Plymouth, Devon

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Plymouth is a city on the southern coast of Devon in south-west England, with a population of about 260,000, making it the largest centre of population in Devon and Cornwall. Most of it lies between the estuaries of the rivers Tamar (which constitutes the boundary with Cornwall) and Plym. These meet in Plymouth Sound, which is a good natural harbour. There are several docks: the naval dockyard at Devonport on the Tamar; a ferryport and small commercial dock at Millbay; a fishing and yachting harbour at Sutton Harbour (by the original town); and a tanker terminal on the Plym. In addition there are various marinas.

The name is obviously derived from the river Plym, which in turn is thought to be probably a back-formation from Plympton, "the estate/village of the plum tree", now a suburb of Plymouth. The original name of the settlement was Sutton, "south farm".[1]



  1. Gover, J E B, Mawer, A, Stenton, F M. The Place-Names of Devon. Cambridge University Press. 1931. (English Place-Name Society, vols VIII & IX