a municipal borough and market-town of England, county of Somerset; 24 miles S.W. of Bath. It occupies a peninsula (formerly an island, the Avalonia of the Romans) formed by the river Brue, between the Poldew and Mendip hills. Glastonbury was long celebrated for its abbey, one of the richest and most powerful of the monastic institutions in England. It is said to have been founded by Joseph of Arimathea, whose staff, according to the legend, was converted into a budding thorn, and hence the term "Glastonbury thorn." Having fallen into decay, the abbey was rebuilt with great splendour by Ina, king of Wessex, about 708 A.D. It was in great part rebuilt in the twelfth century, and was subsequently repaired or enlarged. At the dissolution of the monasteries in 1539, the last abbot, being unwilling to surrender his abbey, was hanged without trial. The abbey buildings were surrounded by a high wall inclosing about 60 acres. The remains of this structure consist of some fragments of the church, the chapel of St. Joseph, and the abbot's kitchen. This last, which is in better preservation than any other part, is an octagonal building, with a turret surmounted by a double lantern. The town of Glastonbury took its rise from the abbey, to which also it was mainly indebted for its prosperity. It was destroyed by the Danes in 873, but was subsequently rebuilt by King Edmund. It was burnt down with part of the abbey in 1184, and was rebuilt by Henry III. Again it was destroyed, or nearly so, by an earthquake in 1276, after which it was gradually restored chiefly by the help of the abbey. It is governed by a mayor, four aldermen, and twelve councillors. In the centre of the town stands the cross, an ancient and now ruinous structure. The churches of St John and St Benedict are fine old buildings, and the former is surmounted by a beautiful tower. On a hill N.E. of the town is a curious old tower called the Tor, or Tower of St Michael. The other buildings of interest are St George's Inn, formerly the abbey hospitium; the tribunal, the abbey-house, gatehouse, hospital of St John, and the town-hall. Many of the houses are composed of the stones of the abbey. It carries on some trade in timber, slates, tiles, and agricultural produce by means of a canal connecting it with the Bristol Channel. The silk manufacture is carried on to a small extent. St Dunstan was a native of this town. Pop. (1851) 3125.