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Axbridge is a small town in Somerset, England, situated in the Sedgemoor district on the River Axe, near the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. The town population according to the 2011 census was 2,057.〔 ==History== ''Axanbrycg'' is suggested as the source of the name, meaning a bridge over the River Axe, in the early 9th century. Early inhabitants of the area almost certainly include the Romans (who are known to have mined lead on the top of the Mendips) and earlier still, prehistoric man, (who lived in the local caves) whose flint tools have been found on the slopes of the local hills. The history of Axbridge can be traced back to the reign of King Alfred when it was part of the Saxons' defence system for Wessex against the Vikings. In the Burghal Hidage, a list of ''burbs'' compiled in 910 it was listed as ''Axanbrycg''. A listing of Axbridge appears in the Domesday survey of 1086 as ', meaning 'axe bridge' from the Old English ' and '. It was part of the royal manor of Cheddar and part of the Winterstoke Hundred.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/SOM/Miscellaneous/ )〕 It was granted a Royal Charter in 1202, when King John sold most of the royal manor of Cheddar to the Bishop of Bath and Wells. Axbridge grew in the Tudor period as a centre for cloth manufacture, This was reflected in its early royal charters allowing it to hold markets, fairs and become a royal borough. It even had its own mint, with coins showing the town's symbol: the Lamb and Flag. Trade was possible as the River Axe was navigable to wharves at Axbridge. Later the town's importance declined which led to stagnation and the preservation of many historic buildings in the town centre. These include King John's Hunting Lodge (actually a Tudor building) which is now used as a museum. Axbridge is a very old borough and sent members to parliament in the reigns of Edward I and Edward III.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 work=GENUKI )〕 During the 19th and early 20th centuries iron ore was extracted from the hill above and east of Axbridge. Axbridge railway station, on the Cheddar Valley line, opened on 3 August 1869. It closed to goods traffic on 10 June 1963 and passengers on 9 September 1963. The route of the railway is now the A371 Axbridge bypass, but the station buildings and goods shed still survive. The Square was used as the setting for a NatWest Bank advert in the early nineties, and in particular the Town Hall which doubled as NatWest Branch. Ironically a real branch of NatWest, which was situated in the High Street, was closed not long afterwards and the premises are now private residential accommodation. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Axbridge」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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