 On 4 September 1793 in Wootton Wawen, a mile south of Henley-in-Arden, James married Dinah Tarleton, the daughter of local landowners.The couple settled at the "Yew Trees" in Henley-in-Arden High Street and enjoyed a high social standing locally, mixing socially with landowners and aristocracy from across the county.James' father was a wealthy man and a local Justice of the Peace, but the share price collapse that accompanied the panic of 1797 led to increased financial pressures for the family and the solicitors' practice.