St James the Less, Sulgrave

St James the Less is the parish church of Sulgrave, north-east of Banbury, a short walk from Sulgrave Manor. Lawrence Washington, who built the manor and was an ancestor of George Washington, is buried here in front of the family pew, under glass painted with the Washington arms. Historic England lists the church Grade II*.

The story of St James the Less

The church is mostly thirteenth to sixteenth century, the listing says, and the church's own account dates the main building to the reign of Edward III, from 1327 to 1377. The west doorway is the oldest thing in it: it has a triangular stone head, and the listing says it is said to have come from an earlier church north-west of the village. The church calls it Saxon, perhaps tenth century.

The south porch carries the date 1564 and the initials ER. The church suggests it may mark a visit by Elizabeth I, or the death that year of Amee, Lawrence Washington's wife, which is the belief Sulgrave's village appraisal of 1995 records. Around 1840 the nave roof was replaced and galleries put in. The restoration of 1885 took them out again, and the listing dates the north aisle to that year.

The Washingtons' pew

The Washington pew stands at the east end of the south aisle. The village appraisal tells its story: a contractor took it out in the restoration of 1885, it passed through several hands, and in 1924 Sir Charles Wakefield bought it and gave it back to the church, where it was dedicated on 25 July that year. A squint beside it, which let its occupants see the high altar, was blocked after the Reformation and opened again in 1885.

Lawrence Washington, his wife Amee and, the appraisal presumes, their eldest son Robert lie under a large slab in front of the pew. The brass on it has had a rough time. In August 1889 the brasses of the children were stolen and the head cut off Lawrence's figure, and the stolen pieces came back to the tomb in 1924. The listing describes what is left as fragments: part of a male figure, the children and a shield.

What to look for

• The Washington pew, and the brass in front of it to Amee Washington, who died in 1564, and Lawrence, who died in 1584
• The stained glass shields with the Washington arms in the south aisle east window, probably sixteenth century and moved here from elsewhere, says the listing. The church describes four panels showing three generations of the family
• The west doorway with its triangular head, and the 1564 datestone on the south porch, renewed in the twentieth century
• Fourteenth-century carved heads of a king and queen reset in the chancel walls
• An octagonal font, which the listing dates to about 1660 and the church to the fifteenth century
• An old chest in the south aisle, which local tradition says was the Washingtons'
• The oak screen in the tower arch, given in 1929 by the Women's Committee of the George Washington Institute of America, says the appraisal

There is also a wall monument of 1724 to John and Moses Hodges.

The tower has six bells and a medieval sanctus bell. The appraisal records that in 1552 one bell was sold to Thomas Stuttesbury and Lawrence Washington for £16, the money to go on mending the roads and fords.

Visiting St James the Less

The church's National Churches Trust entry says it has no regular opening times, so ask before a special trip. Our Sulgrave guide found the same, so treat a closed door as possible. The entry lists level access to the main areas, accessible toilets nearby, and a welcome for dogs, walkers and cyclists. The way in is by the lych gate on Church Street, given in 1929, and the south door.

Getting there

The church is on Church Street at the south-west end of the village, a short walk from the manor. The church's entry says there is parking on the street and within 250m, and a bus stop within 100m. Our Sulgrave and Culworth circular starts in the village.

Nearby

Sulgrave Manor is the Washingtons' house, open in season. Read our story of Sulgrave Manor and the Washingtons for the family. More Washington arms are at St Mary's, Fawsley, brought from Sulgrave in 1830, and the Drydens' church at Canons Ashby is a short drive north.