England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Ilmer St Peter

The Parish

The parish of Ilmer lies in western central Buckinghamshire and forms a short stretch of the border with neighbouring Oxfordshire. Ilmer is located about 4 miles east of the Oxfordshire market town of Thame and sits at the end of dead-end lane a half mile or so south of the A4129 which connects Thame with Princes Risborough. There is very little to Ilmer, a mere hamlet with farms and cottages clustered around an oval of lanes. Modern developments have intruded into the rural calm of Ilmer, the rail line from Bicester to London passing through the parish. A farming community, Ilmer would have a mixed farming regime as it sits within the flood plain of several tributaries of the River Thame, leading to grazing on the rich grasslands. The main tributary, the Cuttle Brook head northwestwards to join the Thame which performs a large loop to join the Thames, thence through the capital to the North Sea. Ilmer is sited at around 80 metres above the sea and sits within the Oxfordshire & Buckinghamshire Vales formed on rich clay beds, land rises gently hereabouts to local heights of no more than 100 metres until one encounters the Chiltern Range to the southeast. By Buckinghamshire standards Ilmer parish was tiny, covering just 750 acres it would have supported fewer than 100 parishioners. In Domesday times Ilmer was one of the many holdings of Bishop Odo of Bayeux, a relatively small place even then, it offered just 5 ploughs, a small meadow but did possess a mill.

The Church

St Peter's church sits almost centrally within the area of Ilmer's property where Ilmer Lane performs a noticeable dogleg. The church received extensive restoration in the late 1850s which has masked much dating detail but retained its pretty shingles spire and weather-boarded bell-turret, both most attractive features. Signs of the early origin do, however, remain, a pair of 12th century doors, one blocked, are evidence of the likely date of the building whilst the almost rebuilt chancel is documented as being of the 13th century prior to restoration. The church is best visited on foot, parking on the extensive grassy areas where Ilmer lane makes its sharp turn, a set of metal gates indicates the way through whilst the spire is an obvious landmark. Trees gather around the western end and somewhat limit the angles for viewing the spire but otherwise there are few obstructions to photography.