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

The Parish

South Leigh lies in southwestern Oxfordshire quite close to its border with neighbouring Berkshire. South Leigh is merely a chapelry within the large parish of Stanton Harcourt but was licensed for marriages hence possesses its own page within the project, South Leigh was erected to full parish status only in 1868. South Leigh is located about 3 miles southeast of the market town of Witney and is a small loosely compact village built largely on a single lane running from Witney to Stanton Harcourt. The village sits just over a mile south of the A40 road (Witney to Oxford). South Leigh would have had a farming economy at the time of this transcript and little has changed except the proportion of arable to pastoral has increased with the advent of modern machinery. South Leigh is drained eastwards by the Limb Brook which soon joins the nearby Thames near Eynsham and thence to the North Sea via the Thames Estuary. South Leigh is sited at around 80 metres above the sea in a broad and level plain formed by the Thames and Windrush rivers, local heights are little higher than the village for many miles. The chapelry was of a similar size to many local Oxfordshire parishes, covering almost 2,100 acres it would have supported a population of around 300 parishioners. There is no specific mention of South Leigh within Domesday Book.

The Church

St James' church lies at the northern end of the village surrounded by farms at the end of the lane named Church End. Sadly St James is a much restored church despite the apparent aged look to the chancel. This piece does, however, retain indications of its origins with Norman style revealed in the retained lancet window in the north wall and also in the lintel of the southern doorway. The remainder is more typically Perpendicular and represents a major rebuild during the 15th century. All of the above was strongly modified, however, by a major restoration running from 1871 through 1888. This restoration rebuilt the chancel as well as refreshing all other areas of the building. Church End is narrow and has no parking by the church's entrance so it is best to approach on foot from the village centre. A low local stone wall fronts the churchyard which is relatively open and lacks restrictions for photography.