Whitney-on-Wye is a village in the W of the county, 15 miles W of Hereford and under 2 miles from the Welsh border. It stands on the N bank of the River Wye; its dwellings clustering around a road junction on the main A438 Hereford to Brecon road. The church stands outside the village on its W side, and consists of a chancel with a N organ room and vestry, a nave with a W gallery, and a W tower. The medieval church was largely destroyed by the Wye in 1720, and what remained was rebuilt in 1740. There are traces of medieval walling on the N and E sides, but the only Romanesque feature is the font.

Two holdings in Whitney were recorded in the Domesday Survey. The larger was of 4 hides, held by the church of St Guthlac in Hereford in 1066 and 1086, and by Harold from the church in 1086. The second, assessed at half a hide, was held by the King in 1086 and by Alweard in 1066. Both holdings were described as waste in both periods.

The font is dated 12thc or 13thc on a 14thc base by RCHME, the dating accepted by Brooks (2012), and that is probably as accurate as we can be. The list description prefers a probable 12thc date, but that seems a little over-committed to the present author.