The first bridge was built in the reign of Henry VII and the Great Stone Bridge Trust was established to care for it, possibly as early as 1511 . Legend has it that it was in response to complaints by two ladies of the Parish who found it inconvenient to use the stepping stones to cross the river.
The Statute of Bridges, in 1531 during reign of Henry VIII, handed responsibility for bridge maintenance to county authorities and by the mid-16th Century the Trust had been endowed with land and property to enable it to fund the bridge’s upkeep. (The Trust still owns several properties north-west of the bridge on the High Street.)
The present bridge is dated 1836.
More history of the bridge can be found on https://www.gsbt.co.uk