Gloucester - G.A. Baker & Son

In Roman times Gloucester (= "Glevum") Glevum was an important crossing of the River Severn. At its height, Glevum may have had a population of as many as 10,000 people. The entire area around Glevum was intensely Romanised in the second and third centuries with a high distribution of villas.

Withdrawal of all Roman forces in about 410 may have allowed leading families of the Dobunni tribe to regain power. In the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle Gloucester is shown as part of Wessex from the Battle of Deorham in 577.

The foundation in 681 of the abbey of St Peter by Æthelred of Mercia, favoured town growth; and before the Norman conquest of England, Gloucester was a borough governed by a portreeve, with a castle which was frequently a royal residence, and a mint. In the early 10th century the remains of Saint Oswald were brought to a small church here and shrine built there, a draw for pilgrims.

The first Norman ruler, Earl Godwine, was succeeded almost a century later by Robert of Gloucester. In a charter of 1155, Henry II of England granted the citizens the same rights as the inhabitants of London and Winchester. Henry II's second charter guaranteed free passage across the River Severn. The first charter was confirmed by King Richard I in 1194. King John Lackland´s charter in 1200 considerably extended the town's rights.

A mainstay of the local economy in the late Middle Ages was the textile trade. In the days of the Hanseatic League, the clothmakers of Gloucester maintained lively business contacts with the German merchants in London.

The Battle of Gloucester in 1643 was one of the most important battles of the English Civil War, from which the Parliamentarian forces emerged victorious.

G.A. Baker & Son

From the website:

"(...) G A Baker & Son offers a wide range of new, pre-owned and antique jewellery. The Mann family has been retailing on the Cross in Gloucester since 1741. For over 250 years and 8 generations the family supplied jewellery and time pieces to the county and in 1901 became watchmakers to the Admiralty. In 1862, the then owner, William Mann was appointed Sheriff of the city of Gloucester.The iconic G A Baker building in Southgate Street with its original and unique Turret Clock is the Head Office of the Cotswold Fine Jewellery Group."


www.gabaker.co.uk