Taunton, Somerset - Information and History

Population: 55300
Distances: London 143, M5 (jn 25) 1½, Bridgwater 10, Dunster 22, Exeter 33, Glastonbury 22, Honiton 18, Ilminster 12
Tourist information office: Paul Street 01823-336344
Things to see: Castle, St Mary Magdalene Church, St James's Church, Priory Gatehouse, West Somerset Railway

Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town name derives from Town on the River Tone — or Tone Town. It still holds a weekly market. Taunton parish has a population of 44,050[1]. Suburbs of the town include Norton Fitzwarren, Bishops Hull and Staplegrove, giving a total population of approximately 52,000. Taunton is the main town in the Taunton parliamentary constituency



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 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 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.

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. Taunton has also made an appearance in a number of other British comedy series, including Monty Python's Flying Circus, Blackadder, Men Behaving Badly, Vic Reeves Big Night Out, and also The Smell of Reeves and Mortimer.

The Grand Western Canal is a canal between Tiverton and Taunton in the United Kingdom. The canal was built as part of a failed scheme to link the Bristol Channel with the English Channel by building a canal from Taunton to Topsham. The plan was proposed in 1794 and construction work began after fund raising in 1796. The first section was built under supervision by John Rennie from 1810 to 1814 and runs from Tiverton to Holcombe Rogus on the Devon / Somerset border, covering a fraction over eleven miles. It is notable for containing no locks, instead maintaining a constant height throughout. It primarily carried coal, limestone and its products. After promotion by James Green in 1829 a second section extended the canal by fourteen miles to Taunton and the Bridgewater & Taunton Canal from 1831 to 1838. This second section differs from the first section (and from most UK canals) in that it was designed to take tub boats rather than the more standard narrowboats. In a further deviation from the norm boat lifts were used instead of locks: there were considerable problems in construction with the lifts and also with the single inclined plane. This section of the canal, from Taunton to Lowdwells, was abandoned in 1867 and is now dry. The first section finally closed in 1925 (1962?), it was restored and reopened in 1971. A horse-drawn tourist narrowboat runs from Tiverton.