indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Political Subdivision & Settlement
Usage Cornish
Other Forms FormsLaunceston, Lanson, Lannstefan
Meaning & History
Lannstevan (Launceston in English) is a town, ancient borough, and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is 1 mile (1.6 km) west of the middle stage of the River Tamar, which constitutes almost the entire border between Cornwall and Devon. It means "church enclosure of St Stephen", derived from Cornish lann "area around a church" combined with Stefan, referring to the former monastery at St Stephen's a few miles north-west (the castle and town were originally named Dunheved). Dunheved was the Southwestern Brittonic name for the town in the West Saxon period.