Bray

The town of Bray is situated on the Dargle River and is divided into Little Bray to the N and Great Bray to the S. The manor of Bray was granted to Walter de Ridelesford before 1176 and was resigned to the Crown in 1280. The first reference to a burgage is c. 1225 when de Ridelesford granted a burgage 'opposite my castle beyond the river' to St Mary's Abbey, Dublin. A mill stood below the castle (WI004-001003-) and a number of Roman burials were discovered near the seafront (WI004-004----). (Scott 1913; Davies 1986, 22; Bradley and King 1989, 12-17). The above description is derived from the published 'Archaeological Inventory of County Wicklow' (Dublin: Stationery Office, 1997). In certain instances the entries have been revised and updated in the light of recent research. Date of upload/revision: 17 December 2008