Originally owned by the Parkin family,  the property was used as a private burial ground. 

On March 15, 1849, the property was donated to John Strachan, Lord Bishop of Toronto, by Mrs. Ann Parkin. 

Interestingly, the church was built in 1848, one year prior to the diocese owning the property.

The church was constructed to be a scale replica of the first minister's home church in England,
right down to the vestry door which is only five feet high.  The timbers were hewn by hand. 

The bell and original font are still used.  The entire church was constructed by farmers,
with the exterior walls hand-chiselled to simulate stone. 
Only the steeple was made in Toronto, and was brought out on a special skid bob sleigh.

Construction of the new church began by obtaining several house lots on Howarth Avenue
in 1951-1952.  In 1953, the basement was finished and used for services.

Sarah Edith Boyd passed away in 1957 and bequeathed $120, 000 to St. Jude's. 

This generous donation covered the outstanding debt of $60,000 on the church basement
and paid for almost half of the main floor construction.  The church tower is dedicated to her memory.

The new church building was built in 1958.  An addition was constructed in 1997, made possible
by many generous donations (spearheaded by Paul Britton) and fund raisers.

In 1820, the population was 477.

In 1842, it had reached 2,750 people, 1 grist mill and 18 saw mills. In 1850, when the population had reached 3,421,
3 grist mills and 23 saw mills the area represented the home district at Upper Canada and was incorporated as Scarborough Township.

Wexford was an agricultural community with primitive farm implements. The first reaper arrived in 1851.
Soap and food were prepared over open fires in Dutch ovens. No churches -- they worshipped God in their homes.

Our pioneer ancestors feared attacks by wolves and bears. At night, a pack of wolves could destroy a whole flock of sheep.

In 1848, the small chapel of St. Jude was erected on the highest point of land in this area.
The land had been a burial ground for 16 years before it was donated by Mrs. Ann Parkin (a widow) to the Lord Bishop of Toronto.

On Mar.22, 1832, Edward, infant son of Patrick and Ann Parkin, was the first recorded burial in this tract of land.
Mrs. Parkin presented the deed for this land to the United Church of England and Ireland on Mar.15, 1849.
The Parkin family stone can be found off the pathway, directly in front of the chapel.

Just imagine this area as it was then. Down a small hill, is a rutted, dirt road, twisting and winding its way northward
from Danforth Road. If one looked out over the tall trees southward, one might be able to see the banks of Lake Ontario;
there is the muddy little town of York (later renamed Toronto).

On this beautiful spring morning, a group of local farmers have gathered together to commence building "this perfect gem".
If you listen carefully, you can hear the hammers pounding nails, you can smell the sweet odour of fresh cut wood.
Down the lane is a tumbled down shed, the soft nicker of the horses resting after pulling their heavy loads of wood up the hill.

Most of all, if you listen, you can hear the men call each other by name and feel the easy camaraderie of the builders.

Robert Boyd was the chief carpenter and hand-hewed the rafters in the ceiling of this chapel. The backwoods settlers
provided the broad timber and the shingles for the roof, all from the surrounding pine and hardwood forests.
The exterior wallboards were 2" planks, hand-chiselled to simulate stone.

The timbers in this 65-person church were all hand-cut and shaped. Some form Gothic arches to support the roof.
The door to the Vestry is just 5' high, as the church is a scaled-down version of a Gothic church in the British Isles.

The question then is: where is the original? The answer is to be found in the memory of William Stewart Darling,
born in Scotland in 1818, a son of a British Army Officer. In 1832, at the age of 14, his family emigrated to Canada.
A cholera epidemic broke out on board the ship and his father died. A grant of land was secured by the family in south Orillia,
where the widow Darling settled down to raise her family. Although young, Darling had been raised as a Presbyterian
when he was approached by Bishop Strachan. He joined six other young men and became an Anglican priest.
He was ordained in 1842.

From 1845 to 1863 he was in charge of the Parish of Scarborough, which, at that time, was as large as the whole township.
St. Margaret's Church was built in 1833; the first Church of England erected in Scarborough.
It served the entire Parish until 1841 when St. Paul's was built in L'Amoreux and Christ Church in Scarborough Village.

The village of Wexford had two Methodist Churches and the members of the Church of England had to
travel four miles to L'Amoreux.
It was Rev. Darling who encouraged the people of Wexford to raise up a church. Remembering the
Gothic church of his childhood, Rev. Darling influenced the builders to construct the scaled-down model.
Darling was responsible for having many churches built throughout the Province, but St. Jude's is considered the most beautiful.

The Bell Tower was the only part not built on site. It was built in Toronto (formerly York) and
hauled here in the dead of winter by horses and sleigh.

The first Baptism was performed Mar.11, 1849 when John Thorn, son of James and Sarah Thorn,
was christened. John was six years old when the Church was built.

The first marriage joined Francis Clements and Sarah Thompson on Nov.29, 1849.
The following day, Robert Boyd, chief carpenter, wed Mary Wilson.
Not only was Robert Boyd a builder and farmer, he became the first Warden of the Church of St. Jude.