Bill Cox
Bill Cox


For as long as anyone can remember Bill Cox worked as Bratton's Roadman, going about the village, brushing roads, tidying hedges, trimming grass, repairing verges, clearing drains and keeping the lanes clear - all by hand. People respected Bill and his work, so when he said they needed to cut their hedge back they did it. Always wearing a flat cap, Bill worked with his loyal companion Silver, a big, beautiful, white horse, pulling a two wheeled dung cart. He knew the route and precisely where to stop the cart for loading and helped out by eating some of the grass verge. We can see the difference in the village without Bill Cox today as banks, verges and hedges encroach across paths, roads, drains and telegraph poles.

Bill had lived with his Mother in The Butts and than alone after she died. While he spent his days tidying outdoors, he had little interest doing any housework. He had no TV so slumped in his armchair with the radio on, or occasionally went to chapel on Sunday. His brother's family, two doors away, cooked his meal and took it up to him each evening, cut his sandwiches for the next day, and helped him with his time sheets. While he was a shy, private man, everybody, young and old, knew Bill and he was always happy to stop and chat. People brought him cups of tea or scooped up Silver's droppings to put on their garden. For children he was a nice old man and they'd ask 'Mr Cox, can we have a ride on your cart?'. 'Yes my dears', he'd reply, 'Get up if you want'. Then they'd go on with Bill laughing at their jokes.

He was proud of his work and just kept right on until sadly his brother visited one evening to find that he had passed away in his armchair. Bill Cox cared for the village and the village cared for him.




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Bratton History Association.

The Bratton History Association aims to provide all those curious about local history with an opportunity to meet, exchange ideas, and discover more about the history of Bratton and Wiltshire. Activities include monthly meetings, talks by professional historians, visits to places of interest to historians, and our own local history project.

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