Stow-on-the-Wold | |
---|---|
Market Square | |
Location within Gloucestershire | |
Population | 2,042 (2011 Census) [1] |
Civil parish |
|
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | CHELTENHAM |
Postcode district | GL54 |
Dialling code | 01451 |
Police | Gloucestershire |
Fire | Gloucestershire |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
Stow-on-the-Wold is a market town and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England, on top of an 800-foot (244 m) hill at the junction of main roads through the Cotswolds, including the Fosse Way (A429), which is of Roman origin. The town was founded by Norman lords to absorb trade from the roads converging there. Fairs have been held by royal charter since 1330; a horse fair is still held on the edge of town nearest to Oddington in May and October each year.
Stow-on-the-Wold, originally called Stow St Edward or Edwardstow after the town's patron saint Edward, probably Edward the Martyr, [2] is said to have originated as an Iron Age fort on this defensive position on a hill. Indeed, there are many sites of similar forts in the area, and Stone Age and Bronze Age burial mounds are common throughout the area. It is likely that Maugersbury was the primary settlement of the parish before Stow was built as a marketplace on the hilltop nearer to the crossroads, to take advantage of passing trade. Originally the small settlement was controlled by abbots from the local abbey, and when the first weekly market was set up in 1107 by Henry I, he decreed that the proceeds go to Evesham Abbey. [2]
In 1330, a royal charter by Edward III set up an annual 7-day market to be held in August. The royal charter granted a fair where sheep and horses were allowed to be sold. [2] [3] In 1476, Edward IV replaced that with two 5-day fairs, two days before and two days after the feast of St Philip and St James in May, and similarly in October on the feast of Edward the Confessor (the saint associated with the town). The aim of the annual charter fairs was to establish Stow as a place to trade and alleviate the unpredictability of the passing trade. These fairs were located in the square, which is still the town centre. [2]
Stow played a role in the English Civil War. A number of engagements took place in the area, the local church of St Edward being damaged in one skirmish. On 21 March 1646, the Royalists, commanded by Sir Jacob Astley, were defeated at the Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold, with hundreds of prisoners being confined for some time in St Edwards. [4] This battle took place one mile north of Stow-on-the-Wold. After initial royalist success, the superiority of the parliamentary forces overwhelmed and routed the royalist forces. Fleeing the field, the royalists fought a running fight back into the streets of Stow, where the final action took place, culminating in surrender in the market square. [5]
As the fairs grew in fame and importance, so did the town. Traders dealing in livestock added many handmade goods, and the wool trade was always prominent. [6] Daniel Defoe reported in the 18th century that 20,000 sheep were sold in one day. [3] Many alleys known as 'tures' that run between buildings into the market square were used in herding sheep to be sold. [7] From the mid-19th century, the Talbot Hotel was the venue for corn merchants carrying out their trade. [8]
Most of the buildings around the market square dated from the 18th to 19th century including St Edward's Hall (the present-day library). [3]
As the wool trade declined, people began to trade in horses. The practice continues, although the fair has been moved from the square to a large field near the village of Maugersbury every May and October. It remains popular, with roads around Stow blocked by the extra traffic for many hours. [9]
However, there has been controversy surrounding Stow Fair. The many visitors and traders have attracted more vendors not dealing in horses. Local businesses used to profit from the increased custom, but in recent years most pubs and shops close for 2–3 miles around due to the risks of theft or vandalism. [10]
The town belongs to the Stow electoral ward, which covers the parishes of Stow-on-the-Wold, Maugersbury and Swell. In 2010 these parishes had a total population of 2,594.
Stow-on-the-Wold has an active Parish Council with 10 members. [11]
Stow-on-the-Wold ward is represented on Cotswold District Council by the Liberal Democrat Councillor Dr. Dilys Neill, who was first elected in the 2016 local elections. [12] The Stow Division is represented on Gloucestershire County Council by the Conservative Councillor Mark Mackenzie-Charrington. [13]
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberal Democrats | Dilys Neill | 577 | 65.3 | +21.4 | |
Conservative | Tom Bradley | 307 | 34.7 | -21.4 | |
Majority | 270 | 12.2 | |||
Turnout | 42.7 | ||||
Liberal Democrats gain from Conservative | Swing | ||||
Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conservative | Nigel Moor | 2,340 | 63 | ||
Liberal Democrats | Rachel Coxcoon | 1,014 | 27 | ||
Green | Andrew Maclean | 210 | 6 | ||
UKIP | Edeltraud French | 139 | 4 | ||
Majority | 1,326 | ||||
Conservative hold | Swing | ||||
Scotts of Stow, a mail order company, also has two shops in the town. [14]
Stow-on-the-Wold, Where the wind blows cold.
Where horses young and old are sold,
Where farmers come to spend their gold,
Where men are fools and women are bold,
And many a wicked tale is told.High on the freezing Cotswold.
Several roads link Stow to surrounding villages. Over longer distances, the Fosse Way (A429) runs from Exeter to Lincoln, the A424 from Burford into the A44 and to Evesham, and the A436 between Cheltenham and Gloucester.
From 1881 until 1962, Stow was served by Stow-on-the-Wold railway station on the Great Western Railway's Banbury and Cheltenham Direct Railway. The nearest station is now Moreton-in-Marsh, some 4 miles (6 km) from Stow on the Cotswold Line between Hereford and London Paddington. An alternative is Kingham railway station, some 5 miles (8 km) from Stow on the same line.
The Cotswolds is a region in central-southwest England, along a range of rolling hills that rise from the meadows of the upper Thames to an escarpment above the Severn Valley and Evesham Vale.
Cirencester is a market town in Gloucestershire, England, 80 miles (130 km) west of London. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames, and is the largest town in the Cotswolds. It is the home of the Royal Agricultural University, the oldest agricultural college in the English-speaking world, founded in 1840. The town had a population of 20,229 in 2021.
Evesham is a market town and parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. It lies within the Vale of Evesham, an area comprising the flood plain of the River Avon, which has been renowned for market gardening. The town centre, situated within a meander of the river, is subjected regularly to flooding. The 2007 floods were the most severe in recorded history.
Moreton-in-Marsh is a market town in the Evenlode Valley, within the Cotswolds district and Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Gloucestershire, England.
Tetbury is a town and civil parish inside the Cotswold district in Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the site of an ancient hill fort, on which an Anglo-Saxon monastery was founded, probably by Ine of Wessex, in 681. The population of the parish was 5,250 in the 2001 census, increasing to 5,472 at the 2011 census. The population further increased to 6,453 in the 2021 Census.
Broadway is a large village and civil parish in the Cotswolds, England, with a population of 2,540 at the 2011 census. It is in the far southeast of Worcestershire, close to the Gloucestershire border, midway between Evesham and Moreton-in-Marsh. It is sometimes referred to as the "Jewel of the Cotswolds".
The region now known as Gloucestershire was originally inhabited by Brythonic peoples in the Iron Age and Roman periods. After the Romans left Britain in the early 5th century, the Brythons re-established control but the territorial divisions for the post-Roman period are uncertain. The city of Caerloyw was one centre and Cirencester may have continued as a tribal centre as well. The only reliably attested kingdom is the minor south-east Wales kingdom of Ergyng, which may have included a portion of the area. In the final quarter of the 6th century, the Saxons of Wessex began to establish control over the area.
Northleach is a market town and former civil parish, now in parish Northleach with Eastington, in the Cotswold district, in Gloucestershire, England. The town is in the valley of the River Leach in the Cotswolds, about 10 miles (16 km) northeast of Cirencester and 11 miles (18 km) east-southeast of Cheltenham. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 1,854, the same as Northleach built-up-area.
Marshfield is a town in the local government area of South Gloucestershire, England, on the borders of the counties of Wiltshire and Somerset. Toponymy derives from the Old English language word "March" meaning a border, hence Border Field would be the literal translation. It is not to do with "marsh" in the sense of bog.
Adlestrop is a village and civil parish in the Cotswolds, 3 miles (5 km) east of Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England, on the county boundary with Oxfordshire. The River Evenlode forms the southwest boundary of the parish. The village is on a stream that flows southwest to join the river.
Alderton is a village and civil parish in the Tewkesbury district of Gloucestershire, England.
Broadwell is a village and civil parish in the English county of Gloucestershire. It is about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Stow-on-the-Wold, In the 2001 United Kingdom census, the parish had a population of 384. decreasing to 355 at the 2011 census.
Naunton is a village in Gloucestershire, England. It lies on the River Windrush in the Cotswolds, an area of outstanding natural beauty. Stow-on-the-Wold is about 6 miles to the east.
Upper Rissington is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It is located about two-and-a-half miles east of Bourton-on-the-Water and is one of the highest villages in the Cotswolds at an elevation of 275 m. The village is on the former site of the Central Flying School and the airfield is still the active RAF site of RAF Little Rissington.
The Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold took place during the First English Civil War. It was a Parliamentarian victory by detachments of the New Model Army over the last Royalist field army.
Donnington is a small village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, near the Roman Fosse Way in the Cotswold District Council area of south west England. It is situated on a hill a mile and a half north of Stow-on-the-Wold, of which until 1894 it formed a detached hamlet, so that the north transept in the parish church was reserved for the parish. There are fine views over the Evenlode valley.
Maugersbury is a village and civil parish in Gloucestershire, England. Situated less than a mile south-east of the market town of Stow-on-the-Wold and approximately 18 miles (29 km) east of its post town, Cheltenham, Maugersbury lies within the Cotswolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. At the 2001 United Kingdom census, the parish had a population of 149.
The Talbot, formerly known as The Talbot Hotel, is a public house in the Market Square in Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, England. The structure, which was originally a coaching inn and later served as the local corn exchange as well as the main hotel in the town, is a Grade II listed building.