Catalogue description WIGAN ST JAMES

Church of England, St James with St John Parish, Wigan, Greater Manchester

Acc 2038,2574,4174

When the parishes of St James and St Thomas combined the records went to the church of St James. A substantial deposit was made at the time of amalgamation due to limited storage facilities. Further accruals are expected in the near future.

The catalogue had not been updated after the deposit in 1989. This updated catalogue was created in August 2000.

The parish of Wigan, St James constituted in 1863, was formed out of the nineteenth century parishes of Wigan St Thomas, St George and Pemberton St John as well as Wigan All Saints. The foundation stone for the church was laid on 1 September 1863. The architect was Mr E.G. Paley of Lancaster and built from Parbold stone. The church was consecrated in 1866 by Bishop Jacobson of Chester, in the same year that Mr Nathaniel Eckersley became MP for Wigan. The Patron Saint of St James was chosen in memory of Mr James Eckersley, the brother of the founder.

The Poolstock schools were built before the church and opened in March 1851. Messrs James and Nathaniel Eckersley founded the schools, sons of Mr James Eckersley, who founded Eckersley Mills.

Although they were not technically Church schools, the intention of the Eckersleys was that the schools would be so conducted as to afford

'Such an education as shall teach them (the children) not only how to serve God in spirit and in truth, but to maintain their position in society as men.'

In 1972, the parish of St Thomas was combined with St James to form the new parish of St James with St Thomas.