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Bradfield, Berkshire

Historical Description

Bradfield, a village, a parish, and the head of a union in Berks. The village stands on an affluent of the river Thames, 3 miles NW by W of Theale station on the G.W.R., and 7½ W of Reading, under which it has a post, money order, and telegraph office. The parish comprises 4346 acres of land and 13 of water; population, 1458. Bradfield Hall, Buckhold, and Bradfield Cottage are chief residences. The surface contains rich field scenes, and commands fine views. The living is a rectory, united with Buckhold, in the diocese of Oxford; net value, £737 with residence. The church was restored and enlarged in 1848. There are a chapel of ease and a Primitive Methodist chapel. St Andrew's College, which ranks as a public school, is a handsome edifice of 1850, and was endowed in 1859 and chartered in 1862 as a foundation-school for 16 founder's boys and 153 commoners. In 1862 it was incorporated by royal charter, and by alteration of the statutes the number of commoners was raised to 300. An abbey was founded here before the close of the 7th century by King Ina. Bishop Lloyd was sometime rector.

Transcribed from The Comprehensive Gazetteer of England & Wales, 1894-5

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Ancient CountyBerkshire 
Ecclesiastical parishBradfield St. Andrew 
HundredTheale 
Poor Law unionBradfield 

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.


Church Records

The Phillimore transcript of Marriages at Bradfield 1559-1812, Berkshire is available to browse online.

The parish register dates, with some interruptions, from 1539.


Churches

Church of England

Holy Trinity, Buckhold

Holy Trinity chapel of ease, at Buckhold, about 2 miles north of the village, was built in 1836, and is an edifice of stone, consisting of nave only.

SS. Simon and Jude's chapel

SS. Simon and Jude's chapel of ease, about a mile from the church, built in 1835, is a structure of flint, also of nave only, and is intended for the use of the inmates of the Union workhouse.

St. Andrew (parish church)

The parish church of St. Andrew, with the exception of the tower and part of the north aisle, rebuilt by the Rev. Thomas Stevens, rector, 1843-82, was re-consecrated in 1848, after enlargement, and is an edifice of flint with stone dressings in the Early English style, consisting of chancel, nave, aisles, transept, north porch and an embattled western tower of red brick and flint, containing 6 bells; the windows are stained, and there are 500 sittings.

Methodist

Primitive Methodist Chapel

There is a small Primitive Methodist chapel.


Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.

Bradfield was in Bradfield Registration District from 1837 to 1937 and Wokingham Registration District from 1937 to 1974


Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Bradfield from the following:


Land and Property

Buckhold is a mansion of red brick in the Early Gothic style, erected from designs by Alfred Waterhouse R.A. architect, and is situated about 2 miles north of the village, in extensive and undulating grounds.

Bradfield Hall is a substantial building of red brick about one mile and a half west of the village.

The Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Berkshire is available to browse.


Maps

Online maps of Bradfield are available from a number of sites:


Newspapers and Periodicals

The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Berkshire papers online:


Schools

The Bradfield College Register 1850-1923 is available to browse online. It provides a listing of all boys who attended St Andrew's College between those dates, including brief biographical details and scholastic achievements.


Visitations Heraldic

The Visitations of Berkshire 1532, 1566, and 1665-6 is available online.

CountyWest Berkshire
RegionSouth East
CountryEngland
Postal districtRG7
Post TownReading

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