|
Barnstaple or 〔Pointon, G. E., ed. (1983) ''BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names''; 2nd ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press; p. 18 (only the latter pronunciation)〕 is the main town of North Devon, England, and possibly the oldest borough in the United Kingdom. It is a former river-port, located at the lowest crossing-point of the River Taw, flowing into the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool, since the merchants claimed that the town had been declared a free borough in Saxon times. This brought great wealth to Barnstaple, whose town centre still preserves a medieval layout and character. Later the town became an importer of Irish wool, but its harbour silted up, and it developed other industries, such as shipbuilding, foundries and sawmills. Its Victorian market survives, with its high glass and timber roof on iron columns. Barnstaple railway station is the terminus of a branch line from Exeter, known as the Tarka Line. Since 1974, Barnstaple has been a civil parish governed by town council.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Barnstaple Town Council )〕 The parish itself has a population of 23,710, but the population of the whole urban area is 30,916,〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Barnstaple Town Study Report - October 2011 )〕 and including the satellite settlements known as the Barnstaple Town Area, it is 53,514. ==Toponymy== The old spelling Barnstable〔e.g. in (Daniel Defoe: A tour through the whole island of Great Britain )〕 is now obsolete, but is retained by an American county and town and is still sometimes used for Bideford or Barnstable Bay.〔e.g. (DEFRA, Shore Management Plan Guidance (2011), Annex E1 ) pp.28,30〕 The name is first recorded in the 10th century and is believed to derive from the Old English ''bearde'', meaning "battle-axe", and ''stapol'', meaning "pillar", referring to a post or pillar set up to mark a religious or administrative meeting place. The belief that the name derives from ''staple'' meaning "market", indicating that there was a market here from the foundation of the settlement, is incorrect, because the use of ''staple'' in that sense is not recorded in England before 1423. Barnstaple was formerly referred to as "Barum", from a contraction of the Latin form of the name (ad Barnastapolitum) in Latin documents such as the episcopal registers of the Diocese of Exeter.〔Hingeston-Randolph, F. C., ed. ''Episcopal Registers: Diocese of Exeter''. 10 vols. London: George Bell, 1886–1915 (for the period 1257 to 1455)〕 Barum was mentioned by Shakespeare, and the name was revived and popularised in Victorian times, when it featured in several contemporary novels. The name Barum is retained in the names of a football team, brewery, and of several local businesses. The former Brannam Pottery works which was sited in Litchdon Street was known for its trademark "Barum" etched on the base of its products. 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「Barnstaple」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|