Bradley, Hampshire

The village name has been spelt in different ways over the centuries, including Bradanleag (10th century), Bradelie (11th century), Bradelega (12th century) and Bradelegh (13th century).[2] According to a charter made in 909, King Edward the Elder confirmed that Frithstan, the Bishop of Winchester, had possession of five hides in Bradley. At the time of the Domesday Survey in 1086, however, Bradley was part of the manor of Overton and continued to be listed under Overton until the 11th century. By 1167, Bradley became a separate manor and passed through the ownership of many different families. In 1242, Henry de Bradley, possibly a descendant of the manor's first owner, exchanged three virgates of land in Bradley for 41 acres (17 ha) of land in nearby Ellisfield with Geoffrey des Roches, the nephew of Peter des Roches, Bishop of Winchester. Geoffrey died ten years later, although his wife Emma, the daughter of William Fitz Roger, outlived him, and in 1260 half a virgate of land in the village was transferred to her uncle, Roger Fitz Roger. After Roger's death, the manor of Bradley was then transferred to Martin des Roches, the son and heir of Geoffrey and Emma, and then upon his death in 1277 was passed again to his brother Hugh.[2]

A map showing Bradley and surrounding area in 1897. At the time the parish was not independent.

High des Roches was succeeded by his son and heir Sir John des Roches, along with his wife Joan, who in 1338 left future ownership to their daughters Alice and Mary (the latter being the wife of John de Borhunte). Alice died without heirs while Joan des Roches, who outlived her husband, was temporarily holding the manor, and upon her death in 1361 Bradley was passed to her widowed daughter Mary, who almost immediately married Sir Bernard Brocas afterwards. Sir Bernard obtained a grant which gave him the lands of the village in 1363, and died in 1395, leaving his son and heir Sir Bernard to inherit the manor. Although the younger Sir Bernard was executed at Tyburn for treason at the accession of Henry IV, the land was not forfeited and remained in the Brocas family until 1621, until it was leased to Thomas Taylor for 200 years.[2]

In 1629 the manor was taken into the hands of the King James I for a debt of £1,001 (equivalent to £192,393 in 2019) and leased by him to Sir Kenelm Digby and Sir John Savage.[2] After the death of Savage, the manor of Bradley was divided into ten-twelfths; one-twelfth was transferred to John's son and heir Edward, ten-twelfths were held by Sir Pexall Brocas and the remaining twelfth by Francis Cotton, son-in-law of Brocas. In 1711, the manor was passed to Anthony Henley, who was then succeeded by his brother Robert Henley, 1st Earl of Northington and Viscount Henley in 1764. Robert's son, Robert Henley, 2nd Earl of Northington, died unmarried in 1786, thus leaving his three sisters as heirs. Bradley was then passed down the next year to William Drewe, a merchant from London. After Drewe's death in 1772, his will included Bradley to his son John, upon whose death in 1829 was sold to a Mr Rumbold and was once again passed by sale to Mr H. King, who was succeeded by his son Mr J. H. King. The latter sold the estate in 1877 to Harry Chichester, 2nd Baron Templemore, from whom it was purchased by Mr H. J. Hope in 1887. Mr. Hope died in 1905, and his widow was the last recorded owner of Bradley's estate as of 1905.[2]

In 1870–72, the Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales by John Marius Wilson described Bradley as:

...  a parish in Basingstoke district, Hants; 6 miles WNW of Alton r. station, and 6½ S of Basingstoke. Post Town, Preston-Candover, under Micheldever station. Acres, 960. Real property, £860. Pop., 106. Houses, 25. The property is divided among a few. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Winchester. Value, £250.* Patron,E. Rumbold, Esq. The church is good; and there are charities £20.[3]

Until the late 19th century, Bradley was a detached part of Overton.[4] The parish boundaries of the village have been slightly altered since 1913, with Bradley Wood being cut down in order to widen a lane linking the centre of the village to Burkham. Some parts of the parish's eastern boundary was ceded to Bentworth around this time.[5] A boarding kennel for dogs and cats named Gay Dogs opened in the village in the 1960s.[6] Aside from a large solar energy farm constructed near the boundary to Bentworth in 2014, there have been no contemporary developments in the village.[7][8]

Due to its location in south central England and its proximity to the sea, the average maximum temperature in January is 7.2 °C (45 °F) with the average minimum being 1.6 °C (35 °F). The average maximum temperature in July is 21.9 °C (71 °F), with the average minimum being 12.5 °C (55 °F). The village gets around 755 millimetres (29.7 in) of rain a year, with a minimum of 1 mm (0.04 in) of rain reported on 103 days a year.[12]