Brampton Bryan

The village is mentioned in the Domesday Survey when it formed part of the estate of Ralph de Mortimer although evidence of occupation extends back to at least Roman times, as the remains of a temporary marching camp lie near the village. The name means 'Broom farm/settlement'. 'Bryan' probably refers to one Brian Unspac. During the First English Civil War, Brampton Bryan Castle was held for Parliament by Lady Brilliana Harley during the first of two sieges. The first siege started on 26 July 1643 when Royalists surrounded Brampton Bryan. Although the village was put to the torch (the church, the parsonage, 40 houses and the castle mills were all burnt down), and the castle left without a…

The ruins of Brampton Bryan Castle are on a floodplain south of the River Teme, 50 m north of the church. From this site the castle 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 site. The current buildings include the ruined earthwork and buried remains of the quadrangular castle. The medieval layout consisted 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 was constructed on a motte and surrounded by a moat, with…

Today the village in addition to its church possesses a tearoom and a large bookshop, "Aardvark Books", which sells over 50,000 titles, and a remarkable and ancient yew hedge. The Herefordshire Trail long-distance footpath passes through the village.