• · To outsiders, Bradninch is often looked upon as a village, but it is in fact a town, and has been since the beginning of the 12th century, when it received its first charter from Reginald de Dunstanville, a son of Henry I. Bradninch dates back to before the 7th century and at this time there was a wooden fortress on Castle hill. This was one of the fifteen important fortresses in the South West at that time. There would have only been a few buildings at that time mainly to the north and east of were the Church is now.
• · The meaning of the word Bradninch is not generally known. but it was probably derived either from Bradeneche, the Saxon word for broad ash, or from the earliest references, Braenes and Branes. Celtic for hill is bre (brea) or bryn and today we use the word brae for hillside, suggesting Bradninch be a place by a hill or hillside which it is.

• · It's hard to believe, now that there was 79 addresses in Bradninch that there was a shop or workshop sometime during the 19th and 20th centuries. Today there is only 4 shops and 2 pubs. With the introduction of the motor car this has killed off all the small shops as people now travel to supermarkets out of the Town. Bradninch is now a settlement for the commuter who travels to work by car to Exeter and further a field. However, there is a good bus route that passes through Bradninch to Exeter and Cullompton for the none car user.

[devontowns]