Taunton, city, England

Taunton tônˈtən, tänˈ– [key], city (1991 pop. 47,793), county seat of Somerset, SW England, on the Trove River. Its industries include the manufacture of textiles, shirts, gloves, and precision instruments. Taunton is also a market and railroad junction. Tourism is economically important. There are three well-known schools for boys: King's College (1293), Queen's College (1843), and Taunton School (1847). In 1685, after Monmouth's Rebellion, Baron Jeffreys of Wem held the Bloody Assizes in Taunton.

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