Beginnings

Tetbury's past hasn't been a notorious one, like nearby Bath or Cirencester. Tetbury led a quiet existence, sat on the Roman road which linked the two better-known towns.
 
Wars were fought on the other side of the country, and Tetbury was allowed to prosper from its wool and agricultural market which was in existence when John Hexham wrote his own miniature Domesday Book in 1594.
 
Its success as a market town was heralded by Rudder, who called it the third most important town in Gloucestershire. The town became run by an Oligarchy, called the Feoffees, who are still here today, but in a lesser role, following the diminishment of their powers.

Boom times

Judging by the number of buildings from that era, the seventeenth century was a boom period for the town. As the wool trade declined, Tetbury lost its specialist status and became a general market town, still connecting many cities such as Bristol and London. Unaffected by the Industrial Revolution, Tetbury remained fairly static until the Second World War, by which time a new school had been built, a Common was enclosed by buildings, and another church was constructed.
 
A railway was built, and then closed later during the Beeching reforms of the 1960s. Tetbury gained fame by being in the area patrolled by the world-famous Beaufort Hunt. In the later 1900's, the Industrial Estate was built, bringing new trade to the town, and quarrying began near to the town. A new school was built to the North of the town, and a Leisure Centre followed. Royal neighbours now provide Tetbury's main source of fame, as well as employment for those working on the Duchy estate belonging to Prince Charles.

The present day

Tetbury's population has changed with national trends. The typical resident is older than it used to be, while numbers at the local schools are declining quite quickly. In 2007 the secondary school lost its Sixth Form, meaning 16-18 year olds have to travel to Cirencester or Stroud. The number of classes in each year has been reduced and the number of rooms being used has fallen too.
 
Tetbury's changing population owes much to personal preference, but also to the housing market. The typical house price in the Cotswolds - and in Tetbury especially - is now considerably higher than the British average, and many young families find they cannot afford to buy a home in the town. Local councils are trying to reverse the loss of young families, but are making slow progress. Many new developments are aimed at commuters, and there are a number of 'second homes' for people who work in London or further afield.
 
Often confused as being a village (the distinction is the presence of a market), Tetbury has had its town status boosted by its first supermarkets: Somerfield and later, Tesco. The use of the car has also led to Tetbury's need for new housing, as people commute to local towns and cities.
 
Perhaps the town centre was in danger of following many by becoming less vibrant, as shoppers flocked to larger centres. But while some of the more traditional shops are starting to move out, there hasn't been the 'ghetto-isation' seen in many other rural towns. The town still retains a bakery and butchers, although not a greengrocer. Competition in the town centre is less with itself and more with the supermarkets. Yet the town hasn't lost any of its character, and remains a popular attraction simply because in many ways it hasn't changed. As Tetbury strides into the 21st Century, it seems clear the future of the town is not as bleak as some of the doom-mongers predicted in the 20th.

Further reading

> History of Tetbury Society
The Society meet on the first Thursday of every month in the Chipping.
 
> Tetbury Police Museum
> Tetbury's Economic History (published 1976)
> An introduction to Tetbury (published 1976)
> Census of Tetbury, 1735
> 30min BBC documentary about the town (made in 1981)
> Colin Luckhurst's Country Diaries, published in The Guardian

Facts about Tetbury

• Some (including at one point, this website) believe St Mary's Church in Tetbury to possess the fourth highest church spire in the United Kingdom. Sadly this story is completely untrue. One theory is that the statistic was dreamed up by workmen who were installing scaffolding around the spire, and were rather exasperated by the size of it. But it's not that big.
• Sir William Romney's School - at the end of Lowfield Road - used to be situated in the middle of Long Street, in the building now occupied by Romney House Doctors' Surgery. The words "Sir William Romney's School" still appear above the door.
• Many of the fields around the town are part of the Highgrove estate, owned by Prince Charles.
• Tetbury’s name is most commonly thought to derive from a religious community on the site of the present Church of St. Mary which was led by an Abbess Tetta. However it could also have come from the word Tedd which is a celtic word for an open space and Bury which is Saxon for a fortress.
• A gumstool was a Middle-age instrument of punishment, much like the ducking stool. It got it’s name because it was used to punish people who spoke rudely as “gummy” appears to be to be the middle-age equivalent of today’s “mouthy”. People who had offended were placed on the gumstool and probably ducked in the pond which lay at the bottom of today’s Gumstool Hill.
• In 1633 the town of Tetbury was sold by its then owner Lord Berkeley to four local residents who were described as the Feoffees in the legal bill of sale. This document also formalised the Thirteen, literally thirteen townsfolk to serve as elected town wardens. Today the Feoffees have charitable status owning a number of sites in and around the town and continue to run as a committee of thirteen with the four most senior as the Feoffees.
• Despite being founded on the wool industry and being many miles from the open sea, Tetbury’s town coat of arms features two dolphins and no-one is quite sure why. The dolphins can be seen all around Tetbury, noticeably on the weather vane on top of the Market House and the crest of Sir William Romney’s School. They first appeared on the Town’s coat of arms in the late 17th century but quite why these creatures feature in a land-locked town coat of arms remains unclear. Possible explanations involve the Romans, as a mosaic featuring dolphins was found nearby or possibly the dolphins featured in the livery of the Berkeley family who owned the area in the 16th century. There is also a story involving another local family, one of who was allegedly saved from drowning by dolphins as he crossed the Irish sea. The only truth about the origins however is that no-one knows the truth.
• Tetbury is near to Malmesbury, a town which has two famous sons: Thomas Hobbes, the famous 17th Century philosopher who formed the basis of almost all Western political theory since, and James Dyson, inventor of the Dyson vacuum cleaner.
• The flag on top of the Town Hall has to be replaced two or three times each year due to weather damage.