The 1502 Progress: Tudor Northleach, Gloucestershire

Distance from Woodstock: 27 miles

John Felde gromes [grooms] of the Quenes chambre for thaire costes wayting upon the Quenes joyelles [jewels] from Langley to Northlache [Northleach] from Northlache to Coberley from Coberley to the Vineyarde from the Vyneyarde to Flexley Abbey from Flexley Abbey to Troye and from Troye to Ragland by the space of vj dayes…
The Chamber Book of Elizabeth of York, 2 September 1502.

When the royal party left Langley around 8/9 August, the King had a destination in mind: Raglan Castle in Monmouthshire. Woodstock was their base, and from the above entry in Elizabeth’s Chamber Book, it seems that the manors, abbeys and hunting lodges visited along the way were merely convenient staging posts. 

Although it is not always easy to pinpoint the exact dates of arrival and departure from the various locations on this progress, it seems to have taken just under two weeks for the cavalcade to wind its way roughly 70-80 miles in a westerly direction. Plotting the route between stages gives a travel distance of (usually) between 10-15 miles a day. This is what we would expect for any royal progress. 

As Northleach is one of those locations mentioned merely in passing, we do not know precisely when the couple arrived and departed from the town – or where they stayed. However, Lisa Ford’s thesis (which includes Henry VII’s movements throughout his reign) puts the King and Queen lodging at Northleach on 9 August.

These gaps aside, we can aim to paint a picture of Tudor Northleach, describing why visiting the town may have been important to the King. We can also speculate who their host(s) might have been. While this may not be entirely satisfactory for the eager time traveller, a little closer inspection reveals an enlightening story that leaves a trail of interesting clues as to why Henry chose to stop at this most (apparently) inconspicuous of Cotswold towns.

Tudor Northleach – The Surprising Epicentre of the Cotswold Wool Trade

From its foundation during the Roman occupation of Britain, Northleach was planned as a market town; in fact, the correct terminology is precisely that. Northleach is a ‘Planned Town’. This meant that the hub of the town was its marketplace, functioning as a trade centre. 

The streets fanned out from this marketplace, presumably allowing easy access to onward trading centres or major roads. In the case of Northleach, the town sits just half a mile away from the ancient Roman road: the Fosse Way. This was still a major thoroughfare in Tudor England. Around the marketplace, the townsfolk lived, each house given a sizable ‘burbage’ or plot of land that ran a considerable distance from the back of the house. This gave the inhabitants a place to grow their food and rear animals.

Funnily enough, one fascinating aspect of Northleach is that much of this original layout, the houses with their burbages, remains largely intact. Of course, the town is a little larger than Elizabeth or Henry would have experienced in 1502. A population census from 1551 gives 400 people living in the parish of Northleach and Easington. In 1984, this had risen to just under 1,500. So, as you can see, in the scheme of things, Northleach remains a small town!

To understand the likely reason behind Henry VII’s visit to Tudor Northleach, we must understand that once upon a time, the town was the epicentre of the wool trade in Europe. England was much lauded for the quality of its wool, making it a significant export to other European trade centres. In England, the Cotswolds were renowned for producing the highest quality wool, and of the Cotswolds towns, Tudor Northleach was king!

Thus, several of the town’s inhabitants during the medieval and early Tudor periods were wealthy wool merchants. These merchants collected fleeces from the local farms and sold them to middlemen called ‘wool staplers’. The staple was a form of ‘guild’, which held a monopoly on wool export from the Crown. In return, the staple collected the income tax on the wool, a significant revenue source for the royal coffers during the medieval period and the early sixteenth century.

In a fascinating podcast recorded in 2022 with Samantha Harper, an expert on Henry VII and the wool churches of the Cotswold, you can hear her talk about the importance of the relationship between wool merchants and the Crown. Henry VII visited the Cotswolds on several occasions, showing his patronage and building relationships with the wealthy wool merchants of the area. I suspect this is precisely what he was doing when he chose to visit Tudor Northleach. 

Where Might the Royal Couple Have Stayed?

As indicated above, we simply don’t know where they lodged during their brief stay at Northleach. However, we might guess! Several of the most wealthy merchants of the town had grand houses fronting the market square. The largest of these was called ‘The Great House’. However, several other notable properties were situated on, or close to, the square. Woolmen also owned these, including ‘Walton House’, ‘Cotteswold House’ and ‘Tudor House’.  

After 1157, Gloucester Abbey owned Northleach until the abbey’s dissolution in 1540. They also owned a manor house in Northleach. British History Online notes that ‘Gloucester abbey’s manor house and demesne land at Northleach were held on lease in 1499 by Thomas Bicknell. The same source notes he was still holding the manor in 1521. This means Thomas was alive during the time our royal couple visited Tudor Northleach. Did they lodge with Thomas at Northleach Manor? Again, we don’t know, and what follows is mere speculation. However, a possible link can be found in Northleach’s impressive wool church. 

On the north side of the church is a side chapel, the Lady Chapel, also known as the ‘Bicknell Chapel’ on account of its patrons, William and Margaret Bicknell. They were responsible for building the chapel earlier in the fifteenth century.  In this chapel, we can find a possible trace of a link between the Bicknells, Henry and Elizabeth. Up at roof level, two stone corbels show the faces of a man and a woman. Both wear crowns. Legend has it that these represent the faces of Henry and Elizabeth. Did Thomas Bicknell have these added to his family’s chapel to commemorate the visit after it happened? It seems possible. However, this is as far as we can take the story at Northleach without any firmer footing to stand on.

Visitor Information

Northleach lies just half a mile off the Fosse Way. Today, it is a sleepy but pleasant little town. You could be forgiven for mistaking it for a large village! 

Head for the centre to find the extant marketplace. It retains its original footprint, which is triangular and is surrounded by houses. However,  sadly, the timber-framed medieval market hall and high cross are long gone; the former was torn down in the early 1800s to be replaced by the ubiquitous car park. British History Online describes the fate of both:

The cross was kept in repair out of the town funds until 1747 or later, but only its stepped base survived c. 1800. One part of the range of leasehold houses on the west side of the marketplace was described as the old boothall in 1594. It was presumably the town’s market house in the late Middle Ages, being replaced shortly before 1551 by a new free-standing boothall or market house built within the marketplace. The new building, which was of the usual type with an open ground floor and a room above where the burgesses’ town court met, was demolished c. 1820.

The church is the historical piece de resistance of the town, and you will find it just a stone’s throw away from the marketplace. Explore it at your leisure before returning to the marketplace, which remains the hub of town life. You can rest and refresh at a couple of the town’s cafes or the local pub, The Wheatsheaf, which describes itself as ‘an historic 17th-century coaching inn’.

For Rest and Refreshment: Local cafes, a wine bar and a pub close to the market square. Public toilets can also be found in the market square.

Transport: By car or bus from Cheltenham.

Accommodation: The Wheatsheaf

THE NEXT STOP ON YOUR PROGRESS IS COBERLEY: Click here to continue.

Other Nearby Tudor Locations of Interest:

Coberley Church (13.4 miles): Coberley Manor was the next stop on the 1502 progress. Although the manor has gone, its adjacent church survives and contains a couple of interesting medieval tombs.

St John the Baptist Church, Cirencester (10.7 miles): Visit this splendid wool church in the wealthy Cotswold town of Cirencester. The church has an opulent porch. Its interior has some glorious early Tudor features, including a chapel where the ceiling looks like a mini-version of the Lady Chapel in Westminster Abbey! (and includes heraldry associated with Henry VII, underlining the King’s close association with the wool merchants of the town). You can hear more about this in my podcast episode with an expert on the Cotswold wool church and Henry VII’s 1502 progress, Samantha Harper. (Coming to this page very soon).