Brief History of St James' Church
Research has shown that
the church's origins are Saxon, as the very name Cristetone by which the village
was known in the Doomsday Book of 1086, suggests the existence of a Christian
settlement at that time.There is also good evidence that a church has been
on the site since Norman times and a document dated 1093 recorded that patronage
was granted to the monks of St. Werburgh in Chester. The original church which
was probably constructed of wood was re-built in stone about 1490, the tower
of which stands to this day. The
tower was used as look-out post during the Civil War (1644-1646) and although
the tower survived intact, the church suffered considerable damage as did
much of the village during this period. Whilst the damage was repaired it
was eventually decided about 1730 to replace both the nave and chancel. However,
probably due to lack of funds, the rebuilding was of a poor standard and during
a Sunday service in 1873 the roof partially collapsed covering some of the
congregation in snow. Canon Lionel Garnett, the Rector at the time,
arranged for plans to be drawn up for a new church. The plans were prepared
by William Butterworth who was one of the leading ecclesiastical architects
of the time. Fortunately
the architect dissuaded the village from demolishing the church and tower
and building a completely new church. Instead the tower was retained with
the addition of a gargoyle at each corner and a spired turret. The
outer walls of the nave were built using red sandstone from the Duke of Westminster's
Waverton quarry so as to blend with the tower. The same stone was employed
for the interior walls, but in many places the architect created a chessboard
effect by alternating it in cubed patterns with a creamy-white sandstone from
a different quarry. The
church contains many items of historic interest including: wardens'
benches fitted with canopies to protect against draughts; the
font which has been cut from Sicilian marble and fossil-rich Derbyshire limestone;
a wooden carving of a pelican
tearing open her breast to feed her young with her own blood; Royal
Coat of Arms (1665) painted on oak boards, the work of Randle Holme 111;
old village constable's staff;
Jacobean altar table and
alms basin dated 1549.
Extracts
compiled from CHRISTLETON - The History of a Cheshire Village, Published
by Local History Group 1979 Herald Printers (Whitchurch)Ltd., Whitchurch,
Shropshire by kind permission of Frank A. Latham, Research Organiser
and Editor.