Ten things you might not know about Wotton-under-Edge

  1. The town gets its name from its position at the foot of a hill within a wood. The 'Edge" is the Cotswold escarpment and Wotton means a farmstead in or near a wood.
  2. The Katharine Lady Berkeley Grammar School, now a comprehensive, is the second oldest school foundation in England, having been built in 1384.
  3. Pupils at Katharine Lady Berkeley's School helped to design a number of concrete sheep which now stand proudly in the grounds of precision engineer's Renishaws.
  4. Isaac Pitman, the man credited with inventing short-hand, produced the writing style when he was working as a teacher in the village in 1837. The form is still used across the world today.
  5. Wotton's impressive St Mary's Church was built in 940 AD but destroyed by fire in the 13th Century. It was re-built using funds from the area's once-thriving wool trade.
  6. In 1976 builders renovating an upper room in the Royal Oak pub found a beautifully preserved 17th Century mural. It has since been covered to preserve it for future generations.
  7. Wotton has an unusually large number of almshouses: The Roland Hill Almshouse, built in 1887, the Ann Bearpacker, built in 1837 and the Perry Almshouse built in 1638.
  8. Masons building St Mary's Church are reputed to have stayed in the Ram Inn for the duration of the construction works. The Inn, reputed to have been built on a pagan burial ground, is supposed to be the most haunted hostelry in the country.
  9. Famous judge and lawyer Sir Matthew Hale was born in Wotton-under-Edge. He was Lord Chief Justice for five years from 1671 to 1676. Renowned for his fairness at a time when corruption was all too common in the legal profession, he died on Christmas Day, 1676.
  10. Wotton-under-Edge has been the scene of many a bloody clash between the Berkeley and de Lisle families over rights to govern the Berkeley estate. When the two warring parties clashed on nearby North Nibley Green on March 20, 1649, it was the last private battle ever to be fought on British soil. The Berkeley clan emerged victorious.

 Panoramic views of Wotton from Wotton Hill
Panoramic views from Wotton Hill

The Wotton-under-Edge Coat of Arms

This is authorised by the College of Arms. The Patent has the following description:

  • The Shield: Or (gold) on a Chevron wavy Azure (blue) another wavy Argent (silver) between in chief two Beech Trees eradicated and fructed and in the base a Sheep passant proper.
  • The Crest: A Latin Cross Or between two Teazles slipped and leaved proper.
  • The Motto: "Strong by Stream and Staple".
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