Launceston ( , ; rarely spelt Lanson as a local abbreviation; ) is a town and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is west of the River Tamar, which forms almost the entire border between Cornwall and Devon. The landscape of the town is generally steep, rising from the River Kensey, a tributary of the Tamar, up to the hill on which Launceston Castle stands.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 201 Plymouth & Launceston
The castle was built by Robert, Count of Mortain, (half-brother of William the Conqueror) to control the surrounding area. Launceston was the caput of the feudal barony of Launceston and of the Earldom of Cornwall until replaced by Lostwithiel in the 13th century. Launceston was later the county town of Cornwall until 1838 when Bodmin replaced it. Launceston's motto (English translation: Royal and Loyal) is a reference to its adherence to the Cavalier cause during the English Civil War of the 1640s.
The town is known as one of the gateways to Cornwall, being near where the A30 road enters the county. The road historically went through the centre of the town, but now bypasses it to the south. Launceston Steam Railway, a narrow-gauge heritage railway, runs during the summer months. At the 2021 census the population of the civil parish was 10,247 and the population of the built up area as defined by the Office for National Statistics was 8,425.
History The Cornish name of "Launceston", Lannstevan, means the "church enclosure of St Stephen", and includes the Common Brittonic placename element lan- (church enclosure / estate). It is derived from the former monastery at St Stephen's, at the northern end of the modern town. The castle was built about south-east of St Stephen's. The Saxon name Dunheved, likely meaning "hill summit", was historically used for castle and the town which grew up around it in the West Saxon period. Both names came to be used for the town, with Launceston gradually becoming the dominant name, although the legal name of the borough which covered the town remained "Dunheved, otherwise Launceston" until 1974.
The earliest known Cornish mint was at Launceston, which operated on a minimal scale at the time of Æthelred the Unready before Cornwall received full diocesan jurisdiction in 994. Only one specimen is known to exist. In the reign of William the Conqueror, the mint was moved to Dunheved and remained in existence until the reign of Henry II, 1160.Cornish Church Guide (1925) Truro: Blackford; p. 198 During the reign of Henry III of England, another mint was established in Launceston.
Launceston Castle, in good repair, is a Norman motte-and-bailey castle, and was built by Robert, Count of Mortain (half-brother of William the Conqueror) to dominate the surrounding area. Launceston was the caput of the feudal barony of Launceston and of the Earldom of Cornwall until replaced by Lostwithiel in the 13th century. Launceston was later the county town of Cornwall until 1838 when Bodmin replaced it. The lands of Robert, Count of Mortain, became the core holdings of the feudal barony of Launceston, and the Fleming family continued to hold most of their manors from that barony, as can be seen from entries in the Book of Fees.
In the Domesday Book (1086) it is recorded that Launceston was held by the Count of Mortain, and that he had his castle there. There was land for 10 ploughs, 1 villein and 13 smallholders with 4 ploughs, 2 mills which paid 40 shillings (£2 sterling) and 40 acres of pasture. The value of the manor was only £4 though it had formerly been worth £20.Thorn, C., et al., eds. (1979) Cornwall. (Domesday Book; 10.) Chichester: Phillimore; entry 5,1,22 The earlier settlement of Launceston around St Stephen's was gradually eclipsed in importance by the settlement initially known as Dunheved around the castle to the south-east. The main market for the area had been at St Stephen's, but it was transferred in 1086 to Dunheved.
The Roman Catholic saint and martyr Cuthbert Mayne was executed at Launceston in 1577; a legacy of memorials and a church exists.
Civil War During the English Civil War Launceston was known to be to Charles I of England, hence its coat of arms. His son, who was later crowned Charles II of England, stayed in the town for a couple of days en route to the Cavalier army based further west.
In 1643, the Parliamentarian forces under the command of Major General James Chudleigh advanced in an attempt to capture Launceston from the Royalists. The Royalist commander, Ralph Hopton, 1st Baron Hopton, stationed his forces on the summit of Beacon Hill, a steep hill which overlooks the town. The Parliamentarians captured the foot of the hill, but were unable to dislodge the Royalist forces from the top. Hopton led a counterattack down the hill and, despite fierce fighting and the arrival of Parliamentary reinforcements, forced Chudleigh's troops to retreat.
Sir Richard Grenville, 1st Baronet was committed by Prince Charles to Launceston Prison for refusing to obey Lord Hopton; Grenville had already quarrelled with General George Goring, Lord Goring.
Later history Launceston has the only document in the UK signed by Mary II of England and her husband, William III of England. The very poor means of transport within Cornwall, which did not begin to be improved until the late 18th century, meant that assizes were held in Launceston. When the situation had been improved Bodmin became the county town where the assizes were held (at the Shire Hall there in 1838).
Viscount Launceston was a title of nobility created in 1726 (as Viscount of Launceston) but is now extinct. In the early 19th century, Launceston gave its name to the settlement, Launceston, Tasmania, which is now the second largest city in Tasmania.
During World War Two, racial tensions in the ranks of American soldiers sparked a shootout in the town square. Fourteen African American soldiers of the 581st Ordnance Ammunition Company were charged with mutiny.
In 1973, Prince Charles visited to receive his feudal dues from the Duchy of Cornwall.
Geography
Launceston is a market town, castle, recreational and heritage railway visitor town and the main shopping centre for the adjoining rural areas of west Devon and east Cornwall. The town is mainly built on the south side of a large hill almost immune to flooding, unlike its northern neighbourhood, Newport in part on a slightly wider plain at the bottom of the hill, which is susceptible to flooding by the River Kensey.
The suburb of Newport is recorded for the first time during the 13th century. The natural advantages of the Launceston district had been recognised by the Anglo-Saxon monks of St Stephen and by the Norman lord of Cornwall in the reign of King William I. At this point in the course of the River Tamar it is joined by four tributaries within a short distance and its floodplain is relatively large, while further south the Tamar valley is narrow and meandering.Balchin, W. G. V. (1967) Cornwall: a description of the Ordnance Survey seventh edition one-inch sheets covering Cornwall. (British Landscapes through Maps.) Sheffield: Geographical Association; p. 25
Launceston is connected to the A30 trunk route, a dual carriageway bypass carrying its road traffic south of the town. The bypass crosses the River Tamar on the Dunheved Bridge built in 1975–1976 and substantially rebuilt 2006–2007. Through this the town is approximately west of Exeter, north-west of Plymouth and east of the smaller regional centre of Bodmin. It is roughly midway between the north coast of Cornwall (at Bude) and the south coast (at Saltash).
Stourscombe SSSI, a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest, to the east of Launceston, is designated ″... for the best inland exposure of the Upper Devonian in South West England and the type locality of the Stourscombe Beds (Upper Famennian).″
Notable buildings
Part of the town wall is still in existence including the South Gate of two arches. The White Hart Hotel incorporates a Norman doorway possibly removed from the Friary at St Thomas'. New Bridge (early 16th century) crosses the River Tamar: it is of granite. Two old bridges cross the River Kensey: one mediaeval and one built in 1580. The Baptist chapel is late 18th century and a number of Georgian houses may also be seen.Pevsner, N. (1970) Cornwall, 2nd ed. Penguin Books
Three nonconformist churches/chapels served the 19th-century town: Wesleyan Methodist, Bible Christian, and Calvinist.GenUKI, op. cit. North Cornwall and West Devon's Elim Pentecostal Church is in the town.
Lawrence House, a Grade II* listed building on Castle St, houses the town museum.
Madford is a house built in the second half of the 17th century by Sir Hugh Piper. By 1777 it came into the possession of Richard Vyvyan of Trelowarren through his marriage to Philippa Piper. Philip Vyvyan, son of Richard, conveyed it to the Rev. John Lethbridge whose successors were attorneys and also town clerks and deputy recorders of Launceston. The legal firm of Lethbridge was joined in 1828 by Charles Gurney who in 1833 became town clerk, an office he held until 1867. The next town clerk was John Lethbridge Cowlard who bought Madford from his uncle in 1841 (he was also borough treasurer for over 50 years).Madford; Launceston Then!
Governance
There are two tiers of local government covering Launceston, at parish (town) and unitary authority level: Launceston Town Council and Cornwall Council. The town council is based at Launceston Town Hall on Western Road.
For parliamentary elections, the town has been part of the North Cornwall constituency since 1918. Since the 2024 general election the MP has been Ben Maguire, a Liberal Democrat.
Administrative history Launceston was anciently part of the parish of St Stephen, which covered Launceston and surrounding rural areas, including parts of Devon. The parish was gradually subdivided. In the outlying rural areas, Laneast, Werrington, and St Giles on the Heath became separate parishes. With the parish church at St Stephen's being some distance from the main part of the town around the castle, several chapels of ease were built in the town.
St Mary Magdalene's Church was largely rebuilt between 1511 and 1524 and was subsequently raised from being a chapel of ease to being a parish church, being assigned a parish covering the southern parts of the town and rural areas to the south. The church from Launceston Priory, dedicated to St Thomas the Apostle, was retained for use as a chapel of ease after the priory was dissolved in 1539. It was subsequently made a parish church in 1726 and given a parish covering an area south of the River Kensey and north of the castle and town centre (which area was known as the hamlet of St Thomas Street), and also extending into rural areas to the west of the town. The reduced parish of St Stephen north of the Kensey subsequently came to be known as St Stephens by Launceston, to distinguish it from other parishes of the same name, such as St Stephens by Saltash.
Dunheved was an ancient borough. Its earliest known charter was granted by Richard, Earl of Cornwall; the document is not dated but it is believed to have been issued sometime between 1231 and 1272. The borough was originally defined to cover a relatively small area around the castle and town centre. This borough served as a constituency for parliamentary elections from 1295 as the Launceston parliamentary borough, returning two members of parliament.