St James
West Tilbury, Essex
© Nigel Anderson - St James Trust
Other Memorials
After the original refurbishment of the church in 1712, a number of memorials were erected in memory of wealthy and influential
parishioners of St James. The memorials to servicemen who died in the Great War are covered in the War Memorials section.
Positioned on the North wall of the chancel, the bronze plaque to the
memory of James Burness is inscribed:
In Loving Memory of
James Burness,
born at Pitgarvie, Kincardineshire
January 16th 1799
Died at Garden Lodge, Addison Road,
Kensington, May 20th 1879
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love
The Burness Family controlled much of the land around West Tilbury during the nineteenth century, with James Burness first
purchasing the estate lands from the trustees of Frances Kelly during 1872. After that his son George Richard Burness expanded the
estate further by purchasing nearly every farm in the parish until his death in 1925.
The Burness family would remain largely non resident in the village (James Burness residing in Leytonstone) but under their
influence West Tilbury, became a modern estate-village, and was vastly improved with excellent new cottages at Low Street and
others over looking The Green.
The family were generous and also paid for the new church tower in 1883 and extended the burial ground as a proprietorial gift.
The marble plaque in the tower also commemorates James Burness and gives us the date of when the new stone tower was
completed under the guidance of Rev Dobree.
Positioned high up on the south wall of the chancel (and matching the memorial to
Lady Gordon). Miss Pritchard was the ward of Reverend Gordon.
“Sacred to the memory of
Louisa Susannah Pritchard
Only daughter of the Rev John Pritchard MA
Late of Boughton under Blean in the county of Kent
and Susannah his wife
She died at Tunbridge Wells
on the 22nd August AD 1818
Aged 27 Years
Her remains are deposited in the churchyard
Of this Parish, and as she expressly desired
near those of her revered relatives
Sir Adam and Lady Gordon”
The monument is made by Watson of Dartford.
Positioned high up on the north wall of the chancel, Lady Gordon was the wife of Reverend Gordon.
There are four other prominent memorials in the Nave of the church :
•
Henry Cole (1831 - 1909)
& Louisa Cole (1831 - 1915)
•
Richard Hunt Mickelfield (1737 - 1798)
& Honor Hunt Mickelfield (1744 - 1802)
•
William Hunt Mickelfield (1743 - 1826)
& Katharine Hunt Mickelfield (1754 - 1842)
•
Joseph Walker (1754 - 1807)
& Elizabeth Walker (1757 - 1814)