Stow-on-the-Wold

History

Stow-on-the-Wold, originally called Stow St Edward or Edwardstow after the town's patron saint Edward, probably Edward the Martyr, is said to have originated as an Iron Age fort on this defensive position on a hill. There are other 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. The name Stow derives from the Old English stōw meaning 'place'. 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. 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. 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. 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. Daniel Defoe reported in the 18th century that 20,000 sheep were…

Most-observed species

• Meadow Brown

  Maniola jurtina (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  2,077
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,758
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,350
• Red Kite

  Milvus milvus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,331
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,313
• Western Jackdaw

  Coloeus monedula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  1,279
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  1,077
• Small Heath

  Coenonympha pamphilus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Insecta
  1,072

Most recent

• M 3.4 — 2023-02-24
  1 km ENE of Brynmawr, United Kingdom
• M 3.2 — 2022-02-21
  5 km N of Hockley, United Kingdom
• M 3.1 — 2020-09-22
  5 km N of Aylesbury, United Kingdom
• M 3.9 — 2020-09-08
  2 km WSW of Pitstone, United Kingdom
• M 2.9 — 2015-01-27
  1 km ENE of Winchester, United Kingdom
• M 3.9 — 2008-10-26
  2 km N of Bromyard, United Kingdom