History
A church (perhaps of wood) may have been on the site of St James since before the Norman Conquest but the first record is found in the
Domesday book.
The church is named for James the Greater, the brother of John, who was killed in Jerusalem for his convictions about his brother. James had spent some time preaching on the Iberian Peninsula.
After James’ death, his disciples shipped his body to the Iberian Peninsula to be buried in what is now Santiago. Off the coast of Spain a heavy storm hit the ship, and the body was lost to the ocean. After some time, however, the body washed ashore undamaged,
covered in scallops.
Other Documents
Papers by A J Gibbs
It is from these papers that Gibb's
Abinger Parish Curch, printed in 1938, was abridged. These papers transcribed by Philip Rawlings from a duplicate original in the Parish vestry.
A J Gibbs, Churchwarden,
died 1993.
- 1. Abinger Church: an introduction - J A Gibbs 1938
- 2. Records up to 1855 as to the fabric and contents of the Church
- 3. Description of the Church in 1855
- 4. Restoration and Changes
- A. The restoration of 1856-57
- B. Changes 1859-78
- C. The Restoration of 1879-80
- D. Changes 1881-1934
- E. Changes 1935-38
- 5. Description of the Church in 1938 with historical details
- A. Short general description with plan
- B. The Nave. Its age. The South Porch. The Belfry.
- C. The North Aisle and its Arcade. The North West Vestry, The Crypt.
- D. The Chancel. The South East Vestry. The Organ Chamber.
- Appendices:
- 1 Copy of Rector Powell's Notebook
- 2 Gravestones on the floor of the Church
- 3 The Patron's Rights in the North Aisle
- 6. The Churchyard
- 7. The Benefice
- I The Glebe with map and statement
- II The Parsonage
- III The Tithes
- IV Revenue at various dates
- 8. Boundaries, ecclesiastical and civil, of Abinger and its neighbouring parishes.
References
Links to other sites with some information on local history are: