England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Dorney St James

The Parish

The parish of Dorney lies in the extreme south of Buckinghamshire, indeed it forms part of the border with neighbouring Berkshire. Dorney is located on the banks of the River Thames roughly midway between Eton & Maidenhead. Dorney is a compact but linear village lying along the B3026 road which connects Eton with the A4 road at Burnham. Nowadays this is a heavily populated area dominated by east/west communications, not only the A4 but also the M4 and the main railway line to the west of England from London pass through the area. Previously this would have been quiet countryside dominated by pastoral farming on the lush pastures formed on the floodplain of the River Thames. Dorney is located at around 20 metres above the sea, the Thames, of course, flows eastwards towards London and the North Sea. Dorney parish consists of two distinct portions, that surrounding the village itself and a detached portion taking in some slopes of the Chiltern Hills which lie to the north. The parish was small, as befits a southern parish, covering just over 1,400 acres and supporting just over 300 parishioners. In Domesday times Dorney was held by one Miles Crispin and could only boast 3 ploughs plus some meadow, woodland and a fishery.

The Church

St James' church lies at the western end of the village close to the grounds of Dorney Court and on the southern side of a narrow lane that runs westwards from the B3026. The church has the usual run of dates from early to modern, the oldest being a Norman window in the chancel. The basic fabric of both nave and chancel appear to be 12th/13th centuries but much was changed during Tudor times. The brick western tower dates from that period, the south porch from the mid-17th century and the Gerrard Chapel is also 17th century; most windows appear to have been replaced during the 18th century but the church escaped the wholesale Victorian restorations common in England. The site is unusual in that a graveyard lies on the northern side of the lane yet the church is on the south side and accessed by a tarred track alongside the walls of Dorney Court. There are many trees, including some venerable yews, which do restrict angles for photography.