THE ECONOMIC HISTORY OF ROSS

• 11th Century - Noted in the Domesday book
  • Ross has been an important trading centre for well over a thousand years and was included in the Domesday book.
• 12th Century - Market Charter
  • The market charter was granted in 1140 by King Stephen.
• 13th Century - Many tradesmen, shops, mills and iron forges
  • By the 13th century, a wide variety of peoples were finding employment in the town.
• 14th Century - 260 people paying taxes
  • Records show a remarkably high proportion of the population paying taxes, indicating a high level of trade and industry
• 15th & 16th Centuries - Vital link on east/west trade routes
  • During the 15th and 16th centuries, the town developed as a vital link on the main trade route between south Wales and London. That remains true today, with the expanded motorway network adding trade routes to the south west, the midlands and the north.
• 17th Century - Market hall built and John Kyrle beautified the town
  • The market hall was built in the 17th century by order of the Duchess of Somerset, on the site of the Booth hall and John Kyrle set about beautifying the town.
• 18th Century - Attracted artists, poets and writers
  • By the 18th century, Ross's fame had spread outside of trade, attracting artists, poets and writers to its stunningly picturesque setting.
• 19th Century - Wider and cleaner streets, new roads and public services
  • During the 19th century the civic authorities tidied up and widened the streets; built new roads and improved the public services.
• 20th Century - Growth and the start of the business show
  • During the late 19th and for most of the 20th century the town continued to grow as railways, the national road system and telecommunications added to the original strategic importance and, in the last decade of the century, the Ross Business Show was born.

The changing face of Ross on Wye

The market town of Ross on Wye has always served the farmland that surrounds it and craftsmen, including smiths, wheelwrights, coopers and many others have seen to the needs of those living in and around the town. With two important crossings over the River Wye at Wilton and Goodrich, Ross has utilised its good road and river transport opportunities, and with later rail links it has always been able to trade further afield.

Over the years the natural water sources of the town have powered forges, mills, tanyards and breweries and its ideal location has encouraged trade, industries and tourists to come to the area.

Today we can look at well known landmarks in the town and link them back to bygone industries. The Rope Walk by the river recalls the days when the manufacture of rope required a long stretch, and Tanyard Lane gains its name from the extensive tannery established there by Smyth and Co in 1837.

In 1842 Joseph Turnock came to Ross from Staffordshire to make his home at Merrivale where he invented the Merrivale grate, described as an ingenious device producing maximum warmth with a minimum of fuel. He was also the founder of the Alton Court Brewery in Station Street, which until its closure in 1956 was one of the biggest employers of labour in the town.

Before the railway closed in 1964, Ross had already been linked to the motorway system via the M50 which opened in 1960. This provided many trading opportunities for the future.

However advances in technology, changes in agriculture and a revolutionised transport system have all contributed to a shift in manufacturing and retailing in the town and many of the core industries have now been lost or replaced.

The twentieth century has seen a dramatic change in the occupations and employment for the inhabitants of Ross. The traditional industries of tanning, milling, brewing and iron working have finished, and even agriculture is in steep decline. Many have been replaced by light manufacturing industry on trading estates on the outskirts of the town.

People today are more aware and concerned about planning implications and sometimes inhabitants who retire here or who live here but work elsewhere have hindered regeneration and progress in our valued market town.

At the beginning of the twentieth century homes in Ross were lit by oil lamps, baths were taken in tubs with the sound of horse drawn vehicles in the streets.

At the dawn of this century people expect modern conveniences, enjoy the benefits of advanced technology and have the use of a car. Our lifestyle has changed.

The impact of this change has been reflected in Ross. Sometimes individual buildings have outlived their usefulness and have either been converted, demolished or rebuilt. The system of trading has changed to meet changing needs.

Our market town of Ross on Wye has evolved over the centuries and as a Chamber we wish to see it flourish and thrive for future citizens.