Gloucester, in southwest England isn’t huge, and it didn’t pass ten thousand in population until the 19th century, but its past two thousand years have been not only eventful, but almost a microcosm of English history.
The city’s story is the focus of the Museum of Gloucester, located in this formidable building, originally built as Price Memorial Hall of the Gloucester Science and Art Society in 1893. As you’ll see, it looks far different inside than it did then!
Gloucester, the present settlement, started as a Roman camp, Glevum, around 49 C.E. Although the museum tips its hat to pre-history, including in this kid-play area and ‘bone dig pit,’, the story really begins shortly before the Roman arrival, where the title image introduces us to Gloucester’s ‘Early Peoples.’
The museum makes a point many of us miss in the history of Roman conquest: By the time Gloucester began, the Romans who invaded weren’t primarily from Italy; they included soldiers and others from Africa, Germany, Italy, the Balkans and western Europe.
As a result, the artifacts of that era are quite diverse, with as much difference often among ‘Roman’ items as there is between them and items of local origin in Gloucester, described in one museum poster as “the Wild West of the Roman Empire.” And, as could be expected, there was continued conflict between the invaders and the Celtic Britons.
But life in Gloucester in the four centuries of Roman rule wasn’t all fighting. Within the old city wall, a fragment of which can be seen through an opening in the museum’s walls, was a growing town of artisans and craftsmen, connected with the surrounding farm areas.
Long after the Romans left, Gloucester continued to be an important spot; the Severn River and its role as a gateway to Wales helped with that. As the medieval era developed it became an important capital for local rulers, including Aethelflaed, Queen of Mercia and daughter of Alfred the Great. Gloucester was a favorite and she invested in both castles and civic works. She also managed to seize Derby, Leicester and York from Viking rulers.
Gloucester, like the rest of England, had become Christian, and numbers of churches were built in that period, including some that are still prominent including the Cathedral and St Mary de Crypt. The museum also has artifacts of that period. One prominent symbol was the Great Cross, erected around 1200 where the town’s main streets met. The 3/4-size model below lacks the elaborate carving of the original, which was torn down in 1751 as a traffic obstacle.
Even the Norman Conquest in 1066 didn’t put an end to Gloucester’s status; its merchants received royal rights and permission to elect bailiffs and other local officials. The King and his court made annual visits—with hundreds of servants—to different cities; Gloucester was the regular venue for Christmas.
But of course, not all of those centuries were serene, productive and peaceful. Gloucester was also several times the scene of dynastic battles. In the 12th century, Robert of Gloucester was a key figure in the war between Stephen and Matilda for the crown. In the 13th century, armies laid siege to castle and town several times in the Second Barons’ War, and it was the scene of one of the last battles of the Wars of the Roses in 1471. Less than 200 years later, as a stronghold for Parliament, it held off forces of Charles I in the English Civil War. The last was a close call; the Royal forces withdrew not knowing that the defenders were down to their last barrels of gunpowder.
But perhaps that’s enough ‘big history’ for now—the museum has much more for us, though, especially about the last couple of centuries, including these three views of one of the main streets, with views, right to left of the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries. Cattle and poultry markets took place right at the edge of the city’s center until 1958, with the animals marched through the streets to the lot. An elegant Victorian market hall was replaced only a few years later by a sadly modern shopping center that could be anywhere.
The upper level of the museum has displays that include craft and industrial products of Gloucester and Gloucestershire, mainly of the 19th century.
Folklore and family life are represented, including this Morris Dancer costume and wedding dress, as well as an elaborate doll house
I’ll take the liberty of grouping the next three images under the heading of ‘metalwork’—an exhibit of collectible coins, the bell from a recently-retired British warship, and Ozzie the Owl, constructed by a local artist from scrap motorcycle parts.
I’ve saved the best, or at least my favorite, for the end: Two stuffed animals, each with an important local connection to the area’s agricultural history, and in one case to the entire word’s medical history. First is Chedworth Pansy the 22nd—a Gloucester Old Spot Sow. Born in 1945, a prizewinner in 1947, and stuffed and mounted in 1952. A ancient heritage breed, the Gloucester Old Spot Sow is, the label noted, “known for its hardiness and the high quality of bacon produced.”
And this is Daisy, an Old Gloucester Cow, another heritage breed. Her kind is now protected by the Rare Breeds Survival Trust as endangered; as recently as 1972, only one herd remained although numbers have grown. Daisy was mounted in 1930, after winning a prize as the “Most Beautiful Cow.” Oh, the medical history? Local physician Edward Jenner developed the first vaccination for smallpox, using material from cowpox, a related disease, obtained from one of Daisy’s ‘ancestors.’
