Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for Tiverton

Tiverton.-- mun. bor., market town, and par., Devon, 12 miles N. of Exeter and 184 miles from London by rail, 17,491 ac., pop. 10,462; P.O., T.O., 3 Banks, 3 newspapers. Market-days, Tuesday and Saturday. The town is situated on the slope of a hill above the confluence of the Exe and the Lowman, hence its name, "Twyfordton" - the town by the two fords. A handsome stone bridge leads to the large suburb of West Exe. Tiverton has existed from the Saxon times through many vicissitudes, and is now a well-built and flourishing town. Its chief architectural features are the parish church of St Peter, the town hall, and the free grammar school. The woollen trade has declined since the 17th century, and the chief industry now is lace-making. A canal connects the locality with the river Tone. Tiverton returned 2 members to Parliament from the time of James I. until 1885.


(John Bartholomew, Gazetteer of the British Isles (1887))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "municipal borough, market town, and parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Tiverton CP/AP       Tiverton Borough       Devon AncC
Place: Tiverton

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