 During the 17th and 18th centuries Taunton suffered , first due to the Civil War ( 1642 – 1651 ) , during which two thirds of the town was burnt down , and then the decline of the cloth industry upon which the town 's economy relied . In the late 18th century , the Taunton Market House Society formed with the aim of improving Taunton town centre , most notably the Market House . Benjamin Hammet , a prominent member of the society , was elected as a Member of Parliament for Taunton in 1782 , and tried to start clearing the slums in the town centre . In 1770 , the old Market House was knocked down and replaced , and less than ten years later , Hammet Street was built , to connect the Market square with the Church of St Mary Magdalene . 
