St James's Church, Fairburn

Photographs of St James's Church In 1844 the Methodist Chapel was built near the entrance to Piper Hill. This was a threat to the Church of England whose Parish Church was All Saints at Ledsham. It was decided to build a church at Fairburn and in 1846 the present church, dedicated to St. James, was built. Grave stone of Matilda Jackson, late of Ardeen House The Jackson family, living in Ardeen House almost opposite the Church and which later became the Parsonage and then the Vicarage, were instrumental in the building and provided funds for this purpose. There is a window in the church dedicated to one of the sons. A gravestone - an Irish cross - in the corner of the chruchyard shows the place where the Jacksons are buried. The church is a good example of mid-nineteenth century church architecture and used to display two boards on either side of the edst window with the Ten Commandments beautifully inscribed. Heating was originally provided by a fire in the unusual fireplace on the north side of the nave. The chimney is still a feature of the outside of the church and was used for the central heating until 1966, when electric heating was installed. The centenary year 1946 saw the church licensed for the solemnization of marriages. The pews could have been used in another church because in the interior of a pew removed for the erection of a new pulpit a paper was found containing the following words in lovely handwriting: "Reader look, hear and see The ages that have past The years that have rolled by Since the writer wrote his last Geo. Gibson Aged 77 years, 1720", The tall candlesticks in the chancel had the base and top made from "Oak and bell metal of York Minster, Burnt May 20, 1840". These words are engraved on the metal of the candleholder. The east window is coloured and depicts the four apostles and gospel writers, with the Greek letters and the Latin I.H.S. and the English, Jesus said unto them "Verily I say unto you, except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood ye have no life in you. Who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternal life and I will raise him up at the last day." incorporated in the design. There is only one bell fixed in the rather shortened steeple at the west end of the church above the pair of rather large doors. The font is rather simple, raised on a high plinth, is hexagonal and has a huge wooden lid and a pulley attachment with a counter- balancing weight. Unfortunately this is no longer used. The pulpit was installed and dedicated to Mr and Mrs William Bramley. The lectern and priest's prayer stall were installed at the same time. The prayer stall was dedicated to Michael Badger. who was the two year old son of the Vicar of the time. The organ replaced a foot-pedalled pipe organ which may still be seen in Gillamoor Church near Kirkby Moorside and is in memory of Mrs. Makin of Beckfield Farm. The building of this organ by Wood and Wordsworth caused rather an unusual happening: the original organ proposed was objected to by the Diocesan Council for Church buildings and a Consistory Court was held in the church, presided over by the Diocesan Chancellor. The church is in the Parish of Ledsham-with-Fairburn and the Vicar is the sole priest of the parish. Up to the Second World War there was a curate living in Fairburn who made himself responsible for that part of the parish. but under the jurisdiction of the vicar, who at that time lived in Ledsham. The Corpse Walk Until 1846 there was no church in Fairburn. The only church in the parish (Ledsham Ledston, Fairburn and Ledston Luck) was Ledsham church, except for Ledston Hall chapel, and a medieval church in Ledston, long since lost, meant no grave yard and the dead from all the villages in the parish had to be brought to Ledsham to be buried. No good roads made funerals very difficult, especially from Fairburn to Ledsham as the distance by road would have been at least three miles, and so the procession took a shorter route over what is known as the 'hills and hollers' through the Wumpstall Wood (Wormstalls) and then a few hundred yards to face Ledsham Church. This route does not sound too difficult but when one realises that the coffin was carried by hand or shoulder, usually by the dead person's sons, across a few acres of open fields, through a wood and also taking a climb over fences and gates, the route sounds more adventurous: By the time the procession arrived at Ledsham ,they would be sorry on more than one count father or mother had died: If the dead person had only one son then other relations would have had to help out. It must have been a sad sight to watch the procession, the coffin leading the way and the family and mourners following behind.