LANGPORT

town (parish), South Somerset district, administrative and historic county of Somerset, England, at the head of the Somerset marshes and for centuries the main crossing point of the River Parrett. Founded as a royal borough in Saxon times, by 1086 the town had 34 burgesses. It remained in direct communication with the Bristol Channel until the establishment of the port of Bridgwater in 1200. In 1563 the first charter of the town granted it fairs and a market. The river trade, which had made Langport such an important market, declined with the advent of railways. Borough status was lost in 1886. Pop. (1991) 2,882.