" A certain barbarous Joy and Pleasure grinned from his Brutal Soul" (c)

Taunton began as a Saxon village in Somerset. It was called Tone Tun. The Saxon word tun means farm or estate. The word Tone is Celtic and may mean roaring river.
Then in 1685 the Duke of Monmouth led a rebellion against King James II. The people of Taunton welcomed the Duke and young women presented him with banners. He was also declared king on The Parade. About 400 men from the town joined his cause. However the Duke was defeated at the battle of Sedgemoor. Afterwards George Hanging Judge Jeffreys held a court in Taunton castle called the Bloody Assizes. He tried 514 people. Of them 144 were sentenced to death (although not all were actually executed). Another 284 people were transported to the West Indies.
On a lighter note a new Market House was built in Taunton in 1682 with assembly rooms over it. The assembly rooms were used for events like balls and card games.

The former house George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys of Wem