Timeline

Gentle Street

c 685 St Aldhelm founds a monastery at Frome. A settlement grows up nearby.

934 The Witangemot (a kind of Saxon parliament) meets at Frome
1086 At this time Frome is a busy little market town with a population of around 600. Frome has 4 windmills so it is quite an important place.
1270 Frome is allowed an annual fair
1492 Frome is allowed 2 more annual fairs. Frome is famous for manufacturing wool.
1685 The Duke of Monmouth leads a rebellion against the king. The rebellion is crushed and afterwards 12 men are hanged at Frome.
1726 A writer said that Frome 'is now reckoned to have more people in it than the City of Bath'. Blue House is built.
1757 A body of men is given powers to widen and repair certain streets in Frome
1797 The street of Frome are lit with oil lamps. North Parade is created.
1801 Frome has a population of 8,748
1810 Bath Street is built
1818 Christ Church is built
1831 Frome gains gas light
1838 Holy Trinity Church is built
1850 The railway reaches Frome
1901 Victoria Hospital and Victoria Baths are built
1925 The Memorial Theatre is built
1947 The first council houses are built in Frome
1965 The last wool maker in Frome closes
1990 A new library is built
2001 Frome has a population of 27,000

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With grateful thanks to Tim Lambert http://www.localhistories.org/frometime.html