St James Church was built around 1200 to serve the growing town and was named as the Parish church. It was built near the site of the previous Saxon church which had served Trowbridge Castle. Alterations and additions were made in the 14th century, and these make up most of the earliest work visible that are still visible in the church today. A spire was also added to the tower and John of Gaunt, the lord of the manor, may have rebuilt the chancel. Around 1450, the nave and chapels were demolished, and the church rebuilt on grander lines in the contemporary Perpendicular style.
Thomas Helliker (23 March 1784 – 22 March 1803) was a figure in early English trade union history whose tomb sites in the graveyard of St James. Helliker was hanged in 1803 for a crime that he most likely did not commit and is now viewed as a martyr in the history of Trade Unionism. Helliker was an apprentice shearman at a Littleton Mill in Semmington. He was accused of being involved in a riot that burnt the mill and destroyed machinery that threatened the livelihood of craftsmen like himself. He was also accused of waving a pistol at a night-watchman. Thomas Helliker was tried in Salisbury even though many people at the time believed his statements that he was innocent and tried to get him to name the actual culprit. He refused to do so. It was believed he was protecting the real culprits. Helliker was hanged on his 19th birthday; his colleagues claimed his body and carried it across Salisbury Plain back to Trowbridge to be buried. His conviction has been challenged as controversial and he is now regarded as a victim of anti-Luddite sentiment.
The 17th and 18th centuries saw much non-conformist activity in the town and the parish church suffered periods of neglect with many of the wealthier townspeople being Dissenters. This led to the building being in very bad condition by the mid-19th century with the spire held together by iron bands, pieces of masonry falling off, and dangerous columns and arches. The restoration of the church was largely due to the work and efforts of Rev. J. D. Hastings and was completed in 1848. He also tidied up the churchyard and gave some of the land for the widening of Church Street.
In 1814, the poet, George Crabbe became rector of St James’, a position given to him by the new Duke of Rutland. He is best known for his early use of the realistic narrative form and his descriptions of middle and working-class life and people. He continued to write whilst sitting under a mulberry tree in the rectory grounds of St. James church. He also indulged in his hobby of fossil and herbarium collecting. Crabbe’s poetry earned him many admirers including Jane Austin and Byron, who referred to George as ‘Nature’s sternest painter yet the best’. Later, in 1945, Benjamin Britten composed the opera Peter Grimes based on the character in Crabbe’s poem, The Borough.
The church also suffered near disaster on two occasions in the late 20th century. In May 1986, the roof of the nave caught fire and there was substantial water and smoke damage; restoration costs were £200,000. On 25 January 1990, just after midday the town was hit by the Burns’ Day Storm that blew off the top 20 feet of the spire, which fell through the previously undamaged part of the nave and ceiling. No-one was injured and the church was restored at a cost of £400,000.
