William Stumpe (c.1497-1552)
Malmesbury - History
Monday, 19 April 2010 14:06
William Stumpe was a wealthy clothier, famous in Malmesbury for his ownership of much of the Abbey properties and the changes he made to the town and its trade. He became particularly prominent in the area after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, from the start of 1540 onwards, when he obtained the Abbey buildings and associated lands from King Henry VIII.
His acquisition of the Abbey lands and property saw Stumpe converting some buildings into workshops, through which he employed a substantial amount of Malmesbury townsfolk, and the cloth trade in the town flourished. Malmesbury cloth rapidly gained a reputation throughout Europe for its excellence of manufacture, the town’s proximity to important wool markets in Gloucestershire catalysing the town’s success.
Aside from being the town’s leading businessman, Stumpe also represented Malmesbury at parliamentary level, first from 1529-36 and then from 1547 until his death in 1552. He was also respected in Malmesbury for giving the townspeople back their parish church in 1541, this time occupying the space of the old nave of the Abbey, and helped raise funds to preserve the Abbey as best he could. When he died, Stumpe left a huge fortune and multiple properties and holdings to his family, the largest portion passing to his eldest son James.
Evidence of Stumpe’s influence on the town can still be seen today. Marks on some of the Abbey pillars can still be seen which indicate where Stumpe placed his looms all those centuries ago. Also, Abbey House, which stands alongside the famous Abbey House Gardens, was built for and by the Stumpe family. Many of the street names in Malmesbury are also a hint to the cloth trade that used to be so prominent in the town, for instance ‘Blanchards Green’ (where the cloth was ‘fulled’) and Katifer Lane (deriving from ‘Chat de Fer’ or ‘Iron Cat’ – the name given to the large irons used in the cloth manufacture).
Sources:-
Bowen, John. (Edited By Allnatt, Graham), A Story of Malmesbury (Hackman Print, Rhondda: 2000).
Hodge, Dr. Bernulf., A History of Malmesbury (5th Edition; The Friends of Malmesbury Abbey, Minety: 1990).
Luce, Major-General Sir Richard H., The History of the Abbey and Town of Malmesbury (The Friends of Malmesbury Abbey, Minety: 1979).
Image: http://www.fineartprintsondemand.com/artists/turner/malmesbury_abbey.htm
