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Malmesbury History
Hannah Twynnoy
Malmesbury - History
Hannah Twynnoy, a maid working at the White Lion Inn during the early 18th century, is most famous for her unusual death. When a travelling circus came to visit in the town, it brought with it a tiger, a rare attraction at the time. Hannah reputedly teased the tiger, despite warnings from its keeper, and it eventually broke free from its shackles and killed her.
Wessex
Malmesbury - History
Wessex was an Anglo-Saxon kingdom belonging to the West Saxons, located in South-West England. It existed from the 6th century AD until the 10th century AD, when a united English state began to emerge for the first time. It was split between the followers of William of Normandy after the successful Norman Conquest.
Malmesbury and the English Civil War
Malmesbury - History
When the English Civil War broke out in 1642, it had far reaching implications, even for the smallest of settlements. Malmesbury was no exception; the settlement was in fact of great strategic importance due to its location between Oxford and Bristol. Throughout the course of the war, Malmesbury changed hands at least five times, twice involving direct assaults on the town itself.
Caer Bladon
Malmesbury - History
The term ‘Caer Bladon’ translates to mean ‘fortified place (or ‘stronghold’) on the Bladon’, with ‘Bladon’ referring to what we now recognise as the River Avon. Use of this early term suggests, and archaeological digs have since proven, that the site has been continuously inhabited since the Iron Age.
The Market Cross
Malmesbury - History
In about 1490, the Market Cross was built in Malmesbury, and remains one of the town’s most distinguishable features to this day. It was built as a place of shelter and a meeting place for special occasions, and was commissioned as a joint venture between the Abbot and the town Burgesses (townspeople or ‘people of the borough’). As such, it provides an effective representation of the situation in Malmesbury when it was built, a time when both the Church and the town’s traders shared control.
Charles James Fox
Malmesbury - History
Charles James Fox was a prominent British Whig statesman who notably came out in strong support for the colonists over the issue of the American Colonies and supported an unsuccessful attempt to repeal tea duty. The lack of success over this issue actually led to him resigning his seat and standing for re-election.
Malmesbury Castle
Malmesbury - History
In circa 1118, a castle at Malmesbury was built by Roger le Poer (Bishop of Salisbury). The chosen location was to the West of the Abbey, in close proximity to the Monastery, and its location quickly created friction with the monks of Malmesbury Abbey. Pope Alexander even gave the Abbot authority to excommunicate the members of the castle garrison for their ‘depredations on the Abbey’ and for interfering with their water supply.
Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)
Malmesbury - History
Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury was an English philosopher, best known for his work on political philosophy and his 1651 text Leviathan. He is recognised as one of the founders of Western political philosophy.
The Old Corporation
Malmesbury - History
Founded in 937 by King Athelstan, the ‘Commoners of Kings Heath’ or ‘Old Corporation’ was started as a way of giving those that had fought for Athelstan a reward in the form of land from Kings Heath (Malmesbury Common). This land was in turn passed down to descendents of these freemen, a tradition that continues until the present day.
William Stumpe (c.1497-1552)
Malmesbury - History
William Stumpe was a wealthy clothier, famous in Malmesbury for his ownership of much of the Abbey properties and the changes he made to the town and its trade. He became particularly prominent in the area after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, from the start of 1540 onwards, when he obtained the Abbey buildings and associated lands from King Henry VIII.
The Malmesbury Charter
Malmesbury - History
A Charter refers to a grant of authority or rights. Anglo-Saxon Charters typically granted land or recorded a specific privilege, the oldest of which granted land to the Church.
William of Malmesbury (c.1080-c.1143-48)
Malmesbury - History
Certainly one of the greatest historians of his time and sometimes referred to as the ‘Father of English History’, William of Malmesbury was a Benedictine monk who resided in Malmesbury Abbey as its librarian.
