The Pullen Family
The beautiful and classic Grade II listed 'John Pullen House', sometimes known as 'Greenlands' set in the heart of the village within mature established gardens has significant local historic importance. The two-storey country cottage is thought to be one of the original houses located in the active area of the village adjoining the village green.

Searching through early Census records and local archives from the Wiltshire and Swindon History Centre in Chippenham, we have managed to establish that the Pullen family has been a central part in the organisation and welfare of the Lyneham and Bradenstoke community. Through hard work, persistence and financial help, their loyalty to the village has certainly helped the parish to maintain a major part of the agricultural workings of the area.

Betty Pullen born in Lyneham about 1775 according to archived records used to live in Farm House Lyneham, she was the relict of John Pullen. Their children Elizabeth, Francies and Martha all lived in the Farm House for the majority of their life. The 1861 Census records show that Betty then aged 83 years, lived with daughter Elizabeth born in 1806c until she moved into Greenlands around 1881. Francies Pullen the son aged 50 years and Agness Norris a servant aged 19 years both lived in the house. Agness Norris was born in Lyneham village.

Wiltshire's Birth Death and Marriage registers and the tombstones in St Michael and All Angels Church graveyard record that John died on the 17th January 1867 at the age of 78 years. The transcription on the tombstone records John was buried in a joint plot with his beloved wife Elizabeth who died a decade earlier on 28th September 1857 aged 69 years.

The 1861 Census records show that the Greenlands Cottage was occupied by a John Pullen aged 71 years, as head of the property, a retired farmer. Also in residence Maria Large, aged 38 years, his niece who was born in Renisbery, Wiltshire, and Elizabeth Hillier aged 20 years born two decades earlier in the neighbouring village of Hilmarton. She was employed as a servant to the property.

In the interim period between John Pullen's death in January 1867 and Betty Pullen's daughter Elizabeth moving into Greenlands Cottage it was occupied Mary J Matthews, an unmarried educational lady from Malmesbury. Mary aged 54 years lived with her niece Mary S Matthews born in around 1844 in the capital Stepney, London. In a full household, the Matthew's looked after four boarder scholars, Annie M Donnell (14), Aurelia Handing (13), Charlotte Lee Perry (13), all born in Stepney London. Helene Harvery (5) was born in Plymouth Devon also a boarder and was the servant to help in the busy day to day household chores, Harriet Hakefield aged 16 years born in Dauntsey Wiltshire.

John and Elizabeth Pullen lived in the property, before Elizabeth passed away 28th September 1857 aged 69 Years and was laid to rest in St Michael and All Angels Church in the village. John Pullen died approximately a decade later during the winter of 1867, 17th January 1867 aged 78 Years. He was laid to rest in the same plot as his wife.

In 1822 Elizabeth Pullen owned Barrow End Farm which was recorded primarily as an arable farm with a large fruit orchard. During the 1822 valuation for the Heneage estate, Mrs Pullen had the majority of stakes for total land owned on Lyneham Green and Barrow End. She had six-seventeenths of the overall share of the land, which was double the amount that John Hopkins owned. The total valuation for the land at that time was £7 11s 11d.

The Family Search records illustrate the family tree starting with John Pullen born 1789c in Lyneham Wiltshire died 17th January 1867 buried at St Michael and All Angel's Church. His parents James and Hannah both born in Lyneham, James was born 1759c and died 13th December 1843 aged 84 years, he was a Yeoman of the community.

Hannah Pullen died during the summer of 1822 aged 69 years and she was also buried in the village. We could no trace Hannah's maiden name but she has also a daughter Elizabeth born 1792c and died on Boxing Day 1828 aged 36 years. James Pullen has a sister Edith Pullen born 1773c and died on Halloween night of 31st October 1841 aged 68 years which was two years before her brother James.

Origins of the Pullen family name
The Origins of the Pullen surname date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It comes from an early member of the family who was a young buck; it is derived from the Old French word poulain, which meant colt. This nickname would have been given to a person given over to friskiness and possessed of a certain nervous energy in much the same way a young horse is. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character. Often nicknames described strong traits or attributes that people wished to emulate in a specific animal. In the pre-Christian era, many pagan gods and demigods were believed to be a mixture of animals and humans, such as the Greek god Pan who was the god of flocks and herds and was represented as a man with the legs, horns and ears of a goat. In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic ideas, which attributed human qualities and form to gods or animals, were held about the characters of other living creatures. They were based on the creature's habits. Moreover, these associations were reflected in folk-tales, mythology, and legends which portrayed animals behaving as humans.

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Pullen has been spelled many different ways, including Pulleine, Pullen, Pullan, Pulleyn, Pulling and many more.

First found in Yorkshire where they were seated from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the ancient Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Pullens to arrive in North America: John Pullein who settled in Virginia in 1764; William Pullen settled in the Barbados in 1663; Preston Pullen settled in Boston in 1766; John, Joseph, Robert, Thomas Pullen all arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870.

Motto Translated: To turn pale from no crime.