Editing Stow-on-the-Wold (section)

==History==
===Early===
Stow-on-the-Wold, originally called Stow St Edward or Edwardstow after the town's patron saint Edward, probably [[Edward the Martyr]],<ref name="BHO">{{Cite book |chapter-url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/glos/vol6/pp142-165 |editor-last=Elrington |editor-first=C. R. |editor-link=Christopher Elrington |chapter=Parishes: Stow-on-the-Wold |date=1965 |title=A History of the County of Gloucester: Volume 6 |location=London |publisher=[[Institute of Historical Research]] |pages=142–165 |via=[[British History Online]] |access-date=23 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090510091033/http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=66438 |archive-date=10 May 2009 |url-status=live}}</ref> 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. 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 of England|Henry I]], he decreed that the proceeds go to [[Evesham Abbey]].<ref name="BHO"/>
[[File:St Edwards Church - Stow on th Wold.jpg|thumb|Ancient [[Taxus baccata|yew trees]] at the north porch of St Edward's Church]]
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.<ref name="BHO"/><ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Elder |first=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RQAnCgAAQBAJ |title=50 Gems of the Cotswolds: The History & Heritage of the Most Iconic Places |date=2015-07-15 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-4456-4671-8 |language=en}}</ref> In 1476, [[Edward IV of England|Edward IV]] replaced that with two 5-day fairs, two days before and two days after the feast of [[Philip the Apostle|St Philip]] and [[James the Just|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 fair]]s was to establish Stow as a place to trade and alleviate the unpredictability of the passing trade. These fairs were located in the [[Town square|square]], which is still the town centre.<ref name="BHO" />

===Civil war===
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 [[Cavalier|Royalists]], commanded by Sir [[Jacob Astley, 1st Baron Astley of Reading|Jacob Astley]], were defeated at the [[Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold]], with hundreds of prisoners being confined for some time in St Edwards.<ref name="Bingham2010">{{Cite book |last=Bingham |first=Jane |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AiSkGUrSrEMC&pg=PA58 |title=The Cotswolds: A Cultural History |date=2010-02-18 |publisher=Oxford University Press |isbn=978-0-195398755 |pages=58– |access-date=1 December 2012}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Battle of Stow-on-the-Wold (1646) |url=http://www.battlefieldsofbritain.co.uk/battle_stow_on_the_wold_1646.html |website=Battlefields of Britain |access-date=21 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190829121246/http://www.battlefieldsofbritain.co.uk/battle_stow_on_the_wold_1646.html |archive-date=29 August 2019 |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Modern ===
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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Stow on the Wold |url=https://www.cotswolds.info/places/stow-on-the-wold.shtml |website=Cotswolds Info |access-date=21 July 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200511175248/https://www.cotswolds.info/places/stow-on-the-wold.shtml |archive-date=11 May 2020}}</ref> [[Daniel Defoe]] reported in the 18th century that 20,000 sheep were sold in one day.<ref name=":0" /> Many alleys known as 'tures' that run between buildings into the market square were used in herding sheep to be sold.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.stowonthewold.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=53 |title=A Brief History |website=Stow on the Wold Town Council |access-date=2013-05-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724083624/http://www.stowonthewold.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=53 |archive-date=24 July 2011}}</ref> From the mid-19th century, the [[The Talbot, Stow-on-the-Wold|Talbot Hotel]] was the venue for corn merchants carrying out their trade.<ref>{{NHLE|desc=The Talbot Hotel (and rear extensions)|num=1088797|access-date=25 July 2023}}</ref>

Most of the buildings around the market square dated from the 18th to 19th century including St Edward's Hall (the present-day library).<ref name=":0" />

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.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://calendarcustoms.com/articles/stow-horse-fair/ |title=Stow Horse Fair |website=Calendar Customs |access-date=21 July 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180529132529/http://calendarcustoms.com/articles/stow-horse-fair/ |archive-date=29 May 2018 }}</ref>

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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/4359734.stm |title=Tearoom bouncers tackle fair fear |date=20 October 2005 |website=BBC News}}</ref>