Bratton, Wiltshire
Historical Description
Bratton, an ecclesiastical district in Wilts, 3 miles ENE of Westbury station on the G.W.R. It has a post, money order, and telegraph office under Westbury. Population, 610. Bratton Castle, on the crown of a hill, is an ancient camp of 23 acres, partly defended by a double rampart, in some parts 36 feet high, and said to have been constructed by the Danes. The White Horse, on the S slope below the camp, is a colossal figure similar to the White Horse of Berks, probably ancient, and originally of rude design, but remodelled in 1778. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Salisbury; value, £300. Patron, the Vicar of Westbury. The church is a stone building in the Early English style. There are Wesleyan and Baptist chapels. A public hall was built in 1889.
Administration
The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.
| Ancient County | Wiltshire | |
| Civil parish | Westbury | |
| Hundred | Westbury | |
| Poor Law union | Westbury and Whorwelsdown |
Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.
Church Records
The parish register dates from the year 1542.
Findmypast, in association with the Wiltshire Record Office, have the following parish records online for Bratton:
| Baptisms | Banns | Marriages | Burials |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1542-1880 | 1754-1822 | 1544-1837 | 1543-1944 |
Churches
Church of England
St. James (parish church)
The church of St. James is a cruciform edifice of stone, in the Perpendicular style, consisting of chancel, nave of two bays, transepts, aisles, and an embattled centre lantern tower containing 6 bells: there are several stained windows: the church was restored, reseated and newly roofed in 1860, at a cost of about £900, and will seat 200 persons. Leading up to the church from the village is a flight of 210 steps.
Baptist
Baptist Chapel
The Baptist Chapel, founded in 1667, has 300 sittings.
Methodist
Wesleyan Chapel
Directories & Gazetteers
We have transcribed the entry for Bratton from the following:
Maps
Online maps of Bratton are available from a number of sites:
- Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- Google Streetview.
- National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
- OpenStreetMap.
- old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
- Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
- A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)
Newspapers and Periodicals
The British Newspaper Archive have fully searchable digitised copies of the following Wiltshire papers online: