A Brief History of Frome

The first permanent settlement began about 685, when St. Aldhelm, the Abbot of Malmesbury, set up a mission station on the banks of the River Frome. It was then on the edge of Selwood Forest, and was a suitable crossing place over the river, with ample water supplies from springs. It was also a good place from which to service the tracks which used the Mendip Hills/Salisbury Plain gap.

The church was dedicated to St. John the Baptist, probably built of stone, and similar to the Saxon church in Bradford-on-Avon. The settlement grew on land owned by the King, and in the Domesday Book (1086) there is a reference to a market, implying that Frome was already a place of some importance.

After the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, the Church lands passed into the hands of the Thynne family, who later bought more land in the area to build up the Longleat estate.

Frome was largely unaffected by the Civil War though the cloth workers were Parliamentary in their sympathies. However in 1685 the Duke of Monmouth passed through the town as he tried to raise an army to overthrow James II. After his defeat at Sedgemoor the Bloody Assizes resulted in a number of executions in Frome.

The cloth industry, begun in the 14th Century, was growing in importance by the end of the 17th Century, and Frome was a prosperous town. Before Bath was 'discovered' Frome was the larger and more important town. Competition from the woollen towns of the north, and a reluctance to modernise, began the decline of the cloth industry in the l9th Century. Although the last traces of the cloth trade did not vanish until the 60s, other industries - notably printing - flourished, and there was prosperity, but no growth.

One of the remarkable things about Frome is that its population remained almost static for over 100 years, until the mid-60s, since when it has almost doubled. But the new estates have not spoiled the town: the centre did not suffer too badly from the ravages of 60s development and retains its charm. The people, too, are still as friendly as ever, and the new blood has served only to stimulate the town and give it fresh vitality.

In recent years the town has developed a reputation as a focus for Arts and Crafts. There are a number of Galleries and contemporary Craft Centres. Many professional craftspeople work from individual workshops with specialities ranging from designer jewellery and textiles to musical instrument makers and an artist blacksmith.