63-694: The A4103 is an A-road which runs from Worcester to the A480 in Stretton Sugwas , a village 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Hereford . The road is a primary route as far as the junction with the A465 east of Hereford, and is liable to flooding at Bransford , where it crosses the River Teme . 52°07′08″N 2°27′23″W / 52.11902°N 2.4563°W / 52.11902; -2.4563 This England road or road transport-related article
126-409: A mayor , and was designated a county corporate in 1621, giving it autonomy from local government. Thereafter Worcester was governed by a mayor, recorder and six aldermen. Councillors were selected by co-option. Worcester contained green spaces such as orchards and fields between its main streets, within the city wall, as appears on Speed 's map of 1610. The walls were still more or less complete at
189-652: A baronial force under Robert Earl Ferrers and Henry de Montfort . Most were killed. The Worcester massacre was part of a wider campaign by allies of Simon de Montfort at the start of the Second Barons' War . In January 1275, Jews still in Worcester were expelled to Hereford . Worcester elected its Member of Parliament at the Guildhall, by the loudest shout rather than the raising of hands. Members of Parliament had to own freehold property worth 40 shillings
252-422: A fire that destroyed part of the city, with citizens being held for ransom. Another fire in 1189 destroyed much of the city for the fourth time that century. Worcester received its first royal charter in 1189. In 1227 under a new charter allowed a guild of merchants was created, with a trading monopoly for those admitted. Worcester's institutions grew more slowly than those of most county towns. Worcester had
315-685: A large workhouse was built on the edge of the city at Tallow Hill. Worcester in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was a major centre for glove-making, employing nearly half the glovers in England at its peak (over 30,000 people). employed by 150 firms. At this time nearly half the glove makers in Britain could be found in Worcestershire. In the 19th century, the industry declined as import taxes on foreign competitors, mainly French, were much reduced. Riots took place in 1831, in response to
378-548: A refugee from Germany, founded one of Worcester's last remaining glovemakers, Milore Glove Factory. Queen Elizabeth II 's coronation gloves were designed by Emil Rich and manufactured in the Worcester factory. Worcester was a centre for recruitment of soldiers to fight in the First World War , into the Worcestershire Regiment , based at Norton Barracks . The regiment took part in early battles in
441-696: A small Jewish population by the late 12th century. Jewish life probably centred round what is now Copenhagen Street. The Diocese was hostile to the Jewish community. Peter of Blois was commissioned by a Bishop of Worcester, probably John of Coutances , to write an anti-Judaic treatise around 1190. William de Blois as Bishop of Worcester imposed strict rules on Jews within the diocese in 1219. As elsewhere in England, Jews had to wear square white badges, supposedly representing tabulae . Blois wrote to Pope Gregory IX in 1229 to request further powers of enforcement. In 1263 Worcester's Jewish residents were attacked by
504-533: A sub-tribe of the larger kingdom of the Hwicce , which occupied present-day Worcestershire, Gloucestershire and western Wiltshire. In 680, Worcester was chosen as their fort over the larger Gloucester , and the royal court at Winchcombe as the episcopal see of a new bishopric , suggesting there was already an established and powerful Christian community. Worcester became a centre of monastic learning and church power. Oswald of Worcester , appointed Bishop in 961,
567-521: A year. Their wages were levied by the Constable. The city council was organised by a system of co-option, with 24 members of the high chamber and 48 of the lower. Committees appointed two bailiffs and made financial decisions; the two chambers agreed the city's rules or ordinances. By late medieval times the population had reached 1,025 families, excluding the cathedral quarter, so that it probably stood under 10,000. Worcester's suburbs extended beyond
630-477: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Worcester, England Worcester ( / ˈ w ʊ s t ər / WUUST -ər ) is a cathedral city in Worcestershire , England, of which it is the county town . It is 30 mi (48 km) south-west of Birmingham , 27 mi (43 km) north of Gloucester and 23 mi (37 km) north-east of Hereford . The population
693-489: Is a tribal name that was in origin pejorative, meaning "the cowards", cognate to quake , Old Norse hvikari "coward". It is also likely that "Hwicce" referred to the native tribes living along the banks of the River Severn , in the area of today's Worcester , who were weavers using rushes and reeds growing profusely to create baskets. The modern word wicker , which is thought to be of Scandinavian origin, describes
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#1732772408568756-726: Is also commonly thought to refer to salt production in that area. ) In addition, the local government district of Wychavon derived the first element of its name from the old kingdom. The territory of the Hwicce may roughly have corresponded to the Roman civitas of the Dobunni . The area appears to have remained largely British in the first century or so after Britain left the Roman Empire, but pagan burials and place names in its north-eastern sector suggest an inflow of Angles along
819-411: Is recorded as the wife of Æthelred of Mercia . An earlier marriage to Eanhere would explain why Osric and Oswald are described as Æthelred's nepotes — usually meaning "nephews" or "grandsons" but here probably "stepsons". Osric was anxious for the Hwicce to gain their own bishop, but it was Oshere whose influence was seen behind the creation of the see of Worcester in 679–680. Presumably Osric
882-588: The Britons about 400 BC. Charcoal from the Forest of Dean enabled Romans to operate pottery kilns and ironworks. They may also have built a small fort. While there is some evidence that the late Iron Age defensive ditches on the east bank may have been dug out during the first century AD, there is no other evidence to suggest that this was used as a fort by the Romans. Scatters of military equipment and coins found in
945-577: The Earl of Essex was soon forced to withdraw, and the city spent the rest of the war under Royalist occupation. Worcester was a garrison town and had to sustain and billet a large number of Royalist troops. During the Royalist occupation, the suburbs were destroyed to make defence easier. High taxation was imposed, and many male residents pressed into the army. As Royalist power collapsed in May 1646, Worcester
1008-568: The Husmerae , the Stoppingas and the Weorgoran . The first probable kings of whom we read were two brothers, Eanhere and Eanfrith . Bede notes that Queen Eafe "had been baptised in her own country, the kingdom of the Hwicce. She was the daughter of Eanfrith, Eanhere's brother, both of whom were Christians, as were their people." From this, we deduce that Eanfrith and Eanhere were of
1071-568: The Local Government Act 1972 . The city had its territory enlarged, gaining the parishes of Warndon and St Peter the Great County , and it was transferred to the short-lived county of Hereford and Worcester . Hereford and Worcester was abolished in 1998, since when a re-established Worcestershire County Council has been the upper-tier authority for Worcester. Hwicce Hwicce ( Old English: [ˈʍittʃe] )
1134-505: The Royal Infirmary . Large stretches of the city walls were removed by 1796, allowing for continued expansion along Foregate Street, The Tything, and Upper Tything, and many townhouses were built or remodelled in brick. Worcester was a popular destination for wealthy visitors, who came to the annual Three Choirs Festival and horse races on Pitchcroft . However, parts of the city suffered from significant poverty, and in 1794
1197-585: The Second World War , the city was chosen to be the seat of an evacuated government in case of mass German invasion . The War Cabinet , along with Winston Churchill and some 16,000 state workers, would have moved to Hindlip Hall (now part of the complex forming the Headquarters of West Mercia Police ), 3 mi (4.8 km) north of Worcester. The former RAF station RAF Worcester was located north-east of Worcester. A fuel-storage depot
1260-618: The Warwickshire Avon and perhaps by other routes; they may have exacted tribute from British rulers. According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , there was a Battle of Deorham in 577 in which the Gewisse ( West Saxons ) under Ceawlin killed three British kings and captured Gloucester , Cirencester and Bath . West Saxon occupation of the area did not last long, however, and may have ended as early as 584,
1323-516: The later 18th century the city became a major centre for the glovemaking industry. The wealth of 18th- and 19th-century Worcester is reflected in the city's architecture, which has been described as 'one of the most impressive Georgian streetscapes in the Midlands'. Many public buildings were built or rebuilt in this period, including the Grade I listed Worcester Guildhall , the city bridge, and
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#17327724085681386-587: The 1950s and 1960s large areas of the medieval centre of Worcester were demolished and rebuilt. This was condemned by many such as Nikolaus Pevsner who described it as a "totally incomprehensible... act of self-mutilation". There is however still a significant area of medieval Worcester remaining, examples of which can be seen along City Walls Road, Friar Street and New Street. There are two tiers of local government covering Worcester, at district (city) and county level: Worcester City Council and Worcestershire County Council . There are two civil parishes within
1449-525: The Avon, part of west Oxfordshire and small parts of Herefordshire , Shropshire , Staffordshire and north-west Wiltshire. The etymology of the name Hwicce "the Hwiccians" is uncertain. It is the plural of a masculine i -stem. It may be from a tribal name of "the Hwiccians", or it may be from a clan name. One etymology comes from the common noun hwicce "ark, chest, locker", in reference to
1512-422: The Hwicce. No contemporary genealogy or list of kings has been preserved, so the following list has been compiled by historians from a variety of primary sources. Some kings of the Hwicce seem to have reigned in tandem for all or part of their reign. This gives rise to an overlap in the dates of reigns given below. Please consult individual biographies for a discussion of the dating of these rulers. An ealdorman
1575-641: The Midland Railway's routes from Shrub Hill absorbed into the London, Midland and Scottish Railway . By the mid-20th century, only a few Worcester glove firms survived, as gloves became less fashionable and free trade enabled cheaper imports from the Far East . Nevertheless, at least three glove manufacturers survived into the late 20th century: Dent Allcroft , Fownes and Milore. In the 1940s, some Jewish refugees from Europe settled in Worcester. Emil Rich,
1638-459: The Priory's status change, as it lost its Benedictine monks. As elsewhere, Worcester had to set up "public" schools to replace monastic education. This led to the establishment of King's School . Worcester School continued to teach. St Oswald's Hospital survived the dissolution, later providing almshouses ; the charity and its housing survives to the present day. The city gained the right to elect
1701-523: The West Saxons fought (the Anglian) Penda of Mercia at Cirencester and afterwards came to terms. Penda had evidently won, but had probably forged an alliance with local leaders, since the former Dobunnic polity did not immediately become part of Mercia but instead became an allied or client kingdom of the Hwicce. The Hwicce sub-kingdom included a number of distinct tribal groups, including
1764-641: The appearance of the territory as a flat-bottomed valley bordered by the Cotswolds and the Malvern Hills . A second possibility would be a derivation from a given name, "the people of the man called Hwicce", but no such name has been recorded. Eilert Ekwall connected the name, on linguistic grounds, with that of the Gewisse , the predecessors of the West Saxons . Also suggested by A. H. Smith
1827-550: The castle overlooked the river, just south of the cathedral. Worcester's growth and position as a market town for goods and produce rested on its river crossing and bridge and its position on the road network. The nearest Severn bridges in the 14th century were at Gloucester and Bridgnorth . The main road from London to mid-Wales ran through Worcester, then north-west to Kidderminster , Bridgnorth and Shrewsbury , and via Bromsgrove to Coventry and on to Derby . Southward it connected with Tewkesbury and Gloucester. Worcester
1890-431: The city and set it alight, agreement was reached and the populace returned to rebuild. The first Norman Sheriff of Worcestershire, Urse d'Abetot oversaw the construction of a new castle at Worcester, although nothing now remains of the castle. Worcester Castle was in place by 1069. Its outer bailey was built on land that had previously been the cemetery for the monks of the Worcester cathedral chapter. The motte of
1953-583: The city at Warndon and St Peter the Great County , which form a third tier of local government in those areas; the rest of the city is an unparished area . Worcester forms one of the six local government districts within the county. Worcester City Council is based at Worcester Guildhall on the High Street in the city centre. Worcestershire County Council also has its headquarters in Worcester, being based at County Hall in Spetchley Road, on
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2016-454: The city centre from this early period may instead have been lost during the course of road building, or won by the local inhabitants in battle, rather than being left by a Roman military garrison. There is no sign of municipal buildings to indicate an administrative role. In the 3rd century AD, Roman Worcester occupied a larger area than the subsequent medieval city, but silting caused the abandonment of Sidbury. Industrial production ceased and
2079-538: The city. The Battle of Worcester in 1651 was the final battle of the English Civil War , during which Oliver Cromwell 's New Model Army defeated King Charles II 's Royalists . The trade route past Worcester, later part of the Roman Ryknild Street , dates from Neolithic times. It commanded a ford crossing over the River Severn , which was tidal below Worcester, and fortified by
2142-539: The date (according to the Chronicle ) of the battle of Fethanleag , in which Cutha was killed and Ceawlin returned home in anger; and certainly by 603 when, according to Bede , Saint Augustine held a conference with British bishops at Augustine's Oak on the border of the Hwicce and the West Saxons. The Angles strengthened their influence over the area in 628, when (says the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle )
2205-558: The defeat of the Reform Bill , reflecting discontent with the city administration and the lack of democratic representation. Citizens petitioned the House of Lords for permission to build a County Hall . Local government reform took place in 1835, which for the first time created election procedures for councillors, but also restricted the ability of the city to buy and sell property. Political corruption, particularly bribing of voters,
2268-697: The east side of the city moved to the new Corn Exchange in Angel Street in the mid-19th century. The Kays mail-order business was founded in Worcester in 1889 and operated from various premises in the city until 2007. It was then bought out by Reality, owner of the Grattan catalogue. The Kays warehouse was demolished in 2008 and replaced by housing. In 1815 the Worcester and Birmingham Canal opened. Railways reached Worcester in 1850, with Shrub Hill , initially only running to Birmingham. Foregate Street
2331-434: The eastern outskirts of the city. Worcester was an ancient borough which had held city status from time immemorial . When elected county councils were established in 1889, the city was considered large enough to run its own county-level services and so it became a county borough , independent from the surrounding Worcestershire County Council. Worcester was reformed to become a non-metropolitan district in 1974 under
2394-478: The epithet Fidelis Civitas (The Faithful City), since included in the city's coat of arms . During the 18th century Worcester experienced significant economic growth, and in 1748 Daniel Defoe could note that 'the inhabitants are generally esteemed rich, being full of business, occasioned chiefly by the clothing-trade'. The Royal Worcester Porcelain Company was established at Warmstry Slip in 1751, and from
2457-653: The face of the overwhelming numbers against them. The Scots were billeted in and around the city, joined by very limited local forces. The Battle of Worcester took place on 3 September 1651. Charles II was easily defeated by Cromwell's forces of 30,000 men. Charles II returned to his headquarters in what is now known as King Charles House in the Cornmarket, before fleeing in disguise with help of one of his officers, Francis Talbot to Boscobel House in Shropshire , from where he eventually escaped to France. Worcester
2520-549: The influx. There are also probable Christian burials beneath Worcester Cathedral and St Mary de Lode Church , Gloucester. So it seems that incoming Anglo-Saxons were absorbed into the existing church. The ruling dynasty of the Hwicce were probably key figures in the process. Perhaps they sprang from intermarriage between Anglian and British leading families. By a complex chain of reasoning, one can deduce that Eanhere married Osthryth , daughter of Oswiu of Northumbria , and had sons by her named Osric , Oswald and Oshere . Osthryth
2583-414: The kingdom remain uncertain, though it is likely that they coincided with those of the old Diocese of Worcester , founded in 679–680, the early bishops of which bore the title Episcopus Hwicciorum . The kingdom would therefore have included Worcestershire except the northwestern tip, Gloucestershire except the Forest of Dean , the southwestern half of Warwickshire , the neighbourhood of Bath north of
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2646-525: The kingdom ruled by three brothers, named Eanberht , Uhtred and Aldred, the two last of whom lived until about 780. After them, the title of king seems to have been given up. Their successor Æthelmund , who was killed in a campaign against Wessex in 802, is described only as an earl. The district remained in possession of the rulers of Mercia until the fall of that kingdom. Together with the rest of English Mercia, it submitted to King Alfred about 877–883 under Earl Æthelred , who possibly himself belonged to
2709-519: The limits of its walls Manufacture of cloth and allied trades was significant for the city. Medieval and early modern Worcester developed a system of craft guilds to regulate who could work in a trade, lay down trade practices and training, and provide social support for members. The city's late medieval ordinances banned tilers from forming a guild and encouraged tilers to settle in Worcester to trade freely. Roofs of thatch and wooden chimneys were banned to reduce risks of fire. The Dissolution saw
2772-795: The meaning would be "comparable with bombastic British tribal names of the Roman period, such as Ancalites 'the very hard ones', Catuvellauni 'the battle-excellent ones' or Brigantes 'the high ones'." Coates does, however, admit that his explanation can also raise objections, not least that hywych is not a recorded and known early or later Welsh word. The toponym Hwicce survives in Wychwood in Oxfordshire , Whichford in Warwickshire, Wichenford , Wychbury Hill , Wyche and Droitwich in Worcestershire . (The 'wich' part of Droitwich
2835-472: The motor industry from Worcester Windshields and Casements, valve design and manufacture from Alley & MacLellan, Sentinel Valve Works , mining machinery from Mining Engineering Company (MECO) – later part of Joy Mining Machinery – and open-top cans from Williamsons, although G. H. Williamson and Sons had become part of the Metal Box Co in 1930. Later the company became Carnaud Metal Box PLC. During
2898-590: The name as meaning "cauldron; sacred vessel" and linked to the shape of the Vale of Gloucester and the Romano-British regional cult of a goddess with a bucket or cauldron, identified with a Mater Dobunna , supposedly associated with West Country legends concerning the Holy Grail . However, his interpretation has been widely dismissed by other academics. Coates (2013) on the other hand believes that
2961-458: The name has a Brythonic origin, related to the modern Welsh gwych meaning 'excellent'. The prefix hy- is an emphatic (roughly meaning 'very') giving something similar to * hywych . Similar known constructions in Welsh include hydda '(very) good', hynaws 'good-natured', hylwydd 'successful', hywiw '(very) worthy' and hywlydd '(very) generous'. Coates notes that
3024-532: The royal family and that theirs was a Christian kingdom. It is likely that the Hwicce were converted to Christianity by Celtic Christians rather than by the mission from Pope Gregory I , since Bede was well informed on the latter yet does not mention the conversion of the Hwicce. Though place-names show that Anglo-Saxon settlement was widespread in the territory, the limited spread of pagan burials, along with two eccles place-names that invariably identify Roman-British churches, suggests that Christianity survived
3087-616: The settlement contracted to a defended position along the lines of the old British fort at the river terrace's southern end. The form of the place name varied over time. At its settlement in the 7th century, by the Angles of Mercia, it was Weogorna . After centuries of warfare against the Vikings and Danelaw it had become a centre for the Anglo-Saxon army or here known as Weogorna ceastre (Worcester Camp). The Weorgoran were probably
3150-562: The time, but suburbs had been established beyond them. Worcester equivocated, then sided with Parliament before the outbreak of the English Civil War in 1642 but was swiftly occupied by the Royalists. Parliament briefly retook the city after the Battle of Powick Bridge of September 1642, and ransacked the cathedral, where stained glass was smashed and the organ destroyed, along with library books and monuments. The Parliamentary commander,
3213-482: The type of baskets produced by these early people. However, there are potential objections to many of these possible explanations. For instance, Richard Coates argues that the essence of an ark is that it is closed, rather than open like a valley or plain, that no cognate of hvikari or contemporary version of wicker is known, and that no full etymological argument to relate Gewisse to Hwicce has been advanced. Stephen Yeates (2008, 2009) has interpreted
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#17327724085683276-471: The war, most notably at the Battle of Gheluvelt in October 1914. The Vicar of St Paul's, Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy , became an army chaplain, later known as 'Woodbine Willy', as he brought cigarettes to soldiers during fighting and exposed himself to physical danger. The inter-war years saw rapid growth in engineering and machine-tool manufacturing firms such as James Archdale and H. W. Ward, castings for
3339-591: The works closed in 1871. The chairman was Alexander Clunes Sheriff . In 1882 Worcester hosted the Worcestershire Exhibition with sections for fine arts, historical manuscripts and industrial items, receiving over 222,000 visitors. The Foregate Street cast-iron railway bridge was remodelled by the Great Western Railway in 1908 with a decorative cast-iron exterior serving no structural purpose. Rail reorganisation in 1922 saw
3402-473: Was 103,872 in the 2021 census. The River Severn flanks the western side of the city centre, overlooked by Worcester Cathedral . Worcester is the home of Royal Worcester Porcelain , Lea & Perrins (makers of traditional Worcestershire sauce ), the University of Worcester , and Berrow's Worcester Journal , claimed as the world's oldest newspaper. The composer Edward Elgar (1857–1934) grew up in
3465-626: Was a centre of religious life. The several monasteries up to the dissolution included Greyfriars , Blackfriars , the Penitent Sisters, and the Benedictine Priory, now Worcester Cathedral. Monastic houses provided hospital and educational services, including Worcester School . The 12th-century town (then better defended) was attacked in 1139, 1150 and 1151 during the civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda , daughter of Henry I . The 1139 attack again resulted in
3528-489: Was a kingdom in Anglo-Saxon England . According to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , the kingdom was established in 577, after the Battle of Deorham . After 628, the kingdom became a client or sub-kingdom of Mercia as a result of the Battle of Cirencester . The Tribal Hidage assessed Hwicce at 7,000 hides , an agricultural economy akin to either the kingdom of Essex or Sussex . The exact boundaries of
3591-557: Was an important reformer alongside the Archbishop of York. The last Anglo-Saxon Bishop of Worcester, St Wulfstan or Wulstan, was a reformer, who remained in office until he died in 1095. The city became a focus of violent tax resistance against the monarch Harthacnut (also King of Denmark) in 1041. The townspeople tried to defend themselves by occupying the Severn island of Bevere, two miles up river. After Harthacnut's men had sacked
3654-460: Was built for the government in 1941–42 by Shell-Mex and BP (later operated by Texaco ) on the eastern bank of the River Severn, about a mile south of Worcester. It was at one time used as a civil reserve storing gas oil and then aviation kerosene for USAFE . It closed in the early 1990s. Worcester Porcelain operated in Worcester until 2009, when the factory closed due to the recession. In
3717-420: Was dead by that time. Tatfrid of Whitby was chosen as the first bishop of the Hwicce, but he died before ordination and was replaced by Bosel. A 12th-century chronicler of Worcester comments that that Worcester was selected as the seat of the bishop because it was the capital of the Hwicce. Oshere was succeeded by his sons Æthelheard , Æthelweard and Æthelric . At the beginning of Offa 's reign, we find
3780-712: Was endemic in Parliamentary elections, contributing to a string of Conservative victories even against a wider swing to the Liberals , and was investigated in the 1890s and by a Royal Commission in 1906. The British Medical Association (BMA) was founded in the Board Room of the old Worcester Royal Infirmary building in Castle Street in 1832. Corn trading which had taken place in the Corn Market on
3843-554: Was opened in 1860. The WMR lines became part of the Great Western Railway after 1 August 1863. The railways gave Worcester jobs building passenger coaches and signalling. Alongside Worcester Shrub Hill station in Shrub Hill Road were the Worcester Engine Works. Their polychrome brick building was erected about 1864 and probably designed by Thomas Dickson . However, only 84 locomotives were built there and
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#17327724085683906-526: Was placed under siege. Worcester had some 5,000 civilians and a Royalist garrison of about 1,500 men facing a New Model Army force of 2,500–5,000. The city surrendered on 23 July. In 1651 a Scottish army, 16,000 strong, marched south along the west coast in support of Charles II 's attempt to regain the Crown. As the army approached, Worcester Council voted to surrender, fearing further violence and destruction. The Parliamentary garrison withdrew to Evesham in
3969-579: Was then heavily looted by the Parliamentarian army. The city council estimated £80,000 of damage was done and subsequent debts were still not recovered in the 1670s. After the restoration of the monarchy in 1660, Worcester cleverly used its location as the site of the final battles of the First Civil War (1646) and Third Civil War (1651) to mount an appeal for compensation from Charles II . Though not based on historical fact, it invented
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