Revd. Job Read about Revd. Job Revd. Phillips was Assistant Curate from 1897 to 1912. Previously he had read the lessons in church for three years. A man of varied talents he helped with aspects of parish life varying from the Church Lads’ Brigade to carving at the various “Supper Do’s”. Read more about Revd. Phillips

The third incumbent of St. James’s, in 1893, was Revd. Charles Robert Job. On the Sunday before his induction he said that “the responsibility was not a light one, when he remembered the loving labours which his predecessors had wrought. He felt that if it were not that Almighty God can use whatever men or instruments He sees fit, he would shrink from the task which lay before him.” Read the article Our New Vicar.

Services
Revd. Job made some changes to the pattern of church services. From early on in his incumbency he held Holy Communion on Sunday mornings at 07.00 and 08.00 and on special Sundays after the morning service (at 10.00 or 11.00). He introduced a weekly evening service at 19.30 or 20.00 when the choir sang and a Midnight Service to see the Old Year out and the New Year in. Later, in November 1899, he proposed a new service at 16.00 on the second Sunday in each month for men only, the first being on the subject of warfare. He was continually encouraging more people to attend more services, sometimes by changing the times of services. For example, in April 1898, the time of the Sunday morning service was changed from 10.00 to 11.00. Also, throughout the summer months in 1896, the daily services, apart from Wednesday, were held at 10.00. “I hope that his may meet the convenience of those who attend, and that the regularity of the hour may secure a larger attendance than we have at present.”

He stressed that Christmas, Easter and Whitsuntide were the three great Festivals of the year and in 1895 urged people to go to one of the three celebrations of Holy Communion held on these occasions. The Maundy Thursday evening services were used as 'preparation' for the Easter Communion with the number of communicants being four hundred and sixty five at Easter 1903 rising to five hundred and seventy four in 1909. There were five separate services on Christmas Day 1910 with four hundred and fourteen communicants. Read the article Ascension Day.

The March 1894 magazine reported: “I ask all who come to write their name on a piece of paper, and place it, or their card, in a basket which will be in the porch for the purpose. … This is so that the Communicants' Register may be duly marked as the clergy are required by the Bishop to keep a correct list of the communicants.” In May 1895 the total number of ‘Acts of Communion’ for the year was 3299, against 2889 for the previous year. The November 1904 magazine reported: "Persons wishing to obtain sittings at the Church should apply to one of the Churchwardens by letter, or remain behind after any of the services."

There was always an annual confirmation and in 1902, when Bishop Barry officiated, there were eighty eight candidates from our own parish. There were also contingents from Hampton and Hampton Wick with seventeen and a half being the average age. In 1909 children were encouraged to attend a new system of catechising on Sunday afternoons, which it was felt would be more interesting and instructive for them. This was intended for those who did not go to Sunday School as well as those who did. “They will be supplied with questions to learn during the week.” Then in 1910 a new idea for the children’s services was started to encourage the children to take greater interest in the church and in their lessons. Stamps for full attendance were given and placed in small albums and parents were encouraged to help.

By the end of his incumbency the church was well attended and in 1913 the churchwardens asked people who were not seat-holders to check with them or the verger before going into a seat other than a free seat. They would try to keep the seats for the seat-holders until the service started.

The large vicarage garden when it extended all the way down St. James's Road. It was ideal for the Sunday School infants for their games and tea. It was also used for the annual St. James's Day celebrations.

Sunday School
There was an annual distribution of prizes to the Sunday School children. In 1898 there were about two hundred and fifty children present for this, nearly all the teachers and a fair number of parents. About forty prizes were given, consisting of Bibles, prayer books and story books. Read the article Prize Distribution.

The Sunday School excursion to Brighton in 1898 included members of the choir and Bible class and a special train was arranged with the railway company. The following year the excursion was to Southsea and the party numbered four hundred and eighty five. In 1905 it was a “River Excursion to Windsor where the boats were comfortable and well managed by civil and obliging men, and the changing scene on the banks formed a continuous panorama, pleasant and restful.” Each year about one hundred and ten of the younger Sunday School children who did not go on the outing were invited instead to the vicarage for games and tea.

During this time attendance at Sunday School grew so much that by 1910 it became impossible to seat all the children in church, so it was decided to have a separate service taken by the teachers for them in the church room at the same time as the service in church. The service was “short, simple and suited to the capacities of the little ones”.

Stained glass windows erected in the north aisle. Zacharius 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel' and Saint Elizabeth 'Blessed are they which do hunger after righteousness for they shall be filled'. "In loving memory of Charles Pemberton, born 29 Sept 1814 died 6 Sept and of Jane his wife, born 12 March 1825 and died 18 March 1888, this window is erected by their surviving children March 1900." Read an article about these windows

Social Events
The Winter Entertainments Committee was still very popular in the parish and continued to organise plays, concerts, “tableaux vivants”, variety entertainments and parish teas and suppers. A sacred concert in March, 1896, was described as “a new departure”. From 1897 these entertainments were held in the new Victoria Hall which was larger, more convenient and more accessible than the schools. Also in that year the annual parish tea was replaced by a “conversazione” with a lime-light lantern picture show, songs and was so popular it was held for many years. Read the articles The Annual Conversazione and Social Events.

St. James’s Day continued to be celebrated in great style as also was the annual flower show. Drawing Room Meetings, on behalf of the Colonial and Continental Church Society or the Diocesan Church Reading Union, took place at the vicarage from 1894 in the form of lectures. The December 1902 magazine reported: “I am glad to say that the Church Reading Union Lectures have awakened some interest in Church History, and the good attendance has been decidedly encouraging.”

The church also played a great part in encouraging sporting associations. Revd. Job was a great enthusiast and played for the Cricket Club. He was also president of the Football Club in 1897 and his popular curate, Revd. E. S. Phillips was vice-president. The Junior team had been district champions the previous season. In 1903, the Football Club played a match on Easter Monday in aid of the Nurses’ Fund - one more indication of the community spirit. Sporting activities were also arranged by the Working Men’s Club and Institute, still at that time closely connected with the church since its foundation by the first vicar. Revd. Job still remained ex-officio president. The annual sports, which started in the Golden Jubilee year, continued to be held and, in 1899, the “chief attraction was an electrically lighted steam roundabout". Events included a Long Clay Pipe Race, and a Hampton Hill Fire Brigade competition which involved a 100 yards race in full uniform, carrying two full pails of water, the spiller of least water being the winner.

Hampton Hill Football Club in 1903 with Revd. Job.

Groups
Groups, clubs and societies associated with the church continued to develop. The Horticultural Society flourished as the parish was built largely on the site of a thriving nursery garden industry. In 1896, land in Bushy Park was acquired for allotments and in that year the Society was affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society. A local branch of the British and Foreign Bible Society was formed in 1896 and the following year a local branch of the Mothers' Union was formed with about forty members. This held monthly meetings, sometimes with distinguished speakers, an annual general meeting and a supper in February. At the same time, a more informal ‘Mothers’ Meeting’ started up and continued until the 1930s. The Orchestral Society flourished in the early 1900s, performing Handel’s Messiah in 1909, and the village brass band continued to flourish. The "Lend-a-Hand" Musical Society, conducted by Revd. Phillips, was started in 1905 and developed into a Choral Society.

Stained glass windows erected in the north aisle by the St. James Communicants Association. The left panel 'Go ye also into the vinyard' in 1900 and the right panel 'Follow me and I will make you fishers of men' in 1910.

The Communicants’ Association, later known as the Communicants’ Guild, still flourished in the 1900s and was supported by many adult churchgoers. In addition to its regular meetings, it held an annual tea which was later replaced by an annual general meeting. A local branch of the Church of England Temperance Society was formed in 1903 and showed signs of "considerable vigour". A branch of the Church of England’s Men’s Society (C.E.M.S) was formed in January, 1910. It soon developed a full programme, including social evenings, slide shows and lectures on church history which continued for many years with a regular monthly service. Read the article Church of England’s Men’s Society. There was also a Working Men's Club and Institute, Bible classes, the Bible Society, the Middlesex Bee-keepers' Association, The Continuation School for Youths, S.P.G. Missionary working parties, Scripture Readers' Association, Waifs and Strays Society, Our Dumb Friends' League, Church Missionary Society, Hampton Hill Football Club and Cricket Club. There were free Technical Instruction Classes, in connection with the County Council in shorthand, laundry, dressmaking, horticulture, cookery and ambulance work.

Windows of ‘Faith’ and ‘Hope’ erected in the north aisle in 1907 by Mrs. Sale Hall, a former resident in the parish, in memory of her late husband. The figures in the window and the window had been designed and fixed by Messrs. Heaton, Butler and Bayne. The magazine of January 1907 reported: “The colouring is soft and bright and the general effect extremely pleasing. The window is a very acceptable addition to the adornment of our Church, and will not be without its suggestive thoughts for those who look upon it.” Read an article about these windows

In the 1890s a Girls’ Friendly Society was started and became very popular with weekly handicraft meetings and a quarterly service followed by a tea being a regular feature. Read the article The Girls’ Friendly Society. The oldest Church youth organisation in the village was the Church Lads’ Brigade, which trained youths in “health, citizenship and the principles of the Church of England”. In 1894 a boy had to be a member of St. James’s Bible Class or Sunday School before he could join the Brigade. It made a new departure in 1895 with the first Church Parade taking place when the company, preceded by the Hampton Hill Brass Band, marched to church. The Brigade Band was large and effective and was thus called into use at many village functions and we hear that in 1900 it met the Sunday School children at Fulwell Station and marched them back to the village after their outing to the sea, and, of course, it also led the processions on the Patronal Festivals. Read the article The Lads' Brigade. A Band of Hope, a very popular youth organisation in connection with the schools, was started in 1893 and from the start showed signs of "strong and healthy vigour" with an attendance of about a hundred. Its programme of entertainments and activities of all kinds included magic lantern shows and a quarterly tea. Read the article The Band of Hope.

Witness/Mission
The giving of charity was still one of the most important functions of the church before the advent of the Welfare State. St. James’s continued to maintain several almshouses in the parish and also contributed generously to the work of the church by the Home and Foreign Missions and other charities. The N.S.P.C.C. was keenly supported as was the Waifs and Strays Society.

As there still was no National Health Service at this time, St. James’s decided to celebrate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee by providing the parish with a nurse, a “Victoria Diamond” nurse. A committee was set up in April 1897, funds poured in, and the first nurse was appointed in September. This inspiration proved a great benefit to the parish especially as there were many outbreaks of measles and influenza during these years. The magazine of 1909 reported that the nurse had made 3,086 visits in that year and that her services were still being paid for by public subscription. Read the article The Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

There were also regular missionary working parties and monthly services of intercession. Offertories were devoted to the S.P.G. on Advent Sunday, 1902, to the Colonial and Continental Church Society on Ash Wednesday, 1909, and to the Mission to Seamen in May, 1909, to mention just a few examples. Special appeals, such as that for the Indian Famine Relief Fund in 1897, were also generously supported. There was also a Teddington Hospital Fund and regular sums were contributed to help what must have been the fulfilment of a long felt parish need.

The church choir with Revd. Job, Revd. Phillips the curate and Mr. Dawkins the organist.

Music
The adult members of the choir were treated to an annual outing on the river and later joined the Sunday School for their annual trip to the seaside. Mr. Dawkins, the organist, eventually resigned in 1911 having spent thirty four years giving faithful, patient and careful work, which was thoroughly appreciated by every member of the congregation. Mr. H. T. Gilberthorpe, who took over from him, had "considerable experience with testimonials of the highest order" and was selected with very great care from about sixty applicants.

In 1901, the organ was cleaned, repaired and in various ways improved using the profits made from a sale of work and 'Battle of Flowers'. According to the report: “this rendered the instrument almost as complete and perfect as it could be made with its powers being largely increased by the alteration of various stops and the addition of new ones which added to the enjoyment of the services”.

 

The organ pedal pipes were painted by Mrs. Isdell Carpenter and her sister in 1894. They were painted with lilies and foliage in cream and gold with real gold leaf specially supplied by the Admiralty. The pipes originally formed the frontage in the west arch of the organ chamber. The magazine of April 1894 reporting: “The Church has been further beautified during the last few weeks by the Misses Isdell, who have painted, with great taste, the organ pipes facing the north aisle. The work has been laborious and has occupied a great many hours, and the result is most pleasing”.

The organ was rebuilt in 1912 by Messrs. Hele and Co., of Plymouth and London. The pipes were reused and the characteristic mellow tone was greatly enhanced when the accumulated dust was cleared out and some of them were revoiced. The wooden pipes, painted by the Misses Isdell in 1894, were unfortunately moved out of sight to the rear of the organ chamber and substituted with the silvered metal open diapason pipes that now fill the arch. Electric blowing equipment was installed, the swell shutters were made to open vertically, thus sending the sound straight down the church and two new stops were added. The magazine of April 1912 reported: “The latest form of tubular pneumatic action will be fitted throughout. The touch will be as light and flexible as that of the finest pianoforte. The fingers will merely have to move the key or stop and the compressed air will do the rest. All cumbersome and noisy mechanism will be entirely absent.” During the rebuilding the services were accompanied by a dozen instrumentalists or by a harmonium. As the rebuilding of the organ substituted an electric blower for the old hand-blowing mechanism, the church had to dispense with the services of Mr. Thomas Willis who had carried out the office of 'blower' for thirty-six years. Read the article Re-Building the Organ.

The Church Building
During this period the church itself underwent a variety of improvements. The church roof was repaired and in 1894 the gas brackets and standards were re-gilded or lacquered. A small "supplementary heating apparatus" was installed in the chancel. Originally the church was heated by a coke-fired boiler, later converted to oil-firing and then to gas. The whole heating system was repaired, the boiler was enclosed and new ventilators were installed. Later, in 1903, windows replaced ventilators on the north side. “These will add very much to the light and greatly improve the appearance of the church.” Electric lighting was installed in the church in 1904 with the magazine of September 1904 reporting: “Experiments have been made and a system finally fixed upon. Not only will the light be much better than it is at present, but there will not be that exhaustion of the atmosphere, incidental to gas, which is so trying in a large building”. Read the articles Electric Light in Church, Church Repairs and Church Improvements.

The magazine of November 1899 reported: “The Churchwardens are anxious that the seats in the Church shall ultimately be all supplied with mats of the same pattern, and they wish me to ask if those who propose to put new mats in their pews will most kindly help to carry out this idea by selecting the red and black pattern which already largely prevails in the Church.” A sample of this was available at the shop of Messrs. Jones & Peers, in the High Street.

The oak chair presented by the Communicants' Association

Also during this period many gifts were given to the church by members of the congregation, including an oak chair for the chancel which was presented by the Communicants' Association. Other gifts included twenty hassocks, a large new mat for the porch, a set of white embroidered alms bags, choir cassocks, a Bible for the pulpit, office books, embroidered bookmarkers, a "handsomely bound Hymn Book" for the reading desk, other hymn books for the chancel, forty prayer and hymn books for the school children, flower vases, cups, saucers and other crockery, a piano and two "beautiful carbuncles which had long been missing from the silver-gilt chalice". A white altar frontal and a gold altar frontal, on a crimson background surrounded by valuable lace from the island of Corfu, were given for the Holy Table.

At a cost of £100, another two bells were added to the church in 1902 and this completed a peal of six with the inscriptions of ‘CORONATION OF KING EDWARD VII JUNE 26TH 1902 FEAR GOD HONOUR THE KING’ and ‘JUNE 26TH 1902 HONOUR ALL MEN, LOVE THE BROTHERHOOD’. It was planned that they would not be heard until the eve of the Coronation of King Edward VII unless the South African War should end before that date. However, the sudden grave illness of the King caused the coronation to be delayed until August. “The postponed Coronation is fixed to take place on Saturday, the 9th inst. There will be a short Special Service in the Church at 11a.m. to correspond with that at Westminster Abbey, and special prayers will be offered on the Sunday following in the services.” Read the article Edward VII.

Memorials to Mrs. FitzWygram, who died in 1912, were windows in the baptistry, ‘Anna’ given by her relatives, and ‘Simeon’ given by parishioners and friends. A third window, 'St. Mary', was erected in between these as a memorial to the former vicar, Mr. Bligh.

Several stained glass windows were added. A beautiful memorial window of Zacharias and Elizabeth was added to the north aisle in memory of the late Mr. Pemberton in 1900. A small window with the inscription “Go ye also into the vineyard” was given by the Communicants' Association. It was installed at the west end of the north aisle with the work being done by Messrs. Arthur Moore & Co. Another very attractive stained glass window was erected in the north aisle in 1907 by Mrs. Sale Hall, a former resident in the parish, in memory of her late husband. A new window with the inscription “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men” was put in the west end of the church by the Communicants’ Guild in 1910. The following year the churchwardens decided to put a new upper window in the south side of the church to correspond to the north side, therefore improving the light and also the ventilation. Later, other such upper windows were added. The memorial windows to Mrs. FitzWygram and to Revd. Bligh were unveiled on St. James's Eve, 1913.

An additional altar frontal, beautifully worked, was presented and used for the first time on Christmas Day. “It consists of the word ‘Alleluia’ repeated three times, exquisitely worked on white satin.”

A new curtain was placed on the west wall of the church which “added greatly to the beauty of the Church and given finish and completeness to that part of it”. Mrs. FitzWygram donated hassocks for the free seats in 1910.

A successful Fancy Fair was held in 1913 to celebrate the Jubilee of St. James’s Church, with the money raised paying off the Organ Fund. "Our 'JUBILEE FANCY FAIR' in every way exceeded our expectations; the weather was everything that we could wish; gifts of things to sell literally poured in for days before, and the stalls were all overcrowded." The Mosaic of St. James was unveiled and dedicated on Sunday December 21st as a memorial to the late Miss Jane Barnard, a prominent parishioner described as “Mr. Job’s right hand”. A second memorial to her was a cross in the churchyard.

The Church Room
Mrs. FitzWygram gave a small iron and wood building to make a church room. It was set up in the vicarage field in 1908. The room “is very comfortable and found to be of great use”.

The Mosaic of St. James, with a marble border, was a memorial to the late Miss Jane Barnard. It was unveiled and dedicated on December 21st. 1914 “To the Glory of God. In memory of Jane Barnard …… For many years a most devoted and unselfish parish worker. Erected by her many friends. ‘In Thy presence is fullness of joy!’”

The Churchyard
The churchyard also underwent alterations and improvements. The offertories on St. James’s Day in 1897 went towards the cost of moving the lych gate from its original site on St. James’s Road to its current position on Park Road “in which position it will be useful, and will be seen to much greater advantage than it is at present”. Later, in 1900, the path from the lych gate was improved with the hope that the lych gate would become the usual entrance into the churchyard from Park Road. The wrought iron railings and gates on the St. James’s Road side of the churchyard were given, probably also around this time, by the Cadwells of S.J. Cadwell & Son, structural steelwork engineers in Windmill Road until about 1980.

Also in 1897 “a suitable and handsome Memorial Cross was erected in the churchyard by public subscription to the memory of our late much esteemed Station Master, Mr. Vesey”. In 1899 several of the chestnut trees in the churchyard were taken down to make more room and improve lighting in the church. Another reason was because boys were throwing stones at the conkers and consequently the stained glass windows were at risk of being broken. Smaller ornamental trees, such as copper beeches, yews, variegated holly were planted in their stead. A parishioner gave a seat for the churchyard in 1910, to be used by those who came to visit the graves of their friends.

There were continual complaints about the misbehaviour of children in the churchyard. They were playing there, trampling on the graves, interfering with the flowers and throwing stones at the conkers. The June 1896 and May 1900 magazines reported: "The Police have instructions to be on the alert, and to arrest anyone interfering with the decoration of the graves…..There is no thoroughfare through the Churchyard, and the Churchwardens wish me to say that if it is used as such by errand boys and others, they will be compelled to lock the gate." It was felt important to look after the graves and trim the shrubs. "The Sexton has directions to cut back any trees and shrubs that are becoming overgrown, and that are interfering with neighbouring graves."

The church in 1890

Running the Church
Revd. H. Clarkson was licensed as curate of Hampton Hill by the Bishop of London in 1894. While Revd. Job was away "fresh cases of sickness should be reported to Mr. Clarkson who will also witness any signatures to pension papers that may be required and issue Hospital Orders". In 1897 Mr. Clarkson moved to Lancashire and was replaced by Revd. E. S. Phillips, who had already been reading the lessons in church for about three years. After fourteen years of service Revd. Phillips moved to Devonshire and Mr. F. St. Clair Goldie became curate and was ordained in 1914. Read the article The Annual Vestry Meeting.

Mr. William Chandler was verger and sexton from the time the church was opened until his death in 1900 at the age of eighty-one. He dug one thousand graves during his term of office, attended the same number of funerals and was never absent from his duty at the church. The community collected £8 and erected a tombstone in his memory. His successor was Mr. Charles Hallt, whose other occupation was that of local chimney sweep.

The Chancellor of the Diocese of London appointed the vicar as a Surrogate for the issuing of Marriage Licenses in 1905. Applications had to be made at least three days in advance at the cost of £2 7s. 6d. The House of Laymen was introduced giving St. James’s the opportunity to elect four members to the Ruridecanal Conference (a meeting of clergy and lay people under the chairmanship of their rural dean to consider a wide range of church matters). From this time, lay members began taking on a more definite role in church affairs. Read the article The House of Laymen.

Finance
The financial situation of the church improved during these years with increased subscriptions, offertories, pew rents, funds and so on. The parish organised sales of work, usually in the school room, and rummage or jumble sales, with all kinds of useful odds and ends which "sold at amazingly low prices", with the proceeds going to the church funds. The day school children gave an annual entertainment with the proceeds going to the prize fund. The name 'General Fund' was changed to the 'Churchwardens' Fund' in 1899, under the direction of the churchwardens for cleaning, warming, lighting and repairing of the church; the payment of the organist and choir expenses; the blowing and tuning of the organ; the ringing of the bells and winding of the clock; the payment of the Verger, and the keeping of the churchyard in order.

In the March 1900 magazine there was a list of "Parochial Objects and Societies for the support of which subscriptions and donations are invited." These were: Day Schools, Sunday Schools, Curate's Fund, Poor and Parochial Fund, Treats Fund, Mission Rooms, Lending Library, Provident Club, Lads' Brigade, Band of Hope, Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, Church Missionary Society, Colonial & Continental Church Society, British and Foreign Bible Society, Waifs and Strays, Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Queen Victoria Clergy Fund and Church Pastoral Aid Society.

Parish magazine cover January 1902

The Magazine
The magazine underwent a change in January 1894, becoming larger and with most of it being a letter from the vicar to his parishioners, always beginning with “My Dear Friends” and ending with “I am, my dear friends, Yours very sincerely, CHARLES R. JOB”. Included in these letters was information on all the meetings, activities, etc. that were happening that month. In the January edition Mr. Job commented that he was “anxious to make the magazine a means of friendly communication between myself and, if possible, all the parishioners and members of the congregation” and went on to ask people to “promote its circulation”. In the next edition he reported that he was “glad to know that the new magazine has met with so kindly a welcome as it has”.

These early magazines were still bound into hard-backed books with their covers removed, one or two years in a book. Consequently, there is no record of the covers of these particular magazines, which also means not many records of services and staff at this time, as they were mostly printed on the covers. However, one cover, shown right, was discovered in the archives. Every magazine initially included the offertories, parish registers, school reports and church accounts. Hymns for the month were added later and lists of subscriptions and the number of District Nurse visits were included periodically.

The local community continued to be looked after by the vicar. Among other ventures the Parish lending library was run by St. James’s and we hear of it being housed, firstly in the Fitz Wygram Club and then in a small hall in Eastbank Road, presumably the Eastbank Mission Room. Miss Barnard had charge of the library in the 90s. The March 1899 magazine reported: “The Parochial Lending Library does not seem to be so well known or used as it deserves to be. It contains a very large number of excellent books, and its home is at the Eastbank Mission Room. It is mainly for grown up people, but there are some books suitable for children as well.”

Schools
In the 1890’s, some twenty years after the Education Act of 1870, illiteracy had been banished, and the basis of education was being widened. The school inspection reports were usually very satisfactory, and in 1894 showed that “the teachers' work has been well and conscientiously done. The result of such careful scriptural teaching cannot be lost upon the children in years to come. May it long be possible for the National Schools of our land to be maintained, in which the teaching of Christianity has a foremost place! I am sure the parents will rejoice with the Managers that the Reports are so good.” However, the financing of the schools was still proving difficult and in 1895 a big Fancy Fair was arranged which cleared the then current debt.

The Day School prizes were distributed every year, sometimes as much as £16 worth, money which had been raised by subscription and by the concert given by the children in the Victoria Hall.

‘St. John the Evangelist’

In 1902 another important Education Act was passed which, among many other changes, altered the position of the Voluntary Schools by giving them aid from the rates. Hereafter, the Middlesex Education Committee was represented on the Board of Management of the Hampton Hill Schools. The span of school life became five-fourteen years, though a child could leave at twelve if it had a certificate showing it had reached Standard VI. Success in examinations at the age of eleven enabled a girl or boy to proceed to the grammar schools or to the State secondary schools set up after this Act and to continue education to the age of sixteen or eighteen. The June 1903 magazine reported: “It is a matter of considerable importance that today the control of our Schools passes into the hands of the new authority, that is, a Committee appointed by the County Council. A small body of six Managers will carry on the Schools under the direction of this Committee…… The financial matters will be managed entirely by the County Council Committee, excepting that the Schools which are our own property, will have to be kept in proper repair by us.”

During the early twentieth century teaching became more original with a widening curriculum. More amenities were added mostly due to the regulations of the Middlesex County Council or the Board of Education.

The End of Revd. Job's Incumbency
Revd. Job left in 1914 to become Vicar of Bengeo, Hertfordshire, exchanging parishes with Revd. Coad-Pryor. His congregation was so sorry to bid him farewell that they presented him, not only with a purse full of sovereigns, but with “an illuminated testimonial” signed by his parishioners showing “profound appreciation of your wide sympathy and interest in our local organisations, for the spiritual, physical and social welfare. Your unfailing wisdom, tact and sound judgment in all your many difficult and multifarious duties will always be gratefully remembered." The parchment was beautifully decorated with shell designs, to illustrate his pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and with clusters of grapes and vine leaves. Read the article Change of Vicar.

In 1921, after Revd. Job's death, a stained glass window of ‘St. John the Evangelist’ was installed in the chancel in his memory and a tablet of a plain black cross on a stone background was placed on the wall of the south aisle to the right of the pulpit. The stained glass window of ‘St. John the Evangelist’ was erected in the chancel in memory of Revd. Job after his death in 1921. “To the Glory of God and in the Memory of Charles Robert Job, Priest, Vicar of this Parish. AD 1893-1914. Erected by Parishioners and Friends”.