placenamesBray
Bré
Schools and a small textile enterprise formed part of Bray’s community life before its later resort expansion.
The name
A reliable full-name meaning has not been established here. The recorded Irish and English forms are given without an unsupported translation.
Recorded forms
- Bré · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Bray · English · main form
Place & story
Schools for different ages
Lewis’s 1837 account listed two national schools and a school supported by Mrs Putland, where more than 100 children were clothed and educated. An infants’ school occupied a building erected in 1829 by Viscount Powerscourt and was maintained through private contributions. These institutions served different needs within a growing parish community. [2]
Textiles made for local relief
Mr and Mrs Putland also supported a flax and wool manufactory employing more than forty poor women. The resulting linen and linsey cloth was distributed free to people in the neighbourhood. Lewis recorded a provident society established in 1832 and a recently instituted loan society, placing organised assistance alongside the parish’s educational provision. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Bray. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Bray — A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) · Samuel Lewis
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2021-10-29. How this page was prepared.