 When the Ground was closed in 1888, it contained 27 family vaults, a number of brick graves and 920 private family earthen graves.Unfortunately, during the night of the Wrexham races, in the mid-1840s, all but one of the brass memorial plates were stolen from the tombs, thus destroying many family histories.The foundation stone of the new church, dedicated to St. James and built in Cefn sandstone to designs by W. Turner of Wrexham, was laid on 30 September 1874.