The parish of Brinsley with Underwood has 2 churches; St James the Great at Brinsley 1838 and St Michael and all Angels at Underwood 1890). Both churches are of Gothic design with pipe organs.
There has been some form of settlement at Brinsley since before the Norman Conquest, at which time the area was mostly covered by forest. The Domesday Book of 1086 records the holding of Brun but there is no mention of a church. 1303 is the earliest reference to a chapel in Brinsley, when Roger de Brunnesley was granted permission to build one on land adjoining his manor house.
The present church was opened in 1838 for use as a Chapel of Ease within the Parish of Greasley, and in 1861 it was granted its own vicar. Initially, the church was known as Holy Trinity, but the dedication was changed to St James the Great during the 1890s. Shortly after the Second World War, Brinsley began a close working co-operation with St Michael and All Angels, Underwood, and this arrangement was formalised in 1955, when the new parish of Brinsley with Underwood was created.
The church is a plain Gothic style building and was enlarged forty years after its construction. It stands in its own churchyard, which has since been extended to provide more grave space and off-road parking. There is also a detached church hall, which dates from 1952 and a lych gate from 1958. Visitors to the church have a good view of the re-erected wooden headstocks, which supported the winding gear of the former Brinsley Pit. The area has been grassed and is used for recreation.
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