Tures
Welcome to the historic market square of Stow-on-the Wold. At nearly 800ft above sea level, Stow is the highest Cotswold town. It is located at a point where the Roman Fosse Way and several other ancient routes cross and it has evolved as an important trading centre and meeting place with a history deeply steeped in the wool trade. It has a long history dating back to an Iron Age fortified settlement on top of the hill and had a special importance in the first English Civil War as the last battle was fought here back in 1646.
There are a number of small alleyways, known as ‘tures’, around Stow-on-the-Wold. The ture adjacent to The Talbot leads to Sheep Street. In medieval times Sheep Street would have been pasture land used to pen sheep and livestock on market days, ready for sale in the square. At the time of the relevant sale, sheep would be herded and counted through these tures into the square. It is said that on market days up to 20,000 sheep could be sold, so these tures would have been very busy.
Whilst the tures were used to count sheep and livestock in and out of the square on market days, their history probably goes back to the time of ‘enclosure’ when the Lord of the Manor would have allocated burgage plots to freemen of the town (typically tradesmen and councillors) for a rent of 6d. per annum.
These burgage plots can be of any size, but in towns where the frontage to the High Street is valuable they were typically long and narrow. The basic unit of measurement at the time was the perch (also known as a rod or pole), which is 5.5 yards or 5.03 meters. In most Cotswold towns burgage plots were 2 by 12 perches. You can test this by pacing out the burgage plot occupied by The Talbot through to Sheep Street.
The tures were designed to give access to the rear properties on these long burgage plots, thereby avoiding building extra streets to service the rear properties. Today they are used as handy shortcuts to the square.
The ture adjacent to The Talbot, is part of ‘The Monarch’s Way’. When Charles I was executed his eldest son took up the Stuart cause and made a gallant bid to regain the crown. Unfortunately, having been defeated at the Battle of Worcester in 1651, he was forced to flee to France, passing through Stow-on-the-Wold on 11th September 1651. He later returned to England in 1660 to become King Charles II. The ‘Monarchs Way’ is a footpath that is 615 miles long and celebrates his escape route. It passes through the ture next to The Talbot.
Spooky Spectre in Stow
It is said that, late at night, sad wailing cries can sometimes be heard in The King’s Arms. The cries are from the ghosts of soldiers who met their end in the bloody Civil War battle that took place only a few paces away.
Another regular ghostly visitor is a woman in Victorian dress. She is said to wear a high-necked, white lace blouse, featuring leg-of-mutton sleeves and caught at the throat with a cameo brooch. Her skirt is made of black silk and her grey hair is tied in a cottage bun. She carries a dainty, lace-embroidered handkerchief, is prosperous looking and wears expensive jet jewellery.
This Victorian spectre has a habit of opening doors and turning lights on and off. She takes no notice of anyone around her, although does seem to like watching television with other guests. It is only when the lady disappears that terrified guests realise that they have been enjoying their favourite programme with a spectre from another dimension.