Burton Lazars is a village in the Melton district of Leicestershire, 2 miles SE of Melton Mowbray and 19 miles NE of the centre of Leicester. The busy A.606 road from Melton to Oakham (Rutland) runs through the village, and the church stands on a corner of this road in the village centre. St James's is built of coursed ironstone with limestone ashlar dressings, and consists of a 2-bay chancel and an aisled and clerestoreyed nave with a S porch and a small internal W tower with a bell turret and a spirelet. The aisles were added between c.1170 and the early 13thc. and widened in the 14thc. The arcades have round headed arches carried on cylindrical (S arcade) or octagonal (N arcade) piers, but that arcade profile has 2 chamfered orders. The chancel is 13thc., with a S doorway of that date, although the windows belong to H. Goddard's restoration of 1850. Romanesque features described here are the 2 nave arcades.

Before the Conquest, the village was held by Leofric, son of Leofwine, and in 1086 it was held largely by Geoffrey de la Guerche, as part of his manor of Melton Mowbray. His holding in Burton amounted to 12 carucates less 1 bovate. In addition, Robert held 1 carucate and 1 bovate from Henry de Ferrers, and Richard held 3 carucates from Roger de Bully.