Life

Bray was the fourth and youngest son of Edward Bray of Shere in Surrey

Surrey

Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...

, who married Ann, daughter of Rev. George Duncomb. When ten years old he was entered Rugby School

Rugby School

Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...

. On leaving school he was placed with an attorney, Mr. Martyr, at Guildford

Guildford

Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...

, but not long afterwards obtained a position in the board of green cloth

Board of Green Cloth

The Board of Green Cloth was a board of officials belonging to the Royal Household of England and Great Britain. It took its name from the tablecloth of green baize that covered the table at which its members sat....

, which he held for nearly fifty years and was then superannuated.

On the death of his elder brother, the Rev. George Bray, on 1 March 1803, he inherited the family estates in Shere and Gomshall. His position in the county and his legal training caused him to be associated in many charitable and civil trusts in Surrey. He died at Shere 21 December 1832, aged 96, and a mural monument was erected to his memory in its church.

Works

Bray was elected Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries in 1771, became the treasurer of the society in 1803, and contributed frequently to Archæologia. His first publication was the 'Sketch of a Tour into Derbyshire and Yorkshire;' originally published anonymously in 1777, the second edition appearing with the author's name in 1783; it was frequently reprinted and included in John Pinkerton

John Pinkerton

John Pinkerton was a Scottish antiquarian, cartographer, author, numismatist, historian, and early advocate of Germanic racial supremacy theory....

's 'Travels.' His next work, which was printed privately, was 'Collections relating to Henry Smith, sometime Alderman of London.'

When Owen Manning

Owen Manning

Owen Manning was an English clergyman and antiquarian, known as a historian of Surrey.-Life:Son of Owen Manning of Orlingbury, Northamptonshire, he was born there on 11 August 1721, and received his education at Queens' College, Cambridge, where he graduated B.A. in 1740, M.A. in 1744, and B.D. in...

, who had begun a history of Surrey, died in 1801, Bray undertook to complete the work, and visited every parish and church within the county's borders. The first volume of The History and Antiquities of the County of Surrey was issued in 1804, the second in 1809, and the third in 1814. Bray's last literary labour was the printing and editing of the Memoirs of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn

John Evelyn

John Evelyn was an English writer, gardener and diarist.Evelyn's diaries or Memoirs are largely contemporaneous with those of the other noted diarist of the time, Samuel Pepys, and cast considerable light on the art, culture and politics of the time John Evelyn (31 October 1620 – 27 February...

, comprising his Diary

John Evelyn's Diary

The Diary of John Evelyn, a gentlemanly Royalist and virtuoso of the seventeenth century, was first published in 1818 under the title Memoirs Illustrative of the Life and Writings of John Evelyn, in an edition by William Bray. Bray was assisted by William Upcott, who had access to the Evelyn family...

, which was first published in 1818 in two volumes, appeared in 1827 in five volumes; it was often reissued.

Family

In 1758 he married Mary, daughter of Henry Stephens of Wipley, in Worplesdon

Worplesdon

Worplesdon is a village in Surrey, England, located three miles north of Guildford. Worplesdon is also the name of the parish that also includes the settlements of Fairlands, Jacobs Well, Perry Hill, and Wood Street Village. Nearby villages include Pirbright and Deepcut, with significant military...

, who died 14 December 1796, aged 62, having had numerous children. Only three, one son and two daughters, lived to maturity, and the son predeceased his father.