History
With its earliest origins as an outlying area of Bisley, Stroud as a separate town began to emerge in the 13th century. It was originally recorded as “la Strode”, referring to the marshy territory where the River Frome and Slad Brook join.
Despite its watery terrain, the earliest houses of the town appear to have been built on the well-drained slope at the end of the ridge, on the edge of Slad Brook. The river Frome started to be known as Stroudwater, hence the name Stroud.
By the 16th century, Stroud was seeing rapid growth. The Cotswolds has always been well-known for its wool trade, and Stroud’s position next to a myriad of streams meant it was perfect for mills. As such, the town became a hub for the woollen cloth and clothing industry.
The town was described in 1714 as ‘the metropolitical town . . . for the clothing trade’ and in 1757 as ‘a sort of capital of the clothing villages’, its name now synonymous with high-quality richly-dyed broadcloth.
By the late 18th and early 19th century, roads improved, and the canals linked Stroud to the Severn and Thames, creating even more industry. By 1845 the railway had come to Stroud, and the town nearly doubled in size during this period, and brick houses replaced the traditional Cotswold stone.
Its position as the focus of an important industrial region was recognized in 1832 when it was made the centre of a parliamentary borough. The cloth industry had lost dominance in the parish by the end of the 19th century. Still, the adaptation of the mills to a variety of light industrial purposes maintained the growth of the population during the 20th century.
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