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"Town on the River Tone"

Taunton's name derives from "Town on the River Tone" - or Tone Town. Taunton is the county town of Somerset, and it is the largest town in Somerset.

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.

Taunton is home to the County Cricket Ground where Somerset County Cricket Club play and home to the 40 Commando, Royal Marines. Central Taunton is part of the annual West Country Carnival circuit. It hosts the famous Taunton flower show, which has been held in Vivary Park since 1866.

At some time before the Domesday Survey Taunton had become a borough with very considerable privileges, and a population of around 1,500 governed by a portreeve appointed by the bishops. Somerton took over from Ilchester as the county town in the late thirteenth century, but it declined in importance and the status of county town transferred to Taunton about 1366.

Taunton Castle changed hands several times during the great Civil War of 1642-45 but only along with the town. During the Siege of Taunton it was defended by Robert Blake, from July 1644 to July 1645. After the war, in 1662, the keep was demolished and only the base remains. In the autumn of 1685 Judge Jeffreys was based in Taunton during the Bloody Assizes that followed the Battle of Sedgemoor.

The town did not obtain a charter of incorporation until 1627, which was renewed in 1677. The charter lapsed in 1792 owing to vacancies for the members 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.

In 1839 the Grand Western Canal reached Taunton aiding trade to the south. 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.

Key facts:
Population: 88,241
District: Taunton Deane
County: Somerset


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