The first record of the town is in an
Anglo-Saxon Royal Charter of
King Edmund I, who in AD 940 leased
four hides of land in
Wudetun to Eadric. The name
Wudetun means the enclosure, homestead or village (
tun) in or near the wood (
wude). The "Edge" refers to the
limestone escarpment of the
Cotswold Edge which includes the hills of
Wotton Hill and Tor Hill that flank the town. In the 1086
Domesday Book listing, Wotton was in the
hundred of
Dudstone.
Kingswood Abbey was founded in 1139, but all that remains is a 16th-century
Cistercian gatehouse. Nearby historical buildings include the
Tudor houses of
Newark Park and
Owlpen Manor, both open to the public at set times. The
medieval former
public house The Ancient Ram Inn dates back to 1145. The original town was burnt down during the reign of
King John (1199–1216); it was rebuilt in 1252 and a charter granted to Johanna de Berkeley authorising her to hold a market and a three-day annual fair on the
Feast of the Cross. In 1272 the inhabitants of the borough were authorised to elect one of their members as a Mayor, a practice that continued every year until 1886.
St Mary the Virgin was consecrated in 1283, and is the oldest and largest church in the town. The Katharine Lady Berkeley's Grammar School was established in 1384 and is now a
comprehensive named
Katharine Lady Berkeley's School although the present modern building is a little outside of the town on the way to the village of
Kingswood.
The British School was established in the village in 1835. The
Battle of Nibley Green occurred near the Ancient Ram Inn in 1470 (or 1469 under the calendar of the time), when the building was owned by
Thomas Talbot, 2nd Viscount Lisle.
William de Berkeley, 1st Marquess of Berkeley led the forces that beat the Viscount, and after the battle his men sacked the manor. Overlooking the town on the top of
Wotton Hill are a collection of trees planted in the 19th century to commemorate the
Battle of Waterloo. These are situated on the site that housed one of the early warning
beacons used to warn England of the approach of the
Spanish Armada in 1588. New Mills, founded in 1810, prospered by supplying both sides in the
Napoleonic Wars but after a century of decline the mill was near to closing in 1981 when it was acquired by
Renishaw plc.
Wotton-under-Edge Town Hall was substantially rebuilt in 1872. The town's corporation status was abolished in 1886 following the
Municipal Corporations Act 1883 (
46 & 47 Vict. c. 18). == Governance ==