Cirencester Gloucestershire was as important during Roman times as major road works these days. The Romans built a fort there to help protect the area. In 49 AD people came from near by Bafendon to create a settlement by the fort. After the Wales conquest around 70 AD the frontier migrated north with the fort being closed and torn down. The town still continued to bloom though but was called Corinium Dobunnorum.
Even back then there was a huge wool industry that led to the Corinium's ability to grow. Where the fort formally stood a town center was erected and there is still archeological remains today. In the 2nd Century the town's 240 acres of land was enclosed with a wall which bumped it up to the second biggest British city at the time. In the 4th Century it was named the seat of Britannia Prima, a Roman province.
Earl of Hereford, William Fitz-Osborn was given the royal manor of Cirencester during the Norman Conquest. Although in 1075 it was taken back and given to Cirencester Abbey which was established in 1117 by Henry I. The abbey church was finished by 1176. The abbey was supported by the wool and cloth making industry during the Middle Ages. The merchants and cloth makers saw great wealth during this time and it can still be seen today by way of their grand tombs and large houses that still stand.
In February of 1643 the civil war in England reached Cirencester. At that time the two side of the ware fought in the town's streets. There were more than 300 slain and 1200 imprisoned at the church. The towns people were on the side of the Parliamentarians and the leaders sided with the Royalists. In 1649 when Charles I was executed Alexander Gregory, the town's minister wrote of his disapproval in the parish's registry. When the war was over in 1651 Charles II escaped there for a night as he traveled to France after fighting the Battle of Worcester.
The town had developed into a bustling market town by the end of the 18th Century and was a center for the many roads that were used to transport the town grain and wool outputs. Those that had the money for it could send their children to the grammar school and the town became the biggest urban center for the smaller towns around it.
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