The Parish Church of St. James, Little Clacton, in the County of Essex

This lovely old church is an almost completely unspoilt example of
early Norman architecture. The chancel was built soon after 1100
and the Nave lengthened and probably rebuilt in the early 14th century. The immensely thick walls are built of rubble, plastered
on the inside and cemented outside, which architects meddle
with at their peril.

In histories of ancient churches the further you go back the more "probably's" and "possibly's" creep in. However we do know that
The Domesday Book of 1086 records that parts of the Manor of Clacintune were given by the Bishop of London to five knights,
whom he supplied for the defence of the realm.

Early in the 12th century Bishop Richard de Belmeis acquired the
manor and he granted it to the newly founded priory of St. Osyth.

You enter the church through the ancient porch, "probably" 14th century, though one source pinpoints it at 1381. Recently the porch had its lean stabilised by lifting the roof up and the fitting of new oak beams. The originals could have been either rescued from wrecked ships around the coast or less romantically cut from the oakwoods then surrounding the village. Still in the porch and before you go through the South door into the church, in the wall on the right
is an ancient holy water stoup.

Standing inside the South door, when you've had a chance to take
in the feel of the place, you'll see above the North door opposite
a fine example of the Royal Coat of Arms, dated 1726.

On your left is the font, dated
around 1190. It was formed from
a solid block of Purbeck marble
from the hills near Corfe Castle
and is decorated with shallow
round headed arcades. (There
is a legend that it was rescued
long ago from someones garden.)

Further to your left is the organ,
(for organ buffs it is a two manual keyboard Walker organ).

Above it is the gallery and in the west end a completely
unrestored 14th century window of three lights. Up to
1934 there was a minstrels gallery but this was demolished
to make way for a huge organ bought from the Abbey Church
at Farringdon, eventually replaced by the present one in 1970.

In the bell tower above the gallery hang three bells, you can see the ropes dangling from beams. The
oldest bell was cast by Robert
Crouch in 1437, inscribed Sancta Margarita Ora Pro Nobis - ( St. Margaret pray for us). It is thought only thirteen of his bells exist and
ours is the only one in Essex. On it
are the foundry mark, a cross and a shield bearing the three leopards of England.The second is inscribed Miles Graye, 1652, this was recast in 1914. The third, the tenor, says Thomas Gardiner, Fecit 1748. Sadly we can
no longer peal them; even the
massive timbers of the bell tower
are showing their age.

However in 2006/7 they were given a thorough clean and inspection and new bell ropes fitted by the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and we do chime them. Underneath the gallery is the vestry.

Looking back across to the North door, on the left is another
14th century window and a memorial to the dead of two world
wars. Many of the names can be traced back far into village history.

Through the North door is our new Parish Room, only completed
in 1993 after years of fund raising effort. Unlike the original church
it has had the benefit of advice and decision from various learned committees.

Just to the right of the door
there is a brass plate in the
wall. This dates from 1530
and records William Hubbard
of Bovills Hall and his three
wives, Rose, Jayne and Joice.
This belongs to the large stone
across the floor before the door.

Following the "guided tour", as you walk up the aisle, on the
right is a board listing the priests and curates of this church
since John Russell in 1321. Then come two windows, both
originally 14th century.

The large window with three round-headed encusped lights
on your left is Elizabethan.

The pews have an interesting history. The old original pews, presumably mediaeval, are reputed to have been taken out
and sold off to local public houses and in 1847 replaced by
high pine box pews, dark varnished and a haven for bored
children during long sermons.

These were replaced in 1963
by the present limed oak pews,
still with doors by popular
demand and given in memory
of past congregation members
by relatives.

Coming into the chancel, the
pulpit dates from 1952. The
choir stalls and the altar rails,
given in memory of a past
vicar and another member
of the congregation respectively,
date from the same decade.

The magnificent glass in the in the 14th century East window was put
in as a memorial in 1945.

In the floor to the right of the altar are two tombs giving a touching story of the Hallam family. One records Mary Hallam aged 34, who
died in 1715 and was buried with two infants, Thomas and John,
while beside her lies Thomas Hallam who died in 1719 aged 47
and was recorded as a tender husband, an indulgent father and
a true friend.

Also to the right of the altar in
the South Wall of the sanctuary
is an ancient double piscina,
rare in that in most churches
it is single and dating probably
from the 1300's. Unused wine
and water which had been
blessed by the priest was
returned directly through the
piscina to consecrated earth,
water in one bowl, wine in
the other.

To the right again is a small
round headed doorway, the
Priest's door, through which
he entered his domain, the
sanctuary and the chancel.

On either side of this door are
two windows, the one to the
left is the same date and style
as the East window, the one
to the right is 15th century.

On the North side, to your left,
facing the altar is a genuine
and very narrow Norman
window. This has beautiful
new stained glass in memory
of a parishioner. Next to it
the Aumbry, used to reserve
the sacrament.

Both the window and the
Priest's door are almost
certainly contemporary with
Bishop Richard de Belmeis.

There are two brasses to the
left of the altar in the sanctuary
floor, to Giles Bageholt alias
Badger, 1581 and Thomas
Bageholt, his brother, 1568.

It was decided in 2006 that we would raise funds to remove the Victorian concrete from the outside walls of the church. This was primarily to stop the problem of damp and work started in 2006
on the South wall.

The original intention was to render it with permeable plaster but taking off the concrete revealed a complete wall of septaria stone.
This was so striking that we prevailed on the diocese to let us have
it pointed and kept as it was and very lovely it looks in the summer sunshine. We also discovered a medieval Scratch Dial carved in one
of the stone quoins.

In 2007 work started on the North and West walls and here we
found some surprises. Although most of the wall was septaria
stone as the South wall, about half the North chancel wall was
part Tudor and part 18th century brick. Then we discovered that
this brick wall was standing out from the original wall and behind
it was the outline of a wide low Norman archway. Its purpose
remains a complete mystery.

Even more surprising when a new vestry window was being put
in place in the West wall, half a ton of rubble cascaded down into
the vestry from the hollow wall above with amongst it an ancient
tomb lid. This has now been dated as 12th century, made of oolitic limestone from the quarry at Barnack in Lincolnshire. Some
medieval builder obviously thought it a handy bit of rubble.

Future plans when we have raised enough money are to render
the North wall, it not being in as good condition as the South wall.
The third stage will be to strip and re-decorate the interior walls
to see if there are any surprises there..

Although tucked away for nearly a thousand years in a rural corner
of Essex and having absorbed in its walls the prayers and worship
of Christian people over the centuries it cannot have escaped the turmoil and turbulence of our nation's history. We hope any visitors
will enjoy its present tranquillity and peace. If the sun is shining the extensive and well kept churchyard is shaded by some forty forest trees, many planted in the last fifteen years.