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Littlebredy (#12 on map) (also written Little Bredy, pronounced "Briddy") is a a civil parish and a small village in Dorset, England, situated in the West Dorset District approximately 6.5 miles (10.5 km) west of the county town Dorchester. It is located at the head of the valley of the small River Bride, surrounded by wooded chalk hills of the Dorset Downs. In the UK census of 2011 it had a population of 121.
Littlebredy was owned by Cerne Abbey until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the the late 1530s, when the Abbey sold its land to Philip Vanwilder. The estate subsequently passed to the Freke family of Iwerne Courtney and then Sir Robert Meller (or Mellor) of Winterborne Came, who built Bridehead House in the early 17th century. In 1730 the estate was bought by the Meech family who in 1797 sold it to wealthy banker Robert Williams from Hertfordshire.
During the 19th century the Williams family-—headed by four successive Roberts who all became members of parliament-—made substantial changes to the estate. The River Bride was dammed near its source to create a lake as part of landscaping around the house. New cottages were built to form an estate village and plans were provided for restoring the parish church, including adding a spire to its 14th-century tower. Some Jacobean buildings in the village were also changed around this time, being reworked into a Gothic farmyard or stable block. The plan for the church—which involved virtually rebuilding it—was implemented in 1847.
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Governance
Littlebredy was originally a parish in the Uggscombe Hundred, one of the hundreds or early subdivisions of the county of Dorset. From 1894 until 1974 it was part of the Dorchester Rural District.
In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, all urban and rural districts across England were abolished and counties were reorganized into metropolitan and non-metropolitan districts. Dorchester Rural District joined the non-metropolitan West Dorset District.
Under the local government reforms adopted on 1 April 2019, West Dorset District was abolished, and the county of Dorset (excluding Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole) became a single unitary authority. The area is now administered by Dorset Council.
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