By charter of 909 King Edward the Elder confirmed Frithstan, the then Bishop of Winchester in possession of Bradley which was then part of the manor of Overton. Then around 1167 it became a separate manor and passed through many families till it was inherited in 1395 by Sir Bernard Brocas, who although being executed at Tyburn for treason when Henry IV came to the throne  the land was not forfeited and remained in the family until 1621 when it was leased to a Thomas  Taylor for a period of 200 years.

It was in 1629 that the manor was put into the hands of the sovereign to pay a debt of £1,001 and then leased by the king to Sir Kenelm Digby and Sir John Savage. Taylor though refused to deliver the manor and instead installed a force inside the manor house.

After four attempts by the sheriff to gain possession failed, 200 men and guns were despatched from London and the house completely destroyed.

But two years later the manor was reverted to Thomas Taylor when the Court of  Exchequer dissolved its injunction. All records of what happened later are uncertain but it passed through many hands

A church here was first mentioned in 1291 and parts of it can be seen to date from that period, the church of All Saints today though were rebuilt in 1877 and dates mostly form the 19th century.

IMAGES OF BRADLEY

The village pond a favourtie haunt for water fowl
The Church Porch		An unusual find outside the porch
All Saints Church		A piscina or squint in the wall by the altar
The chancel arch has heads supporting it
The Font		A cottage in the village, note the height of the windows

From the Hampshire Chronicle
Saturday, June 4, 1955

The pulling down of Nutley Church, following its declaration as redundant, has aroused some critical comment.

The news that something is being “saved from the wreck” will be welcomed by many.

Mrs. Nancy Courage, Churchwarden at the Neighbouring Church of Bradley, writes as follows: –

“All Saints Church, Bradley, lacks a vestry: it is therefore proposed to build one with material salvaged from Nutley. Already the parishioners have turned out in commendable force with tractors and trailers to hand-pick and remove no less than 2,000 faced flints which the demolition contractors offered free of charge, provided we transported them to Bradley. These flints, together with 1,000 tiles and a quantity of plinth, corner and coping stones, also from Nutley Church, should be sufficient to build our vestry.” Donations are needed to finish the work, and appealing for these to be sent to her at the Old Rectory, Bradley, Mrs Courage adds: “We have provided the vision and the energy: will you help provide the funds?”