Old pictures of Little Bredy village with its surging stream

Little Bredy (or Littlebredy, pronounced "briddy") lies in the shadow of an ancient earthwork thought to be an Iron Age fort, near the source of the River Bride, just below the Valley of Stones.

'Bredy' and 'Bride' are derived from the Celtic word for 'surging stream' and 'Little' is by way of comparison with 'Long', since nearby Long Bredy is a larger parish. 

Bridehead House at Little Bredy (Image: Claud Hider)

To this day people still love to see the waterfall at Bridehead House, named after the river that rises on the estate. 

These pictures were taken by Bridport photographer Claud Hider from 1922 onwards and have been digitised by Charmouth resident Neil Mattingly, who has done such a good job of sharing Hider's work.

Some of these images show Bridehead House, the church, the river and the village itself.

Little Bredy (Image: Claud Hider)

The manor of 'Litelbridia', as it was recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book, was for many centuries in the possession of Cerne Abbey.

When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries, Cerne Abbey sold its lands and the first purchaser of Little Bredy was Philip Vanwilder in 1544.

READ MORE: The West Dorset village that once proudly boasted five pubs

After holding it for 40 years, he sold it on to the Freke family of Iwerne Courtney, from whom Sir Robert Meller of Came House at Winterborne Came inherited it in 1623.

Meller built Bridehead House, named after the river that rises on the estate.

Bridehead House at Little Bredy (Image: Claud Hider)

After a century in the ownership of his descendants, the Meech family purchased Little Bredy in 1730. Over several decades they leased it out, first to the Bridge family and later to the Kellaway family, and eventually sold it in 1797 to wealthy merchant and eminent banker, Robert Williams. Williams was from Hertfordshire, but his family originally hailed from Winterborne Herringston in Dorset. 

Robert Williams was the first of four men of that name to head the family. His son, Robert Williams junior, was a close friend of John Henry Newman at Oxford University, but broke off the friendship when the latter converted to Roman Catholicism in 1845, burning all Newman's letters.

READ MORE: The west Dorset village that was burnt down by the French

Both the second and third Robert Williams were keen builders, employing first Peter Frederick Robinson to remodel and extend Bridehead House from 1830-1833, and then Benjamin Ferry to build a new gothic-style stable block in 1838 and later extend the house, rebuild various village cottages and draw up plans to restore the church.

Church at Little Bredy (Image: Claud Hider)

The brother-in-law of the third Robert Williams, Arthur Acland, also made architectural contributions to the church when it was restored in the late 1840s. All that now remains of the original 13th century church are the tower and porch beneath it, and the vestry doorway, some of the windows and the south-wall piscina.

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During the Second World War, the Williams family would host a few dozen boys from Sloane Grammar School in Chelsea for several weeks in late summer.

Each year they contributed to the war effort by harvesting potatoes and other vegetables, sleeping in Army tents and eating their meals in the village hall.

It was hard work but a lot of fun was had, especially when they came into contact with GIs from the US, who were often very generous with items of American army uniform, particularly their caps, which the boys treasured as souvenirs.

With thanks to the informative Dorset OPC website and to Neil Mattingly for sharing the Claud Hider images