He became a member of the clergy and received an income at Bridstow in Herefordshire. Because of his friendship with Edmond Halley, in 1718 he was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society. He gave up his living at Bridstow to become a professor at Oxford in 1721. Bradley succeeded Edmond Halley as Astronomer Royal at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich in 1742. He held this post until his death in 1762.