Bratton is a village and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

in the English county of

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, about east of Westbury. The village lies under the northern slope of

Salisbury Plain Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in southern England covering . It is part of a system of chalk downlands throughout eastern and southern England formed by the rocks of the Chalk Group and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, but st ...

, on the B3098 Westbury –

Market Lavington Market Lavington is a civil parish and large village with a population of about 2,200 on the northern edge of Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, south of the market town of Devizes. The village lies on the B3098 Westbury–Urchfont road wh ...

road.

History

The massive earthworks of the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

hill fort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

known as Bratton Castle (or Bratton Camp) are within the parish. Bratton was a

tithing A tithing or tything was a historic English legal, administrative or territorial unit, originally ten hides (and hence, one tenth of a hundred). Tithings later came to be seen as subdivisions of a manor or civil parish. The tithing's leader or ...

of the ancient parish of Westbury until 1894, when it became a separate civil parish. An agricultural machinery business, R & J Reeves & Son, had a central site in Bratton village which became known as Bratton Iron Works. Begun as a blacksmith in 1799, the company became nationally known in the 19th century and was the largest employer in the area. The firm closed in 1970 and the site is now the village play area. The

Stert and Westbury Railway The Stert and Westbury Railway was opened by the Great Western Railway Company in 1900 in Wiltshire, England. It shortened the distance between London Paddington station and , and since 1906 has also formed part of the Reading to Taunton line fo ...

was built across the parish in 1900. The local station was in the adjacent parish of Edington and was called Edington & Bratton; the station closed to passengers in 1952 and to goods in 1963, but the line remains open as part of the

Reading to Taunton Line Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of symbols, often specifically those of a written language, by means of sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word r ...

Religious sites

The

Church of England parish church A parish church in the Church of England is the church which acts as the religious centre for the people within each Church of England parish (the smallest and most basic Church of England administrative unit; since the 19th century sometimes ...

of St James the Great has 14th-century origins and may be on the site of an earlier church. It was rebuilt in the 15th century; the chancel was rebuilt in 1854 by G. G. Scott, with further restoration by T. H. Wyatt in 1860. The church is

Grade II* listed In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, H ...

. A

Baptist Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

chapel was built in 1734, enlarged in the 1780s and again in the next century, with the addition of a schoolroom. Pevsner describes the chapel as "externally a gem" and it is Grade II* listed. As of 2018 the chapel is still in use. A

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

chapel was built in 1870 and closed in 1952; the building was demolished in 1957.

Schools

In 1846, a National School was built at the top of Batts Lane, Bratton, now called the Butts, and enlarged in 1877. Also around 1846, a British School was established, and the lessons taught included Arithmetic and Algebra, Geography, Grammar, Scripture, Reading, Ciphering, History, and Drill. This school, intended for the use of nonconformists, was in Stradbrook."Early education in Bratton"
brattonhistory.co.uk, accessed 26 October 2023 In 1928, both schools were closed and their pupils moved to a newly built

Wiltshire County Council Wiltshire Council, known between 1889 and 2009 as Wiltshire County Council, is the local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Wiltshire in South West England, and has its headquarters at County Hall in Trowbridge. Since 2009 it has bee ...

school, which became Bratton Primary School and was extended in 1982. The former British School became an ex-servicemen's club, while the National School building – known as The Oratory – continued in its role as a Sunday school and church hall, until it was sold for residential use in around 2009.

Landmarks

In the village: *A

commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...

, complete with industrial cog and brick wall, unveiled in 1993 for the R & J Reeves & Sons Iron Works. *A

war memorial A war memorial is a building, monument, statue, or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or (predominating in modern times) to commemorate those who died or were injured in a war. Symbolism Historical usage It has ...

in the form of a step-based wheel cross. On Westbury Hill: *The

Battle of Ethandun The Battle of Edington or Battle of Ethandun was fought in May 878 between the West Saxon army of King Alfred the Great and the Great Heathen Army led by the Danish warlord Guthrum. The battle took place near Edington in Wiltshire, where Alf ...

Memorial – a large

sarsen stone Sarsen stones are silicified sandstone blocks found extensively across southern England on the Salisbury Plain and the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire; in Kent; and in smaller quantities in Berkshire, Essex, Oxfordshire, Dorset, and Hampshire. G ...

summounting a base of cemented pebbles, unveiled in 2000. *The

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

golden jubilee A golden jubilee marks a 50th anniversary. It variously is applied to people, events, and nations. Bangladesh In Bangladesh, golden jubilee refers the 50th anniversary year of the separation from Pakistan and is called in Bengali language, ...

beacon placed in 2002. *A topograph dating from 1968, showing towns and cities which can be seen from the hillside. *

Westbury White Horse Westbury White Horse or Bratton White Horse is a hill figure on the escarpment of Salisbury Plain, approximately east of Westbury in Wiltshire, England. Located on the edge of Bratton Downs and lying just below an Iron Age hill fort, it is ...

–

hill figure A hill figure is a large visual representation created by cutting into a steep hillside and revealing the underlying geology. It is a type of geoglyph usually designed to be seen from afar rather than above. In some cases trenches are dug and ...

* Bratton Castle –

hillfort A hillfort is a type of fortification, fortified refuge or defended settlement located to exploit a rise in elevation for defensive advantage. They are typical of the late Bronze Age Europe, European Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. So ...

Roughly a mile west of Bratton is a former Lafarge Cement factory, which was reduced to a distribution site in 2009. The factory had a tall chimney, which was demolished in September 2016.

Notable buildings

The Court House (15th and 17th centuries) and Bratton House (1715 and 1826) are Grade II* listed.

Amenities

The village has a Post Office and village shop, a village hall and a

pub A pub (short for public house) is in several countries a drinking establishment licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term first appeared in England in the late 17th century, to differentiate private ho ...

, ''The Duke at Bratton''.

Bratton Downs Bratton Downs () is a 395.8 hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Wiltshire, England, near the villages of Bratton and Edington, and about east of the town of Westbury. It was notified in 1971. The designa ...

is a biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest.

Notable residents

Maria Grace Saffery Maria Grace Saffery (1773–1858) was a Baptist poet and hymn-writer from England. Early life Maria Grace Andrews was born in 1773 in the Westbury district of Wiltshire, England. Saffery was possibly the daughter of William Andrews of Stroud G ...

(1773–1858), poet and Baptist hymn-writer, lived in Bratton. * Rebecca Smith (1807–1849), last British woman to be executed for infanticide * Rev. George Whitaker (1811–1882), clergyman and educator * Sir Horace Seymour (1885–1978), British diplomat, Ambassador to China * Major General Sir Jeremy Moore (1928–2007), Commander of British land forces during the Falklands War, lived in the village for over 20 years until his death * Jack Lauterwasser (1904–2003), cyclist, silver medal winner at the 1928 Olympics, Amsterdam * Marjorie Reeves (1905–2003), historian and educationalist, author of ''Sheep Bell and Ploughshare: The Story of Two Village Families'' which describes village life

References

External links

Bratton Parish Council

Bratton village community website
*
Collection of tools and nameplates
donated by R. & J. Reeves and Son Ltd at the

Museum of English Rural Life The Museum of English Rural Life, also known as The MERL, is a museum, library and archive dedicated to recording the changing face of farming and the countryside in England. The museum is run by the University of Reading, and is situated in Red ...

{{authority control Villages in Wiltshire Civil parishes in Wiltshire