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Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England.
History
The town name derives from Town on the River Tone — or Tone Town. There was perhaps a Romano-British village near the suburb of Holway, and Taunton was a place of considerable importance in Saxon times. King Ine of Wessex threw up an earthen castle here about 700, and a monastery was founded before 904. The bishops of Winchester owned the manor, and obtained the first charter for their "men of Taunton" from King Edward in 904, freeing them from all royal and county tribute.
At some time before the Domesday Survey Taunton had become a borough with very considerable privileges, governed by a portreeve appointed by the bishops. It did not obtain a charter of incorporation until that of 1627, which was renewed in 1677. The corporation existed until 1792, when the charter lapsed owing to vacancies in the number of the corporate body, and Taunton was not reincorporated until 1877. The medieval fairs and markets of Taunton (it still holds a weekly market today), were celebrated for the sale of woollen cloth called "Tauntons" made in the town. On the decline of the west of England woollen industry, silk-weaving was introduced at the end of the 18th century. From the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica
In the autumn of 1685 Judge Jeffreys was based in Taunton during the Bloody Assizes that followed the Battle of Sedgemoor.
In World War II the Bridgwater and Taunton Canal formed part of the Taunton Stop Line, designed to prevent the advance of a German invasion. Pillboxes can still be seen along its length.
Today
Taunton parish has a population of 44,050Somerset County Council, 2002. Population estimates.. Suburbs of the town include Bishops Hull, Staplegrove and Galmington, giving a total population for the "Taunton Urban Area" of 58,241 according to the 2001 census, up 4.3% since 1991.
It still has a weekly cattle market, and is home to:
- The Michelin starred restaurant The Castle Hotel
- Somerset County Museum
- The County Cricket Ground where Somerset County Cricket Club play
- Is part of the West Country Carnival circuit
Attractions
Pleasant though it undoubtedly is, Taunton does not have that many features of architectural interest.
Chief among them are the Almshouses along East Street, an attractive row of 17th century dwellings, still occupied. The Castle and the Somerset County Museum, along with the municipal buildings, form an attractive three-sided group of buildings just beyond an archway off Fore Street, though the effect is spoilt somewhat by the centre of this square being used as a car park, and the huge plain brick edifice of a bingo hall making up the west side of it.
The Parish church of St. Mary Magdalene, built of sandstone more in the South Somerset style, preserves an attractive painted interior, but its most notable aspect is its 15th/16th century tower (rebuilt in the mid-19th century), which is one of the best examples in the country and a highly visible landmark. It was described by Simon Jenkins, an acknowledged authority on English churches, as “the finest in England. It makes its peace with the sky not just with a coronet but with the entire crown jewels cast in red-brown stone.”
The area by the river suffers from a disappointing lack of development, with supermarkets and car parks predominating. It is to be hoped that the forthcoming development of the County Cricket Ground will render this part of town, with its attractive setting and outstanding potential, livelier and more illustrious. (Such potential was recently demonstrated by the hosting of a concert by Elton John).
On the whole it is probably fair to say that the countryside and the villages around Taunton are more attractive than the town itself, though the town does make a comfortable base for excursions.
Pop culture references
- Taunton plays a role in The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams and is also mentioned in The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Twinning
The town is twinned with Lisieux in France and Koenigslutter in Germany.
See also
- Castle Hotel, Taunton
- County Cricket Ground, Taunton
- Grand Western Canal
- West Country Carnival
- Siege of Taunton
- Taunton, Massachusetts, U.S.A. - Taunton, England's sister city
- Taunton, Minnesota, U.S.A.
References
External links
- BBC Somerset
- Somerset County Museum *
"Taunton"