Church of St. James, Stert

Some of the kneelers in the church.

The church of St. James is built on the highest point of the small parish of Stert. Although what currently stands, there has been a place of worship at the same location for what is known to be at least 750 years.

Originally, a chapel was at the sight of the church, granted by Reverend John de Brokensford, the rector of Urchfont, in at least the mid 13th century. Brokensford annexed the chapel and is revenues in the service of Urchfont church, supporting the vicar. Evidence shows that ever since, the church has remained a chapelry of Urchfont ever since. Until the 16th century, it is known that due to the reformation, King Henry VIII ensured that any donations given to the church at that time went towards the conflict against Turkey. This affected this church in particular along with many others in the country.

It is believed that some time during the 17th century, there may have been a serious fire as it is recording that during one of the visitations from the Vicar of Salisbury, it was stated that the north side of the church is ‘out of repair’. This is about the same time that the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer was written into the walls of the church for the congregation after the approval of the Chancellor of Devizes. Although these were written by the Vicar before the current St. James, they are still intact in the church currently standing. Any collected money from villagers at that time was believed to be paid out one penny at a time for anyone who could kill the sparrows who were apparently infesting the church roof.

1844 is the year that the current church was built. Due to the increase in population of Stert, the church was not big enough for the parish’s needs. It is believed that instead of extending the church, it was easier to demolish the church and start from scratch. This was due to the London based architect J.H. Hakewill. After initial excavations, it was revealed that the original church in fact had Norman origins after finding evidence of this after demolishing the original. It is estimated that the church cost approximately £170 to build. It is now used for various religious and non-religious meetings and discussions.