St. Paul's Anglican Church, Chapelton

St. Paul’s Anglican Church is located on Main Street, near the town centre of Chapelton, Clarendon. It is one of the oldest churches in Jamaica, with the earliest records dating to 1666. It is also one of the oldest Christian institutions serving the people of Chapelton.

The church was originally built as a chapel of ease to the Parish Church at Cross, near May Pen, Clarendon. Initially, services were held on alternate Sundays at St. Paul’s while services continued at Cross Parish Church. However, when the Cross Church fell into disuse, St. Paul’s assumed the role of parish church.

St. Paul’s Anglican Church was the first place of worship to be erected in upper Clarendon. The chapel was originally known simply as “the chapel”. As a result, the area in which it was built became known as “Chapel Town”, a name that was eventually shortened to Chapelton.

The present St. Paul’s Anglican Church stands on the site of the original building, which was described by historian Edward Long as “a small neat building, and furnished with a good organ”. When first constructed, the building was approximately one-quarter the size of the present structure. It was subsequently enlarged to half its present size and later expanded to its current dimensions.

Additions were made to the original church on two occasions before major restoration work was undertaken in 1906–1907, during which time the church was closed. Despite the extensive work, the original design was retained, with the alterations primarily intended to enhance the building’s appearance and functionality. These included raising the roof by approximately 0.61 metres (two feet) and constructing the east and west gable ends. Both additions were executed using cut stone.

Other improvements included replacing the old windows with stained-glass windows depicting Jesus playing with children. The windows were positioned at a higher elevation to improve ventilation. Screens were also installed at the eastern end of the church to form the chancel and vestries. The construction of east and west gable ends was a common feature of churches dating from the 17th century in the English Caribbean.

Several memorial tablets adorn the walls of the church in honour of former members and prominent citizens, including James Wright Turner, Esq., a Member of the Jamaican Assembly. Like many Anglican churches in Jamaica, St. Paul’s followed the former practice of burying deceased members beneath the church. Visible evidence of these burials remains in the form of tombstones in the main aisle.

The churchyard contains a graveyard, where the earliest marked grave is that of William Rand, who died in September 1760 at the age of 50. Rand served as an overseer in the parish for more than 15 years.