Timeline St James Church - 1712 to 2012

1711Silsden was a village of 600 inhabitants and part of Skipton Castle

Estate. The Earl of Thanet was the Lord of the Manor. The nearest church was at Kildwick and not easily accessed for Silsden folk as only bridle paths existed. Four yeomen, Henry and Francis Stirk, Edmund Horsfall and Peter Cowling represented the village in asking the Earl for permission to buy land on which to erect a place of worship complete with requisite furnishings, and a church graveyard.

MAR 1711Permission was granted and land belonging to the Jennings family

was bought for ten shillings.

A barn (in the same spot as the present church), was converted at a cost of £66 to become Silsden's first place of worship, called a Chapel of Ease.

Heating came from a stove below a three decker pulpit. Music was provided by a few instrumentalist and there was no lighting so the Sunday service was held in the afternoon. There was, however a chamber where hung one bell.

THE BELLThis bell stands inside our church today. It is inscripted "AP 1659",

referring to Anne Pembroke, locally known as Lady Anne Clifford. She was Countess of Pembroke, Dorset, Montgomery and Westmorland.

The bell originally hung in a chapel at Skipton Castle, one of Lady Anne's residences.

1712 (25th July) Silsden's Chapel of Ease was consecrated on this day, which is the Feast of St James, hence our church's name. The Earl of Thanet paid expenses (£12) incurred in entertaining the Archbishop of York, John Sharp, and his party, who carried out the ceremony.

John Sharp was bom and bred in Ivegate, Bradford. Kildwick and Silsden were then part of the Diocese of York.

The vicar of Kildwick was also the vicar of Silsden. The incumbents for our Chapel of Ease were known as Perpetual Curates, David Clark being the first.

1728 -1766The second and longest serving of our ministers was Jonathan

Jackson.

1766 -1814George Benson was the 3rd Perpetual Curate.

1801The Chapel of Ease obtained a license to register Births and

Deaths. The first entries are:

Jan 2: John, son of Wm Blakey and Ann his wife, Silsden, Woolcomber.

Jan 28: Edmund, son of Wm Barker and his wife, Judith, Silsden, Mason.

Jan 28: Isaac Wilson, Gill Grange, Labourer. Deceased.

The population in 1801 was 1,300, mostly working in agriculture,
wool combing or nail making.

1814The fourth minister was Thomas Fourness Wilson who brought his wife Eleanor and baby John Eden, to live in Kildwick Hall. Thomas was already the incumbent at Whitechapel, Cleckheaton, and continued to be so whilst also serving Silsden. He used curates to help him.

1815Silsden’s population had increased to 1500 and the “barn” Chapel of Ease was much too small and in bad repair. It was decided to pull it down and built a bigger one. Coincidentally, England was celebrating after Napoleon’s defeat at Leipzig. The Earl of Thanet donated £80 for the festivities at Silsden to mark the longed for peace after war with France. The locals, however, agreed to put the £80 towards the £390 needed to build a new chapel.

1816Local workman Robert Wade and David Tillotson completed the new, larger place of worship. Incumbent Thomas Wilson contributed to the building fund and paid for the bell tower which housed “AP 1659” bell. A large stone, engraved with 1816 was part of the masonry. This stone is now in the wall of the steps leading to our church hall. It was put there when the 1816 building was demolished to make room for our present church.

1820The National School opened next to the church. It’s first head master was John Wade.

1832Richard Heelis was appointed curate to assist Thomas Wilson who was by now living at Burley in Wharfedale with his wife and 6 children. Thomas was by now a Justice of the Peace for the West Riding as well as Silsden’s Perpetual Curate.

1835The original graveyard of 973 sq.yds was also too small for Silsden’s growing population. A licence to extend it was granted and a burial ground of 2075 sq.yds was operational by early 1835

1837Thomas Fourness Wilson died suddenly, aged 68 years on the 17th of October. Richard Heelis became incumbent and moved from lodgings to a house next to the church, which had been a farm house attached to Jennings Hall. He was the first incumbent to live in Silsden and soon his home became known as “The Vicarage” and himself as Vicar.

1842Mr Heelis married Elizabeth Charnock, daughter of a corn miller, at Kildwick church.

1843Richard Heelis asked the diocese for a licence (which was given) in order that couples could marry at St James’. Previously couples had to marry at Kildwick.

Nov’12 Parish records state that Richard Heelis began to have two services on each Sunday instead of one.

184531st July The first wedding was between two Silsden people, Stephen Tillotson and Ann Driver, a farmer and a farmer’s daughter. Heelis performed many weddings, 197 in all, twice doing 4 in one day.

1847Elizabeth Heelis died after four and a half years of marriage.

1862Richard’s health deteriorated and so he employed a curate to do the parish work while he went abroard to recuperate.

1865March Richard Heelis died at Nice, France, where he is buried.

1865John Marriner became Silsden’s new vicar. Church attendance dropped to it’s lowest during his time.

1873Sept’ Marriner was found in a state of intoxication and resigned immediately.

1874Jesse Cleaves takes over. The school, where our church hall stands today,was too small for the population. A school board comes into being to address the concerns of education.

1876The 1816 church building, except for the tower needed renovating and on 14 May, the last service in it was held. Restoration by a Keighley architect, Mr J B Bailey, cost £2,000 and took over a year.

1877A vastly different St. James, with gas lighting and a new heating system re-opened.

Four years after leaving St. James’ Vicarage in disgrace,the story of Rev. John Stuart Marriner hit the national newspapers and brought much unwanted attention to the village.

1881Rev. Francis Knowles started a monthly Parish Magazine. He also instituted many new church based societies and organizations. During the following years he brought together four local churches in joint worship services. (St. James, Primitive Methodists, Wesleyans and Bethesda ) Frances Knowles was very involved in the community too, much to it’s benefit and improvement.

To be continued…

To read the full unedited version, “A History of Silsden Church 1712 – 2012”, contact Brian Turner on 01535 655347 or see him in church for your copy.