AXMINSTER

town (parish), East Devon district, administrative and historic county of Devon, England, on the River Axe. Founded about 705 at the intersection of two Roman roads, Portway and Fosse Way, it was one of the earliest Saxon settlements in Devon. Carpet making, for which it is famous, was established there in 1755 and is continued in a modern factory. The typical Axminster carpet has a thick, soft pile tuft in a mixture of colours and textures. Little remains of the great Cistercian abbey of Newenham, which was pulled down after 1536. Pop. (1991) 3,472.