Editing Cirencester (section)

{{Short description|Market town in Gloucestershire, England}}
{{more citations needed|date=June 2021}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2016}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2016}}
{{Infobox UK place
|type = [[Market town]]
|country = England
|official_name= Cirencester
|static_image_name = Castle Street Cirencester.jpg
|coordinates = {{coord|51|43|00|N|1|58|00|W|type:city(20000)_region:GB|display=inline,title}}
|population= 20,229
|population_ref=(2021 Census)<ref name="bua2011">{{cite web |title=Cirencester |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/en/uk/southwestengland/admin/cotswold/E04012375__cirencester/ |website=City population |access-date=25 October 2022}}</ref> 
|shire_district= [[Cotswold (district)|Cotswold]]
|shire_county= [[Gloucestershire]]
|region= South West England
|constituency_westminster= [[South Cotswolds (UK Parliament constituency)|South Cotswolds]]
|post_town= CIRENCESTER
|postcode_district= GL7
|postcode_area= GL
|dial_code= 01285
|os_grid_reference= SP022021
|website= {{URL|https://cirencester.gov.uk/|Town Council}}
}}

'''Cirencester''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=En-Cirencester.oga|ˈ|s|aɪ|r|ə|n|s|ɛ|s|t|ə}} {{respell|SY|rən|sest|ə}}, {{small|occasionally}} {{IPAc-en|audio=En-cirencester.ogg|ˈ|s|ɪ|s|t|ə}} {{respell|SIST|ə}}; see [[#Pronunciation|below]] for more variations)<ref>Room, Adrian, ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=mE6AAAAAMAAJ&q=cirencester+pronunciation The Pronunciation of Placenames: A Worldwide Dictionary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217092739/https://books.google.com/books?id=mE6AAAAAMAAJ&q=cirencester+pronunciation&dq=cirencester+pronunciation&hl=en&ei=dt1wTLn5D9rR4waTkrXeCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAw |date=17 February 2017 }}'', McFarland, 2007, pages 6 & 51</ref> is a [[market town]] and [[civil parish]] in the [[Cotswold District]] of [[Gloucestershire]], England. Cirencester lies on the [[River Churn]], a tributary of the [[River Thames]]. It is the [[List of settlements in Gloucestershire by population|eighth largest settlement in Gloucestershire]] and the largest town within the [[Cotswolds]]. It is the home of the [[Royal Agricultural University]], the oldest [[agricultural college]] in the [[English-speaking world]], founded in 1840. The town had a population of 20,229 in 2021.<ref name="bua2011"/> The town is {{Convert|18|mi|km}} northwest of [[Swindon]], {{Convert|18|mi|km}} southeast of [[Gloucester]], {{Convert|37|mi|km}} west of [[Oxford|Oxford and]] {{Convert|39|mi|km}} northeast of [[Bristol]].

The Roman name for the town was [[Corinium]], which is thought to have been associated with the ancient British tribe of the ''[[Dobunni]]'', having the same root word as the River Churn.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cirencester History Summary|url=http://www.cirencester.co.uk/history.htm|access-date=3 March 2011|publisher=Cirencester.co.uk|archive-date=14 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131114053028/http://www.cirencester.co.uk/history.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The earliest known reference to the town was by [[Ptolemy]] in AD 150. The town's [[Corinium Museum]] has an extensive [[Roman Britain|Roman]] collection.

Cirencester is [[town twinning|twinned]] with the town of [[Itzehoe]], in the [[Steinburg]] region of Germany.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cirencester.gov.uk/twinning.php |title=Town Council – Twinning with Itzehoe |publisher=Cirencester.gov.uk |access-date=3 March 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120730120955/http://www.cirencester.gov.uk/twinning.php |archive-date=30 July 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>