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Worcester, England
Worcester (/ˈwʊstər/ ⓘ 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 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. By the early 19th century glove making in Worcester had become a significant industry with a large export trade employing up to 30,000 people in the area. The composer Edward Elgar (1857–1934) grew up in the city and spent much of his life in nearby Malvern. Worcester was selected as the location for the evacuation of the entire British government if required during the Second World War, with a large stately home in nearby Madresfield reserved for the British Royal Family.
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.
During the 7th-century period under the Angles of Mercia, the town was known as Weogorna which evolved from the Old English "Weogorna ceaster," meaning "the Roman town of the Weogoran people". The "cester" part of the name, derived from 'ceaster', indicates that the place was built on the site of a Roman military settlement or town; the word ‘castle’ is derived from the same source.
A trade route past Worcester dating from Neolithic times became the Roman Icknield Street included a ford crossing the River Severn, which was tidal below Worcester, and around 400 BC linked Celtic built British hillforts. Evidence exists that Iron Age defensive ditches may have been constructed in the first century AD, while there are no signs of Roman military use or of municipal buildings to indicate an administrative role. By the 3rd century AD, Roman Worcester was larger than the later medieval city but shrank to a defended position on the river's southern end.
By the 7th century, following centuries of warfare with the Vikings, Worcester had become a centre for the Anglo-Saxon army.[citation needed] In 680, Worcester was chosen by the Hwicce as their fort over the larger Gloucester fort.
Following their conquest of England, in 1069 the Normans completed a Motte and Bailey castle just south of the cathedral on what had been a cemetery for the cathedral monks. Nothing now remains of the former Worcester Castle.
During the early medieval period, Worcester's position as the only river crossing between the bridges at Gloucester and Bridgnorth led to its growth as a market town on the main road from London to mid-Wales running through to Kidderminster, Bridgnorth, and Shrewsbury. Worcester continued to be a centre of religious life. Several monasteries were established which provided a hospital and education, including Worcester School. Parts of the city were destroyed by fire during a civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I in 1139, 1150 and 1151. A later fire in 1189 destroyed much of the city for the fourth time that century. In 1189 the city received a royal charter and in 1227 a further charter allowed the creation of guild of merchants.
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Worcester, England
Worcester (/ˈwʊstər/ ⓘ 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 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. By the early 19th century glove making in Worcester had become a significant industry with a large export trade employing up to 30,000 people in the area. The composer Edward Elgar (1857–1934) grew up in the city and spent much of his life in nearby Malvern. Worcester was selected as the location for the evacuation of the entire British government if required during the Second World War, with a large stately home in nearby Madresfield reserved for the British Royal Family.
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.
During the 7th-century period under the Angles of Mercia, the town was known as Weogorna which evolved from the Old English "Weogorna ceaster," meaning "the Roman town of the Weogoran people". The "cester" part of the name, derived from 'ceaster', indicates that the place was built on the site of a Roman military settlement or town; the word ‘castle’ is derived from the same source.
A trade route past Worcester dating from Neolithic times became the Roman Icknield Street included a ford crossing the River Severn, which was tidal below Worcester, and around 400 BC linked Celtic built British hillforts. Evidence exists that Iron Age defensive ditches may have been constructed in the first century AD, while there are no signs of Roman military use or of municipal buildings to indicate an administrative role. By the 3rd century AD, Roman Worcester was larger than the later medieval city but shrank to a defended position on the river's southern end.
By the 7th century, following centuries of warfare with the Vikings, Worcester had become a centre for the Anglo-Saxon army.[citation needed] In 680, Worcester was chosen by the Hwicce as their fort over the larger Gloucester fort.
Following their conquest of England, in 1069 the Normans completed a Motte and Bailey castle just south of the cathedral on what had been a cemetery for the cathedral monks. Nothing now remains of the former Worcester Castle.
During the early medieval period, Worcester's position as the only river crossing between the bridges at Gloucester and Bridgnorth led to its growth as a market town on the main road from London to mid-Wales running through to Kidderminster, Bridgnorth, and Shrewsbury. Worcester continued to be a centre of religious life. Several monasteries were established which provided a hospital and education, including Worcester School. Parts of the city were destroyed by fire during a civil war between King Stephen and Empress Matilda, daughter of Henry I in 1139, 1150 and 1151. A later fire in 1189 destroyed much of the city for the fourth time that century. In 1189 the city received a royal charter and in 1227 a further charter allowed the creation of guild of merchants.
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