England & Wales Hardwicke Marriage Index
Marriages 1754 - 1837
Whitchurch St Mary

The Parish

The parish of Whitchurch, more commonly known as Whitchurch on Thames these days to distinguish from others of the same name, lies in the extreme south of Oxfordshire, indeed it forms a substantial part of the border with neighbouring Berkshire. Whitchurch is an anomaly, the parish has land within both Oxfordshire and Berkshire with the largest percentage within Oxfordshire. Whitchurch is located about 7 miles northwest of the Berkshire county town of Reading and sits on the B471 road which connects the River Thames with the A4074. The B471 is itself an anomaly having one of the last toll bridges across the Thames remaining, a small charge being levied to cross back and forth from Berkshire. Situated on the northern floodplain of the Thames Whitchurch would have enjoyed river traffic trade as well as the normal agricultural economy, here mixed pastoral, in the valley bottom, with arable on higher ground. The Thames drains the parish eastwards, passing through the city of London to reach the North Sea via the Thames Estuary. Whitchurch is sited at around 40 metres above the sea, however, here the Thames makes its way through the Chiltern chalk country and land rises within a mile to over 150 metres in rolling wooded countryside. Whitchurch parish, unlike many in this area, is quite compact and fairly typically sized, covering almost 2,300 acres it would have supported a population of around 850 parishioners. In Domesday times Whitchurch was held by one Miles Crispin and it was a prosperous holding offering 15 ploughs, meadows & woodland and possessed a mill.

The Church

St Mary's church sits hidden away from the B471 behind properties and accessed by the private driveway to Walliscote House where a sign "to the Church" indicates the way, a small car park sits behind the screening trees. Sadly St Mary is not an original mediaeval church but was a complete rebuild dating from 1858. Only the original Norman southern doorway and 15th century porch (reused in the rebuild) are left to indicate what must have been a typical much altered village church. The Victorian architect did at least retain a 14th century style and made use of the local flint to create a sense of the traditional. The church is set back some distance from the road and is approached on foot, sadly there are many encircling trees which do somewhat limit the angles available for photography.