing "in kind" using their own transport and labour to enable the building to be completed.

On Sunday January 1873 part of the roof of the brick building of 1736 collapsed and some of the congregation were covered with snow. Canon Garnett used the opportunity and his influence to have a substantial rebuild of the nave and chancel. He was determined to provide the best, and spent more money than the church and village could afford to ensure that the new structure would last for much longer that the previous buildings. The red sandstone blocks came from quarries in Delamere and Waverton, and were used together with a creamy white sandstone from Stourton Hill on the Wirral. This building designed by William Butterfield and completed in 1876, was consecrated in July 1877, and is the church we see today. It remains as the place of worship for the people of Christleton, a place where worship has been continuous for well over a thousand years.

As you enter the Victorian porch, notice the brass plaque commemorating the lives of Canon Gorst and the Sellers family of Littleton. Canon Gorst, former Rural dean, was known locally as the 'Farmer's Parson' and he retired to Littleton to live in the Sellers' family home. The Sellers were great benefactors to the church and village, and it was John Sellers who founded the first school in Christleton in 1779. This school known as the John Sellers Charity School was situated to the left of the porch, on the grassed area of the churchyard, adjacent to Christleton House. This two-storey building survived until the 1890's when the school was built on the site of the old 'Ring-O-Bells' public house across the road. Today it is the Parish Hall and the Trust which helped to fund the school (the John Sellers Charity) still plays a small part in the education of children in Christleton, Littleton and Rowton, by providing grants of money for books and travel for the use of local children.


The porch itself dates from 1876, when the last major rebuilding of the church took place, thanks to the efforts of Lucy Anne Ince, Lionel Garnett (Rector 1869 to 1911), and their architect, William Butterfield.


As you enter the Victorian porch, notice the brass plaque commemorating the lives of Canon Gorst and the Sellers family of Littleton. Canon Gorst, former Rural dean, was known locally as the 'Farmer's Parson' and he retired to Littleton to live in the Sellers' family home. The Sellers were great benefactors to the church and village, and it was John Sellers who founded the first school in Christleton in 1779. This school known as the John Sellers Charity School was situated to the left of the porch, on the grassed area of the churchyard, adjacent to Christleton House. This two-storey building survived until the 1890's when the school was built on the site of the old 'Ring-O-Bells' public house across the road. Today it is the Parish Hall and the Trust which helped to fund the school (the John Sellers Charity) still plays a small part in the education of children in Christleton, Littleton and Rowton, by providing grants of money for books and travel for the use of local children.


The porch itself dates from 1876, when the last major rebuilding of the church took place, thanks to the efforts of Lucy Anne Ince, Lionel Garnett (Rector 1869 to 1911), and their architect, William Butterfield.

The old sandstone tower dates from an earlier building of 1490 and has not changed greatly during the centuries. Some rebuilding has taken place and marks on the walls indicate a former stairway to galleries, which were built to add capacity to the church. There were as many as three such galleries and the last one built for the Dixon family in 1876 only lasted a year before the church roof fell in and the major rebuilding took place. If you look closely at the tracery of the west window, you can see evidence of the white paint used to decorate the internal walls, which was a feature of the 1736 building. The stained glass in the window was designed by Gibb in 1877 and depicts 'Suffer the little children to come unto me'. This window is in memory of Theodosia Fanny Lace.

The room under the tower has recently been created with the addition of oak panelling from the South Aisle, and this now provides a small vestry for the choir.

On the north wall is a tablet commemorating the work of Thomas Dixon a merchant of Littleton who gave so much to the church during his time as warden and as a member of the congregation. 2

He founded one of the first banks in Chester, and was head of the family firm of timber merchants and shipbuilders. He became Sheriff of Chester in 1813 and Mayor in 1842. He later became both a Justice of the Peace and and a Magistrate in the city. Thomas(2) was much revered in Chester and was presented with a portrait of himself by the Duke of Westminster which once hung in the Town Hall. However it was his father also Thomas(1) a former Captain in the Navy, timber merchant and ship builder who had permission to erect a gallery at the north end of the church in 1811 for the use of his family and servants, which was reached through a small door in the choir vestry leading to the tower.

The size of this doorway gives us a clue to the fact that the new nave of 1876 was built at a lower level than the original Tower Although Thomas(2) is remembered in the Church for his generous gifts and work for the church, the Dixon names lives on today because of the early death of his nephew James. When James died in 1865 the family built four alms houses in his memory at Little Heath.

These fine timber buildings were designed by the architect John Oldred Scott son of the famous Victorian Architect Gilbert Scott. The Trust set up by William Griffes Dixon and Mary Anne, James' mother, not only gave fine buildings, but ensured a fund for future repairs, adequate insurance and medical expenses, and a weekly pension for the inhabitants.

The tower houses 8 bells which originate from 1743 and were last re-hung in 1927, when a major re-design of the bell chamber took place. The original ring of six bells, cast by Abel Rudhall of Gloucester, were augmented to seven in 1812, when John Hignett of Rowton provided money for a new tenor bell. In 1830 Abel Rudhall & CO were commissioned to cast a new bell, this time a treble, to make up the full peal. The tradition of ringing what is regarded as one of the finest rings in the Chester district, is kept up by an enthusiastic group of ringers, led for many years by Roy and David Fisher, whose family (The Mayers) have rung the bells for over 150 years.

This Peal Board commemorates a peal rung on the bells of St. James’ the week after David Fisher’s ordination as Deacon.
It was the first peal rung on the bells since 1965, and the first by a largely Christleton band since 1948. Those invited to join the band were the Revd. Bill Wilson, who is Vicar of St. James’, Sussex Gardens, London, with whom David was Pastoral Assistant for a year; the Reverend Brian Harris, now in Lincolnshire, who is a former Master of the Chester Diocesan Guild of Church Bell Ringers, and Trevor Holmes, Captain at All Saints, Hoole, who is a good friend to the Christleton Ringers.

As you enter the main building, note the fine window (1896) carefully restored in 1987 by Mr Twigg. This depicts the martyred Saint Catherine and clearly shows the 'Catherine Wheel', commemorated today by a firework used on Bonfire Night.

The fine Churchwarden's pews probably date from the 1880's, although there are many references in the records to Churchwarden's pews being sold at a time of great hardship after the Civil War in 1650. They were later returned to the church when the Bishop of Chester ordered the Churchwardens to buy them back from a Mr George Cawley of Cotton for the sum of 20 shillings. Mr Cawley actually had use of them again because he was elected Churchwarden in 1701. The canopies are not just for adornment, but were built to protect the wardens from cold draughts experienced at the west end of the nave!

Above the Churchwardens pews is the fine figure of a pelican (or is it a swan?). Church tradition says that the figure of a pelican is seen feeding her young with her own blood, a symbol of sacrifice. This carved creature used to be the centre-piece of the reredos over the altar table in the 1736 building. There is a theory that the local artist who carved the figure is unlikely to have seen a pelican and that he based the figure on that of the more familiar local swan. The swan certainly figures a great deal in village affairs at that time. When the agreement to build the new church in 1736 was made, the signatories from the church and gentry all sealed their names with a wax seal in the shape of a swan. So, perhaps the swan as the emblem of the village pre-dates this.

The altar and sanctuary area contains much to interest the visitor. Notice the combination of fine Victorian tile work and Italian mosaic on the floor and the walls, and the edging of crinoidal limestone also used on the font. Above your head sandstone blocks are made in the form of a chessboard design by alternating creamy white Stourton stone from the Wirral, with red sandstone from the Duke of Westminster's Waverton Quarry. This chequered effect is the trademark design of William Butterfield, the eminent Victorian architect employed by Canon Garnett in his desire to provide only the best for his beloved church in Christleton

.

Stourton stone can also be seen at the entrance to the Mersey Tunnel, whilst Keble College in Oxford with it's distinctive chess board design in brick is probably the most famous building designed by William Butterfield, a college attended by Garnett himself ,and also much later by the much loved Canon Gordon Robinson who served at St. James' in retirement for over fifteen years as assistant to the Rector's of Christleton between 1985 and 1998.



A tapestry depicting the Last Supper hangs on the north wall of the Sanctuary and overlooks a beautifully carved folding "hunting chair" (17th C) which acts as a throne when a Bishop visits the church. The altar cloth covering the Communion Table can be one of several used during the churches year.

The most recent addition is one made by Mrs. Dorothy Colley and many members of the Church Family which depicts scenes from the Holy Land as if seen from space. This colourful cloth has a large number of striking patterns and designs in beautiful pastel shades, illustrating the land around the Sea of Galilee.



Above your head sandstone blocks are made in the form of a chessboard design by alternating creamy white Stourton stone from the Wirral, with red sandstone from the Duke of Westminster's Waverton Quarry. This chequered effect is the trademark design of William Butterfield, the eminent Victorian architect employed by Canon Garnett in his desire to provide only the best for his beloved church in Christleton.

The font used for baptisms situated just outside the tower, is made of a beautiful Derbyshire crinoidal limestone on the base of Sicilian marble, and was specially made for William Butterfield in London at a cost of £45.7s.6d.

The crinoidal limestone (plants of the seabed that lived 2,800,000 years ago) is also to be found much in evidence in rooms and corridors at the famous Chatsworth House in Derbyshire.
A new font cover was designed, and crafted, to commemorate the service to St. James Church of Canon Gordon Robinson. The dedication of the cover took place in March 2000.

Continue walking towards the North Aisle and notice the ancient Bible Box, once the property of The Very Rev H Beeching, DD. Dean of Norwich and presented to the church by the Rev Alyn Guest-Williams. A small silver plaque commemorates the Guest-Williams family and links him to the Troutbeck and Sellers families of Chester and Littleton respectively. Arthur Alyn was a well respected historian and antiquarian and on his death a large number of family documents were deposited in the Cheshire County Record Office.

Many of these relate to Christleton and in particular the history of the Townsend, Currie and Ince Families of Christleton Old Hall, Christleton Hall and Boughton Hall. Research into these papers is being carried out at present and will be published in time for the millennium in a new book on the History of Christleton.

On the wall near the bookstall is an alabaster plaque dedicated to the men from the Parish who fought in the Boer War. The area is lit by light from the St Elizabetha window dating from 1883.

Just beyond, on the North Aisle wall, is a Constable's Staff, presented to the church in 1935 and is the symbol of an ancient tradition carried out by villagers. When John Brock Wood held office as Lord of the Manor in Canon Garnett's time, he was entitled to hold a Court Baron, at which either he or his steward presided. The Court Baron had civil jurisdiction over all the disputes and misdemeanours concerning tenants and staff in the village. Four so-called 'Burleymen', were elected annually by the Parish to act as constables of the Manor, together with twelve jurymen.

Messrs Hollywell, Swindley, Holland and Beech were the last constables to be elected, together with Mr. Sam Broster as foreman of the jury. The staff was their sign of office. This staff belonged to George Mayers, Parish Clerk and Headteacher in the 1840's and was presented by his family.

The Royal Arms hanging on the North aisle wall is one of the finest examples of such work in the county. It is the work of Randle Holmes, a Mayor of Chester during the troubled times of the Civil War, and was erected by the people of Christleton to commemorate the return to the throne of the monarchy in the person of Charles II in 1665. It is also said that the Arms shows the re-establishment of the Sovereign, as Head of the Church of England and Defender of the Faith

Christleton had been the scene of much fighting during the Civil War and it is probable that the people had no choice other than to support the Parliament led by Oliver Cromwell, as a garrison of parliamentarian soldiers led by Sir William Brereton was based in their village.
It is thanks to the efforts of the late Rev. Fred Pryce Parry that we know so much about this unique feature of our church.

The church building was used as a garrison for Parliamentarian troops during the whole of 1645, and there is no doubt that a great deal of the evidence of occupation was lost in the various re-buildings that have taken place since that time. One of the most significant events of the war took place early in 1645 when a Roundhead trooper, standing on top of the church tower saw a mounted troop of Royalists leaving the city. He quickly organised an ambush somewhere in the vicinity of the "Glasshouse" on Whitchurch Road, where over 200 officers and men of the Royalist Army were killed. Later, in the spring of 1645, Charles I gained his 'revenge' on the village by ordering his two dashing young nephews Princes Rupert and Maurice, to ride to Christleton and burn it to the ground. By the time of the main Battle of Rowton Moor on the 24th September of that year, the village of Christleton barely existed. King Charles is said to have watched the battle from the City Walls and was always searching for support and places of refuge following the battle. He escaped from Chester over the Old Dee Bridge under the cover of darkness, and from then on was always on the run.

The next feature of the North Wall is a stained glass window commemorating the life of the Rev.Charles D. Mack, Canon of Chester Cathedral and Rector of the Parish from 1972 to 1986.

The window, in modern stained glass, was designed by Cliff Boddy, a long-serving member of the choir and church, who has contributed many fine examples of hand-written manuscripts and scrolls to the church, many of which you will see on display. His finest piece of work, however, is a calfskin scroll commemorating the Beating of The Bounds ceremony in Coronation Year, 1953, which is stored for safe-keeping in the Parish Chest.

After some research I now believe we have ten Kempe windows at St. James'. Charles E. Kempe was born in Ovingdean, Sussex and opened his studios in London in 1865 working at the same time as William Morris during the great revival of English art in the reign of Queen Victoria. Charles had gone to Oxford hoping to be ordained, but an incorrigible stammer made that impractical. So he decided to that "since he could not minister in the sanctuary, he would adorn it". His stammer left him in mid life. He designed and made over 4,000 windows during his career, and is recognised as one of the greatest influences in stained glass window design of that period.

A Kempe Society has been formed to catalogue his windows , and to preserve and restore neglected works. He
One of the finest monuments to his work is the Church of St. John the Baptist at Burford in the Cotswolds. Locally Gresford Church also has some Kempe windows. Charles also designed church furnishings. He died in 1907. The firm carried on under a series of chief designers until 1934.

incorporated the most sumptuous peacocks feathers on his angels, as the peacock feather in Christian imagery symbolises the resurrection. He often incorporated a wheat sheaf in the design.We have discovered that several of the Christleton windows also have a tower on top of the sheaf. This denotes that the window was made post Kempe's death when the firm became C. E. Kempe & Co. Ltd. The tower was added as a pun on Walter Tower's name who was the Chairman. He was an architect by profession and was a distant cousin of Kempe having been left the firm and instructions to turn it into a limited company in Kempe's will.

At Parish Communion on Sunday September the 11th 1998, Cliff was presented with a long service medal from the Royal School of Church Music by Dr. Peter Forster Bishop of Chester to commemorate 75 years service as a member of St. James' Choir.

The North Aisle Windows

The first window in the north aisle is a modern stained glass window dating from 1960, in memory of Blanche Collins from Littleton. The second already mentioned above, is the memorial to the Rev Charles Mack. The remaining two windows are both by Charles Kempe. One contains the famous lines from the "Crucifixion", " Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by", and is in memory of Richard Henry Williams Currie of Boughton Hall, Captain in the 6th Dragoon Guards & his young son of the same name who died aged 6 months. Richard was born in the Vicarage at Adderley on the Cheshire/Shropshire border and his father had once been a curate at St James' Christleton.

Capt.Richard was closely related by marriage to former Rector Rev Arthur Alyn Guest Williams as Elizabeth Currie of Boughton Hall a great beauty of her day, had married John Williams of Gwersyllt Park near Wrexham in the late 1700's. Another link with Christleton was created when Townsend Ince from Christleton Hall married Mary Currie but when Mary died suddenly aged 25 years, he married Lucy Anne Ince who is commemorated in the next window. This shows "Jesus being arrested", and is one of two windows in church, in memory of Lucy Anne Ince who died in 1903 aged 93years.

Gallery of photographs of the stained glass glass windows

A beautifully scribed Roll of Honour hanging on the north wall of the church commemorates the lives of 249 men from the village who fought in The Great War of 1914-18.
The small chapel nearby is often used as an additional place for communion. It has a small table and on it a metal Labarum, an ancient Christian symbol made by Stuart Broom a pupil at the former Christleton Secondary School with the guidance of Philip Hodges. The symbol was used by the early church in times of persecution, and consists of two Greek letters corresponding to our CH and R , the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ.

Among many fine gifts Lucy Anne Ince gave to the church is the pulpit in memory of her husband, Townsend Ince who had died in 1871. The Townsend Ince/Currie family lived at Christleton Hall from the early 1700's to 1910. Notice too the shell the symbol of St James which hangs from the top of the pulpit in full view of the congregation.
The oak Lectern is dedicated to the memory of T F Lace of Christleton Hall, whilst a Lectern Bible was given by Robert Barker in 1607.

The organ itself has been rebuilt and was restored to something like its former glory in the 1980's, having been set aside for some years, whilst a Compton Makin electric organ was used. The original organ, the gift of William Fleming of Rowton, is a two manual organ and was first installed in 1878. It waspowered by hand bellows in the early days, no doubt by some unsuspecting chorister, but has been brought fully up-to-date to meet the needs of the present organist and congregation. It has a fine tonal quality and since its restoration, has been featured in several varied and enjoyable organ recitals.
The present Organist & Director of Music is Mr Steve Roberts and he is assisted by a mixed choir of over thirty choristers who sing in services throughout the year. A music group also assists in family services on the second Sunday each month and on special
occasions.

The east window by Kempe shows Christ in Glory and was dedicated in 1902. Among the figures shown are; St. James the Great with his emblem of a shell; St. Werburgh holding a model of Chester Cathedral in her hands, and Christ in Glory and Christ Crucified. Notice the sheaf on the left side of the window, and scrolls of peacock feathers the trademark of Kempe. In the right hand corner of the sanctuary stands a simple cross carrying the banner of the Christleton Branch of the Mothers Union.
On the south wall stands the Processional Cross given to the church by Mrs. Ivy Clarke, in memory of her parents, Canon Lionel and Mrs. Garnett. From Easter to Ascension the paschal candle is placed in the sanctuary. It stands on a fine wooden base crafted and painted by Canon Robinson. It is placed near the font during the rest of the year.

Turn to the right towards the south aisle and you will see the Lady Chapel. The wrought iron screen which now separates the chapel from the main body of the church was originally placed across the choir, and kept clergy and choir apart from the congregation. Removing the screen to its present position has opened up the church, making it much brighter and helps everyone to feel part of the church family. The wooden panelling which once stood here has been re-used to form a room for a choir vestry under the tower. The iron screen was made in the Kale Yards near Chester Cathedral, and was given by Vera Pride in affectionate memory of her parents Albert Edward and Louise. The screen is still an important feature of the building and is beautifully illuminated by the morning sun which streams through the Lady Chapel window.

The stained glass window in the Lady Chapel represents King David and Isaiah and is a memorial to Catherine the wife of Ambrose Dixon a member of the Dixon family who lived at Christleton Bank, now (The Abbots Well.) Another beautifully crafted piece of work is the oak altar table from the Jacobean period. On the wall of the Lady Chapel is an account of the Beating of the Bounds of 1993 created and scribed by Cliff Boddy. The two memorials on the west wall are to soldiers of the Cheshire Regiment who were killed in action in Belgium and Northern France during the first world war. The St. James Youth banner can also be seen, together with one of a number of tapestries made by church members



The wrought iron screen which now separates the chapel from the main body of the church was originally placed across the choir, and kept clergy and choir apart from the congregation. Removing the screen to its present position has opened up the church, making it much brighter and helps everyone to feel part of the church family.

The tapestry in view will depend on the time in the church calendar. The most striking is one which represents the church year and its festivals. The figures along the bottom tell the stories and events of the bible. At the right hand edge the figures, church, lights and musical instruments, tell of the present praise and worship at St James'. The border along the bottom edge contains separate motifs of flowers and patterns found in and around the church.

This tapestry was made by children aged 10 to 12 years with the help of their leaders in the Seekers Group of the Sunday School, and children from the top class at the Primary School in 1990/91. The same group of children produced the wall hanging near to the main church entrance, which depicts village life as seen by the children in the same year, and is reproduced in the form of a collage.

All the windows in the south aisle are by Kempe. The first depicting St George and the Dragon, Anna the mother of the Virgin Mary and Queen Elizabetha is a memorial to three parishioners. Nearby is a bronze memorial to Annie Rolt of The Green Christleton. Mrs Rolt was the mother of the famous canal engineer and writer LTC Rolt, and her daughter married into the Garnett Family in the 1900's. The two brass sanctuary lamps in the roof of the aisle were given by Mrs Garnett and her nieces after the first world war.

The second window which shows St John the Apostle, the Holy Mother & child and St Luke, is in memory of Lucy Anne Ince. The next with two robed figures is in memory of Mary Nicholls and her two drowned sisters Mary Anne & Madeline who died in 1874. The final window along this aisle shows St John the Divine and Ruth, and is in memory of John Thompson and Mable Watt.

The British Legion standards were dedicated on July 14th 1974 and the tablets on the walls commemorate the men from Christleton Parish who fought and died in the two world wars. These are always proudly read out on Remembrance Sunday by a representative of the British Legion.

Views from the Tower

The views from the tower are unsurpassed, and was the main reason that the Parliamentarian Garrison of Sir William Brereton took over the church in 1644/5. From here the troops were able to monitor movements of the Royalist Army in and around of the city, and had clear views in every direction. On a clear day there are excellent views across the Cheshire Plain to Beeston Castle and the Peckforton Hills, to Kelsall and Delamere Forest in the east, to Runcorn Bridge and the River Mersey to the north. You can look westwards across the city to St Mary's Church and the River, to Connah's Quay and the Dee Estuary; and beyond to Moel Famau and the Berwyn Mountains. If you look towards the south west on very clear days you will see tall radio masts, some fifty miles away on a hill near the town of Welshpool.

The churchyard is best approached from the Lych Gate which was designed by Butterfield and donated by the Garnett Family in memory of Harriet Garnett the mother of Rector Lionel who lived at the family home of Wyreside in Lancashire.

Following the loss of the old cross due to age a new cross has been carved, thanks to the work of Charles Smeatham, following a design by Eric Kenyon and this was put in place during March 2000.

Immediately to the left of the Lych Gate is the War Memorial originating from the Great War of 1914-18 and bearing the names of the servicemen from Navy, Air Force and eleven regiments of the Army. It is constructed in sandstone and supported on an octagonal plinth, and was originally intended to be located on the Village Green. In fact the top section was blown over and damaged by very high winds soon after it was constructed and had to be repaired.

The Lionel Garnett Memorial

Just beyond the War Memorial on the church lawn is the Memorial Cross commemorating the outstanding ministry of Rector Lionel Garnett. He was Rector from 1869 to 1911 and can be said to have been the major influence in making the village that we know today. He rebuilt the Church, both schools and the Mens Institute. He arranged for a new telephone, water supply and sewerage systems to be installed,and founded the Football and Cricket Clubs, Village Band, Gardening Club, the Village Fete and Show and the local Temperance Society.

Proceeding towards the Church, on the right hand side there is the grave of William Huggins and his brother Samuel, the former being an accomplished painter and the latter a notable architect. William died at Rock House in the village in 1884, having lived in Liverpool, New Ferry & North Wales before coming to Christleton in 1878 on the death of his wife. By then he had achieved a very considerable reputation as a painter of animals (particularly of big cats), of landscapes of the Cheshire countryside, and of portraits. It's even said that he kept a menagerie of wild animals at Rock House (now the dental surgery) to enable him to paint from life.

The sundial that divides the path at this point is mounted on an old millstone which is said to have stood originally in the grounds of the Old Hall. It has a copper dial engraved with hours, and an inscription.

Another curiosity is the small block of sandstone to be found at the base of the Church Tower. This has the letters CP LT and the date 1847 engraved on it. This stone originally stood near the roundabout at Vicars Cross and marked the Parish boundary. The letters stand for Christleton Parish / Littleton Township. It was rescued by some of our church bell ringers when roadworks were taking place there in the 1960's.

Examination of the older part of the Churchyard reveals a significant number of families originating from Liverpool and Manchester, some from evidently prosperous industrial and merchant families. This suggests that the Parish was a favoured area both to live in and retire to in the Victorian period. The west side of the churchyard has two such graves;
John Best Merchant of Liverpool, and James Holden Merchant of Manchester.
In contrast the oldest grave, that of Peter Merryl, which commemorates his death in 1695, is evidence of an earlier church community. We have written evidence that Catherine Hodson was "buried in woollens" also in 1695 and the Hodson family figure prominently in Church life throughout the next two centuries. An earlier record indicates the wish of Margaret Smith of Lambeth in London to be buried in the Churchyard in the year 1506. This appears to have been carried out at great cost, although the location of the grave is not known. Neither is the burial place of a large number of Christleton families killed by the plague that affected the village in 1603/05. These families are listed in some of the earliest records we have of the church, from the births, deaths and marriages registers dating from 1600. Many Christleton residents have been long - lived, the eldest appears to have been Elizabeth Rowe of Woodfields who reached the age of 108, closely followed by Jim Poston aged 105 who lived at the Old Surgery on Village Road.

Members of the prominent Dixon Family of Littleton are laid to rest in a large family vault in the rear churchyard adjacent to the Rector's vestry. There are separate graves for the first Thomas & his wife Anne, buried with their son James and his family. For William & Barbara Dixon, and for Dr. F.M and Sir Rupert Granger & families connected by marriage to the Dixons. They were significant benefactors to the parish, as well as being responsible for the building of the Dixon's Alms Houses.

The other great benefactor of the Victorian period was Lucy Anne Ince. Her life is commemorated on a tablet in the churchyard as well as within the church. It was she, together with several other families and with the active support of Canon Garnett, who influenced the decision to rebuild the present church on its original site. A decision that seems to have been very successful, and benefits us all. St. James stands today as testament to those people, and to the thousands who have worshipped and supported the church in Christleton over the centuries.

1215 Robert, Parson of Christleton. John, clerk of Christleton.
1250 David, Parson of Christleton.
1281 The recluse of Christleton' (Ledger Vale Royal.)
1306/7 Gilbert de Roubery, Canon of Auckland, non resident.
1309. William de Christleton clerk.
1310. Hugh clerk of Christleton.
1318. Magr. Walter de Askeby.
1319. Magr. Symon Pyte.
1321/31.Master Simon de Lich or Lych
1358. Adam de Moels.
1359. Will Abel.
1361. John de Salghale.
1378. Will de Hodynton.
1378. Magr. Roger de Davenport.
1386. Will Pelle or Pette.
1393. Will de Swanton.
1445. Dom Thomas Maderer.
1446. John ap Gruffydd ap Wyllym.
Thomas Dutton brother of Hugh Dutton.
1451. Ralph Dutton son of Hugh Dutton.
1451. Richard Barowe.
1484. Thomas clerk.(Second church built.)
1508. John Fowler.
1513. John Brereton DD
1536. Magr. John Wodeward.
1555. John Wallace.
1559. William Collingwood (Prebendary)
1560. William Bebbington.
1571. Robert Ireland.
1598. Reece Hughes.(Communion table given.)
1616. Edmund Scholes. (Gave to the Egerton Charity.)
1619. Ludovic Lloyd.
1634/69.William Mostyn.(Archdeacon of Bangor.)
1647/60.Hugh Burrowes, Samuel Slater (Intruded Ministers.)
1669. Thomas Weston. (Battlements on Tower added.)
1688. Thomas Clopton.(Nephew of Bishop of St Asaph.)
1717. Philip Egerton DD (Also Rector of Astbury Church)
1727. Phillip Smallridge LLD Preb. of Worcester(Chaplain to Queen Caroline)
1752. Roger Mostyn (Archdeacon of Bangor.)
1775. Thomas Mostyn. (Uncle of Lord Mostyn.)
1809. Griffith Lloyd.(Brother of Lord Mostyn.)
1843. Thomas Lloyd.(Nephew of Lord Mostyn.)
1869. Lionel Garnett. (Hon Canon of Chester Cathedral)
1911. Godfrey Michael Vincent Hickey.
1926. Alyn Arthur Guest Williams.
1965 Lawrence Rainald Skipper. (Hon Canon of Chester Cathedral.)
1972. Charles Derrick Mack.(Hon Canon of Chester Cathedral.)
1987. David Christopher Garnett. (Archdeacon of Chesterfield.)
1992. Kenneth Peter Lee.M.A