TAVISTOCK, a parliamentary borough and market-town of England, Devonshire, in the beautiful valley of the Tavy, which is here crossed by two bridges, 11 miles N. of Plymouth. It covers the sides and bottom of the narrow valley, and is very irregularly laid out. Some remains are still to be seen of an ancient abbey; but most of them have been built into other edifices. A hotel occupies part of the site, and some portions of the old building have been removed to make way for it; one of the gatehouses is now occupied by a public library; the refectory forms a Unitarian chapel, and the abbot's lodge is made use of as a stable. The parish church of Tavistock is a handsome building in the perpendicular style, with a tower and triple chancel. The other places of worship in the town belong to Independents, Methodists, Quakers, and Unitarians. There are here a literary and scientific institution; a grammar school, national, British, and infant schools; alms-houses, &c. Serge and woollen cloth are manufactured in the town; and there is also an iron-foundry. Copper mines are worked in the neighbourhood; and abundance of lead, tin, manganese, and iron are found. Weekly markets, chiefly for corn, are held here, as well as several cattle fairs. Tavistock is connected by canal with the river Tamar, and by it with the port of Plymouth. The borough is governed by a portreeve, and is represented in Parliament by two members. The abbey was originally founded in 961, and rebuilt on a larger scale after its destruction by the Danes at a subsequent period. In 1539 it was confiscated by Henry VIII., and bestowed on Lord Russel, the ancestor of the Duke of Bedford, to whom the ruins still
Tavoy belong. Sir Francis Drake was born in the neighbourhood of Tavistock. Pop. of the parliamentary borough 8086.