Marton St. James (near Congleton), Cheshire Genealogy

History
Marton St James and St Paul was formerly a chapelry in the Ancient Parish of Prestbury and became a parish in 1728. Marton was one of the 35 townships in the Pre- Norman Ancient Parish of Prestbury.

The church differs from the majority of churches in Cheshire in that its body is timber framed. It is one of the oldest timber framed churches in Europe. Only a handful of churches of this type remain in England; other surviving examples include churches at Lower Peover and Baddiley (Cheshire), Melverley (Shropshire), Besford (Worcestershire) and Hartley Wespall (Hampshire).

The church was founded and endowed in 1343 by Sir John de Davenport and his son Vivian. Further land was donated by the family in 1370. The belfry was added subsequently; it dates from around 1540. The roof was lowered in 1804.

Restorations were carried out by J. M. Derick in 1850 and William Butterfield in 1871. Derick replaced two-light windows with windows of three lights. Butterfield tidied some of the timbers in the tower. At that time, the existing entrance at the west end was also added. Further restoration was carried out in 1930–31, including renewal of some wall panels, rafters and belfry shingles. A brick extension to the chancel was constructed in the 20th century.

The timber frame features close studding with a middle rail. It rests on a stone plinth, the infill is rendered brick and the roof is of slate. At the west end is a shingled square tower with a shingled broach spire ending in a weather cock. This is surrounded by lean-to roofed aisles on the north, west and south sides. The tower has a western arched door with a 20th-century door which incorporates 17th-century iron strap hinges.The body of the church consists of a three-bay nave with north and south aisles, a two-bay chancel and north and south chapels at the ends of the aisles, and a south porch.The timber piers are octagonal in shape.

Civil Registration
Birth, marriages and deaths were kept by the government, from July 1837 to the present day. The civil registration article tells more about these records. There are several Internet sites with name lists or indexes. A popular site is FreeBMD.

Church records
To find the names of the neighboring parishes, use England Jurisdictions 1851. In this site, search for the name of the parish, click on the location "pin", click Options and click List contiguous parishes.

Parish registers for Marton (near Congleton), 1536-2001

Microfilm copy of original record in the Cheshire Record Office, Chester, England. Marton is a chapelry in the parish of Prestbury. The church is known as St. James'.Cheshire Record Office Call number.: P224/1-4, P224/6130/1-2.

Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1536-1722. Baptisms, marriages, burials, 1724-1812. Baptisms, 1813-1837. Marriages 1769 (none). Burials 1813-1846. FHL BRITISH Film 1656603 Items 4 - 8 Baptisms, 1838-2000. Burials, 1847-2001. FHL BRITISH Film 2262784 Items 2 - 3 Baptisms, 1838-2000 (another filming). Burials, 1847-2001 (another filming). FHL BRITISH Film 2356794 Items 1 - 2

Poor Law Unions

 * Macclesfield

Registration Districts

 * Macclesfield (1837–1998)
 * Cheshire East (1998+) registration events can be searched online at Cheshire_BMD