A Chapel of worship for Milnrow is originally believed to have been built by the river Beal after a piece of land known as Goseholme was donated by Edmund Butterworth in 1496. In 1537 the Chapel was enlarged, and a gallery was added in 1715. Up until this date the Chapel was used only for worship, not for baptisms or burials. Because it was situated by the river Beal it was often flooded in the winter, and it became obvious that a new site and a new Chapel was needed. Land was given for this purpose by Robert Entwistle, but funds were low and St.James Chapel was not built as well as it should have been. Nor was it really big enough for a growing congregation. Although it was consecrated in 1799, it needed to be rebuilt by 1815, when a gallery was added. It remained in use until the present parish Church of St.James was built near the site of the old Chapel. Money had been promised for a new church by Mr James Schofield, a mill owner who lived in the parish. He died before the Church could be built , but the Schofield family also donated money to enable the church to be built, and St.James Milnrow was consecrated in August 1868.