Population (2001 Census): 96,800 (including 10,090 students, inc. 3,705 postgraduates) County: Fordebridgeshire Newspaper: Fordebridge Times (Paid Weekly: Circ 32,671)

The University town of Fordebridge lies in a very steep, natural valley in the Cotswold Hills on the Roman Road, the Fosse Way, at the heart of the small English county of Fordebridgeshire. Natural drainage is into the River Coln which flows roughly north to south through the centre of the town and joins the Thames a little to the south. The Thames itself rises just a few miles west of Fordebridge.

The town is made up of three districts: built around the University, main shopping street (Guildhall Street) and expanding new part of the town in the east.

Medieval Fordebridge

The Roman Villa of Chedworth (one of the largest Roman villas in Britain) formed the quarry of the Augustinian Abbey, at the very North East end of the town. Founded by Henry I in 1119 upon his recognition of overlordship over Normandy by the French King; it was completed 51 years later in 1170 under the reign of King Henry II, when Henry the Young King was crowned.

In 1225 Henry III ordered the construction of a wide stone bridge, replacing the existing ford, and christened the new town Fordebridge - some contemporary scholars argue this was a play on the Oxford/Cambridge names (See University below). The prestige of Fordebridge is seen in the fact that it received a Royal Charter from King Henry III, granting its citizens the same privileges and exemptions as those enjoyed by the capital of the kingdom; and various important religious houses were founded in or near the city from 1227.

Throughout the 13th century the town grew on the east bank of the river Coln and along the Fosse Way in the shadows of the Abbey.

Fordebridge University (founded 1227)

The smallest of England's 'ancient' universities grew out of the Abbey Church. Henry III's granting of a Royal Charter established the town as a rival to the growing seats of learning that were Oxford (founded 1167) and Cambridge (founded 1209). The building of a high quality bridge in 1225 gave the residents of Fordebridge and master masons from Worcester Cathedral (where King John is entombed) the opportunity to begin construction of the new University on the west bank of the river Coln, on the slopes of Shrove Hill. Three halls rapidly rose: the Augustinian King's (1227), Trinity (1230) and St George's (1232), with a fourth, Fleming, being established in 1615 and named after the English Lord Chief Justice, Thomas Fleming.

34 years later the University of Northampton was established by Royal Charter (after approval from King Henry III) in 1261. It was the fourth university established in England after the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge and the University of Fordebridge. The new university quickly attracted many scholars and students from the older universities. After being advised by bishops and magnates that Northampton was a threat to Oxford, Henry III dissolved the University in 1265.

Fordebridge University remained intact due to the deathbed wish of Richard de Clare, 6th Earl of Hertford and 2nd Earl of Gloucester of King Henry III for services carried out in Edinburgh during the Second Barons War.

Tudor Fordebridge

As part of the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1539, Henry VIII ordered the total demolition of the Abbey buildings. Today only the foundations remain visible.

Sheep rearing, wool sales, weaving and cloth-making were the main strengths of England's trade in the Middle Ages, and not only the Abbey, but many of Fordebridge's merchants and clothiers gained considerable wealth and prosperity from the national and international trade. The tombs of these merchants can be seen in the impressive three storey Guild Hall ('one of the finest examples of Tudor architecture'), while their fine houses of Cotswold stone still stand along and around the main Guildhall Street (which the Fosse Way is named between the Guildhall Gates to the river Coln). In the late 16th century the merchants of the town paid for a large reservoir to be sunk north of the town and this supplied the growing population with fresh water.

A local grammar school provided education for those who could afford it, and businesses thrived in the town.

Fordebridge Grammar School

The Foundation was created on 2 January 1552 by Royal Charter of King Edward VI together with £20 per annum returned by The Crown for educational purposes. The Guild of Fordebridge had persuaded the Earl of Warwick (also the lord of the manor of Fordebridge) to release the land for the creation of a school. The charter of the free Grammer Schole of King Edward VI was issued on 9 January 1552, and the school came into being in the former guild buildings on Guildhall Street. By the 1680s there were nearly 200 boys in the school and a Petty School (a feeder school) had been established by the foundation.

During the Civil War

The English Civil War bloodily came to nearby Cirencester in February 1643 when Royalists and Parliamentarians came to blows in the streets. Over 300 were killed, and 1200 prisoners were held captive in the church; some 400 sent to Fordebridge Gaol. The townsfolk offered their support to the Parliamentarians; several units of which were stationed at the University.

Recent history

At the end of the 18th century, Fordebridge was a thriving market town, on the main turnpike road (the Fosse Way) from Cirencester and Leicester, with easy access to markets for its produce of grain and wool. The Midland and South Western Junction Railway opened stations at Chedworth and Foss Cross in the 1880s. Fordebridge was thus served by an important railway line from Cheltenham to Southampton, connected to the Paddington (Swindon) and Waterloo (Andover) mainlines until the Beeching Axe closed the line in the 1960s. There is a local campaign being run to re-open the line from Cheltenham to Swindon.

A concerted effort to restore medieval and Tudor buildings, increase greenery, reduce overhead wiring and roadside clutter has given the town some picturesque street scenes. Many shops cater for tourists and many house family businesses.

The main trades of Fordebridge today are academia and tourism. Planning permission was granted in January 2007 for a new Science Park, endowed by an anonymous American philanthropist.

Fordebridge Times

England's oldest newspaper still in print.

Founded in 1695 by Robert Morgan (who was both the proprietor, the editor and the printer of the newspaper) under the name of the Fordebridge Journal of Record, it took advantage of the sudden increase in interest by the upper class in the printed word. Upon its creation it was openly supportive of the new joint sovereignty of King William III and his wife Queen Mary II in a town which was traditionally opposed to the House of Stuart. Although it was published and sold locally it carried no local news at all, instead reporting on decisions made in Parliament, foreign affairs and events in London. The newspaper changed its name to the Fordebridge Times in 1708 and was sold by Morgan to the Fordebridge University Press, who still own it to this day. The University Press also publishes a weekly newspaper for the academic staff of the University called the Fordebridge Journal.

Private Bank of Fordebridge

While Fordebridge contains branches of most major high street banks, it also houses the Private Bank of Fordebridge, which also has branches in Geneva, New York and Istanbul. The Bank is reputed to have been founded by the Knights Templar and dates back to the foundation of the University and holds the most valuable artifacts. The bank allows for 24-hour fully-automated access to anonymous accounts.