History
The body known as the Thirteen was empowered as 12 chief townsmen to assist the bailiff in the trust and provide a pool from which the nominees for the office could be elected; it also created a body called the Twenty Four from whom the numbers of the Thirteen were to be replenished.
It was an established town by the 1600’s and in 1633 the town of Tetbury was sold by its then owner Lord Berkeley to four local residents who were described as Feoffees in the legal bill of sale. This document also formalised the Thirteen, literally thirteen townsfolk to serve as selected town wardens. Today the Feoffees have charitable status owning a number of sites in and around town. They continue to this day as seven Feoffees, supported by the Thirteen. They are custodians of the town who work voluntarily for the good of Tetbury.
