The Bramley Apple
Last reviewed 22 October 2014
The famous English cooking apple, known as Bramley Seedling has its origins in Southwell in Nottinghamshire. Two Miss Brailsfords planted apple pips in pots in their cottage garden at Easthorpe, Southwell. One became a tree and bore fruit and the local nurseryman was so enthusiastic about its fruit that he asked Mr Matthew Bramley, the then owner of the cottage if he could take a cutting to propogate it. This was allowed, on condition that he would name the fruit after the owner of the original tree. The descendants of Mr Merryweather still ran a nursery and garden centre in Southwell until about 2000, where there was an exhibition about the history of the apple.
Matthew Bramley's connection with the other Bramleys:
His Grandfather, Matthew Bramley, was born in 1714 at Wymeswold, the third son of John Bramley and Catherine Green. He married Elizabeth Steevison at Wymeswold in 1740. They had a son, Matthew, who was Born at Balderton in 1760. This Matthew married Mary Canham in 1786 at Balderton, where he worked as a shoemaker. Their fifth child, Matthew, was born at Balderton in 1796. He married Ann Smith in 1823 and moved to Southwell. He purchased the house and garden, where the apples grew, (having been planted by Mary Ann Brailsford) in 1837. Later he began to sell the apples and they became known as Bramley's apples. [SRC:CB 2000]
Another report says that the property belonged to Mr Brailford and it was his daughter, Mary Ann, who planted the seeds. In 1837 the cottage was purchased by Matthew Bramley, who sold the apples.
I understand that the pub sign is no longer there (2012)
1 John BRAMLEY b. circa 1680 d. 1767 , Wymeswold, LEI
m. Catherine GREEN m. 10 JUL 1709 , Wymeswold, LEI b. 1681 d. 23 Jun 1722 , Wymeswold, LEI
m. Ann SHEPHERD m. 24 Jul 1723 , Wymeswold, LEI d. 1746 , Wymeswold, LEI
2 Their third child was: Matthew BRAMLEY b. 1714 , Wymeswold, LEI
m. Elizabeth STEEVISSON m. 11 Jun 1740 , Farndon, NTT
3 Their ?only child was: Matthew BRAMLEY b. 1760 , Balderton, NTT d. 1815 , Balderton, NTT
m. Mary CANHAM m. 25 MAY 1786 , Balderton, NTT
4 Their third child was: Matthew BRAMLEY b. 1792 , Balderton, NTT (who named the apples)
m. Ann SMITH m. 18 DEC 1823 b. cir CA 1799 , Newark, NTT
In 1844 Matthew was licencee of the White Inn at Easthorpe, Southwell, and also a Butcher.
In the 1851 census for Southwell, he was living in Southwell.
They had six children, two of whom were boys, but no further descendants have yet been found