Church of St. James, South Wraxall

It is known that there has been a chapel in South Wraxall since at least 1227 from a mention of Martin the Chaplain of Wraxall granting a house and half a hide of land to the priory of Farleigh, possibly as endowments for the chapel, the deeds for this being dated 1267 and the other probably the same year. However it is difficult to tell whether a mention of an early chapel in South Wraxall refers to the chapel of St. Owen, owned by the priory, or the chapel of St. James, which became the parish church.

After dissolution by Henry VIII in the 16th Century, a 1½ oz silver plate was taken from the church by his son, Edward VI, in 1553. This left the church with a 7oz chalice. The present chalice, paten and flagon date from 1881 and were given to the church the following year by Miss M. E. A. Cusack of South Wraxall.

The church today consists of a chancel, nave, north aisle, south chapel, west tower and vestry, all of which, as well as the floor, were rebuilt in the 19th Century (see below). The tower and chapel are the only original features left; the tower is thought to date from around 1300 and the chapel from later in the 14th Century. The chapel was rebuilt in 1566 by the Long family and contains monuments to them including a shield displaying their coat of arms as well as memorials to family members. It was at this point that a door and porch were added to the chapel. The font has been re-cut and re-dressed but is thought to date from the late 14th Century.

The first of the 19th Century restorations occurred in 1832 when the aisle was rebuilt by making an arcade out of four stone arches, the work was carried out by H.E. Goodridge. The second restoration was carried out in 1882 by Messrs Weaver & Ayde of Devizes and builder James Burgess of Westbury. This work was major with the chancel, vestry and organ chamber being completely rebuilt. The stained glass in the east window is a memorial to Maria Matilda Fussell of South Wraxall House who died six years before this restoration. The west window is dedicated to William, 5th Earl of Mornington.

A few more restorations were carried out in the 20th Century; namely the repair of the tower in 1934, the reroofing of the vestry and chancel in 1993 and the reroofing of the nave the following year.

The restored church is built of ashlar in the 15th Century Gothic style.

The parish registers dating from 1672, apart from those in current use at the Church, are held in the Wiltshire & Swindon History Centre at Chippenham.