Did Bisley have connections to the cloth industry?

Yes. Like many settlements in the Stroud Valleys, Bisley benefited from the growth of Gloucestershire's cloth industry. During the seventeenth, eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, woollen cloth production became a major source of employment and prosperity throughout the area. Water-powered mills in nearby valleys helped drive the industry and contributed to the economic success of the region.

Although much of the manufacturing activity took place in settlements connected to the wider parish, Bisley played an important role as a local centre for the surrounding communities. The wealth generated by the cloth trade influenced the development of local buildings, farms and businesses. Even today, the landscape around Bisley contains reminders of the industrial heritage that once helped make Gloucestershire one of England's leading cloth-producing counties.