St. JAMES’ CHAPEL, OVER NORTON – documentary history
Kindly supplied by Jan Cliffe
This building is located at the eastern end of Main Street, on the edge of Over Norton Park.
It has been in the ownership of Over Norton Park since the estate was bought by James Dawkins.
It is assumed that it may have been a barn originally, then possibly converted to a cottage at some point in the past, as there is evidence of a chimney breast in the rear wall. Unfortunately no documentation exists to prove this theory.
| 1726 | Over Norton Park purchased by James Dawkins of Wiltshire |
| 1770 | The building appears on the survey map drawn up for Henry Dawkins at the same time as the enclosure of Chipping Norton, and is shown by red arrow. |
| At some point, probably in the early 19C, the building was rented out as a school. | |
| 1839 | The Parliamentary Gazetteer of England recorded that Over Norton had a daily school. |
| 1841 | This census does not mention a school or teacher. |
| 1851 | Mrs. Sarah Joines, 62, schoolmistress |
| 1861 | Mrs. Ann Martin, 53, schoolmistress |
| 1865 | Map of Dawkins estate |
| 1871 | No teacher recorded. |
| One uninhabited house, chapel and schoolhouse for boys and girls. | |
| 1881 | Mrs. Louisa Thornly, 22, schoolmistress residing at No. 3 School Square. |
| No. 2 School Square uninhabited. | |
| 1891 | Miss Emily Hyatt, 36, schoolmistress residing at No. 5 The Village |
| 1890s | Wm.G.Dawkins resisted the efforts to make it a Board School |
| 1898 | Wm.S. Foote was principal teacher |
| 1899 | Children from 3-12 were taught in one room. |
| 1900 | John Lane, headteacher with Miss C.Smith, assistant teacher. They both moved with the school to the new premises. |
| 1901 | 11 November, new school was built and opened in Choicehill Road, Over Norton. |
| 1902 onwards | The old school building then became the village Reading Room/Meeting Room notices etc. |
| ? date | The Mission Room was established in the building and it was used for parish meetings, village events, church services etc. This was run by the Church Army, based in Dunstan House, New St. Chipping Norton, founded by the Church of England in 1882 as an evangelistic organisation. |
| There is a set of china in Chipping Norton Museum inscribed ‘Over Norton Misssion Room’ | |
| 1918 | Building included in sale of many village properties as Mission Room. |
| 1941 |
The Bishop of Dorchester licensed the building for Holy Communion and Divine Services and it was renamed as St. James’ Chapel, attached to St. Mary’s church in Chipping Norton. It is still in the ownership of Over Norton Park. Click here to see an image of the front page of the licence. |
| 2020 | The building is now in a state of disrepair, with a loyal but declining congregation and its future is uncertain. Due to Covid pandemic the chapel has been closed. |
| 2021 | The building is in the process of being handed back to the landlords. |
Sources for the above information:
- ‘Over Norton: A North Oxfordshire Village’ by S.Rhona Arthur, 2000
- Find my Past: census returns
- Chipping Norton Museum- Archives – Over Norton
Everyone has questions about what life is all about. We believe that everyone should have a chance to share those questions, explore the Christian faith and give their point of view.
Alpha is a place where you can ask those questions in an honest, friendly and open environment. We'll be running a course again in the Autumn, but in the meantime, find out more here...
So many people in our community feel the weight of debt, and we are passionate about helping to release anyone we can from a life sentence of debt and poverty. At St Mary's we are working with Christians Against Poverty to bring good news, hope and freedom. If you need support, we'd love to hear from you.