The Forest of Braydon (anciently Bradon) is an historic royal hunting forest in

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

, England, the remnant of which lies about 6 miles north-west of

Swindon Swindon () is a town in Wiltshire, England. At the time of the 2021 Census the population of the built-up area was 183,638, making it the largest settlement in the county. Located at the northeastern edge of the South West England region, Swi ...

. In medieval times it encompassed about 30,000 acres.

History

In the year 688 Caedwalla, king of the West Saxons, granted to Abbot Aldhelm of

Malmesbury Abbey Malmesbury Abbey, at Malmesbury in Wiltshire, England, is a former Benedictine abbey dedicated to Saint Peter and Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul. It was one of the few English religious houses with a continuous history from the 7th century throug ...

in Wiltshire, thirty hides on the eastern side of Braydon Wood (''de orientali parte silve Bradon''). At its greatest extent, Braydon Forest covered about a third of the area of the county of Wiltshire, but over the centuries most of it was gradually cleared. A remnant south of

Minety Minety (/'maɪn.tiː/) is a village in north Wiltshire, England, between Malmesbury – to the west – and Swindon. It takes its name from the water mint plant found growing in ditches around the village, and has previously been known as Mynte ...

, known as Ravensroost Wood, was notified as a

Site of Special Scientific Interest A Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in Great Britain, or an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) in the Isle of Man and Northern Ireland, is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle ...

in 1989 and is managed as a nature reserve by

Wiltshire Wildlife Trust Wiltshire Wildlife Trust is a conservation charity based in Devizes, England which owns and manages 40 nature reserves in Wiltshire and Swindon. It also works to encourage Wiltshire's communities to live sustainable lifestyles that protect the e ...

Keepers

Persons holding the office of "Keeper of the Forest of Bradon" include: *1293: Roger de Moels (c. 1232–1295), father of John de Moels, 1st Baron Moels (d. 1310).Cokayne, ''

The Complete Peerage ''The Complete Peerage'' (full title: ''The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom Extant, Extinct, or Dormant''); first edition by George Edward Cokayne, Clarenceux King of Arms; 2nd edition re ...

'', new edition, Vol. IX, p. 5, quoting Calendar of

Patent Rolls The patent rolls (Latin: ''Rotuli litterarum patentium'') are a series of administrative records compiled in the English, British and United Kingdom Chancery, running from 1201 to the present day. Description The patent rolls comprise a regis ...

, 1292-1301, p. 42" *1374: William Archbold (d. after 1400), an Irish-born member of the King's household, and later a

judge A judge is a person who wiktionary:preside, presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a judicial panel. In an adversarial system, the judge hears all the witnesses and any other Evidence (law), evidence presented by the barris ...

in Ireland.Ball, F.Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1921'' London John Murray 1926 p.164

References

{{Reflist Braydon category:History of Wiltshire