James Bickham (1719-1785) was a fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge, and clergyman, scholar and fifteenth archdeacon of Leicester.
He was educated at Sherborne, and Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he obtained a BA in 1741, a Fellowship in 1743, MA in 1744, BD in 1751 and DD in 1774.
With the responsibility for the maintenance of churches fell in large part upon parishioners, and of the parsonages on the residing clergy, it was not always easy to persuade those with small incomes to undertake the necessary repairs.
Dr Bickham responded enthusiastically to the challenge, and between 1773 and 1779 undertook a great many personal inspections, including 123 parsonage houses, and encouraged clergy and parishioners to undertake necessary remedial work.
By great chance, the records of his personal visitations are preserved in the Leicester archdeaconry and today form an important historical source.