Bradley Church in Lincolnshire ~ A Historic Overview
A cold wintry January morning saw me at the ancient village of Bradley in Lincolnshire
Located in the small village of Bradley, which lies just outside Grimsby and very close to Bradley Woods, lies the beautiful Norman church of Saint George. It sits in a slightly elevated spot overlooking the 17th century Bradley Manor.
It is an ancient church and testimony to that can be seen in some of the trees, now heavily cut back, which line the boundary of the churchyard.
You’ll see in the photograph that much more of the churchyard cross remains than normal, you might also note the unfortunate modern flagpole which spoils an otherwise fine historic view.
Although an ancient site there weren’t any any 18th century gravestones immediately visible so once again no joy on the Memento Mori front.
The rear walls showed signs of previous arcade arches giving clues to a once grander ironstone building and the fine tower is circa 13th century with the church having had a rebuild in 1877.
St George’s Church Bradley
I’ve been trying to find the earliest possible dating references possible for a religious building on the site and had hoped to get back before the 13th century to the original building which presumably stood on this spot - no joy as yet but perhaps more information will come to light.
I’ve also been looking for mention in the Domesday book and it is listed, in 1086 Bradley was listed under the name Bredelou and was associated with the Bishop of Bayeux.
It’s listed as having 3 churches and 2 mills. The other 2 churches are at Laceby and Scartho.
 In Levesbi and Bredelou and Scarhou [Laceby and Bradley and Scartho (Bradley)] Swen, Arich. and Tosti had 9 carucates of land [assessed] to the geld. There is land for 16 teams. The Bishop of Bayeux has 3 teams there in demesne, and 4 villeins and 5 bordars and 85 sokemen having 13 teams.There are 3 churches there with priests, and 2 mills rendering 8 shillings, and 360 acres of meadow, and 100 acres of underwood. 
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From another angle - thankfully sans flagpole
If you know of anything relating to this church or any further dating evidence please do leave a comment. We are keen to collate as much information as possible so any help in preserving information and history for the future would be greatly appreciated
All the best
Rod
Marie said,
January 18, 2010 @ 4:41 pm
What a beautiful church. I’m interesting your further reviews about the history of it. I hope you get lots of comments.
Rod said,
January 18, 2010 @ 4:49 pm
Hi Marie,
thanks for that, it is a lovely spot, hopefully as time goes on more information will come to light as well.
All the best
Rod
Rod said,
January 19, 2010 @ 8:00 am
Sent in by Neville tand it shows just how much an old church needs a modern flagstaff !
Without a Flag !
Peter Mullins said,
January 19, 2010 @ 9:48 pm
Sorry the flagpole is getting in the way of your full appreciation. Did you notice that the flag is nailed in place up the pole because those who put it there got fed up with it being nicked? I haven’t got my full notes here, but the bottom of the tower is certainly early Norman and there is at least one feature of the building from each century since. Look at the east face of the tower and you can see the marks made by an earlier more highly pitched roof.
Rod said,
January 20, 2010 @ 8:32 am
Hi Peter,
thanks for the comment and welcome to the site - hope you’ll return.
Don’t worry about me and flagpoles, it’s a pet hate - though it usually involves trees and bushes !
I seem to spend forever, not to mention spend a small fortune on cameras and lenses, trying to get a decent unobscured shots of churches
The theft of the flag saddens but doesn’t surprise me Peter, you’d think if someone had enough pride to think a flag was of use to them they’d have enough pride not to steal it from a churchyard !
Any more information on the church would be hugely appreciated Peter
All the best
Rod
grace said,
January 30, 2010 @ 12:10 am
love the pictures of the church..
i often spending time here because its a lovely and peaceful spot.
Rod said,
January 30, 2010 @ 8:01 am
Hi Grace,
thanks for the comment, welcome to the site and I hope you’ll return.
I too find churches somehow strangely peaceful - it is something I first encountered some time ago when I visited this church there is a real serenity to be found in churches and churchyards if you just stop, look and allow your mind to relax.
All the best
Rod
grace said,
February 3, 2010 @ 1:20 am
l have always been drawn to this chruch, when i was young my grandma had a oil painting of bradley chruch on the wall and it always looked so peaceful. l dont know much about it history, all l was every told was my great grandfather was the chruch warden there and was buried with the words he loved this chruch very much on his stone..(must be where l get it from)
i came across your site when trying to find some more information about this chruch…great site, enjoyed reading about all the local history around the area :0)
Rod said,
February 3, 2010 @ 8:40 am
Hi Grace,
many thanks and pleased you found a few bits of interest on the site - keep tuning in as there’s plenty more to come
All the best
Rod
Peter Mullins said,
March 1, 2010 @ 4:15 pm
Q. How old is the church?
A. There is something to see from almost every century since the Norman conquest.
1100s. The base of the tower has Norman features.
1200s. Most of the tower was built in the thirteenth century (including the slit windows near the top). Much of the church is from the same period. Inside, notice the doorway and piscina (a small sink for washing holy vessels) on the south side of the chancel both long blocked up but recently revealed. Outside, notice on the east side of the tower the upside down V which shows there was an earlier higher roof met the tower.
1300s. The porch is fourteenth century. So is the window on the south side of the chancel - you can see that it is later than the wall opposite because there ought to be two post holes opposite each other but only one remains. The font is from the same period although it has been heavily recut since. It is famous for the rhyme inscribed on it: Pater noster, ave maria and creide leren ye chylde yt es nede (i.e. it is important to teach the children to say the prayers beginning ‘Our Father’ and ‘Hail Mary’ and to recite the statement of faith beginning ‘I believe’.)
1400s. The present tower (including the battlements) was finished off in the fifteenth century).
1500s. The sixteenth century is important for what you cannot see: at the Reformation the screen which divided the chancel and nave (and the crucifixion scene above it) was removed.
1700s. A whole north aisle was taken down in 1776. Outside, notice the arches in the stonework which show where it connected to the church.
1800s. The box pews and panelling were put in during the nineteenth century. The present roof dates form the 1860s.
1900s. Both stained glass windows are twentieth century. The one in the north aisle is in memory of a member of the Tickler family then from Bradley Manor famous for Tickler’s Jams; the first word of the Latin motto (‘Iam’) has been written with a flourish to look like ‘Jam’.
Rod said,
March 1, 2010 @ 7:05 pm
Peter,
that’s stunning - incredibly informative.
Would the the screen have been removed for ‘religious political reasons’ or simply because of poor state of repair.
I ask because I’m hugely interested in religious history now so I’m trying to learn all I can.
I visited 5 churches today Peter and enjoyed every second of it - well apart from standing outside one with an early knight effigy inside and a locked door
Thanks again for taking the time Peter - it really is appreciated, not just by me either - many others both now and in the future
All the best
Rod
Amiguru said,
July 24, 2010 @ 11:43 pm
Rod,
There is in the Registry of Lincoln Cathedral a document dated 1566 and entitled the Inventory of Superstitious Monuments. It consists of a series of reports, following the Reformation, of Catholic objects in Lincolnshire churches which the authorities considered idolatory or unnecessary and the actions taken to dispose of them. One of the churches in the document was St. George’s Bradley and the items listed were as follows:
A Rood-screen showing Mary and John - burnt by the churchwardens.
A Rood loft, pulled down and defaced by the churchwardens then sold.
A mass book with all the other Popish books, burnt by the parson 1st. year of Elizabeth’s reign.
Vestments, stoles and other linens burnt in Edward VIth’s time.
One altar stone was broken up and used to mend the highway and the rest removed in King Edward’s time.
Now, no matter what your beliefs, creeds, or philosophy, doesn’t that all make you cringe?
I shall, from time to time, when it occurs to me, be adding lists to other churches as you cover them Rod. I wonder if that altar stone is still under the road there……
Regards,
Neville
Rod said,
July 25, 2010 @ 9:11 am
Neville,
very interesting indeed, fascinating but depressing, can you imagine what’s been lost ?
I always think of all the books that have been discarded or all those texts burnt as ‘heretical’
This type of info would be great on any church Neville, one of the reasons behind writing the churches up is to provide a home for information on the twon or village should snippets turn up.
Best
Rod - working on _ _ _ _ by
Sharon Jennings (nee Poole) said,
August 22, 2010 @ 9:42 pm
Hello Rod
It has been lovely reading about my old church St George’s, your site is
very informative. I was born and brought up in Bradley during the 50s,
60s and 70s I had a very happy childhood living in the village with my
parents John and Mary Poole.
There was a good strong little community, everyone grew their own
vegetables flowers etc and many a time one of the neighbors would pop
round and give us a few carrots, cabbage or strawberries, like wise my
parents would share what ever we had grown. We also kept pigs, geese and
hens.
The Vicar was Reverend Weston who lived in the Rectory just round the
corner from us. The church smelt heavily of incense as did the Rectory.
Once a year usually during the summer months the Vicar, choir boys and
small congregation would walk round the village holding a large cross
and swinging the incense, Dad used to say he was blessing the
dandelions!
My Mum worked at the Manor house for a while and said it was a little
bit scary in places. It was said to have a tunnel from the house to the
church, this was supposed to be mentioned in the Doomsday Book, all
this was fascinating and intriguing for us children to hear.
I hope they haven’t taken down all, the lovely chestnut trees
surrounding the church, they were enormous,and gave us all the conkers
we needed! During the Autumn the leaves would flutter down by the
score, a fabulous sight. After tea me and my friend would cycle down
the hill past the church into the old village, to meet up with other
children and sometimes it was getting a little dark when we returned
home, this was pretty damn scary having to cycling back past the grave
yard! Almost every family would have their own bonfire on the 5th of
November and go carol singing round the village at Christmas time, ah
those were the days.
Sorry to go on but seeing the church brought it all back to me.
Kind Regards
Sharon Jennings
PS I would love to hear from anyone else who comes from Bradley, it
would be great to share some more memories.
Rod said,
August 23, 2010 @ 8:24 am
Hi Sharon,
thanks for the fabulous comment and welcome to the site. It was lovely reading your comment and being honest it highlights much that we’ve lost today I think.
They were clearly halcyon days
Regards
Rod
Christine Wright said,
September 7, 2010 @ 8:47 am
Hi Rod, Very interesting website. My husbands ancestor was Rector of Bradley Church, we have scant information on him, his name was William Phillipson and he was born in 1830 in Lincolnshire, he died in 1876 aged 46, have you any info on him? Would be most grateful to have anything on him you may have come across.
Regards
Christine Wright.
Rod said,
September 7, 2010 @ 9:12 am
Christine,
thanks for the comment and welcome to the site.
I feel suresomething can be turned up on this one and anything that does will surely be posted here so it’s well worth checking back.
Regards
Rod
Peter Mullins said,
September 7, 2010 @ 3:55 pm
I haven’t got any local sources about the Rectors of Bradley, but published sources ( such as Crockford’s Clerical Directory of the time) should give you basic career details for him.
I’ve just looked at the 1871 census which has him living at what it records as The Vicarage. He is 40, the Rector of the parish, and had been born in Grimsby. His wife Ann was 30 and born at Ulcebly Junction (if I read the handwriting correctly). They had children Annie (5), Elinor (2) and Joseph (1). They had teenage kitchen and nursey maids.
Then I noticed another William Phillipson in the same parish. He is 74, born in Bradly itself and one of the largest farmers in the parish. He is living with two neices (both born in the neighbouring parish of Waltham) and servants. I wondered whether they might be related, but an initial dip into the 1841 census hasn’t pinned this down, and I better not spend all afternoon looking…
Peter Mullins said,
September 7, 2010 @ 3:55 pm
I haven’t got any local sources about the Rectors of Bradley, but published sources ( such as Crockford’s Clerical Directory of the time) should give you basic career details for him.
I’ve just looked at the 1871 census which has him living at what it records as The Vicarage. He is 40, the Rector of the parish, and had been born in Grimsby. His wife Ann was 30 and born at Ulcebly Junction (if I read the handwriting correctly). They had children Annie (5), Elinor (2) and Joseph (1). They had teenage kitchen and nursey maids.
Then I noticed another William Phillipson in the same parish. He is 74, born in Bradly itself and one of the largest farmers in the parish. He is living with two neices (both born in the neighbouring parish of Waltham) and servants. I wondered whether they might be related, but an initial dip into the 1841 census hasn’t pinned this down, and I better not spend all afternoon looking…