Braydon
Encyclopedia
Braydon is a village and civil parish
in Wiltshire
, England
, near Swindon
, best known for sharing its name with Braydon Forest.
The population is now 49 and was 48 in 1881.
axehead and a possible Palaeolithic flint tool.
In 902, Æthelwold of Wessex
attacked strongholds of the Danes at Cricklade
and Braydon.
In the Middle Ages, Braydon was a tithing of Purton
and belonged to the Duchy of Lancaster
, giving rise to the name of Duchy Wood, and passed to the Crown
with the rest of the Duchy. Red Lodge was a royal hunting lodge until the land was developed in the 17th century. In 1826, the Crown exchanged Braydon for other land and it thus came into the ownership of the 3rd Earl of Clarendon
, who had previously leased it. In 1829 the estate was sold to Joseph Neeld
of Grittleton
, at which time it consisted of 1357 acres (5.5 km²) divided into several farms, called Battle Lake, Cock's Hill, Duchy, Maple Sale, Park Gate with Roebuck, Pound House, Raven's Roost, Red Lodge, and White Lodge. In 1901 the Neeld estate was broken up, and by 1910 about half of Braydon belonged to Mr J. E. Ward, whose granddaughter Elizabeth Ward owned Red Lodge, Pound and Coxhill farms in 2007.
In 1868, Braydon became a civil parish
separate from Purton.
In 1887 Braydon was said to be "occupied chiefly by squatters, who led a wretched life".
In the 1880s the village gained a Methodist Chapel, and its records from 1889 to 1989 are now held in the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
. The chapel is now served by the Methodist minister of Wootton Bassett
. A school was also built in the later part of the 19th century but was closed in the mid 20th century.
thirty hides on the eastern side of Braydon Wood (de orientali parte silve Bradon).
At its greatest extent, Braydon Forest covered about a third of the area of Wiltshire, but over the centuries most of it was slowly cleared.
. Until April 2009, it was part of the district of North Wiltshire
, but most significant local government functions are now carried out by the new Wiltshire Council
unitary authority
. At the parliamentary level, the parish is part of the North Wiltshire
county constituency and the current member of parliament
is James Gray (Conservative
).
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, near Swindon
Swindon
Swindon is a large town within the borough of Swindon and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, in South West England. It is midway between Bristol, west and Reading, east. London is east...
, best known for sharing its name with Braydon Forest.
The population is now 49 and was 48 in 1881.
History
Evidence has been found of prehistoric people, including a NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
axehead and a possible Palaeolithic flint tool.
In 902, Æthelwold of Wessex
Æthelwold of Wessex
Æthelwold was the youngest of three known sons of King Æthelred of Wessex. His brother Oswald is recorded between 863 and 875, and Æthelhelm is only recorded as a beneficiary of King Alfred's will in the mid 880s, and probably died soon afterwards...
attacked strongholds of the Danes at Cricklade
Cricklade
Cricklade is a town and civil parish on the River Thames in north Wiltshire in England, midway between Swindon and Cirencester.On 25 September 2011 Cricklade was awarded The Royal Horticultural Society's 'Champion of Champions' award in the Britain in Bloom competition.Cricklade is twinned with...
and Braydon.
In the Middle Ages, Braydon was a tithing of Purton
Purton
Purton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire. The civil parish includes the village of Purton Stoke and the hamlets of Bentham, Hayes Knoll, Restrop and Widham....
and belonged to the Duchy of Lancaster
Duchy of Lancaster
The Duchy of Lancaster is one of the two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Cornwall. It is held in trust for the Sovereign, and is used to provide income for the use of the British monarch...
, giving rise to the name of Duchy Wood, and passed to the Crown
The Crown
The Crown is a corporation sole that in the Commonwealth realms and any provincial or state sub-divisions thereof represents the legal embodiment of governance, whether executive, legislative, or judicial...
with the rest of the Duchy. Red Lodge was a royal hunting lodge until the land was developed in the 17th century. In 1826, the Crown exchanged Braydon for other land and it thus came into the ownership of the 3rd Earl of Clarendon
John Villiers, 3rd Earl of Clarendon
John Charles Villiers, 3rd Earl of Clarendon PC , styled The Honourable until 1824, was a British peer and Member of Parliament....
, who had previously leased it. In 1829 the estate was sold to Joseph Neeld
Joseph Neeld
Joseph Neeld was Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom for the rotten borough of Gatton, Surrey in 1830 and for Chippenham, Wiltshire, England from 1830 to 1856.- Career :...
of Grittleton
Grittleton
Grittleton is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, 7 miles NW of Chippenham, Wiltshire at .The Grittleton House estate is the home of Grittleton House School, which was founded in 1951....
, at which time it consisted of 1357 acres (5.5 km²) divided into several farms, called Battle Lake, Cock's Hill, Duchy, Maple Sale, Park Gate with Roebuck, Pound House, Raven's Roost, Red Lodge, and White Lodge. In 1901 the Neeld estate was broken up, and by 1910 about half of Braydon belonged to Mr J. E. Ward, whose granddaughter Elizabeth Ward owned Red Lodge, Pound and Coxhill farms in 2007.
In 1868, Braydon became a civil parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
separate from Purton.
In 1887 Braydon was said to be "occupied chiefly by squatters, who led a wretched life".
In the 1880s the village gained a Methodist Chapel, and its records from 1889 to 1989 are now held in the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre
Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre is a building in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England, which serves as a focal point for heritage services relating to Wiltshire and Swindon. It is funded by Wiltshire Council and Swindon Borough Council...
. The chapel is now served by the Methodist minister of Wootton Bassett
Wootton Bassett
Royal Wootton Bassett , informally known as Wootton Bassett, is a small market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, with a population of 11,043 in 2001...
. A school was also built in the later part of the 19th century but was closed in the mid 20th century.
Braydon Forest
In the year 688, Cædwalla, king of the West Saxons, granted Abbot Aldhelm of Malmesbury AbbeyMalmesbury Abbey
Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, was founded as a Benedictine monastery around 676 by the scholar-poet Aldhelm, a nephew of King Ine of Wessex. In 941 AD, King Athelstan was buried in the Abbey. By the 11th century it contained the second largest library in Europe and was...
thirty hides on the eastern side of Braydon Wood (de orientali parte silve Bradon).
At its greatest extent, Braydon Forest covered about a third of the area of Wiltshire, but over the centuries most of it was slowly cleared.
Governance
With its tiny population, Braydon is considered too small to merit a parish council and has instead a parish meetingParish meeting
A parish meeting, in England, is a meeting to which all the electors in a civil parish are entitled to attend. In some cases, where a parish or group of parishes has fewer than 200 electors, the parish meeting can take on the role of the parish council itself, with statutory powers, and electing a...
. Until April 2009, it was part of the district of North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire was a local government district in Wiltshire, England, formed on 1 April 1974, by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Calne, Chippenham, and Malmesbury along with Calne and Chippenham Rural District, Cricklade and Wootton Bassett Rural District and Malmesbury Rural District...
, but most significant local government functions are now carried out by the new Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council
Wiltshire Council is the unitary authority for most of the county of Wiltshire, in the West of England, the successor authority to Wiltshire County Council and to four districts—Kennet, North Wiltshire, Salisbury, and West Wiltshire—all of which had been created in 1973 and were...
unitary authority
Unitary authority
A unitary authority is a type of local authority that has a single tier and is responsible for all local government functions within its area or performs additional functions which elsewhere in the relevant country are usually performed by national government or a higher level of sub-national...
. At the parliamentary level, the parish is part of the North Wiltshire
North Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)
North Wiltshire is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Until 1983, it was known as Chippenham.- Boundaries :As the name suggests, the constituency covers most of north Wiltshire...
county constituency and the current member of parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
is James Gray (Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
).
External links
- Braydon at wiltshire.gov.uk