James Francis Maxwell was born in Ireland on 16th December 1902 at Ballynahinch County Down. He was educated at St Malachy's College Belfast and St Peter's College Wexford before attending Oscott Seminary College in Birmingham. He was ordained a priest on 16th June 1927 in St Colman's Cathedral in Newry by Bishop Edward Mulhern of Dromore specifically for missionary work in Scotland for the Archdiocese of St Andrews and Edinburgh.

His first posting in Scotland was, unusually, not a metropolitan parish as was customarily the case with new priests coming to a new country. Instead Fr. Maxwell's first posting in Scotland was to St Alexander's in Denny where he served from 1927 to 1928. He was then transferred here to St Patrick's Kilsyth for the period between 1928 and 1931 as assistant Priest to Canon MacNamara (later Monsignor MacNamara) who was the Parish Priest in Kilsyth at that time.

Fr Maxwell was promoted to Parish Priest and given the parish of The Sacred Heart in Penicuk, Midlothian where he served for only 2 years from 1931 to 1933. He was then transfered to Our Lady Star of the Sea at North Berwickin East Lothian from 1933 to 1935. It is apparent from the Catholic archive in Edinburgh that Fr Maxwell was in poor health for much of his life as he was given sick leave for several years on a couple of occaisions. His first extended period of ill health came in 1935 and he was given sick leave for 4 years! On his return to Priestly duties he was obviously still in fragile health as he took the unusual step of returning as an assistant Priest in the Parish of the Immaculate Conception in Bathgate for a year, 1939 to 1940.

Fr Maxwell then became the Chaplin of the Oratory of St Anne's in Randolf Place Edinburgh for another year 1940-41 before taking 10 years of sick leave from duties as a Priest from 1941 to 1951. Again rather unusually Fr Maxwell returns into Priestly life in the Glasgow Archdiocese as the assistant Priest at St Charles' Paisley from 1951 to 1954. His final posting was as the Chaplin to the Convent of The Sisters of Mary Reparatrix at Elie in Fife where he served the sisters from 1956 until his retirement in 1965. It may be that after so long in ill health Fr Maxwell found too demanding the life of a parish Priest, however he seemed able as a chaplin the the more gentile and prayerful surrounding of convent life.

Fr. Maxwell died in 1979 at the age of 77 after having spent 52 years as a Priest. May he rest in Peace.