England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Bisham All Saints

The Parish

The parish of Bisham sits in the north of eastern Berkshire, indeed it forms part of the border with neighbouring Buckinghamshire. Bisham has an attractive setting on the banks of the River Thames almost directly opposite the Buckinghamshire town of Marlow and roughly 5 miles northwest of the modern commuter town of Maidenhead. Bisham is sited on the former route of the A404 as it approached the crossing of the Thames at Marlow on its journey northwards from the main A4. The A404 now, fortunately, has bypassed both Bisham and Marlow to the east in a major dual-carriageway road. Bisham has, as a consequence, returned to relative tranquility. The village is sited at around 30 metres above sea level with the majority of the housing barely 3 metres above river level. The parish covered a little over 2,000 acres and supported around 650 parishioners, many connected with the river and transportation along and across it. There was much connection with neighbouring Marlow. Bisham has been around for a long time, it merits an extensive mention in Domesday Book as held by Henry de Ferrers and merited 10 ploughs and, interestingly, vineyards.

The Church

All Saints church has a very attractive setting on the wooded banks of the River Thames. Sited on the left of a sharp bend in the former A404 the church's grounds abut the river and the western tower is a mere few feet from the water. The tower is the star of the church and Pevsner dates it confidently to 1170-80 which is remarkable and confirms the mention of the church in Domesday Book. Unfortunately the Victorian restorers largely rebuilt, or at least heavily restored, the remainder of the building. The lack of architectural purity, however, cannot mask the fact this is a beautiful building in a stunning setting, a landmark on the course of the River Thames.