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

The Parish

The parish of Rodbourne Cheney lies in northeastern Wiltshire close to its border with neighbouring Berkshire. Whilst Rodbourne Cheney was once a separate village it has now been absorbed into the growing town of Swindon and is a mere suburb of that town. Rodbourne Cheney sits about 2 miles northwest of the old centre of Swindon, at the junction of the B4006 & B4587 roads. Whilst this was once a rural village Swindon grew rapidly following the arrival of the Great Western Railway and following designation as an "overspill" town (taking excess population from London) Rodbourne Cheney became incorporated and is now just a neighbourhood within Greater Swindon. Rodbourne Cheney sits in the river valley of a tributary of the River Ray, this flows northwards to join the Thames just to the east of Cricklade. The area was a rather flat plain, it sits to the north of Wiltshire's chalk escarpment, and large used for arable farming. Rodbourne Cheney is sited at around 100 metres above sea level. The parish was not a large one for the district, covering around 2,700 acres it would have supported almost 600 parishioners. There is no specific mention of Rodbourne Cheney in Domesday Book.

The Church

St Mary's church sits at the above mentioned junction of B roads and would have been at the heart of the former village. Most of the church dates from the Perpendicular era albeit much restored by the Victorians. A few traces exist of an earlier building, Pevsner notes the entrance to the southern porch and also the chancel as being 13th century and early English in style. The church sits in a quite open situation on the northern side of the B4587 with pavements and grassy verges separating it from the road. A stone wall borders the graveyard and a gate at the western end gives access. There are few restrictions to photography except at the western end.