Fonds - Anglican Parish of Carbonear

The construction and completion of the present church building of St. James, Church was in 1864. However, the present structure is not the first one to service the Parish. The previous church, build in 1815, was also called St. James' Church. There was also a small church or meeting house built about 1762.
There was no Anglican Church in Carbonear between 1788 and 1815. Up to 1840 the Anglican population of Carbonear and Harbour Grace formed one parish. Most of the early clergy served the Parish under the auspices of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel.
Land was procured around 1813 and the first St. James Church was completed in 1815. In 1819 the congregation pledged to support a priest of their own. On April 9th 1860, the foundation lines were marked out for the construction of a new church. Ground was broken on May 7th 1860 and work continued until June when a large portion of the congregation left for the Annual Labrador Fishery. The shortage of volunteer labor unavoidably slowed construction. However, the church was completed in 3 ½ years and was consecrated on November 10th 1864.