Brampton Bryan

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Brampton Bryan is a small village situated on the northern boundaries of Herefordshire ( United Kingdom ) close to the Welsh border. It lies mid-way on the road between Leintwardine and Knighton on the A4113. The village has had an extraordinary history and its buildings reflect this. Much of the village is still owned by the Harley Estate who have controlled the area since the early fourteenth century. Prior to this the village and estate were owned by the powerful Mortimer family.

[edit] Buildings

The ruins of the Castle are on a floodplain south of the River Teme, 50m north of the church. From this site the castle once guarded an important route from Ludlow along the Teme Valley to Knighton and on into Central Wales. The area has been important since Roman times and the village is a few miles west of Leintwardine an important Roman cite which included a substantial fort.

The current buildings include the ruined, earthwork and buried remains of the quadrangular castle. The medieval layout appears to have been of four ranges built around a courtyard, with a gatehouse contained within the southern curtain wall, to which a large outer gatehouse was added. The whole monument was constructed on a motte and surrounded by a moat, with the approach to the castle being from the south across a bridge to the gatehouse.

The north range contained the hall and service bay, both at first floor level, with the kitchen to the east. Private accommodation was found in the other ranges, with further chambers above the gate passage of the inner gatehouse and on the first floor of the outer gatehouse.

The current house was built following the English Civil War and is largely eighteenth century.

St Barnabas Church was built in 1656, during the period of the Commonwealth. It replaces an earlier building that was destroyed during the siege of Brampton Bryan castle in 1643. Whilst from the outside the church has a considerable appeal, once entered the effect is unnerving due to its breadth being entirely out of proportion to its length. Its nave and chancel are one and covered by a very fine double hammerbeam roof. The roof may well have been constructed from the ruins of the castle. It contains an early 14th century monument to Lady Margaret de Brampton, who is shown holding her heart in her hands.

Other buildings within the village include a number of fine Georgian houses and some earlier timber framed buildings situated around the small triangular green.

[edit] History

The village is best known for being the site of a famous action in the English Civil War. Robert Harley a prominent Marcher Lord, was a dedicated Puritan and served as a Member of Parliament in London supporting the Roundhead party. Situated in a predominantly Royalist area of the country, the estate and castle were vulnerable to attack, but notwithstanding this Robert Harley left the defence of the castle in the hands of his remarkable wife, Lady Brilliana Harley. Brilliana born in 1600 was the daughter of Sir Edward and Dorothy Conway, of Ragley in Warwickshire, and she became Robert Harley's third wife in March 1624

Perhaps due to her reputation in the area the castle was not attacked until the 26th July 1643 over a year after Parliament had first looked to raise an army to oppose the King. Prior to this Fitzwilliam Coningsby the Royalist sheriff of Hereford had restricted himself to ordering the Harley tenants to pay their rents directly to him and those that refused were sent to jail. Subsequently attacks were made on the property and livestock stolen. However at the end of July 1643 events came to a head and Sir William Vavasour, the newly appointed governor of Hereford, surrounded Brampton Bryan with a mixed force of cavalry and infantrymen amounting to some 700 soldiers.

Brilliana and three of her children together with 100 of her tenants ( many of them armed ) held the castle. Conditions inside rapidly became deteriorated. Cattle, sheep and horses were plundered, all the buildings in the village were burnt to the ground and the castle was attacked with cannon and shot. Fortunately however inside the castle casualties were low and only one death and a few injuries are recorded. By contrast the attackers faired less well and nearly a tenth of the company were either killed or injured. After some weeks the siege was lifted and in October Vavasour left the area to join the Royalist attack on Gloucester.

For some months afterwards an uneasy truce prevailed ( although this did not stop Brilliana sending her men on a successful military raid into Wales against the Royalist forces ). However Brilliana's health worsened and she died before the end of the year.

Following her death the command of the garrison was put in the hands of the family doctor Nathaniel Wright and the Royalist forces began a second siege of the castle in the spring of the following year. This second siege lasted only three weeks and the Royalists enforced by additional weaponry inflicted much more substantial damage upon the castle by the use of mines and powerful artillery. The siege ended when Dr. Wright surrendered to the attacking forces led by Sir Michael Woodhouse, Sir William Vavasour and Sir William Croft. The building was sacked and burnt and the prisoners, including the three young Harley children, were taken to Shrewsbury.

However notwithstanding the loss of his castle Robert Harley's choice of the Roundhead cause proved to be a wise one, and following Cromwell's victory he was well rewarded ( his claim for losses suffered amounted to some £13,000 ).

[edit] Today

Today the village is a sleepy Herefordshire hamlet which in addition to its church possesses a small tearoom, a large bookshop ( as is not uncommon in the county ) and a remarkable and ancient Yew hedge which is much remarked upon by those who pass through the area.