Launceston, town (parish), Cornwall unitary authority, southwestern England. Launceston, the ancient capital of Cornwall, is situated on the River Kensey (a tributary of the River Tamar), just west of the Devon county border. Historically the town has been known as Dunheved and Lanstephan, and it is still referred to as Lanson by locals. In the early 19th century it gave its name to the settlement that became Tasmania’s second largest city.
Because of its location, Launceston has been known as the “Gateway to Cornwall.” As a market town, it is a junction point for north-south and east-west roads. The Norman keep of Launceston Castle still dominates the town, which grew up around it. The parish church of St. Mary Magdalene (construction of which began about 1511 and was completed in 1524) is famous for its extraordinary carved granite facade. The town’s motto, “Royale et loyale,” is a reflection of Launceston’s ancient royal charter and its support of Charles I in the English Civil Wars. The Lawrence House Museum, housed in a Georgian building dating from 1753, is located on a street that one-time British poet laureate John Betjeman described as “having the most perfect collection of 18th-century townhouses in Cornwall.” The execution of Roman Catholic martyr Cuthbert Mayne in Launceston in 1577 is commemorated with a memorial stone in the town square. Also of architectural significance are the Gothic-style Launceston Town Hall (1887) and the adjoining Guildhall (1881). Every June Launceston stages a three-day music, arts and literature festival to honour poet Charles Causley (1917–2003), who was born and died in the town. Pop. (2001) 7,135; (2011) 9,216.