The History of St James
1222 to Present
The site of St James Mangotsfield has been a place of Christian worship for 800 years. This brochure has been produced to mark the occasion, more as a souvenir than a detailed history.
The earliest reference to St James reveals that between 1222 and 1228, whilst he was Sheriff of Gloucestershire, William de Putot built a chapel and chantry attached to his manor house, which stood to the north of the church. Up until the reformation, St James was a dependency of St Peter’s Castle Park and was served by the Priory of St James, both being cells of Tewkesbury Abbey.
Among the oldest artefacts are the effigies of a knight and his lady which lie in an ornamental recess in the north east corner, behind the organ. These are believed to be of Edmund Blount (1404-1468) and his wife Margaret, descendants of William de Putot.
In the 19th century, following closure for safety reasons, substantial changes were made to the building, after it had fallen into disrepair. The old manor house was demolished, the castellated porch at the west entrance was removed and the spire raised to its present height. The roof was changed to its current separate arches for nave and north aisle. Further details are in section 4.
The early 20th century stained glass windows are of great beauty. The east window depicts the Ascension showing Jesus, Mary and some of the disciples. Further details are in section 6. The church was made a listed building grade II*, in 1951.
Further major changes were made in 2019-2020. The initial impetus for the project was a longstanding need for toilets, but plans were expanded to provide a new level floor, underfloor and radiator heating, with new electrics and lighting. The west end was restructured to include two toilets and a modern kitchen. These changes are described in more detail in a later section.
Historic people
The history of the church is made up from the lives of many unsung people. Below you can read about a few, selected from 800 years of history, whose contribution to the church is both recorded and significant.
De Putot - In the period 1222 to 1228 William de Putot, Sheriff of Gloucestershire, built a chapel with chantry attached to his manor house, which stood to the north of the church. The chapel was built as part of his Manor House and had its own private entrance via a flight of steps in the north west corner. The Manor House was demolished in 1846 in order to enlarge the burial ground.
In 1241 Sir William was made Mayor of Bristol.
Blounts - Lying in an ornamental canopied recess in the north wall are the stone effigies of a knight and his lady deduced to be members of the Blount family.
Edmund Blount is in armour and his wife Margaret is in pointed headdress and a long gown. The figure of Edmund was unearthed during an excavation in 1896. Born in 1404, Edmund died in Bitton in 1468. It is possible that Edmund and Margaret were responsible for enlargements to the church between 1460 and 1470.
The Reverend Robert Brodie was the first resident clergyman. Originally based in Clifton, he came to live in a house at Broad Street Staple Hill, now replaced by shops, and finally settled in The Cedars, Badminton Road until his resignation in 1859. He is credited with having “restored the church to its present· form."
Reverend Brodie is buried within the sanctuary along with his wife, a daughter and an infant son.
The Reverend Alfred Peache led St James Church from 1859 to 1874. In 1874 Mangotsfield and Downend were made parishes in their own right, and he became the first vicar of Downend. The right to appoint future clergy was secured by the Peache Trust in 1901. This responsibility now rests with the Bishop of Bristol. Rev Peache advised Arthur Jones in material for his book “Our Parish Mangotsfield”.
The Cave family were generous donors to St James and regularly supported fund raising events. In June 1907 a two day bazaar was arranged by Sir Charles Daniel Cave at his home of Rodway Hill House. In August 1927, the Duchess of Beaufort opened a garden fete and sale of work in the grounds of Rodway Hill House in aid of the church Restoration Fund.
A memorial to the Cave family can be found in the churchyard, surrounded by its own railings. In 1903 the Bishop of Bristol dedicated the stained glass window at the east end of the church to the memory of Daniel Cave whose parents resided at nearby Rodway Hill House.
Insights from old church minutes
The Bristol Archive holds various items on the history of St James Church including minute books from the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries.
In 1732 they decided to “search for some careful woman to tend and take care of as many of the Parish Children as the Parish shall think fit to put to her”.
In 1764 a decision was taken to build a vestry room, so as to avoid the expense of vestry meetings held in public houses.
In 1770 a resolution was passed to enforce the branding of poorhouse users with a red cloth sewn to the right sleeve. Some women refused and were compelled to quit the poorhouse.
The annual Mangotsfield revel had become so lively that the local folk could not endure the drunkenness and rowdyism. Parochial records from 1806 say “resolved that application be made to the magistrate to suppress the Mangotsfield Revel” as it was deemed highly injurious to the Parish.
In 1928 the new organ was dedicated. It had been purchased from George Riseley, the organist for the City of Bristol. The service included much music and the 83-year-old George conducted an augmented choir singing Mendelssohn’s Hear My Prayer.
In 1929 the vicar proposed, and it was carried unanimously, that the Christmas collection should be given to the Church of England Waifs and Strays Society (now known as the Children’s Society). This practice of giving away Christmas collections to the needy continues today at St James.
In 1942 an electric blower was introduced for the organ. Prior to this an organ blower was paid to manually pump the air.
There were very few immigrants in the parish in 1955. The minutes record “The number of West Indians coming to this country was increasing and it was shocking that they found a colour bar existed which made it difficult for them to find work and lodgings. We should prepare ourselves to behave naturally and avoid hurting their feelings when we do come into contact with them. We should be prepared to help them find lodgings and welcome them into our homes.”
Building changes in the 19th century
The Church was closed in 1811 by order of the Lord Bishop of Bristol, as Mangotsfield Church “be deemed unfit to assemble in for Divine Service”.
The middle arcade was seventeen inches out of perpendicular, and the north walls and their buttresses nine inches, evidence either of lengthy neglect or of subsidence due to coal workings, for which Mangotsfield was well known.
The roof was ‘thoroughly rotten’ in parts and had to be stripped. The new roof was a single span covering the whole of the expanse between the south wall and the north wall of the north aisle. It seems probable that the galleries, which had been for the poor children and enlarged in 1806 to provide accommodation for general use, were finally removed at this time. The only remaining evidence of them is a sloping ledge under the west window.
In 1851, during extensive reconstruction, the old historic porch at the west end
was removed to reveal the doorway. This doorway is a good example of Early English work. The two figures in niches on either side bear the Blount arms.
At the same time the middle arcade was rebuilt and the roof given its present two high pitched spans. Above the arches of the arcade and also on the south and north walls are corbels, alternately in the form of angelic figures with outstretched wings.
The spire, which had formerly had a truncated square top, was rebuilt and completed. The old and small entrance to the tower is still visible in the south wall.
Building changes in the 21st Century
Discussions on adding a toilet to the church date back to the 1950s, when plans were deemed too expensive. The reordering project finally got under way in 2019. Many contributed generously in time and money. We remember with thanks that Hugh Gardner left a substantial legacy to the church which encouraged the church to proceed with ambitious plans.
A new stone floor, set at the height of the chancel, provides level access throughout
the church. In the nave the pews have been replaced by stackable chairs.
Beneath the raised floor are electric and data cables enabling access points throughout the building. The new heating system has underfloor heating which supplements radiators concealed within new panelling.
Two toilets and a kitchen have been added at the west end of the nave, creating much needed facilities to enable the church to be used for a wider range of events.
New lighting has been installed, providing variable illumination and highlighting architectural features within the building.
The walls have been painted and the stonework cleaned.
The project has subsequently won a DAC (Diocesan Advisory Committee) 2021 award, celebrating the transformation that has refreshed the interior of the church, creating a space that is clean and crisp whilst respecting the heritage and character of the church.