Bromsgrove Worcestershire
As long ago as the 5th or
6th Century there was a village at Bromsgrove.
It stood on the hill on the site of the present parish
church. The village, of Saxon origin, was known variously
as Bremesbyrig, Bremegrefa and Bremesgrave . In the Middle
Ages Bromsgrove was an important Market town. Bromsgrove
School was an important institution thought to have been
founded by Edward VI.
The Court Leet represents the old form
of government with its Lord of the Manor and Bailiff and a
colourful procession on the nearest Saturday to Midsummer
Day.
n the 16thC industry grew in
Bromsgrove with nail-making becoming the major industry in
the town and surrounding villages. The industry flourished
for 300 years, dying out in the 19thC when machine made
nails were introduced.
In 1825 salt was found at Stoke Prior and
a salt works was built on both sides of the canal. Alkali,
Sulphuric Acid, Salt and Soap were made and rock salt was
mined for a brief period. The Stoke Prior salt works in the
1850s was the largest in the world and the owner, John
Corbett, became known as the ‘Salt King’.
A E Houseman, author of ‘A Shropshire
Lad’ was born in 1859 at Fockbury, west of Bromsgrove. The
family home was Perry Hall, now a hotel, and there is a
Houseman society, a signposted trail and a statue in the
High Street.
In 1894 William Gilbert formed a Guild of
Applied Arts in Bromsgrove as part of the Arts and Crafts
movement. He began designing decorative ironwork in an old
foundry in Bromsgrove, employing skilled workers who
produced some famous work, including the gates of Buckingham
Palace.
