MAIDEN BRADLEY HISTORY PAGE

PART 3 1536-1865

At this time in history, there were several large houses in or around the village but we know that the Mompessons were in South Court, the Ludlows in Baycliffe and the Lamberts in what were the Maiden Bradley Stores and Post Office. There are other possible sites, Katesbench farmhouse (then much larger and sometimes described as a Manor), the south Mill House down at Dunkerton (no trace of this remains, but there was still a large house there in 1805, called "Shoard`s house "). It was below where the springs come out of the hillside in Dunkerton. There was the Penstones old house, still occupied by William eldest son of Lord Stourton, in 1536, near Yarnfield. There was also a `Grange' at Yarnfield and a large house and park between Baycliffe and Perryfarm.

There may also have been a fair sized house on or near the site of the present Bradley House. Shortly after 1565 the Lamberts, who went to live near Winchester, sold the D`Aungers Manor to Sir Edward Seymour for £460 and this included their Manor House (now styled "The Old Manor House"). The Seymours, although they now owned South Court and Katesbench, could not get possessions of the former home or farms pertaining to each owing to the long leases granted by the last Prior, and it may be that Sir Edward intended to do up the Lambert`s house for himself and his family when visiting the village. 

Certainly it was at about this time that the house was rebuilt  and the magnificent Elizabethan oak staircase was installed. Clearly it was intended to add another storey to the building for the staircase goes right up to the present roof, but in the result that storey was never added nor is there any record of Sir Edward ever living there.

The village does not seem to have suffered unduly as a result of the Civil War( 1642-1646), but by the commonwealth it was visited by such a severe and prolonged attack of the plague that it and its inhabitants were cut off completely and no one allowed out for a space of ten month's (May 6th 1646-February 4th1647). naturally being debarred from trading in the surrounding markets, the village suffered financially,  and had to live on relief ordered by the Justices of the neighbouring parishes.  As the church registers are not complete for this period, we do not know how many people died of the plague.

In 1671 small pox broke out in endemic form in the village and Sir Edward, fearing that the forthcoming October Fair and Market  would spread the disease, instructed all town criers to announce that the Fair and Market where not being held. Whether Sir Edward intended it or not , the announcement was taken by all concerned as meaning the permanent abolition of both spring and Autumn Fairs and Markets, And in 1672 everybody in the village Gentlemen, Farmers ,Tradesmen and tenants signed a petition successfully calling for the immediate resumption of both Fairs and Market.

The Fairs gradually diminished in importance over the years  until by the end of the 19th Century they had been reduced to one day affairs with only three or four stalls selling cheap refinery and sweets.

Presumably Sir Edward and Lady Anne continued to live at Bury Pomeroy in Devon after the restoration ,but for how long is not known ,for some time between 1660 and 1680 Italiante Palace within a thirteeth century castle suffered a disastrous fire, which brought downe the roofs . It was then decided to build a new house at Bradley rather than repair that at Bury,  And we know from a gossipy letter of 1682 , in the Portman papers, that in that year the building of Bradley house was in progress. Although Bradley house was not completed until 1705-1710 it had a final face lift by Colin Cambell the famous contemporary architect who was building nearby Stourhead. Lukily  the plans and drawings still exist and can be seen in Devizes museum . It was a vast affair the main central portion being a100 yrd's long. Most of it was pulled down circa 1820, the present house being one eighth of the original size.

The village does not seem to have been effected by Monmouth's rebellion and defeat at Sedgemore in 1685, although neighboring Frome, Wincanton and Wanstow lost many menfolk , executed as rebels. 

In 1688 Sir Edward died , his son also Sir Edward went on to become Speaker and M P for Devon and after his wife's death  remarried to Letitia of Popham of Littlecote , they had six sons and a daughter . Letitia was buried in the family vault below the memorial to the Speaker in Maiden Bradley Church.

The second son of the second marriage was Francis, ancestor of the present Marquis of Hertford of Ragley Hall and it was through this connection that the late Marquis claimed the Dukedom in 1923 when the present Dukes grandfather was eventually declared the heir by the House of Lords. 

At the time of the completion of the building of Bradley House the numbers employed there would have greatly increased  the village population ,for the staff would have numbered fifty or so. In 1956 there were still people in the village who could remember the time circa 1910 , when Bradley House indoor staff numbered thirty five or so, several of them footmen who still wore wigs , brocade coats ,white breeches , silk stocking and buckle shoes when serving meals and attending church services.

Roughly where the village bus shelter now stands was the pest house, where everyone suffering from smallpox  or similar contagion would be immured until quarantine was over .Presumably when an epidemic broke out the only remedy was to quarantine the whole village as was seen in 1664 and 1670, for the pest house was not a large building. 

In  the second part of the Eightieth century the Seymours  began buying back those portions of Bradley that had previously been sold, mainly in Yarnfield and had bought back most of the Manor by 1780 except Perry Farm , which they acquired in 1811.

Perhaps it would be interesting at this point to think of how ordinary people would have lived in the late Eighteenth century.

Two centuries ago Maiden Bradley was a feudal village and as already stated the Duke owned practically every house in it , and almost all the land. There were about 150 houses in the village and two main streets -High Street (formerly East Street) and Church Street. Except  for perhaps half a dozen house , nothing remains of the old buildings  for there was a fire in the village early in the 19th century and most of the old cottages and thatch went up in flames. It was perhaps just as well , for most of the old cottages were little more than hovels-mostly two room affairs with floors of beaten earth, no glass in the window ( just wooden frames) and very scantily furnished, i ,e . there might be a country made chair or two  plus a cupboard and table and clothes chest and benches and stools to sit on at table. Crockery was coarse and scarce and consisted of mugs and drinking utensils. Plates were trenchers of Sycamore wood and cuttlery was restricted to your own knife , and spoons made of horn .The hearth fire was kept alight throughout the year for it was the only source of heat and means of cooking. Kitchen utensils would consist of an iron kettle, stew pot and frying pan , most cottages had a primitive loom and spinning wheel, for clothes where mainly home made. The other room would be the communal bedroom .

Indoor sanitation was non-existent the loo being an earth closet in the garden known as  Jericho , It is remarkable , when one remembers  that the Romans had and introduced into England, central heating and sanitation fifteen hundred years earlier. to think that with their departure and the advent of Anglo-Saxons all those advantages disappeared in the Dark Ages.

A village such as Bradley was almost self supporting, about the only things not made or found locally being salt and iron .

The earliest known references to public houses in the village relate to 'Le Swan' and 'La Bell' in 1509 . When the former ceased to exist is not known , but 'La Bell' was still going in 1805.

 In the 1779 rate record three Inns are mentioned , The bell The George and The Shoulder Of Mutton . Where the George was we do not Know, but it was presumably a coaching Inn, and would therefore have been on one of the two coaching routes running through the village . It did not last long and by 1783 its place had been taken by The New Inn - the Old Manor House in Church Street (more recently used as the village shop and Post Office) , it outlasted all others  and was still going until the Somerset Arms was built in 1865.

MAP OF VILLAGE IN 1790