Launceston, Cornwall

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Launceston Lannstefan

Coordinates: 50.635797° N 4.354791° W
Population	7,135 (2001 census^[1])
OS grid reference	SX335845
Parish	Launceston
District	North Cornwall
Shire county	Cornwall
Region	South West
Constituent country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	LAUNCESTON
Postcode district	PL15
Dial code	01566
Police	Devon and Cornwall
Fire	Cornwall
Ambulance	South Western
UK Parliament	North Cornwall
European Parliament	South West England
List of places: UK • England

For the Australian town of the same name see Launceston, Tasmania

Launceston (Cornish: Lannstefan; the English name is pronounced /ˈlɔːns(t)ən/, /ˈlɑːns(t)ən/ or /ˈlæns(t)ən/, usually without the 't' by the Cornish, but with by everyone else) is a town and civil parish in the north of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom with a population of approximately 7,000. It is situated about two miles from the border with Devon at the River Tamar, and is known as the "gateway to Cornwall". The Saxon name for the town was Dunheved.^[2]

1 Geography
2 Economy
3 Culture
4 Administration
5 History
6 Trivia
7 Sources
8 External links

[edit] Geography

The town is built on the side of a large hill, which makes it almost immune to flooding, unlike the nearby town of Newport, situated at the bottom of the hill, which is susceptible to flooding by the River Kensey.

[edit] Economy

The outskirts of Launceston have recently undergone rapid large business development, although the town centre has slowly become less and less commercial, with only small shops and many of those going out of business within only a few months. Much of the limited primary industry which remains has moved to employing foreign nationals, in particular, Polish immigrants.

[edit] Culture

The poet Charles Causley was a native and long-standing resident of the town. He was at one time contender for Poet Laureate and died in 2003, aged 86.

The Launceston Steam Railway is a heritage railway which runs from the town.

Launceston annually hosts the "Castle Rock" music festival in July, which takes place on the lower grounds of the castle which overlooks the town (within the outer walls). As well as a vibrant mix of local bands, the 2006 festival was headlines by Capdown which massively improved the events profile.

[edit] Administration

Launceston was a Parliamentary Borough from medieval times, with the right to return two Members of Parliament. However, the right to vote was not held by all the residents but only by the freemen of the borough, and by the 19th century there were fewer than 50 and it had come to be regarded as a rotten borough, one of many in Cornwall. Neighbouring Newport was also a borough with two MPs of its own. Launceston lost one of its two MPs and Newport both by the great reform act of 1832; the area included in the borough of Launceston was considerably extended to enable the franchise to be opened up. It finally lost its right to separate representation in 1885.

Launceston was once the capital of Cornwall (before this title passed to Bodmin), and in 1973 the Prince of Wales visited to receive his feudal dues from the Duchy of Cornwall.

[edit] History

The Cornish origin of "Launceston", Lannstefan, means the "church of St Stephen" ("Lann", as "Llan-" is particularly common in Welsh placenames), indicating an old ecclesiastical connection.

Launceston Castle, which dominates the town, is a Norman castle of motte-and-bailey design, and was built by Robert de Mortain, half-brother of William I, in 1087 to dominate the surrounding area.

During the reign of Henry III, a mint was established in Launceston. The fine Tudor church of St Mary Magdalene was built circa 1511 by Sir Henry Trecarrell as a memorial to his infant son who died whilst being bathed. The fine ornate carvings have withstood the test of time. The tower of the church dates from the 14th century, an earlier church and graveyard having previously occupied the site.

During the Civil War Launceston was known to be Royale et Loyale to King Charles I, hence its coat of arms. His son, the Prince of Wales, stayed in the town for a couple of days en route to the Royalist army based further down into Cornwall.

In 1643, however, the Parliamentarian forces under the command of Oliver Cromwell advanced in an attempt to capture Launceston from the Royalists. The Royalist army stationed their forces on the summit of Windmill Hill, the steep hill which overlooks the town. The Parliamentarians captured the town, but were unable to dislodge the Royalist forces from Windmill Hill.

Sir Ralph Hopton, commander of the Royalist army, organised a cavalry charge down the hill, and despite fierce fighting, managed to force Cromwell's divisions back across the Tamar. Launceston eventually fell to Cromwell in 1645.

During the Second World War, there was a well-known gun duel which took place between African American and white American soldiers in the town centre of Launceston, which ended in punishment for both sides. This is commonly known as the "Battle of Launceston". In this and other less violent conflicts the Launceston police shocked white Americans by frequently siding with the black soldiers.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Trivia

Launceston is said to have gained its historical importance from being the furthest into Cornwall that Justices and other Officers of the Crown felt safe to venture.

Launceston is the birthplace of BNP shadow defence minister Thomas Ham.