Richard Sneyd
Richard Sneyd


Richard and his wife, Phillida, moved to Bratton in 1984 when they bought Court Farm House from Eileen Younghusband.

Born in Kericho, Kenya in September 1930, Richard grew up at Great Elm near Mells and was educated at Marlborough College. Having farmed in Cornwall for 15 years, Richard joined the National Trust in 1969. He helped found the Junior Division of the National Trust based at Cliveden, enabling young people to take part in conservation projects all around the country. Strong links with both the Duke of Edinburgh’s award scheme and Cathedral Camps, meant Richard was invited to Buckingham Palace garden parties and to meet Prince Philip. He was pleased to return to the West Country when his work with the National Trust Volunteers Office relocated him to Heywood House in Westbury.

Richard’s faith underpinned everything that he did – he was always a member of his local church and as a farmer felt church was closely linked with the seasons, rhythm and pattern of life. On coming to Bratton, he joined the PCC for St James’ Church and attended Deanery Synod meetings. Maybe the only thing that he was more devoted to was his religious listening to the Archers at 7pm every evening – he was delighted when he realised that, with the wonders of modern technology, he could always catch up on any episodes that he had missed, having followed the lives of the inhabitants of Ambridge since it was first broadcast in 1951.

Always fascinated by cultural history and the geography of the land, on his retirement from the National Trust, Richard was able to pursue his interests, extensively researching his own family ancestry and local history. He was actively involved with the Wiltshire Archaeological and Natural History Society (WANHS) based at Devizes Museum, arranging trips and fieldwork studies. One of his last major projects was to co-produce a series of lectures on the history of Bratton with local historian, Alison Maddock, for the Bratton History Association. Now published, with considerable additional detail, as “Bratton between Chalk and Cheese”, the five parts trace the history of Bratton from the earliest times to the beginning of the 20th century.




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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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