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{{short description|Village in West Yorkshire, England}}
[[Image:Bramham_Stone_Sign.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Village signpost along Toulston Lane on the way to Tadcaster.]]
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{{More footnotes|date=February 2009}}
{{original research|date=March 2015}}
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{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2015}}
'''Bramham cum Oglethorpe''', more well known as just '''"Bramham"''', is a village and [[civil parish]] in the [[England|English]] county of [[West Yorkshire]]. According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,715. Bramham is located three miles south of [[Wetherby]], midway between [[Leeds]] and [[York]] and about twelve miles south of [[Harrogate]] in the so-called "Golden Triangle". Bramham is at part of the Wetherby Ward of Leeds Metropolitan Council and is at the north-eastern edge of [[West Yorkshire]] where it borders [[North Yorkshire]] at [[Tadcaster]], 4 miles away. Bramham is currently part of the [[Elmet (UK Parliament constituency)|Elmet constituency]] and the local Labour M.P. is [[Colin Burgon]].
{{Use British English|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox UK place
| country = England
| official_name = Bramham
| static_image_name = Looking up Low Way from Front Street.jpg
| static_image_caption = Low Way
| coordinates = {{coord|53.8800|-1.3516|display=inline,title}}
| label_position = bottom
| pushpin_map = United Kingdom Leeds
| population = 1,650
| civil_parish = [[Bramham cum Oglethorpe]]
| metropolitan_borough = [[City of Leeds]]
| metropolitan_county = [[West Yorkshire]]
| region = Yorkshire and the Humber
| constituency_westminster = [[Elmet and Rothwell (UK Parliament constituency)|Elmet and Rothwell]]
| post_town = WETHERBY
| postcode_district = LS23
| postcode_area = LS
| dial_code = 01937
| os_grid_reference = SE425430
| london_distance_mi = 170<!-- straight line per MOS – constant and comparable with other place distances -->
| london_direction = SSE
}}
'''Bramham''' is a village in the [[civil parish]] of [[Bramham cum Oglethorpe]] in the [[City of Leeds]] [[metropolitan borough]], [[West Yorkshire]], England.


It sits in the [[Wetherby (ward)|Wetherby]] ward of [[Leeds City Council]] and [[Elmet and Rothwell (UK Parliament constituency)|Elmet and Rothwell]] [[UK Parliament constituencies|parliamentary constituency]].
[[Bramham Park]] (at {{gbmappingsmall|SE410417}}), two miles to the west of the village, is home to the Leeds [[Carling Weekend]], an annual music and arts festival.


== History ==
== Overview ==
According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,715, which had fallen to 1,650 by the time of the 2011 census.<ref>{{cite web|title=Bramgham cum Oglethorpe (Parish)|url=http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=7&b=11121062&c=Bramham&d=16&e=13&g=6374474&i=1001x1003x1004&o=362&m=0&r=1&s=1488540507097&enc=1&dsFamilyId=2491|work=Neighbourhood Statistics|publisher=Office for National Statistics|access-date=3 March 2017|date=30 January 2013}}</ref> Bramham is located {{convert|3|mi|km|0}} south of [[Wetherby]], midway between [[Leeds]] and [[York]] and about {{convert|12|mi|km|0}} south of [[Harrogate]]<ref name=":OS:">{{cite map|title =York & Selby|map =105|year =2016|scale =1:50,000 |series = Landranger|publisher =Ordnance Survey|isbn =9780319262030}}</ref> in the so-called [[Golden Triangle (Yorkshire)|Golden Triangle]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Leeds: The Housing City: More people to access Golden Triangle with extra £1m mortgage rescue pot|url=http://news.leeds.gov.uk/leeds-the-housing-city-more-people-to-access-golden-triangle-with-extra-1m-mortgage-rescue-pot|website=leeds.gov.uk|publisher=Leeds City Council|access-date=3 March 2017|language=en|date=12 May 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=The housing market : a survey.|date=2012|publisher=Industrial Systems Research|location=Manchester|isbn=9780906321508|page=132|edition=Rev. second }}</ref> Bramham is a part of the Wetherby Ward of Leeds Metropolitan Council<ref>{{cite web|title=Wetherby Ward|url=http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/Wetherby%20ward.pdf|website=leeds.gov.uk|access-date=3 March 2017}}</ref> and is at the north-eastern edge of West Yorkshire where it borders [[North Yorkshire]] at [[Tadcaster]], {{convert|4|mi|km}} away.<ref name=":OS:" /> Bramham was in the [[Elmet (UK Parliament constituency)|Elmet constituency]] until the [[2010 United Kingdom general election|2010 general election]] when it became part of the newly created [[Elmet and Rothwell (UK Parliament constituency)|Elmet and Rothwell constituency]] and the local [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] M.P. is [[Alec Shelbrooke]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Elmet & Rothwell parliamentary constituency – Election 2015 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/politics/constituencies/E14000689|access-date=3 March 2017|work=BBC News|date=8 May 2015}}</ref>


[[Bramham Park]] (at {{gbmappingsmall|SE410417}}), {{convert|2|mi|km|0}} to the south-west of the village,<ref name=":OS:" /> is home to the [[Reading and Leeds Festivals|Leeds Festival]], an annual music and arts festival, which is held over the [[August Bank Holiday]] weekend each year.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Yates|first1=Jonathan|title=Leeds Festival 2017: Everything you need to know including headliners, dates and ticket info|url=http://www.examiner.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/leeds-festival-2017-everything-you-12293840|access-date=3 March 2017|work=Huddersfield Examiner|date=12 December 2016}}</ref>
Edward Mee's ''"The King's England: Yorkshire West Riding"'' first printed in 1941 describes Bramham as follows:


==Etymology==
''"The Great North Road and a stream flowing to the [[River Wharfe]] are crossed by one of many [[Roman roads]] hereabouts. It has a fine bridge, an imposing peace memorial, an old windmill looking down,and houses great and small in a lovely green setting. South of the village, where the hillside road is bowered with stately beeches, are four fine houses not far apart; Bramham House, Bramham Lodge, Bramham Biggin (which began as a chantry to [[Nostell Priory]]),and Bramham Hall, a house in classic style with an entrance crowned by a pediment on six pillars. Shading its beautiful gardens are cedars, beeches, chestnuts, and ancient yews; and a great whitebeam here is said to be the biggest in England. Off the Roman road running through rich woodland west of the village is Hope Hall, where [[Sir Thomas Fairfax]] lived; it was the kennels of the Bramham Moor Hunt when we called."''
The name ''Bramham'' is first attested in the [[Domesday Book]] in the forms ''Bramha’'', ''Brameha’'', and ''Braham''. It comes from the [[Old English]] words ''brōm'' ('[[Broom (shrub)|broom]]') and ''hām'' ('village, homestead'), and thus once meant 'homestead characterised by broom'.<ref>Harry Parkin, ''Your City's Place-Names: Leeds'', English Place-Name Society City-Names Series, 3 (Nottingham: English Place-Names Society, 2017), p. 26.</ref>


== History ==
Bramham is at the crossroads of the east-west Roman road from [[York]] through [[Tadcaster]] to [[Ilkley]] and the north-south Great North Road,now the [[A1 road]], giving it a history that goes back to the Romans. The oldest part of All Saints Parish Church in Bramham was built in about 1150 by the Normans. The church consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with tower and short spire; and has a fine pointed doorway. The churchyard is uniquely oval in shape and therefore Saxon in origin.
Bramham is at the crossroads of the east-west Roman road from [[York]] through [[Tadcaster]] to [[Ilkley]] and the north-south Great North Road, now the [[A1 road (Great Britain)|A1 road]], giving it a history that goes back to the Romans.{{sfn|Bramham CAA|2010|p=5}}
[[File:Bramham Church.jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[All Saints' Church, Bramham|All Saints' Church]], which dates back to Norman times.]]


The Old English place name elements ''-ham'' and ''-{{Not a typo|ingaham}}'' are characteristic of the earliest English-speaking settlements in England, associated with the growth of [[Anglo-Saxon culture]] in [[post-Roman Britain]].<ref>Bethany Fox, '[http://www.heroicage.org/issues/10/fox.html The P-Celtic Place-Names of North-East England and South-East Scotland]', ''The Heroic Age'', 10 (2007), §18.</ref> Running north south and following approximately, the [[Magnesian Limestone]] belt,{{sfn|Bramham CAA|2010|p=4}} a line of ''-{{Not a typo|ingaham}}'' (Collingham "homestead of Cola's folk")<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ekwall|first1=Eilert|title=The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names|date=1960|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford|isbn=0-19-869103-3|page=117|edition=4}}</ref> and ''-ham'' (Bramham "homestead amongst the broom")<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ekwall|first1=Eilert|title=The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names|date=1960|publisher=Clarendon Press|location=Oxford|isbn=0-19-869103-3|page=60|edition=4}}</ref> names can be identified, which also coincide with the distribution of seventh-century burials.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}
[[Image:Bramham_Church.jpg|thumb|left|250px|All Saints Church, Bramham, which dates back to Norman times.]]


Bramham is recorded in the ''[[Domesday Book]]'' as the Manor of Bramham and the Holder in 1066 was Ligulfr. The amount of land to be taxed (geld) was 12 carucates and there were eight ploughs in the village. By 1086, Bramham was held by Nigel from Count Robert of Mortain and Demesne ploughs (for lord's needs) were three. There were 15 villeins or tenant farmers holding a total of 5.5 ploughs between them.{{sfn|Speight|1902|p=401}} An estimate of the total population of Bramham in 1086 was 68. Bramham's value in 1066 was 160 shillings but only 50 shillings in 1086 after the [[Harrying of the North]], indicating{{according to whom|date=March 2015}} quite a severe levels of destruction. Bramham was a mill site in 1086. In comparison, [[Wetherby]] had a population of 41 and was valued at only 20 shillings in both 1066 and 1086.
Anglian (English) place name elements ham, inga and ingaham are often closely related those of Roman sites and Roman roads.Running north south and following approximately, the magnesium limestone belt, a line of ingaham (Collingham "homestead of Cola’s folk") and ham (Bramham "homestead amongst the broom") names can be identified, which also coincide with the distribution of seventh century burials.


The oldest part of [[All Saints' Church, Bramham|All Saints Parish Church]] in Bramham was built in about 1150 by the Normans. The church consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with tower and short spire; and has a fine pointed doorway. The churchyard is oval in shape and therefore Anglian in origin.{{according to whom|date=March 2015}}
Bramham is recorded in the [[Domesday Book]] as the Manor of Bramham and the Holder in 1066 was Ligulfr. The amount of land to be taxed (geld) was 12 carucates and there were eight ploughs in the village. By 1086, Bramham was held by Nigel from Count Robert of Mortain and Demesne ploughs (for lord’s needs) were three. There were 15 villeins or tenant farmers holding a total of 5.5 ploughs between them. An estimate of the total population of Bramham in 1086 was 68. Bramham's value in 1066 = 160 shillings but only 50 shillings in 1086 after the [[harrying of the north]], indicating quite a severe levels of destruction. Bramham was a mill site in 1086.


Older houses in the centre of the village are constructed of [[Magnesian Limestone]] quarried in the parish.{{sfn|Bramham CAA|2010|p=2}} Stone from Bramham was used for the pendants and hanging ornaments on the vaults and ceilings of [[York Minster]], and in records of the building of the Minster, Bramham stone is specially referred to as being used for this purpose. The Bramham limestone was transported to [[York]] by water from [[Tadcaster]] or [[Cawood]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Lott|first1=G K|last2=Cooper|first2=A H|title=The building limestones of the Upper Permian, Cadeby Formation (Magnesian Limestone) of Yorkshire|url=http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/6955/1/IR05048.pdf|website=nerc.ac.uk|publisher=British Geological Survey|access-date=3 March 2017|page=14|date=2005}}</ref>
By comparison [[Wetherby]] had a population of 41 and was valued at only 20 shillings in both 1066 and 1086.
[[File:Bramham Moor 1408.jpg|thumb|upright|Memorial Stone at the site of the Battle of Bramham Moor, which took place in 1408.]]


The [[Battle of Bramham Moor]] was fought, in the snow, on 19 February 1408. [[Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland]], who with other nobles had rebelled against [[Henry IV of England|King Henry IV]], was met here by Sir Thomas Rokeby;<ref>{{PastScape |num=55024 |desc=Battle of Bramham Moor|access-date=3 March 2017}}</ref> the rebels were cut to pieces and Percy was killed, his head, with its silver locks, being carried off and set on a stake on London Bridge.<ref>{{Genuki|county=WRY|Bramham}}</ref>
Older residences in the centre of the village are constructed of magnesium [[limestone]] quarried in the parish. Building records of [[York Minster]] show that stone from Bramham was used in its construction. The Bramham limestone was transported to [[York]] by water from [[Tadcaster]] or [[Cawood]]. A large part of the village is included in a [[Conservation Area]] and all the land outside the present built area is currently designated [[Green Belt]].


There is a memorial stone marking where the Earl of Northumberland fell and was killed at Blackfen Wood, Bramham, but the stone was moved from the actual site of the battle some years ago. A plaque erected to denote the significance of the stone has been vandalised and nowadays is difficult to find or decipher. In 2008, to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the battle, an information board and a two-sided [[limestone]] memorial stone bearing "Bramham" and "Site of Battle" signs was erected on Paradise Way, the new local access road, which crosses the battlefield site.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}
By 1686, Bramham was an important staging post on the [[London]] - [[Edinburgh]] coaching route and surprisingly had a population of 291, which was higher than that of [[Wetherby]] at only 279. In 1801, the population of Bramham was around 800, reaching 1,300 by 1861. However, a significant decline led to the population falling back to 950 in 1901. The population has gradually been increasing since then, although the 1861 peak was only overtaken in 1981. By 2001, the village had a population of about 1,750, about a quarter of whom were under the age of 19 and well over half (62%) were under the age of 44, making it a village of young people. There were 674 households, a growth of 20% on the 1991 census.


[[English Civil War]] soldiers who died during the [[Battle of Marston Moor]] in 1644, a few miles to the north-east, are buried in the churchyard at Bramham. Records show that three soldiers rest there: Samuell Allan, Robert Johnson and Thomas Mirole. Prior to the battle, Cromwell is reputed{{according to whom|date=March 2015}} to have trained his Ironsides on Bramham Moor, and to have recruited local young farmers whose riding skills made them ideal cavalry soldiers.
For many years, the village had a rural emphasis although as the Great North Road grew in importance, the number of inns and stables increased to service the passing trade. Over the years, a significant amount of employment has been provided by the local estates, particularly [[Bramham Park]] and the other grand houses in the village. The late 20th century saw a decline in employment in agriculture that coincided with the growth of the village as home to a significant number of commuters. As a result, the village has become increasingly diverse in nature.


By 1686, Bramham was a staging post on the [[London]] to [[Edinburgh]] coaching route and had a population of 291, which was higher than that of [[Wetherby]] at only 279. In 1801, the population of Bramham was around 800, reaching 1,300 by 1861. However, a significant decline led to the population falling back to 950 in 1901. The population has gradually been increasing since then, although the 1861 peak was only overtaken in 1981. By 2001, the village had a population of about 1,750, about a quarter of whom were under the age of 19 and well over half (62%) were under the age of 44, making it a village of young people. There were 674 households, a growth of 20% on the 1991 census.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}
== Present Day Bramham ==


[[Arthur Mee]]'s ''The King's England: Yorkshire West Riding'', first printed in 1941, describes Bramham:
[[Image:Bramham_Village.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Part of Bramham as viewed from the western outskirts of the village near the A1.]]
{{quote|The Great North Road and a stream flowing to the [[River Wharfe]] are crossed by one of many [[Roman roads]] hereabouts. It has a fine bridge, an imposing peace memorial, an old windmill looking down, and houses great and small in a lovely green setting. South of the village, where the hillside road is bowered with stately beeches, are four fine houses not far apart; Bramham House, Bramham Lodge, Bramham Biggin (which began as a chantry to [[Nostell Priory]]), and Bramham Hall, a house in classic style with an entrance crowned by a pediment on six pillars. Shading its beautiful gardens are cedars, beeches, chestnuts, and ancient yews; and a great whitebeam here is said to be the biggest in England. Off the Roman road running through rich woodland west of the village is Hope Hall, where Sir [[Thomas Fairfax]] lived; it was the kennels of the Bramham Moor Hunt when we called.}}


During the First World War there was an aerodrome at [[Bramham Moor Aerodrome|Bramham Moor]] at Headley Bar, which opened on 18 March 1916. The aerodrome was set in {{convert|198|acre|km2}} of land of which {{convert|40|acre|m2}} was occupied by station buildings. Initially, "B" and "C" flights, [[No. 33 Squadron RAF|33 Squadron]] of the [[Royal Flying Corps]] were based at the new aerodrome{{sfn|Delve|2006|p=306}} with "A" flight detached to nearby [[York Racecourse]].{{sfn|Delve|2006|p=298}} Following a bombing raid on York on 2 May 1916 by [[Zeppelin]] airships, the airfield on York Racecourse was closed, and 33 Squadron at RFC Bramham Moor became responsible for the air defence of [[Leeds]], [[Sheffield]] and [[York]] against further Zeppelin attack. 33 Squadron's aircraft were the [[RAF BE 2c]] and BE 2d [[biplanes]], these later being replaced by the much better FE 2b [[biplane]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lake|first1=Alan|title=Flying units of the RAF : the ancestry, formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912|date=1999|publisher=Airlife|location=Shrewsbury|isbn=1-84037-086-6|page=203|edition=1}}</ref> In early 1918, after the RAF was formed, RFC Bramham Moor became known as RAF Tadcaster.{{sfn|Delve|2006|p=306}} In July 1918, a group of American pilots and ground staff were based at Bramham Moor for training. When the USA had entered the First World War in 1917, their pilots had gone straight into action with a lack of combat experience and had suffered heavy losses. It was subsequently decided that all American pilots should pass through the British training schools such as the one at Bramham. After the First World War, with a reduced need for warplanes, the aerodrome was closed down in December 1919. One large hangar remains, as a listed building, among the barns of Headley Hall Farm. During the Second World War, vehicles were left on the old grassed areas, to deter the site being used as a landing ground in the event of an invasion.<ref>{{cite book|last=Taylor|first=David|title=RFC Bramham Moor, RAF Tadcaster : an insight|year=2006|publisher=GMS Enterprises|location=York|isbn=1-904514-32-4|page=20}}</ref>
The annual report by the chairman of the Parish Council in 2004 records that "Bramham is a village of churches and farms and pubs and clubs; a village with a stately home with formal gardens, and allotments; a village with florists, doctors, dentists, joiners, photographers, roofers, oil merchants, timber merchants and wine merchants; a village that puts on roller discos, plays, farces, pantomimes, pop concerts, rock stars from the USA and even the odd silent auction." Not even that list is complete as there are also accountants, engineers, solicitors, plumbers, teachers, plasterers, bankers, IT consultants, electricians and many more. Nevertheless, apart from the offices located at [[Bowcliffe Hall]], there are few businesses offering employment within the Parish.


For many years,{{quantify|date=March 2015}} the village had a rural emphasis although as the Great North Road grew in importance, the number of [[coaching inn]]s and stables increased to service the passing trade. Over the years, a significant amount of employment has been provided by the local estates, particularly [[Bramham Park]] and the other grand houses in the village. In the late 20th&nbsp;century there was a decline in employment in agriculture that coincided with the growth of the village as home to a significant number of commuters. As a result, the village has become increasingly diverse in nature.{{according to whom|date=March 2015}} A large part of the village is included in a [[conservation area]] and all the land outside the present built area is currently designated [[green belt]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Site Allocations Plan|url=http://www.leeds.gov.uk/SiteAllocationMaps/SAP%20and%20AVL%20Documents/06%20Outer%20North%20East.pdf|website=leeds.gov.uk|publisher=Leeds City Council|access-date=3 March 2017|page=33|date=September 2015}}</ref>
== Education ==


The [[British Army|army officer]], [[ethnologist]] and [[anthropologist]] [[Augustus Pitt Rivers|General Augustus Pitt Rivers]] was born in Bramham cum Oglethorpe on 14 April 1827.<ref>{{cite web|title=Pitt Rivers and Yorkshire |url=http://excavatingpittrivers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/pitt-rivers-and-yorkshire.html/ |publisher=Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford |access-date=3 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160120045110/http://excavatingpittrivers.blogspot.co.uk/2012/12/pitt-rivers-and-yorkshire.html |archive-date=20 January 2016 |df=dmy }}</ref>
[http://www.bramhamprimary.co.uk/ Bramham and Clifford Primary School,] just outside the Parish boundary, provides the village's primary education, mainly feeding Boston Spa Comprehensive School.


== Healthcare ==
== Present-day ==
===Description===
[[File:Bramham Village.jpg|thumb|right|Part of Bramham as viewed from the western outskirts of the village near the A1.]]
The annual report by the chairman of the [[Parish councils in England|Parish Council]] in 2004 states:
{{quote|Bramham is a village of churches and farms and pubs and clubs; a village with a stately home with formal gardens, and allotments; a village with florists, doctors, dentists, joiners, photographers, roofers, oil merchants, timber merchants and wine merchants; a village that puts on roller discos, plays, farces, pantomimes, pop concerts, rock stars from the USA and even the odd silent auction. Not even that list is complete as there are also accountants, engineers, solicitors, plumbers, teachers, plasterers, bankers, IT consultants, electricians and many more. Nevertheless, apart from the offices located at [[Bowcliffe Hall]], there are few businesses offering employment within the Parish.}}


=== Education ===
For health care, [http://www.tadcaster.uk.com/bramhammedicalcenter/index.htm Bramham's Medical Centre] is located on Clifford Road, near the centre of the village. Hospital treatment is usually provided by hospitals in Leeds or Harrogate.
Bramham Primary School, just outside the parish boundary, provides the village's primary education, mainly feeding [[Boston Spa]] [[Boston Spa School|Comprehensive School]].


== Community Activities ==
=== Healthcare ===
Bramham's Medical Centre is situated on Clifford Road, near the centre of the village. Hospital treatment is usually provided by hospitals in Leeds or Harrogate. Bramham has an ambulance station, however Yorkshire Ambulance have considered moving the station to Wetherby, since the upgrade to the [[A1(M)]] has meant the Bramham site no longer has efficient access to the motorway.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}


=== Community activities ===
The history of Bramham is long, but what sets the village apart are the many community based activities, such as the Drama Group, Bramham Guides and Brownies, Bramham Youth Club, Bramham Ramblers, Bramham in Bloom, the Bramham NSPCC Group and the Yorkshire Countrywomens Association.
[[File:Red Lion, Bramham.jpg|thumb|right|The Red Lion]]
Community-based activities take place in Bramham Village Hall, and include groups and classes for drama, dance and fitness, Guides and Brownies, youth, and ramblers, and provides for church functions, senior citizens, parties, Bramham in Bloom, the [[NSPCC]], and the Yorkshire Countrywomen's Association.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}} Entertainment has included bands from the US and Sweden, comedian [[Dominic Holland]], an evening with Indian musicians, and [[New Year's Eve]] parties.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}


Bramham Community Action Group was established in 2005 and is implementing elements of the far-reaching Parish Plan. In 2006 the group organised the Bramham Gala, which was held on the playing fields on Aberford Road. This was the first time the event has been held for over 20 years and was a tremendous success. Bramham Gala will take place again in June 2007.
Bramham Community Action Group was established in 2005 and is{{when|date=March 2015}} implementing elements of a Parish Plan. In 2006 the group organised the Bramham Gala, which was held on the playing fields on Aberford Road. This was the first time the event has been held for over 20 years. Bramham Gala took place again in June 2007 and is now scheduled as a yearly event.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}


Since 2003 the Leeds Music Festival has been held on the three days of the August Bank Holiday weekend in the grounds of [[Bramham Park]]. Under an agreement between Leeds City Council, the Parish Council, the promoter ([[Festival Republic]]), and the Bramham Park Estate. A number of free tickets are available to residents of the parish who make a financial contribution to the Bramham Community Fund, and to residents of [[Bardsey, West Yorkshire|Bardsey]] and [[Clifford, West Yorkshire|Clifford]]. Festival Republic, formerly [[Mean Fiddler]], specified that the Community Fund should be used to benefit the residents of the village, and Bramham's local community groups. The Fund has made grants of over £300,000 reports the Secretary of the Fund (December 2017)
Many of the community based activities take place in Bramham Village Hall, which is administered by the Village Hall Management Committee. In 2005/6 the Village Hall provided regular facilities for a number of village organisations including the Drama group, Dance and Fitness classes, Brownies, Youth club, Church functions, Senior citizens party, Children’s and Adult Parties, Yorkshire Countrywomen’s Association. In addition, there have been a variety of entertainment highlights include bands from the States and Sweden, top comedian Dominic Holland, an evening featuring top Indian musicians and the popular New Years Eve party with local band The Spacecats.


There is a [[public house]]s: The Swan. The former Red Lion closed in 2022 after declining sales due to its poor management. The Red Lion's darts and pool teams play in the Wetherby and District Pub League. The Swan has a dominoes team. A former public house, the White Horse, closed in 2010 and is now a private residence.
For the last 4 years, the Leeds [[Carling Weekend]] Music Festival has been held on the three days of the August Bank Holiday weekend in the grounds of Bramham Park. Under an agreement between the Parish Council, the promoter ([[Mean Fiddler]] Music Group) and the [[Bramham Park]] Estate, a limited number of free tickets are available to residents of the parish who make a financial contribution (which is substantially less than the normal weekend price) to the '''Bramham Community Fund'''. Residents means residents. It does not extend to friends, family etc. who are not resident in the parish.
[[File:Bramham Stone Sign.jpg|thumb|right|Village signpost along Toulston Lane on the way to Tadcaster.]]


=== Sport ===
[[Mean Fiddler]], the promoter of the festival has specified that this fund should be used to benefit the residents of the village and grants have been made to many of Bramham's local community groups. The Fund meets under the chairmanship of Nick Lane Fox, and so far has made grants of over £34,000
Bramham Football Club was founded in 1907, and plays home games at Freely Lane. It has two teams in the [[Harrogate and District League]]. The club reformed in 2005, and won the [[Barkston Ash]] Cup in 2005 and the [[Harrogate and District League]] Division One title in 2006, and again in 2007.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}} Bramham FC also has Junior and Girls football teams.


Bramham and Clifford Cricket Club has one team in the local Wetherby and District League (division 4) and a Thursday evening team in the [[Whixley]] Evening League. It plays at Rhodes Lane in nearby Clifford village.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}
== Sport ==


The [[Bramham Horse Trials]] are held at [[Bramham Park]] every June and form one of the UK's leading [[Eventing|3-day horse riding events]], attracting international competitors. In 2006, over 35,000 visitors attended the event. Bramham International Horse Trials was voted the best event in the British Equestrian Trade Awards in February 2006.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}
Based at the White Horse public house and playing home games at Freely Lane, [http://www.spanglefish.com/bramhamfc/ Bramham Football Club,] was first founded in 1907 and has two teams in the [[Harrogate and District League]]. Since reforming in 2005, Bramham FC have won several trophies including the prestigious [[Barkston Ash]] Cup in 2005 as well as the [[Harrogate and District League]] Division One title in 2006. Bramham also has Junior and Girls football teams.


Levi Whitehead of Bramham was the fastest runner in England in his day. He ran {{convert|4|mi|km|0}} in 19 minutes, and when 96 walked four miles an hour. He died, aged 100, in 1787.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}
[http://www.bayhorsepub.com/bccricketclub.htm Bramham and Clifford Cricket Club] have two teams in the local Wetherby and District League as well as a Thursday evening team in the [[Whixley]] Evening League. They play at the cricket ground on Rhodes Lane in nearby [[Clifford]] village.


Neil Hudson is the current founding member of the Bramham dodgers dodge ball team - winning 5 major accolades, most recently at Crewes tournament during the May bank holiday of 2017.
The [[Bramham Horse Trials]] is held in the beautiful setting of [[Bramham Park]] every June and is one of the UK's leading 3-day horse riding events, attracting an International list of competitors to a very high standard. In 2006, over 35,000 visitors attended the event. Bramham International Horse Trials was voted the best event in the British Equestrian Trade Awards in February 2006


== Battle of Bramham Moor 1408 ==
== Bramham College ==
Bramham College was a public school opened in January 1843 when Dr. Benjamin Haigh leased Bramham Biggin plus {{convert|130|acre|km2}} of parks and gardens. The college was extended to include a hall, theatre, gymnasium and cloisters, and a Grecian-style refectory with a glass dome. The College gained a good reputation and during its short life and attracted the sons of leading Yorkshire families. It closed after falling into decline following a severe epidemic of [[cholera]] in 1869. Several pupils died and are buried next to their headmaster under the yew tree at the eastern end of Bramham churchyard. Former pupils of Bramham College formed Bradford Football Club in 1863, and in 1880 joined Bradford Cricket Club at [[Bradford Park Avenue A.F.C.|Bradford Park Avenue]].{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}


== Bramham Moor Hunt ==
A terrible battle was fought at [[Bramham Moor]] in the snow on the 28th February 1408. [[Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland]], who with other nobles had rebelled against Henry IV, was met here by Sir Thomas Rokeby; the rebels were cut to pieces and Percy was killed, his head, with its silver locks, being carried off and set on a stake on London Bridge.
The Bramham Moor Hunt was founded in the 1740s by George Fox Lane, the son-in-law of [[Robert Benson, 1st Baron Bingley]] (1676–1731) who had built [[Bramham Park]] in the late 17th&nbsp;century. George Fox Lane was Member of Parliament for [[York (UK Parliament constituency)|York]] from 1742 to 1761 and was created Lord Bingley in 1762. His only son Robert Fox Lane pre-deceased him and, in 1792, the Bramham Park estate came to James Fox (1758–1821), the nephew of George Fox Lane. James 'Jemmy' Fox was a scholar, a raconteur and, for a time, Member of Parliament for [[Horsham (UK Parliament constituency)|Horsham]]. He was a horseman who devoted himself to the estate and organised the Bramham Moor Hunt, collecting the hounds into a pack and hunting on set days over recognised hunting country. The hunting man's toast, "The Bramham Moor and five-and-twenty couple", was initiated by Jemmy Fox.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}} It was Fox's idea to reverse the 'Fox Lane' name he had adopted to 'Lane Fox'.{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}


In 2002, the Bramham Moor Hunt merged with the Badsworth Hunt to become the Badsworth and Bramham Moor Hunt. The Bramham [[fox hound]]s, which, for many years,{{quantify|date=March 2015}} had been kennelled at Hope Hall, Bramham moved to [[Thorpe Audlin]], near Pontefract. The Badsworth and Bramham Moor Hunt is active in areas that the two separate hunts covered previously.<ref>{{cite web|title=Badsworth & Bramham Moor Hounds – History|url=http://www.bbmh.co.uk/About/History|website=www.bbmh.co.uk|access-date=4 March 2017}}</ref>
There is a memorial stone marking where the Earl of Northumberland fell and was killed at Black Wood, Bramham, but the stone was moved from the actual site of the battle some years ago. A plaque erected to denote the significance of the stone has unfortunately been desecrated by vandals and nowadays is difficult to find or decipher.


During the [[Second World War]], two [[Hunt-class destroyer]]s of the [[Royal Navy]] were named after the two hunts; ''[[HMS Badsworth]]'' and ''[[HMS Bramham]]'' respectively.<ref>{{cite web|title=HMS Badsworth, escort destroyer|url=http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DE-Badsworth.htm|website=www.naval-history.net|access-date=4 March 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=HMS Bramham, escort destroyer|url=http://www.naval-history.net/xGM-Chrono-10DE-Bramham.htm|website=www.naval-history.net|access-date=4 March 2017}}</ref>
== Miscellanea ==


A [[LNER Class D49]] locomotive, "The Bramham Moor", was built in April 1932 by the [[London & North Eastern Railway]]'s [[Darlington Works]] as number 201 (later [[British Rail]]ways 62736), typically hauling seven to ten coach trains on moderate length (50–100 mile) journeys in the north-east of England and remained in service until June 1958 when it was scrapped.<ref>{{cite magazine|editor1-last=Cooke|editor1-first=B W C|title=Eastern and North Eastern Regions|magazine=The Railway Magazine|date=September 1958|volume=104|issue=689|page=658|publisher=Tothill Press|location=London|issn=0033-8923}}</ref>
* During [[WW1]] there was an aerodrome at Bramham Moor at Headley Bar, which opened on the 18th March 1916. The aerodrome was set in 198 acres of land of which 40 acres was occupied by station buildings. 33 Squadron of the [[Royal Flying Corps]] was based at the aerodrome and they were responsible for the air defence of [[Leeds]] and [[Sheffield]]. After WW1, with a reduced need for warplanes, the aerodrome was closed down in the second half of 1919. One hangar remains, as a listed building, among the barns of University Farm. During [[WW2]], dummy aeroplanes were left on the old runway so that from the air, it looked like an operational airfield.


==Location grid==
* It is known that [[English Civil War]] soldiers who died during the [[Battle of Marston Moor]] in 1644, a few miles to the north-east of Bramham, are buried in the churchyard at Bramham. Records show that three soldiers rest at Bramham: Samuell Allan, Robert Johnson and Thomas Mirole. Prior to the battle, Cromwell is reputed to have trained his Ironsides on Bramham Moor, and to have recruited local young farmers whose riding skills made them ideal cavalry soldiers.
{{NSEW|[[Clifford, West Yorkshire|Clifford]]|[[Aberford]]|[[Tadcaster]]|[[Wothersome]]|||||}}


==TV==
* Levi Whitehead of Bramham was the swiftest runner in England in his day. He ran four miles in 19 minutes, and even when he was 96, he walked four miles an hour. He was aged 100 when he took his last step in 1787.
Between 1979 and 1986, Bramham with fellow nearby [[Luddenden]] was used as filming locations for external scenes in the 1980s [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] [[Yorkshire Television]] situation comedy series ''[[In Loving Memory (TV series)|In Loving Memory]]'', starring [[Dame Thora Hird]] and [[Christopher Beeny]].<ref>{{cite news|title=White Rose wonders! New book lists top tens of Yorkshire achievements – find out more here|url=http://www.examiner.co.uk/news/west-yorkshire-news/white-rose-wonders-new-book-4937977|access-date=4 March 2017|work=Huddersfield Examiner|date=29 December 2012}}</ref>


==See also==
* Bramham College was a public school opened in January 1843 when Dr. Benjamin Haigh leased Bramham Biggin plus some 130 acres of parks and gardens. The college was much extended to include a large hall, theatre, gymnasium, cloisters and the huge Grecian style refectory culminated in a glass dome. The college quickly earned a good reputation and during its short life, Bramham College attracted the sons of many leading Yorkshire families. The school was forced to close after falling into decline following a severe epidemic of cholera in 1869. Several pupils died and are buried next to their headmaster under the yew tree at the eastern end of Bramham churchyard. Former pupils of Bramham College formed Bradford Football Club in 1863 and in 1880 they joined joined Bradford cricket club at [[Bradford Park Avenue]].
*[[Listed buildings in Bramham cum Oglethorpe]]

==Location Grid==
<br>
{{NSEW|[[Wetherby]] and [[Boston Spa]]|[[Aberford]] and [[Pontefract]]|[[Tadcaster]] and [[York]]|[[Leeds]]|||||}}


== References ==
== References ==
{{reflist|40em}}
* Bramham - the Village in Times Past, privately published 1994

* The King's England: Yorkshire West Riding by Arthur Mee 1941
===Bibliography===
* Yorkshire Battles - The Battle of Bramham Moor by Edward Lamplough 1891
*{{cite book |last=Delve |first=Ken |title=The military airfields of Britain – Northern England |location=Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK |publisher=Crowood Press |year=2006 |isbn=1-86126-809-2 }}
* The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868
*{{cite book |last=Speight |first=Harry |title=Lower Wharfedale. Being a complete account of the history, antiquities and scenery of the picturesque valley of the Wharfe, from Cawood to Arthington |location=London|publisher=Elliott Stock |year=1902 |oclc=7225986 }}
* Wetherby - The History of a Yorkshire Market Town by Robert Unwin 1986, ISBN 0 9511968 0 4

* The 2005 Parish Plan for Bramham in Times Future - Bramham Parish Council
===Sources===
* The Parish Church of All Saints, Bramham by George Kirk 1936
*{{cite report|date=19 April 2010|title=Bramham Conservation Area Appraisal|url=http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/Bramham%20CAA.pdf|publisher=Leeds City Council|ref={{harvid|Bramham CAA|2010}} }}

==Further reading==
*''Bramham – the Village in Times Past'' (1994), vanity publication
*Mee, Arthur (1941); ''The King's England: Yorkshire West Riding''{{page needed|date=March 2015}}
*Lamplough, Edward (1891); ''Yorkshire Battles – The Battle of Bramham Moor''{{page needed|date=March 2015}}
*''The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868''{{page needed|date=March 2015}}
*Unwin, Robert (1986); ''Wetherby – The History of a Yorkshire Market Town''.{{ISBN|0-9511968-0-4}}{{page needed|date=March 2015}}
*''The 2005 Parish Plan for Bramham in Times Future'', Bramham Parish Council
*Kirk, George (1936); ''The Parish Church of All Saints, Bramham''
*Taylor, David (2004); ''RFC Bramham Moor, RAF Tadcaster''
*Speight, Harry (1902); ''Lower Wharfedale''
*Bogg, Edmund (1904); ''Lower Wharfeland''{{page needed|date=March 2015}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{Commons category|Bramham}}
*[http://www.visionwebsites.co.uk/Contents/Text/Index.asp?SiteId=173&SiteExtra=12694873&TopNavId=352&NavSideId=1645 Bramham Parish Council]
*[http://www.bramham.org.uk Bramham Village Web Site] (not updated recently)
*[http://www.thisisbramham.co.uk Bramham Parish Council and Online Magazine]
*[http://www.bramhampark.co.uk Bramham Park Official Web Site]
*[http://www.bramhamvillage.org Bramham village website]
*[http://www.bramham-horse.co.uk Bramham International Horse Trials]
*[http://www.badsworthandbramhammoor.co.uk/ Badsworth and Bramham Moor Hunt]
* {{cite web | url = http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/WRY/Bramham/index.html | title = The Ancient Parish of Bramham| publisher = [[Genuki]] | access-date=29 October 2007}}
*[http://www.curlew.co.uk/Bowc/ Bowcliffe Hall, Bramham]

*[http://www.spanglefish.com/bramhamfc/ Bramham Football Club]
{{Portalbar|Yorkshire|England|United Kingdom}}
*[http://www.bayhorsepub.com/bccricketclub.htm Bramham and Clifford Cricket Club]
{{West Yorkshire|state=collapsed}}
*Bramham: {{gbmapping|SE425430}}

*Oglethorpe Hills {{gbmapping|SE446430}}
{{authority control}}


[[Category:Leeds environs]]
[[Category:City of Leeds]]
[[Category:Villages in West Yorkshire]]
[[Category:Villages in West Yorkshire]]

Latest revision as of 05:34, 14 May 2024

Bramham
Low Way
Bramham is located in Leeds
Bramham
Bramham
Bramham is located in West Yorkshire
Bramham
Bramham
Location within West Yorkshire
Population1,650 
OS grid referenceSE425430
• London170 mi (270 km) SSE
Civil parish
Metropolitan borough
Metropolitan county
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townWETHERBY
Postcode districtLS23
Dialling code01937
PoliceWest Yorkshire
FireWest Yorkshire
AmbulanceYorkshire
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
England
Yorkshire
53°52′48″N 1°21′06″W / 53.8800°N 1.3516°W / 53.8800; -1.3516

Bramham is a village in the civil parish of Bramham cum Oglethorpe in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England.

It sits in the Wetherby ward of Leeds City Council and Elmet and Rothwell parliamentary constituency.

Overview[edit]

According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,715, which had fallen to 1,650 by the time of the 2011 census.[1] Bramham is located 3 miles (5 km) south of Wetherby, midway between Leeds and York and about 12 miles (19 km) south of Harrogate[2] in the so-called Golden Triangle.[3][4] Bramham is a part of the Wetherby Ward of Leeds Metropolitan Council[5] and is at the north-eastern edge of West Yorkshire where it borders North Yorkshire at Tadcaster, 4 miles (6.4 km) away.[2] Bramham was in the Elmet constituency until the 2010 general election when it became part of the newly created Elmet and Rothwell constituency and the local Conservative M.P. is Alec Shelbrooke.[6]

Bramham Park (at SE410417), 2 miles (3 km) to the south-west of the village,[2] is home to the Leeds Festival, an annual music and arts festival, which is held over the August Bank Holiday weekend each year.[7]

Etymology[edit]

The name Bramham is first attested in the Domesday Book in the forms Bramha’, Brameha’, and Braham. It comes from the Old English words brōm ('broom') and hām ('village, homestead'), and thus once meant 'homestead characterised by broom'.[8]

History[edit]

Bramham is at the crossroads of the east-west Roman road from York through Tadcaster to Ilkley and the north-south Great North Road, now the A1 road, giving it a history that goes back to the Romans.[9]

All Saints' Church, which dates back to Norman times.

The Old English place name elements -ham and -ingaham are characteristic of the earliest English-speaking settlements in England, associated with the growth of Anglo-Saxon culture in post-Roman Britain.[10] Running north south and following approximately, the Magnesian Limestone belt,[11] a line of -ingaham (Collingham "homestead of Cola's folk")[12] and -ham (Bramham "homestead amongst the broom")[13] names can be identified, which also coincide with the distribution of seventh-century burials.[citation needed]

Bramham is recorded in the Domesday Book as the Manor of Bramham and the Holder in 1066 was Ligulfr. The amount of land to be taxed (geld) was 12 carucates and there were eight ploughs in the village. By 1086, Bramham was held by Nigel from Count Robert of Mortain and Demesne ploughs (for lord's needs) were three. There were 15 villeins or tenant farmers holding a total of 5.5 ploughs between them.[14] An estimate of the total population of Bramham in 1086 was 68. Bramham's value in 1066 was 160 shillings but only 50 shillings in 1086 after the Harrying of the North, indicating[according to whom?] quite a severe levels of destruction. Bramham was a mill site in 1086. In comparison, Wetherby had a population of 41 and was valued at only 20 shillings in both 1066 and 1086.

The oldest part of All Saints Parish Church in Bramham was built in about 1150 by the Normans. The church consists of nave, aisles, and chancel, with tower and short spire; and has a fine pointed doorway. The churchyard is oval in shape and therefore Anglian in origin.[according to whom?]

Older houses in the centre of the village are constructed of Magnesian Limestone quarried in the parish.[15] Stone from Bramham was used for the pendants and hanging ornaments on the vaults and ceilings of York Minster, and in records of the building of the Minster, Bramham stone is specially referred to as being used for this purpose. The Bramham limestone was transported to York by water from Tadcaster or Cawood.[16]

Memorial Stone at the site of the Battle of Bramham Moor, which took place in 1408.

The Battle of Bramham Moor was fought, in the snow, on 19 February 1408. Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, who with other nobles had rebelled against King Henry IV, was met here by Sir Thomas Rokeby;[17] the rebels were cut to pieces and Percy was killed, his head, with its silver locks, being carried off and set on a stake on London Bridge.[18]

There is a memorial stone marking where the Earl of Northumberland fell and was killed at Blackfen Wood, Bramham, but the stone was moved from the actual site of the battle some years ago. A plaque erected to denote the significance of the stone has been vandalised and nowadays is difficult to find or decipher. In 2008, to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the battle, an information board and a two-sided limestone memorial stone bearing "Bramham" and "Site of Battle" signs was erected on Paradise Way, the new local access road, which crosses the battlefield site.[citation needed]

English Civil War soldiers who died during the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644, a few miles to the north-east, are buried in the churchyard at Bramham. Records show that three soldiers rest there: Samuell Allan, Robert Johnson and Thomas Mirole. Prior to the battle, Cromwell is reputed[according to whom?] to have trained his Ironsides on Bramham Moor, and to have recruited local young farmers whose riding skills made them ideal cavalry soldiers.

By 1686, Bramham was a staging post on the London to Edinburgh coaching route and had a population of 291, which was higher than that of Wetherby at only 279. In 1801, the population of Bramham was around 800, reaching 1,300 by 1861. However, a significant decline led to the population falling back to 950 in 1901. The population has gradually been increasing since then, although the 1861 peak was only overtaken in 1981. By 2001, the village had a population of about 1,750, about a quarter of whom were under the age of 19 and well over half (62%) were under the age of 44, making it a village of young people. There were 674 households, a growth of 20% on the 1991 census.[citation needed]

Arthur Mee's The King's England: Yorkshire West Riding, first printed in 1941, describes Bramham:

The Great North Road and a stream flowing to the River Wharfe are crossed by one of many Roman roads hereabouts. It has a fine bridge, an imposing peace memorial, an old windmill looking down, and houses great and small in a lovely green setting. South of the village, where the hillside road is bowered with stately beeches, are four fine houses not far apart; Bramham House, Bramham Lodge, Bramham Biggin (which began as a chantry to Nostell Priory), and Bramham Hall, a house in classic style with an entrance crowned by a pediment on six pillars. Shading its beautiful gardens are cedars, beeches, chestnuts, and ancient yews; and a great whitebeam here is said to be the biggest in England. Off the Roman road running through rich woodland west of the village is Hope Hall, where Sir Thomas Fairfax lived; it was the kennels of the Bramham Moor Hunt when we called.

During the First World War there was an aerodrome at Bramham Moor at Headley Bar, which opened on 18 March 1916. The aerodrome was set in 198 acres (0.80 km2) of land of which 40 acres (160,000 m2) was occupied by station buildings. Initially, "B" and "C" flights, 33 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps were based at the new aerodrome[19] with "A" flight detached to nearby York Racecourse.[20] Following a bombing raid on York on 2 May 1916 by Zeppelin airships, the airfield on York Racecourse was closed, and 33 Squadron at RFC Bramham Moor became responsible for the air defence of Leeds, Sheffield and York against further Zeppelin attack. 33 Squadron's aircraft were the RAF BE 2c and BE 2d biplanes, these later being replaced by the much better FE 2b biplane.[21] In early 1918, after the RAF was formed, RFC Bramham Moor became known as RAF Tadcaster.[19] In July 1918, a group of American pilots and ground staff were based at Bramham Moor for training. When the USA had entered the First World War in 1917, their pilots had gone straight into action with a lack of combat experience and had suffered heavy losses. It was subsequently decided that all American pilots should pass through the British training schools such as the one at Bramham. After the First World War, with a reduced need for warplanes, the aerodrome was closed down in December 1919. One large hangar remains, as a listed building, among the barns of Headley Hall Farm. During the Second World War, vehicles were left on the old grassed areas, to deter the site being used as a landing ground in the event of an invasion.[22]

For many years,[quantify] the village had a rural emphasis although as the Great North Road grew in importance, the number of coaching inns and stables increased to service the passing trade. Over the years, a significant amount of employment has been provided by the local estates, particularly Bramham Park and the other grand houses in the village. In the late 20th century there was a decline in employment in agriculture that coincided with the growth of the village as home to a significant number of commuters. As a result, the village has become increasingly diverse in nature.[according to whom?] A large part of the village is included in a conservation area and all the land outside the present built area is currently designated green belt.[23]

The army officer, ethnologist and anthropologist General Augustus Pitt Rivers was born in Bramham cum Oglethorpe on 14 April 1827.[24]

Present-day[edit]

Description[edit]

Part of Bramham as viewed from the western outskirts of the village near the A1.

The annual report by the chairman of the Parish Council in 2004 states:

Bramham is a village of churches and farms and pubs and clubs; a village with a stately home with formal gardens, and allotments; a village with florists, doctors, dentists, joiners, photographers, roofers, oil merchants, timber merchants and wine merchants; a village that puts on roller discos, plays, farces, pantomimes, pop concerts, rock stars from the USA and even the odd silent auction. Not even that list is complete as there are also accountants, engineers, solicitors, plumbers, teachers, plasterers, bankers, IT consultants, electricians and many more. Nevertheless, apart from the offices located at Bowcliffe Hall, there are few businesses offering employment within the Parish.

Education[edit]

Bramham Primary School, just outside the parish boundary, provides the village's primary education, mainly feeding Boston Spa Comprehensive School.

Healthcare[edit]

Bramham's Medical Centre is situated on Clifford Road, near the centre of the village. Hospital treatment is usually provided by hospitals in Leeds or Harrogate. Bramham has an ambulance station, however Yorkshire Ambulance have considered moving the station to Wetherby, since the upgrade to the A1(M) has meant the Bramham site no longer has efficient access to the motorway.[citation needed]

Community activities[edit]

The Red Lion

Community-based activities take place in Bramham Village Hall, and include groups and classes for drama, dance and fitness, Guides and Brownies, youth, and ramblers, and provides for church functions, senior citizens, parties, Bramham in Bloom, the NSPCC, and the Yorkshire Countrywomen's Association.[citation needed] Entertainment has included bands from the US and Sweden, comedian Dominic Holland, an evening with Indian musicians, and New Year's Eve parties.[citation needed]

Bramham Community Action Group was established in 2005 and is[when?] implementing elements of a Parish Plan. In 2006 the group organised the Bramham Gala, which was held on the playing fields on Aberford Road. This was the first time the event has been held for over 20 years. Bramham Gala took place again in June 2007 and is now scheduled as a yearly event.[citation needed]

Since 2003 the Leeds Music Festival has been held on the three days of the August Bank Holiday weekend in the grounds of Bramham Park. Under an agreement between Leeds City Council, the Parish Council, the promoter (Festival Republic), and the Bramham Park Estate. A number of free tickets are available to residents of the parish who make a financial contribution to the Bramham Community Fund, and to residents of Bardsey and Clifford. Festival Republic, formerly Mean Fiddler, specified that the Community Fund should be used to benefit the residents of the village, and Bramham's local community groups. The Fund has made grants of over £300,000 reports the Secretary of the Fund (December 2017)

There is a public houses: The Swan. The former Red Lion closed in 2022 after declining sales due to its poor management. The Red Lion's darts and pool teams play in the Wetherby and District Pub League. The Swan has a dominoes team. A former public house, the White Horse, closed in 2010 and is now a private residence.

Village signpost along Toulston Lane on the way to Tadcaster.

Sport[edit]

Bramham Football Club was founded in 1907, and plays home games at Freely Lane. It has two teams in the Harrogate and District League. The club reformed in 2005, and won the Barkston Ash Cup in 2005 and the Harrogate and District League Division One title in 2006, and again in 2007.[citation needed] Bramham FC also has Junior and Girls football teams.

Bramham and Clifford Cricket Club has one team in the local Wetherby and District League (division 4) and a Thursday evening team in the Whixley Evening League. It plays at Rhodes Lane in nearby Clifford village.[citation needed]

The Bramham Horse Trials are held at Bramham Park every June and form one of the UK's leading 3-day horse riding events, attracting international competitors. In 2006, over 35,000 visitors attended the event. Bramham International Horse Trials was voted the best event in the British Equestrian Trade Awards in February 2006.[citation needed]

Levi Whitehead of Bramham was the fastest runner in England in his day. He ran 4 miles (6 km) in 19 minutes, and when 96 walked four miles an hour. He died, aged 100, in 1787.[citation needed]

Neil Hudson is the current founding member of the Bramham dodgers dodge ball team - winning 5 major accolades, most recently at Crewes tournament during the May bank holiday of 2017.

Bramham College[edit]

Bramham College was a public school opened in January 1843 when Dr. Benjamin Haigh leased Bramham Biggin plus 130 acres (0.53 km2) of parks and gardens. The college was extended to include a hall, theatre, gymnasium and cloisters, and a Grecian-style refectory with a glass dome. The College gained a good reputation and during its short life and attracted the sons of leading Yorkshire families. It closed after falling into decline following a severe epidemic of cholera in 1869. Several pupils died and are buried next to their headmaster under the yew tree at the eastern end of Bramham churchyard. Former pupils of Bramham College formed Bradford Football Club in 1863, and in 1880 joined Bradford Cricket Club at Bradford Park Avenue.[citation needed]

Bramham Moor Hunt[edit]

The Bramham Moor Hunt was founded in the 1740s by George Fox Lane, the son-in-law of Robert Benson, 1st Baron Bingley (1676–1731) who had built Bramham Park in the late 17th century. George Fox Lane was Member of Parliament for York from 1742 to 1761 and was created Lord Bingley in 1762. His only son Robert Fox Lane pre-deceased him and, in 1792, the Bramham Park estate came to James Fox (1758–1821), the nephew of George Fox Lane. James 'Jemmy' Fox was a scholar, a raconteur and, for a time, Member of Parliament for Horsham. He was a horseman who devoted himself to the estate and organised the Bramham Moor Hunt, collecting the hounds into a pack and hunting on set days over recognised hunting country. The hunting man's toast, "The Bramham Moor and five-and-twenty couple", was initiated by Jemmy Fox.[citation needed] It was Fox's idea to reverse the 'Fox Lane' name he had adopted to 'Lane Fox'.[citation needed]

In 2002, the Bramham Moor Hunt merged with the Badsworth Hunt to become the Badsworth and Bramham Moor Hunt. The Bramham fox hounds, which, for many years,[quantify] had been kennelled at Hope Hall, Bramham moved to Thorpe Audlin, near Pontefract. The Badsworth and Bramham Moor Hunt is active in areas that the two separate hunts covered previously.[25]

During the Second World War, two Hunt-class destroyers of the Royal Navy were named after the two hunts; HMS Badsworth and HMS Bramham respectively.[26][27]

A LNER Class D49 locomotive, "The Bramham Moor", was built in April 1932 by the London & North Eastern Railway's Darlington Works as number 201 (later British Railways 62736), typically hauling seven to ten coach trains on moderate length (50–100 mile) journeys in the north-east of England and remained in service until June 1958 when it was scrapped.[28]

Location grid[edit]

TV[edit]

Between 1979 and 1986, Bramham with fellow nearby Luddenden was used as filming locations for external scenes in the 1980s ITV Yorkshire Television situation comedy series In Loving Memory, starring Dame Thora Hird and Christopher Beeny.[29]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Bramgham cum Oglethorpe (Parish)". Neighbourhood Statistics. Office for National Statistics. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b c "105" (Map). York & Selby. 1:50,000. Landranger. Ordnance Survey. 2016. ISBN 9780319262030.
  3. ^ "Leeds: The Housing City: More people to access Golden Triangle with extra £1m mortgage rescue pot". leeds.gov.uk. Leeds City Council. 12 May 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  4. ^ The housing market : a survey (Rev. second ed.). Manchester: Industrial Systems Research. 2012. p. 132. ISBN 9780906321508.
  5. ^ "Wetherby Ward" (PDF). leeds.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  6. ^ "Elmet & Rothwell parliamentary constituency – Election 2015". BBC News. 8 May 2015. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  7. ^ Yates, Jonathan (12 December 2016). "Leeds Festival 2017: Everything you need to know including headliners, dates and ticket info". Huddersfield Examiner. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  8. ^ Harry Parkin, Your City's Place-Names: Leeds, English Place-Name Society City-Names Series, 3 (Nottingham: English Place-Names Society, 2017), p. 26.
  9. ^ Bramham CAA 2010, p. 5.
  10. ^ Bethany Fox, 'The P-Celtic Place-Names of North-East England and South-East Scotland', The Heroic Age, 10 (2007), §18.
  11. ^ Bramham CAA 2010, p. 4.
  12. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 117. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
  13. ^ Ekwall, Eilert (1960). The concise Oxford dictionary of English place-names (4 ed.). Oxford: Clarendon Press. p. 60. ISBN 0-19-869103-3.
  14. ^ Speight 1902, p. 401.
  15. ^ Bramham CAA 2010, p. 2.
  16. ^ Lott, G K; Cooper, A H (2005). "The building limestones of the Upper Permian, Cadeby Formation (Magnesian Limestone) of Yorkshire" (PDF). nerc.ac.uk. British Geological Survey. p. 14. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  17. ^ Historic England. "Battle of Bramham Moor (55024)". Research records (formerly PastScape). Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  18. ^ The ancient parish of Bramham: historical and genealogical information at GENUKI.
  19. ^ a b Delve 2006, p. 306.
  20. ^ Delve 2006, p. 298.
  21. ^ Lake, Alan (1999). Flying units of the RAF : the ancestry, formation and disbandment of all flying units from 1912 (1 ed.). Shrewsbury: Airlife. p. 203. ISBN 1-84037-086-6.
  22. ^ Taylor, David (2006). RFC Bramham Moor, RAF Tadcaster : an insight. York: GMS Enterprises. p. 20. ISBN 1-904514-32-4.
  23. ^ "Site Allocations Plan" (PDF). leeds.gov.uk. Leeds City Council. September 2015. p. 33. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  24. ^ "Pitt Rivers and Yorkshire". Pitt Rivers Museum, University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 20 January 2016. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
  25. ^ "Badsworth & Bramham Moor Hounds – History". www.bbmh.co.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  26. ^ "HMS Badsworth, escort destroyer". www.naval-history.net. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  27. ^ "HMS Bramham, escort destroyer". www.naval-history.net. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  28. ^ Cooke, B W C, ed. (September 1958). "Eastern and North Eastern Regions". The Railway Magazine. Vol. 104, no. 689. London: Tothill Press. p. 658. ISSN 0033-8923.
  29. ^ "White Rose wonders! New book lists top tens of Yorkshire achievements – find out more here". Huddersfield Examiner. 29 December 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2017.

Bibliography[edit]

  • Delve, Ken (2006). The military airfields of Britain – Northern England. Marlborough, Wiltshire, UK: Crowood Press. ISBN 1-86126-809-2.
  • Speight, Harry (1902). Lower Wharfedale. Being a complete account of the history, antiquities and scenery of the picturesque valley of the Wharfe, from Cawood to Arthington. London: Elliott Stock. OCLC 7225986.

Sources[edit]

Further reading[edit]

  • Bramham – the Village in Times Past (1994), vanity publication
  • Mee, Arthur (1941); The King's England: Yorkshire West Riding[page needed]
  • Lamplough, Edward (1891); Yorkshire Battles – The Battle of Bramham Moor[page needed]
  • The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868[page needed]
  • Unwin, Robert (1986); Wetherby – The History of a Yorkshire Market Town.ISBN 0-9511968-0-4[page needed]
  • The 2005 Parish Plan for Bramham in Times Future, Bramham Parish Council
  • Kirk, George (1936); The Parish Church of All Saints, Bramham
  • Taylor, David (2004); RFC Bramham Moor, RAF Tadcaster
  • Speight, Harry (1902); Lower Wharfedale
  • Bogg, Edmund (1904); Lower Wharfeland[page needed]

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bramham.
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