95-437: Foster Yeoman Limited , based near Frome , Somerset , England, was one of Europe's largest independent quarrying and asphalt companies. It was sold to Aggregate Industries in 2006. The company was founded by Foster Yeoman, from Hartlepool , at Dulcote , near Wells , in 1923. He was a former ship owner and had worked in the iron and steel business. After the conflict, with Foster Yeoman ailing, business declined and
190-524: A parish council which styles itself as Frome Town Council. The council has 17 members elected from eight wards: three each for Berkley Down, college and Keyford wards, two each for Market, Oakfield and Park wards, and one each for the Highpoint and Innox wards. In May 2019 all 17 council members elected were members of the Independents for Frome party (ifF). Historically, from 1894 to 1974, Frome
285-561: A New Zealand sheep farmer, and granddaughter of John Cameron a Scottish cattle drover from Corrychoillie, Spean Bridge having been introduced by his sisters who were attending the same Swiss finishing school . Arthur Strutt died on the estate in 1977 although his body was not found for five years. Mrs Strutt was a renowned stag hunter, having shot circa 2,000 between 1930 and her death, more than any other woman in Great Britain. The final solitary resident of Glensanda died around
380-564: A decommissioned Concorde aircraft. In the early 21st century, the company's direction became muddled by protracted family disagreements. During 2006, Foster Yeoman was wholly acquired by the Holcim Group and was subsequently integrated into its Aggregate Industries subsidiary. John Yeoman bought the under-exploited Merehead Quarry in 1958. The site, located not far from a limestone deposit, covers an area of some 205 hectares, including 60 hectares which have been landscaped to blend with
475-526: A locomotive on German railways from 1997 to 1999. Its other interests include civil engineering and recycling . During 1997, it acquired RJ Maxwell, an operator of a London -based asphalt works and wharves . Continuation of waterborne transport of aggregates on the Thames Tideway was also ensured by the acquisition of Bennetts Barges, which also carried major components of the London Eye and
570-595: A mob of Mendip colliers together with destitute people from Frome protested against the rising cost of flour. A mill and its contents were burned down, others severely damaged. Rioters extorted money from mill owners. Four men were killed when an assault was made on another mill barricaded by the owner and three soldiers. In 1766 a miller in Beckington defended himself against a mob of 2000, firing upon them, wounding some; all of his wheat and flour were seized and fires lit. In 1767, 500 local shearmen assembled and broke up
665-515: A monastery "close to the river which is called From" (Latin: "juxta fluvium qui vocatur From"). The Saxon kings appear to have used Frome as a base from which to hunt in Selwood Forest . In 934 a witenagemot was held there, indicating that Frome must already have been a significant settlement, with even a royal palace. The charter names a Welsh sub-king, sixteen bishops and twenty five ministers, all called by Æthelstan , now regarded as
760-624: A new enterprise of his descendant, Edward Cockey The J W Singer brass foundry and bronze-casting works, was a major employer and produced bronze statues. John Webb Singer was born in Frome and established his art metal work foundry in 1851. They made brass ornaments for local churches and became known through the Oxford Movement within the Church of England which led to increasing demand for church ornaments. In addition to church ornaments
855-411: A newly installed spinning jenny in a mill close to Frome. Among many actions across Somerset and Wiltshire , spinning jennies were smashed in a mill by a mob in 1781. In 1796 a body of Mendip colliers entered the town armed with bludgeons to force local millers to reduce their bread prices. The Constable called for dragoons stationed in the town and they themselves were assaulted. Sabres were drawn and
950-665: A number of public green spaces within the town, both formal and informal; some are substantial such as the Victoria Park or the Rodden Meadow; others may be smaller but are valued within their neighbourhoods, such as Weylands or the Dippy. Many of the public spaces have organised litter picks, arranged by local community groups. For Westminster elections the town is part of the Frome and East Somerset constituency, which
1045-651: A pioneering development in alternative quarrying technology. Little is known of the glen before the Viking age when it was part of Dál Riata , a Gaelic over-kingdom of the western seaboard of Scotland, in the late 6th and early 7th century. According to Professor William J. Watson the Morvern district was formerly known as Kinelvadon, from the Cenél Báetáin, a subdivision of the Cenél Loairn. Glensanda
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#17327660392081140-423: A printed paper in front of my hat, to shew them for whom I should vote. … I was pelted going and returning from the hustings and the missiles struck me on the back part of my head. Sheppard arrived, backed by 500 men, all said to be unarmed. I was to nominate one of the candidates. I entered the town with him in a barouche and four, with a long procession of well dressed men, flags, and a band of musicians. I
1235-610: A rail terminal – named Merehead after the old quarry – was constructed to support the new quarry and was opened in August 1970, served by a spur from the East Somerset branch line which joins the main line at Witham . Further expansion was soon needed, with a chord being added between the terminal and the branch line in 1973. Throughout much of the British Rail era, both shunting and mainline locomotives were provided by
1330-519: A short-lived son. At Warwick, she was charged with "having.....given the Duchess Isabel 'a venomous drink of ale mixed with poison' of which the Duchess has sickened from 10th October to Christmas, when she died. Ankarette protested her innocence, but a packed jury condemned her. She was sentenced and drawn to the gallows.....and hanged all within three hours." Clarence himself was imprisoned in
1425-481: A similar distance to the south-west of Frome stands Nunney Castle , "aesthetically the most impressive castle in Somerset," built from 1373 onwards, surrounded by a moat. In 1369 there is a record of 'three tuns of woad ' being purchased by Thomas Bakere of Frome, probably from France. Such a large quantity of the blue dye suggests a well-established trade for local dyers and clothiers. A 1392 survey of
1520-631: A skirmish with the King's forces at Norton St Philip , arriving at 4 o'clock in the morning "very wett and weary". Monmouth is reputed to have stayed in a gabled house in Cork Street, now named the Monmouth Chambers. Whatever discipline he had over his troops vanished as he dallied in Frome, unsure what to do. He left on 30 June for Shepton Mallett. At the Battle of Sedgemoor on 6 July, he
1615-423: A time of substantial change and growth for the company; between 1982 and 1989, sales more than doubled to reach £87.1 million while the business' net assets trebled in valued to £28.3 million. During 1984, Foster Yeoman bought the derelict Marston House , a Grade II* listed building near Frome . When John Foster Yeoman suddenly died in 1987 he was succeeded by his widow, Angela Yeoman, who decided against selling
1710-628: A total of 651 and for the ancillary card making industry 5 cardboard makers, 59 card makers and 23 wire drawers." These occupations of the cloth trade formed almost half of the heads of household in the town. The Sheppard family , settled in Frome since 1558, became dominant, building new factories, purchasing land and properties, being the first to bring in machinery; the establishment of turnpike roads improved access to markets home and abroad. Scribbling (rough carding), carding, spinning and fly shuttle weaving all became mechanised. There were several public disturbances throughout this period. In 1754
1805-448: A wide new approach road to the town centre from the south was cut (named Bath Street after the landowner, Lord Bath of Longleat House). Whilst wool remained an important part of the town's economy into the 19th (and even 20th) centuries, other industries were established in the town. A bell-foundry started in 1684 by William Cockey grew to be a major producer of components for the developing gas industry and employer of 800 people, as
1900-652: A year have been saved from landfill. This was joined by a community larder in October 2017. On 13 December 2017 the Town Council unanimously agreed to become a 'single-use plastic'-free council. Frome has an online market, the Food Hub launched in November 2018, where sustainable supplies from local farmers and food producers can be sourced, either for collection or by delivery (central Frome only). There are
1995-762: Is a town and civil parish in Somerset , England, on uneven high ground at the eastern end of the Mendip Hills and on the River Frome , 13 miles (21 km) south of Bath . The population of the parish was 28,559 in 2021. Frome was one of the largest towns in Somerset until the Industrial Revolution , and was larger than Bath from AD 950 until 1650. The town first grew due to the wool and cloth industry; it later diversified into metal-working and printing, although these have declined. The town
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#17327660392082090-409: Is buried in the cemetery at Pictou. English landowner, James Forbes (1753–1829), of Hutton Hall, Essex , bought the estate from Sir Hector Maclean in 1812 and subsequently had the existing house at Connach extended to become the first Kingairloch House. James Forbes daughter Charlotte married Major-General Sir Charles Bruce, KCB to become Lady Bruce, and was the mother of Charlotte (1836–1906)
2185-606: Is permanently full of rocks. At the base of the glory hole, deep inside the mountain, rocks are transferred to a horizontal conveyor and moved through a 1-mile-long (1.6 km) tunnel to the second crusher on the shore, where oceangoing ships are loaded in the deep-water docks at the rate of 6,000 tons per hour. In 1998 there were approximately 160 employees either living on site or commuting by boat from Barcaldine , near Oban . Exports at that point were going to Amsterdam , Hamburg , Rostock and Świnoujście , in Poland , as well as
2280-689: Is the Royal United Hospital in Bath. The Frome Model is a programme to combat loneliness amongst residents, pioneered by a local GP, Helen Kingston, in 2013. It proved very successful and reduced emergency hospital admissions by 17% over three years when in the rest of the county they rose by 29%, even though demographics were similar. "There are no other interventions which have ever reduced population emergency admissions like this", said one doctor. The programme's success has been credited in part with attracting an influx of middle-class newcomers to
2375-548: The Aggregate Industries group, which mines the Meall na h-Easaiche mountain, shipping up to 6,000,000 tons of granite aggregates all over the world annually, and with reserves for up to 100 years. To minimise visual impact from the coast the quarry is sited 1 mi (2 km) inland, and cut down into the mountain 1,600 ft (500 m) above sea level. Granite is extracted via a "Glory Hole" and conveyor belt,
2470-649: The British Museum . The find was the subject of a BBC TV programme Digging for Britain in August 2010. A further 250 Dubonnic coins had been found in an urn when ploughing near Nunney in 1860; they included those of Claudius who began the conquest of Britain. Other coins continue to be found in this neighbourhood, both Roman and Byzantine. The name Frome comes from the Proto-Brythonic word * frāmā ( Modern Welsh ffraw ), itself from Proto-Celtic * srōm- meaning fair, fine or brisk and describing
2565-639: The Monmouth Rebellion , landing with three ships at Lyme Regis in Dorset in early June 1685 in an attempt to take the throne from his Catholic uncle, James II . On 25 June 1685, Robert Smith, the constable of Frome declared Monmouth was King in Frome's marketplace, "as confidently as if he had the crown on his head". Frome was the first locality in England to declare for him. On 28 June, the forces of Monmouth camped in Frome, following their defeat in
2660-653: The Wells division, whilst most of the remainder of the constituency formed the bulk of the new Somerset North constituency. Further changes took place for the 1983 general election when the Somerton and Frome constituency was created. Frome was given the right to elect its own member of Parliament, one of 67 new constituencies, by the Reform Act 1832 . This Act removed rotten boroughs like Old Sarum (with three houses and seven voters to elect two MPs) and included for
2755-597: The "sixth coolest town" in Britain. It was shortlisted as one of three towns in the country for the 2016 Urbanism Awards in the 'Great Town Award' category. In its 2018 and 2021 report on the "Best places to live in the UK", The Sunday Times listed Frome as the best in the South West. In April 2019, Time Out listed Frome among 15 of the best weekend breaks from London. Finds from Whatley Quarry near Mells suggest
2850-619: The 1950s. By the 1980s Glensanda comprised the ruined tower of the 15th-century castle, a couple of derelict cottages, and a wrecked cattle shed. It was known as "the Larder of Lorne " to poachers of red deer and salmon . John Yeoman and his wife Angela of Foster Yeoman bought the Glensanda estate from Mrs Strutt in 1982, and the Kingairloch estate in 1989, but she retained the hunting rights of both estates. In 2006 Foster Yeoman
2945-456: The 2,400-hectare (5,900-acre) Glensanda estate in Argyll from Mrs Patricia Strutt who also owned the Kingairloch estate which she also sold to Foster Yeoman in 1989. Glensanda went into operation in 1986 when the first shipload of granite left for Houston , Texas , USA. In June 1989, extractions began using the " glory hole " and conveyor belt method. To minimise visual impact from the coast
Foster Yeoman - Misplaced Pages Continue
3040-597: The Class 59s were manned by British Rail staff. During acceptance trials, on 16 February 1986, locomotive 59001 hauled a train weighing 4639 tonnes – the heaviest load ever hauled by a single non-articulated traction unit. Foster Yeoman's Class 59s proved to be extremely reliable, promptly encouraging other firms, such as the rival quarry company ARC and privatised power generator National Power to also purchase their own fleets of Class 59s to haul their own trains. Foster Yeoman and ARC agreed in 1993 to create Mendip Rail . This
3135-577: The George Inn next door. A draper's house was completely destroyed. Several constables were stoned and injured. The Riot Act was read. Constables with carbines opened fire. At 3 in the afternoon the Dragoons arrived and the battle was halted. Having won 100 votes to Sheppard's 163, Champneys resigned and returned to Orchardleigh. Thomas Sheppard won the next three elections and remained Frome's MP until 1847. One notable successor of Sheppard
3230-476: The Glensanda settlement is such that there are no road, rail, or marked footway links across the granite mountain, moor, heather and peat bog of the private Glensanda estate. The only practical access is by boat from the shores of Loch Linnhe. Since 1982 the 2,400-hectare (5,900-acre) Glensanda Estate has been the home of the Glensanda Superquarry created by Foster Yeoman , since acquired by
3325-595: The Long Kennet barrow. Others from the Bronze Age have been identified in Berkley to the north-east and near Nunney to the south-west. Iron Age hill forts lie to the west ( Kingsdown , Tedbury and Wadbury ) and to the east ( Cley Hill and Roddenberry ). There is some limited evidence of Roman settlement in the area. The remains of a villa were found in the village of Whatley , 3 miles (5 km) to
3420-653: The Mells River meets the River Frome: clothiers' buildings and fulling mills: "I cam to a botome, where an other broke ran in to Frome. And in this botome dwell certayne good clothiuars havynge fayre howsys and tukkynge myles." Frome remained the only Somerset town in which this staple industry flourished. By the end of 1500s the population was around 3,000. The trade declined but then revived again as various clothiers changed their products and expanded their business. The population doubled in size by
3515-594: The Tower shortly afterwards and was executed for treason early in 1478. Ankarette's grandson Roger Twynyho received from Edward IV a full posthumous pardon for Ankarette. The petition he submitted to the king later that year describes fully the circumstances of the case, well illustrating the quasi-kingly high-handedness of Clarence. On King Charles II's death in February 1685, the Duke of Monmouth , his illegitimate son, led
3610-557: The area and elsewhere. A record of more than 140 local survivors of WWI has been published. These survivors included Charlie Robbins who was the model for the bronze statue forged by the Singer company which now stands as the memorial for the fallen of Frome. The population fell and in the 1930s it was slightly smaller than it had been in the mid 19th century. Other industries such as printing, light engineering, metal casting, carpeting and dairying continued, many taking old premises from
3705-693: The clan were killed fighting at the Battle of Culloden . Many MacLeans dispersed to other countries such as Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. In 1812 Sir Hector Maclean (the 7th Baronet of Morvern and 23rd Chief of the Clan Maclean ) emigrated with almost the entire population of 500 to Pictou , Nova Scotia , Canada. Thus, the Macleans appear not to have been involved in Highland Clearances . Sir Hector
3800-400: The cloth mills and others being sited at the new Marston Road Trading Estate which led to growth after World War II , including the construction of council houses . Frome has two tiers of local government. At the upper level, it is in the unitary authority of Somerset. It elects six members to Somerset Council from three electoral wards. At the lower level, it is a civil parish with
3895-476: The company came full circle, returning to a £20,000 turnover it had enjoyed in 1923. During 1949, Foster died and his son, John Foster Yeoman, became a managing director at the age of 21. Educated at Monkton Combe School , Millfield and the University of Bristol , he set about turning the company around, despite his youth and inexperience. John employed Ron Torr to redevelop the plant and, within four years,
Foster Yeoman - Misplaced Pages Continue
3990-694: The company despite numerous parties indicating their interest in purchasing Foster Yeoman. Foster Yeoman was responsible for the supply of aggregate in the construction of multiple landmark civil engineering schemes, including the Thames Barrier , M25 motorway and the Channel Tunnel . The company was a major supplier of coated stone products used for projects as diverse as motorways, airports and tennis courts. Having built up its substantial interests in Northern Europe, Foster Yeoman ran
4085-410: The company had returned to profit. Dulcote was not the best location and, with an eye to rising costs, competition and the need for future expansion, John Yeoman bought the under-exploited Merehead Quarry at East Cranmore in Somerset in 1958. Significant development of the site was undertaken; at John Yeoman's behest, the branch line between Merehead and Westbury was re-opened to permit trains to serve
4180-622: The country they had emigrated to: Australia and Canada . The Royal Navy , the Royal Flying Corps , the British Red Cross and the Royal Army Medical Corps all took in volunteers and conscripts, as did multiple different regiments from across the UK. Over 450 lives, ranging from a brigadier-general to scores of privates and able seamen, were lost in the conflict, now recorded on memorials throughout
4275-528: The decline of the wool industry in the mid-18th century, increased industrialisation, and rising food prices led to some unrest amongst the inhabitants of Frome, and there were riots during the century. By 1791, the town was described in less flattering terms than those Defoe had used 50 years earlier. A survey of 1785 listed these occupations: "47 clothiers. 5 dyers, 12 fellmongers, 3 woolstaplers, 54 spinsters, 6 fullers, 146 shearmen, 141 scribblers, 220 weavers, 5 handle setters, 8 twisters, 4 spinning jenny men, for
4370-573: The firm developed new facilities, opened as the Frome Art Metalworks in 1866, and then the expertise to create large statues. One of the first statues cast in 1889 was that of General Gordon riding a camel. The firm was responsible for the bronze statue of Boudica with her daughters in her war chariot (furnished with scythes after the Persian fashion), which was commissioned by Prince Albert and executed by Thomas Thornycroft . It
4465-400: The firm negotiating with British Rail to improve service. Having already supplied its own wagons (with a reliability level of 96%) Foster Yeoman suggested to British Rail that it could operate its own locomotives, which would be the first privately-owned engines to run on British rail tracks. British Rail's problem was the hard tie-in and control of the rail unions , but nevertheless it accepted
4560-417: The first day, 10 December, Champneys arrived with hundreds of men and boys, many armed with lead-loaded bludgeons and cudgels. They attacked Sheppard's supporters. Thomas Bunn, a local man of property, recollected what he saw: When I went to vote for a member for the county the mob arranged themselves on each side of a long street, to pelt all who did not approve their favourite candidates. I … disdained to put
4655-519: The first king of England. Æthelstan's half-brother, King Eadred (son of Edward the Elder ), died in Frome on 23 November 955. At the time of the Domesday Survey , the manor was owned by King William , and was the principal settlement of the largest and wealthiest hundred in Somerset. Over the following years, parts of the original manor were spun off as distinct manors; for example, one
4750-481: The first time new electors such as small landowners, tenant farmers and shopkeepers; voters were defined as male persons, so women were formally excluded. The election was disputed by two well-known local men: Sir Thomas Champneys and Thomas Sheppard , a Tory and a Radical or Whig respectively. There was no serious trouble until the election itself. The two were personal enemies, with a long history of property dealings between their families over 180 years. Champneys ,
4845-500: The flow of the river. In 2019 the BBC ranked Frome as, among places in the UK, having the most difficult name to pronounce. A church built by St. Aldhelm in 685 is the earliest evidence of Saxon occupation of Frome. Aldhelm was a member of the Wessex royal family, cousin to King Cenwealh . The name was first recorded in 701 when Pope Sergius gave permission to Bishop Aldhelm to found
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#17327660392084940-517: The graveyard. It was not until 1880, after a local company failed to deliver, that local government stepped in and opened a Water Works with a piped supply system. A sewage farm was not installed until 1885. It was 1903 before mains electricity was introduced into the town. In World War I a large number of men from Frome and the surrounding villages enlisted. The Somerset Infantry was the primary recruiter; other county regiments from around Somerset took in many others. Some born in Frome joined up in
5035-731: The head of Loch a' Choire (Loch Corry). In the late 17th century the massacre of the MacDonald clansmen marked the point when the fortunes of the MacLean clan began to wane, and by 1691 the Campbells had gained possession of most of the MacLean estates. Clan Maclean participated in the Jacobite risings of 1745 to 1746 , supporting the House of Stuart and the Jacobite cause. Many members of
5130-635: The island of Lismore and Loch Linnhe in the western Highlands of Scotland . Glensanda Castle ( Caisteal Na Gruagaich (Maiden's Castle) ; overlooks the mouth of the Glensanda River which tumbles down 400 metres along its 5-mile (8-kilometre) course from 'Caol Bheinn' into Loch Linnhe. The castle was the main base of the Macleans of Kingairloch (Kingerloch) since the 15th century, but the population fell from 500 to zero after 1812 when they emigrated to Pictou , Nova Scotia . The remoteness of
5225-531: The largest gravity-fed self-discharging ships in the world. Foster Yeoman transported the majority of its stone product from Merehead to various distribution points across the UK by train. The company purchased its own fleet of 140 12-ton wagons in 1923 to take advantage of the fact that the Great Western Railway line ran adjacent to Dulcote Quarry . When the Torr Works opened in the 1960s,
5320-480: The magistrates in the George Inn. The mob besieged the building and smashed the windows. Sheppard retreated to his home, Fromefield House, guarded by 300 men. Dragoons were brought from Trowbridge to neighbouring Beckington. Early on the second day, Sheppard had gained 163 votes, more than half of those entitled to vote. Shouting 'Champneys for ever', the opponents attacked the Crown Inn trying to get at Sheppard in
5415-472: The mid-1600s, though wages remained low for both weavers and spinners. From 1665 to 1725 further major expansion occurred, including the building of a new artisans' suburb, now known as the Trinity area, one of the earliest purpose built industrial housing in the country. The River provided power for a range of mills along its length, dyewood grinding, fulling, dyeing: 10 or more within 2 km of
5510-457: The mob dispersed, bloodied but without fatalities. Afterwards the constable was threatened with arson and murder. At a time of rising unemployment, the price of potatoes provoked a riot in Frome in 1816. Magistrates read the Riot Act and suppressed the trouble with local militia and dragoons, preventing an attack on a Sheppard factory. By 1800 the population had increased beyond 12,000. There
5605-498: The national railway operator. However, in 1972, Foster Yeoman bought the first of several Class 08 shunting locomotive; the company also purchased a General Motors EMD SW1001 switching locomotive in 1980. Foster Yeoman was dissatisfied with the poor reliability achieved by the various locomotives used by British Rail to haul stone trains from the West Country (with availability of the Class 56 locomotives from May 1984 as low as 30%, and only 60% of trains running on time), leading to
5700-448: The presence of late Pleistocene man. Neolithic bowl barrows have been located in nearby Trudoxhill. At Murtry Hill, just 3 km to the north-west of Frome, a Neolithic long barrow 35m long by 19m wide was located with substantial upright stones (Orchardleigh Stones ), a 'chest' burial and cremation urns. Within Frome itself, another long barrow was found, with skeletons, pottery and a standing stone; its structure seemed similar to
5795-429: The principle. What may in retrospect be viewed as the harbinger of private rail operation in Britain occurred in 1985 when Foster Yeoman opted to purchase a number of powerful freight locomotives from the American conglomerate General Motors ' Electro-Motive Diesel division (GM-EMD), designated Class 59 . These were procured to be exclusively used on its mineral trains. Although owned and maintained by Foster Yeoman,
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#17327660392085890-478: The quarry is sited 1 mi (1.6 km) inland, and cut down into the mountain 1,600 ft (500 m) above sea level. Each explosive blast dislodges about 70,000 tons of granite, which is transported by dump truck to the primary crusher, which reduces it to lumps no bigger than nine inches in diameter. It is then transferred by conveyor belt to a heap that covers the "glory hole", a 1,000 ft (300 m) vertical shaft 10 ft (3 m) in diameter, which
5985-431: The quarry. The use of rail transport to deliver materials proved to be effective, permitting annual production to be raised as high as five million tonnes during the early 1970s. By the 1980s, around eight million tonnes of material was being extracted each year from Merehead alone. The stone had been carried to its destination by lorry since 1949, but now Foster Yeoman reverted to rail transport. The Merehead Stone Terminal
6080-417: The reign of Edward I , but there is no direct evidence that Frome was a borough and no trace of any charter granted to it. However, the Kyre Park Charters of Edward's reign note a Hugh, lord of Parva (or little) Frome, as well as other witnesses. Additionally, Henry VII granted a charter to Edmund Leversedge, then lord of the manor , giving him the right to hold fairs on 22 July and 21 September. The parish
6175-503: The second baronet, may have been popular but he was disreputable, his Orchardleigh Estate in decline and in debt. In 1820 Sheppard had been a key witness when Sir Thomas was accused of sodomy; the case was not proven. Voting at that time was in person in public, the hustings taking place in Cork Street just off the Market Place. The Frome county constituency area included Weston, Radstock, Bathampton, Batheaston as well as freeholders in Bath; there were only 322 registered voters. On
6270-399: The shop helped avoid 92 tonnes CO2e of greenhouse gas emissions, saved 117,000 kg of material usage and avoided 10 tonnes of manufacturing waste. In the same period its members collectively saved £66,800 by borrowing instead of buying items. In 2024 the Share Shop closed for lack of funding. The Town Council installed the first community fridge in the country in May 2016; 90,000 items
6365-444: The southeast is Friggle Street, suggestive of a Roman road. In April 2010, the Frome Hoard , one of the largest hoards of Roman coins discovered in Britain, was found in a field near the town by a metal detectorist; the 52,500 coins dating from the third century AD were in a jar 14 inches (36 cm) below the surface. The coins were excavated by archaeologists from the Portable Antiquities Scheme , and some are now on display in
6460-408: The surrounding countryside. Torr Works' output was six million tonnes per year by 1992. John Yeoman had long been captivated by the idea of the super-quarry to be situated in a remote location from which stone could be exported by sea, which had also been declared as preferred government policy. To this end, and always looking ahead, he bought the Glensanda estate near Oban in Argyll in 1982, which
6555-441: The town at Gibbet Hill, Gorehedge. The manufacture of woollen cloth was established as the town's principal industry in the 15th century. In 1542 during one of his itineraries to observe historic English and Welsh landscapes, Leland described Frome as a town that "hathe a metley good market" and "dyvers fayre stone howsys in the towne that stand y the moste by clothinge". He went on to mention what seems to be Spring Gardens where
6650-481: The town mentions tentergrounds : fields of racks for drying the cloth and five fulling mills. Where originally wool was exported to Flanders and Italy, more was increasingly retained at home for the production of cloth. Woolens such as broadcloth and the lighter kersey became primary products for the area. Surnames such as Webbe (weaver) or Tayllor appear in the early 14th century and there are explicit references to cloth makers in 1475. By 1470 Somerset
6745-443: The town. Families of clothiers gradually came to be the principal landowners in the town, with the manor of Frome itself finally passing into the ownership of a cloth merchant in 1714. In the mid-1720s Daniel Defoe estimated that "Frome is now reckoned to have more people in it, than the city of Bath , and some say, than even Salisbury itself...... likely to be one of the greatest and wealthiest inland towns in England". Poverty,
6840-436: The town. Frome is "at the vanguard" of a growing movement to better incorporate nonclinical solutions into medical care, according to one doctor. Since 2016 there has been an effort to role out the scheme across the entire Mendip area. Glensanda Glensanda (Old Norse, the glen of the sandy river) was a Viking settlement at the mouth of Glen Sanda on the Morvern peninsula within south west Lochaber , overlooking
6935-467: The trade steadily declined. Tucker's at Wallbridge, the last fabric mill of 'The Finest West of England Cloth', closed in 1965. In the early 19th century, plans were developed to reinvigorate the town and once again elevate it to its former position as a more important town than Bath. These plans, the idea of Thomas Bunn , a man of independent means inherited from his father, mostly failed to come to fruition, although some public buildings were erected and
7030-601: The west of Frome. Another villa is suggested at Selwood. Southill House in Cranmore , 10 miles southwest, has evidence of a villa with a hypocaust . Two villas have been surveyed in the Hemington area, 3 miles (5 km) to the north-west of Frome, alongside other sites, ditches and boundaries. Iron Age forts in the area (recorded above) were re-occupied by the Roman military: Kingsdown and Tedbury. A Roman road ran from
7125-631: The west of the Mendips passing south of Frome en route to Old Sarum (Salisbury) and Clausentum ( Southampton ) or to Moriconium ( Hamworthy near Poole ), probably for the export of lead and silver from mines in the Mendips. Part of a Romano-British sculpted head and part of a Roman road surface were found near Clink, Frome: possibly linked to a Roman road running south from Aquae Sulis (Bath), but this has been traced only as far as Oldford Farm, Selwood, just 2 miles (3 km) north of Frome. Just to
7220-603: The wife of Henry Campbell-Bannerman , Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. In 1888 (or 1881 ) the estate was purchased by John Bell Sherriff, Esquire of Carronvale, a distiller and industrialist from Glasgow and Falkirk for £30,140.} In 1902 George Herbert Strutt (1854–1928), a 5th generation cotton tycoon from Belper , Derbyshire , and descendant of Jedediah Strutt , bought the Glensanda and Kingairloch estates. In 1930 Arthur Strutt (1908–1977) married Patricia Kebbell (20 October 1911 – July 2000), daughter of
7315-526: The world. Printing was another major industry, with the Butler and Tanner printworks being set up in the middle of the century. Brewing was another source of employment. Utility services came quite early in Frome with Cockey setting up a gas facility in Welshpool in 1831. Water was available from springs; the principal source was from a fountain at the foot of Church Steps, fed by stream that flowed under
7410-582: Was Kurt Larson, John and Angela Yeoman's son-in-law. By 1992, production at Glensanda had reached five million tonnes per year; however, there was still plenty of untapped capacity, the site having an estimated one billion tonnes of material available. During the early 1990s, Foster Yeoman took delivery of three large self-discharging ships with a combined annual carrying capacity of 8 million tonnes for exporting material from Glensanda in bulk to destinations as far away as North America. By 2011, Glensanda had developed into Europe’s largest quarry, routinely supplying
7505-609: Was a Viking settlement at the mouth of Glen Sanda The Vikings are thought to have led their first raids on what is now modern Scotland by the early 8th century AD. Their first known attack was on the holy island of Iona in 794, 40 mi (60 km) west. The end of the Viking Age proper in Scotland is generally considered to be in 1266. Glensanda Castle is variously known as Caisteal Na Gruagaich (Maiden's castle), Castle Na'gair , Castle-en-Coer , Castle Mearnaig . It
7600-560: Was a joint venture company which combined their locomotives and rolling stock in one streamlined operation and was the third largest freight company in the UK. It was particularly active in the southern region, where the former Foster Yeoman terminals at Eastleigh and Botley are present, as well as delivering aggregates for construction work on various major projects, including the Thames Barrier , Second Severn Crossing , Channel Tunnel , and Heathrow Terminal 5 . Frome Frome ( / ˈ f r uː m / , FROOM )
7695-532: Was a brief boost to the trade from the Napoleonic Wars , Frome supplying blue uniform cloth: 160 miles a year in 1801. As mechanisation increased, fewer skills were required; wages fell along with living conditions. Dyeing ceased. Steam engines replaced water mills. By 1826 the parish established a blanket factory to employ the poor. A lack of investment locally meant the nation chose to buy the cheaper and lighter cloth produced elsewhere. Many mills closed as
7790-411: Was administered by Frome Urban District, while surrounding parishes were administered by a separate Frome Rural District Council. From 1974 to 2023, Frome was part of Mendip District , electing 11 members to the district council and 3 members to Somerset County Council . In early 2015, the UK's first high street library of things was set up in the town. In one year (May 2018 to April 2019), use of
7885-632: Was built in the late 15th century by Ewen MacLean , 5th of Kingairloch, who was born circa 1450. Glensanda, a part of Ardgour , has formed part of the territory of the Clan MacLean ever since the Clan MacMaster was removed from the territory in the 15th century. The castle was the main base of the Clan Maclean of Kingairloch (Kingerloch), and supported a thriving community of circa 500 people until around 1780 when they seem to have moved 5 mi (8 km) north to Connach (Kingairloch), at
7980-601: Was defeated. Captured on 8 July, he was taken to the Tower of London and executed on 15 July on Tower Hill by Jack Ketch . At the subsequent ' Bloody Assizes ' more than 500 rebels were brought in front of the court; out of these, 144 were hanged, drawn and quartered , their remains displayed across the country so that people understood the fate of those who rebelled against the king. The other rebels were subjected to transportation to America . In all, 50 Frome men were convicted. 12 men, none of them from Frome, were hanged in
8075-504: Was elected in 1868: Thomas Hughes , author of Tom Brown's School Days , as a Liberal under Gladstone . The town has a National Health Service community hospital, originally operated by Somerset Primary Care Trust , located on the site of the former Showground at Fromefield. The new hospital was opened in 2008, replacing the former Frome Victoria Hospital in Park Road which had been in use since 1901. The nearest general hospital
8170-406: Was enlarged during the 20th century but retains a large number of listed buildings , and most of the centre falls within a conservation area . The town has road and rail transport links and acts as an economic centre for the surrounding area. It provides a centre for cultural and sporting activities, including the annual Frome Festival and Frome Museum . In 2014, Frome was named by The Times
8265-399: Was established in 1970 to handle the transfer of aggregate onto high capacity freight trains. This development was followed by the building of the railhead depot and coating plant at Botley , Hampshire , in 1973. On its 75th anniversary, the company published a colorful pictorial history of the company with a focus on its use of railway transport to move the aggregate. The 1980s proved to be
8360-529: Was first contested at the 2024 general election when it was won by Anna Sabine for the Liberal Democrats . The town was not represented in Parliament until given one member in the House of Commons by the Reform Act of 1832 . The constituency elected a female MP in 1934: Mavis Tate . Separate representation was abolished for the 1950 general election , with Frome itself being transferred to
8455-589: Was owned by the minster , later passing to the Abbey at Cirencester , which others were leased by the Crown to important families. By the 13th century, the Abbey had bought up some of the other manors (although it did let them out again) and was exploiting the profits from market and trade in the town. Local tradition asserts that Frome was a medieval borough, and the reeve of Frome is occasionally mentioned in documents after
8550-544: Was part of the hundred of Frome . Hales Castle was built, probably in the years immediately after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. The circular ringwork is 120 feet (37 m) in diameter and stands on the northern slope of Roddenbury Hill, close to the Iron Age Roddenbury Hillfort , to the south-east of Frome. It comprises banks and outer ditches and has an unfinished bailey . At
8645-434: Was projected to be capable of producing up to 15 million tonnes of granite per year. A pilot plant was installed (extended in 1996) which extracts granite by the " glory hole " and conveyor belt method, a pioneering development in alternative quarrying technology. Glensanda went into operation in 1986 when the first shipload of granite left for Houston , Texas , US. During the early 1990s, the production director at Glensanda
8740-464: Was surprised at the Market Place to see a rank of horsemen in hostile array. … The flag was torn to pieces… The candidate and his friends … had literally their coats torn to atoms. … All this was instigated by the opposing candidate, a well known character with whom no gentlemen would associate. A Sheppard supporter, Thomas Ford was badly injured and died later. Special constables were sworn in by
8835-578: Was the largest producer after Suffolk, making most of the undyed white broadcloths. The industry had become the town's principal base of employment. On 12 April 1477, a widow, Ankarette Twynyho was taken from the manor house known locally as the Old Nunnery in Lower Keyford, accused by George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence of the murder of Isabel Neville, Duchess of Clarence , who had died in 1476, probably of childbed-fever after birth of
8930-625: Was unveiled in 1902, 17 years after Thornycroft's death, and now stands next to Westminster Bridge and the Houses of Parliament , London. The statue of Lady Justice on the dome above the Old Bailey was executed by the British sculptor, F. W. Pomeroy and cast by Singers. The statue of Alfred the Great at Winchester was a further commission. The statues from Singers have been exported around
9025-512: Was wholly acquired by the Holcim Group and is now part of its Aggregate Industries subsidiary and is no longer family owned. In 1976 the UK Government commissioned Sir Ralph Verney to analyse the shortage of aggregates for building. The resulting "Verney report" led John Yeoman, Chairman of Foster Yeoman, to the idea of a super-quarry situated in a remote location from which stone could be exported by sea. To this end in 1982 he bought
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