The Community Assembly of Stroud is located in a town known for its involvement in the Industrial Revolution. It was a cloth town: woollen mills were powered by the small rivers which flow through the five valleys, and were supplied from Cotswold sheep which grazed on the hills above. Particularly noteworthy was the production of military uniforms in the colour Stroudwater Scarlet. Stroud became known for its production of broadcloth, which was widely known as Stroud Cloth and traded around the world.
The area became home to a sizable Huguenot community in the 17th century, fleeing from persecution in Catholic France, followed by a significant Jewish presence in the 19th century, linked to the tailoring and cloth industries.
Stroud was an industrial and trading location in the 19th century, and so needed transport links. It first had a canal network in the form of the Stroudwater Navigation and the Thames and Severn Canal, both of which survived until the early 20th century. Though there is much evidence of early historic settlement and transport, Stroud parish was originally part of Bisley, and only began to emerge as a distinct unit in the 13th century, taking its name from the marshy ground at the confluence of the Slad Brook and the River Frome.
Community Assemblies are made up of residents concerned about a lack of democratic process at a local and national level, dedicated to preserving and asserting our inalienable rights and obligations to ourselves, the Earth and future generations.
Founding Facilitators
- Simon France
- Beartrice Legay
- Kay Devine
Founding Facilitators of enlisted Community Assemblies in the Group Directory are also affiliate members of the Community Assembly of the British Isles.
Location
Stroud, Gloucestershire, British Isles
Contact
Please send an email with your contact details and we will get back to you by return. Thank you.
