Tewkesbury

Tewkesbury
Town and civil parish
Tewkesbury Abbey and Mill Avon from Ham path
Tewkesbury Location within Gloucestershire
Population	20,360 (built-up area, 2021 Census)[1]
OS grid reference	SO8932
• London	94 miles (151 km) ESE
Civil parish	Tewkesbury
District	Tewkesbury
Shire county	Gloucestershire
Region	South West
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	Tewkesbury
Postcode district	GL20
Dialling code	01684
Police	Gloucestershire
Fire	Gloucestershire
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	Tewkesbury
List of places UK England Gloucestershire 51°59′N 2°10′W / 51.99°N 2.16°W / 51.99; -2.16

Tewkesbury (/ˈtjuːksbəri/ TEWKS-bər-ee) is a market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town grew following the construction of Tewkesbury Abbey in the twelfth century and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. It stands at the confluence of the River Severn and the River Avon, and thus became an important trading point, which continued as railways and, later, the M5 and M50 motorway connections were established. The town gives its name to the Borough of Tewkesbury, a local government district of Gloucestershire. The town lies on the border with Worcestershire, marked largely by the Carrant Brook (a tributary of the River Avon).

The name Tewkesbury is thought to come from Theoc, the name of a Saxon who founded a hermitage there in the 7th century, and in the Old English language was called Theocsbury.^[2][3] An erroneous derivation from Theotokos (the Greek title of Mary, mother of God) enjoyed currency in the monastic period of the town's history.

The Battle of Tewkesbury, which took place on 4 May 1471, was one of the decisive battles of the Wars of the Roses and is marked annually by a medieval festival in the town, including historical re-enactment.