In 1887, John Bartholomew's Gazetteer of the British Isles described Launceston like this:
Launceston, mun. bor., market town, and par., Cornwall, on river Kensey, near its confluence with the Attery and Tamar, 18½ miles NW. of Tavistock and 213 miles from London by rail - par., 1136 ac., pop. 2430; mun. bor., 1504 ac., pop. 3217; town, 2000 ac., pop. 3808; P.O., T.O., 4 Banks, 2 newspapers. Market-days, Wednesday and Saturday. Launceston was the ancient capital of Cornwall. Its castle (now a considerable ruin) was held from the Conqueror by the Earl of Morton in 1086. An Augustinian priory stood at Launceston. There is no special industry, the trade being that which is usual in centres of agricultural districts. From 1295 to 1832 the town returned 2 members to Parliament, and 1 member until 1885.
Launceston through time
A Vision of Britain through Time includes a large library of local statistics for administrative units. For the best overall sense of how the area containing Launceston has changed, please see our redistricted information for the modern district of North Cornwall. More detailed statistical data are available under Units and statistics, which includes both administrative units covering Launceston and units named after it.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of Launceston in North Cornwall | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: http://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/731
Date accessed: 19th June 2013
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