Talk:Oldest town in Britain

Untitled
21:41, 24 March 2007 (UTC)Shropman

Oldest towns
I thought it would be good to have an article regarding the oldest town in Britain. A Google search for the phrase "oldest town in Britain" identifies three towns about which this claim is often made.

If anybody knows the basis of these various claims, it would be good to expand this article with this information. --Trainspotter 11:02, 20 Apr 2004 (UTC)


 * I think Colchester only claims to be the oldest market town, not the oldest town, so I'm not sure it should even be on this page really as it isn't claiming to be older than Abingdon or Marazion. Angela. 19:23, Apr 20, 2004 (UTC)


 * Colchester definitely claims to be the oldest recorded town, theres even a sign they put up that always amuses me: "Britain's oldest recorded town: Please drive carefully." Doesn't Marazion just claim to have the oldest charter? Grace Note 04:31, 9 May 2005 (UTC)

I imagine that there are hundreds of English towns which have charters older than Marazion - e.g. Bedford, see Wikipedia article, which makes no claims to be an oldest town, has a charter which dates from the century before Marazion's.  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 194.116.199.218 (talk) 13:09, 9 June 2008 (UTC)


 * Malmesbury was founded by charter of Alfred the Great, 880AD, according to wikipedia, and is often quoted as the "oldest borough". It's also a former iron age settlement. 86.6.187.69 (talk) 14:23, 14 July 2012 (UTC).

Missing the most important town
A bit more research in this article would be useful; it doesn't even mention the town that the Guinness Book of Records says is the oldest continuously inhabited place in the country. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 172.164.149.75 (talk • contribs).


 * So add it? -- Ratarsed 11:45, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

Could I propose Marazion is deleted? It looks a bit daft having towns with earlier charters listed next to it. I haven't deleted it as I am only an occasional user and I have noticed people get a bit vicious if you delete their pet contributions. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Lynski (talk • contribs) 14:36, 2 July 2008 (UTC)


 * Deleted, it wasn't in Domesday and didn't get a charter until Elizabeth's 37th year, so it's not in the running. Dougweller (talk) 13:58, 8 February 2013 (UTC)

Colchester and Ipswich, yes..but the others???
Some of these claims are a little bit spurious! There are prehistoric artefacts nearly everywhere in Britain, not just Amesbury and Thatcham; otherwise everywhere could be called "continuosly settled". This article is called Oldest town in Britain - Colchester (which was a settlement from the 1st Century BC onwards) was properly a town from AD49 until the early Fifth century when evidence runs becomes sketchy until it re-enters the record (as a town) at the beginning of the 10th century. Whilst Ipswich was founded over 600 years later it has better evidence for claiming to be a town continuously from that time onwards. So Colchester can claim to be the oldest town by proper definition and archaeology to 49AD, and from historical records that go back to 77AD, whilst Ipswich can claim (with some jiggery-pokery with evidence...) to be the oldest continuously occupied town. The other examples need better references. Even the Ipswich section needs some proper references to historical and archaeological evidence.

Also the bit on Abingdon being the only place where Iron Age earthworks were occupied by Romans and then into the Saxon period is factually wrong and needs to be removed - see Camulodunum

Razumukhin (talk) 16:23, 27 July 2014 (UTC)