A short introduction to the Parish Church of St. James the Great, Ince

Compiled by Andy Ankers and Simon Eardley, after 'A Cheshire Parish' - Revd F.G. Slater (1919)

An ancient legend has it that our parish church was originally intended to be built in the northern portion of the parish, on the high ground overlooking the River Mersey. For some reason or other the good fairies disapproved of that very inconvenient situation and night after night carried the stones to the opposite side of the valley. The builders gave up the struggle, and the church was erected where is stands to-day.

Our parish church is dedicated to Almighty God, in honour of St. James the Great. No-one knows the date of the first church in Ince but looking at the list of previous vicars of the parish, one can but guess at the answer. It is a fact that a church stood here in Norman times, but no trace of that building now remains (the last fragments of Norman work in the shape of mouldings above the door in the south porch were destroyed in 1854). Our present building is a mixture of ages and is built of Manley stone (quarried some four miles from the village.) The chancel and tower date back to the 15th century and the nave was re-built with the north aisle added in 1854, so much so that the building was re-consecrated in that year.

The chancel and the nave are not quite in a straight line (this arrangement is known as a weeping chancel.) If you stand by the font and look towards the altar you will notice that the chancel diverges to the north. Two explanations are given. One is that it is meant to symbolise the droop of our Saviour's head upon the cross. The other, perhaps less fanciful, is that it is an attempt to point the direction of the chancel (otherwise called its orientation) toward that quarter of the heavens in which the sun rises on the feast day of our patron saint, St James, 25th July.

The measurements of the building are as follows:

Length of chancel           38 feet               11.69 metres

Length of nave                50 feet               15.38 metres

Length of tower              13 feet               4 metres

Width of chancel             18 feet               5.54 metres

Width of nave & aisle     45 feet               13.84 metres

Width of tower               10 feet               3.07 metres

Height of tower              51 feet               15.69 metres

Stained glass

The stained glass windows in our church have, over past years, been criticised by some as being of poor taste. This is a matter of opinion - what do you think?

In the chancel are two windows by the renowned stained glass designer, Charles Kempe (1837-1907) which are opposite each other and represent the four Evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.) These windows present a challenge! Kempe's private mark, the wheatsheaf, can be found within one of the windows if you look carefully. The windows were given by members of the Cheshire Hunt in memory of Edmund Waldegrave Park Yates who died from a fall in the hunting field in 1896.

The east window in the sanctuary dates from the mid 19th century and depicts the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, Resurrection and Ascension of our Lord. A similarly designed window in the east end of the north aisle shows St. Peter, St. James and St. John. Of perhaps more interest is the window on the north side of the nave in memory of Eric Helsby who was a gifted artist and lover of the countryside. St Francis of Assissi is depicted on the left and St. Werburgh on the right together with many different forms of wildlife.

Church furniture

The carved 'Nativity' chair sits in the north side of the sanctuary and most likely belonged to a John Bellis, Yeoman of Great Barrow, who was born in 1634 (the date immediately beneath the carved group of the Nativity.) Two shields flank the initials I.B., one with an elaborate cross crosslet, the other with a Welsh goat and the further carvings of flowers and leaves. Each arm of the chair is composed of two fishes with their tails intertwined. John Bellis was the father of the Revd. Robert Bellis, Vicar of Ince, who was buried here in 1721.

A magnificent brass chandelier, with its twelve branches, was presented to the church in 1724 by Mr George Wynne who had bought the Ince estate in 1722. The chandelier bears the following inscription (most likely added after Sir George's death):

'The gift of Sir Geo : Winne Barᵗ : late Lord of this Manner of Ince : Anno 1724'

 This Sir George Wynne built Leeswood Hall, near Mold, and set up his famous white gates there.

The twisted altar rails date from the 17th century. The chancel also contains the funeral hatchment of Mrs Elizabeth Jane Park (a large 'lozenge' shaped frame showing the deceased's heraldic family arms, crest and supporters.) Mrs Park was responsible for the substantial restoration of the church, completed in 1854. Our church records note the grateful thanks of the parishioners as follows:

'We the undersigned on behalf of ourselves and the Inhabitants of Ince generally beg leave most respectfully to offer you our grateful and sincere thanks for the great solicitude for our best and everlasting interest you have shewn in the restoration, at your sole expense, of our venerated Parish Church from a dilapidated building to the present costly and beautiful structure, thereby affording us the increased means of comfort and convenience in worshipping our Heavenly Father.'

The lectern, cast in brass in the traditional shape of an eagle, is in memory of Captain Park Yates. The stone font probably dates from the 1854 restoration.

Within the tower arch stands the organ, built by Nicholson and Lord of Walsall, which was dedicated:

'To the Glory of God this Organ was given by the inhabitants of Ince and their friends and dedicated Wednesday, March 28, 1906. F. Clifton Smith, Vicar. W. Greenway, T. Darlington, Churchwardens. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord.'

Tower and bells

The tower clock, made by Morland of Chester, with one white dial looking north, is also dated 1854 and strikes on the hour only. It requires winding once a week with twenty one turns on both weights, one for the clock and one for the strike.  There are three bells housed in the tower although sadly these are not matched.  The two lighter bells are dated:

1622 with the inscription 'Jesus Bee our Spede'

1636 with the inscription 'God Save our Churche'

The third treble bell was installed at the restoration in 1854 and is inscribed 'C. & G. Mears Founders London 1854' with the clock made to strike upon it.

In his book, 'A Cheshire Parish', the Revd F.G Slater writes perhaps a fitting conclusion to his short summary of our church:

'With no very striking architectural features or wealth of ancient woodwork our parish church always favourably impresses the casual visitor, while it is best loved by those who know it best.'