The majority of these are an academy converter Although the name of the town appears to be derived from its location on the River Plym (compare, for instance, Otterton or Yealmpton), this is not considered[by whom?]

[1] The earliest surviving documentary reference to the place is as Plymentun in Anglo-Saxon charter S380 dated to around 900 AD,[2] and this name may be derived from the Old English adjective plymen, meaning "growing with plum-trees".

[4] The local civic association, however, suggests an unsupported alternative derivation from the Celtic Pen-lyn-dun ("fort at the head of a creek").

Plympton is listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as being held by the king (William the Conqueror), with 27 villagers, 12 smallholders and 6 slaves.

Their lands, including Plympton, and titles were later inherited by the Courtenay family, feudal barons of Okehampton.

The ancient Stannary town remains dominated by its now ruined Norman motte-and-bailey castle and it still retains a cohesive medieval street pattern.

A number of historic buildings in the local vernacular style of green Devon slate, limestone and lime-washed walls, with Dartmoor granite detailing, attest to all periods of its history.

The town was the birthplace and early residence of the painter Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723–1792) who became the first president of the Royal Academy of Arts.

Former pupils were Benjamin Haydon and Sir Charles Lock Eastlake, PRA, who were respectively first director of the National Gallery and first president of the Royal Photographic Society.

Many of Reynold's paintings were purchased by his friends the Parker family of local Saltram House, now owned by the National Trust, and are still on public display there.

[13] St Mary's church was dedicated in 1311 and was originally a parish chapel attached to Plympton Priory.

[citation needed] Plympton has a Community Council that was established when the town joined the Plymouth Local Authority area in 1967.

In more recent times, a Youth Ambassador has also been elected to represent the young people of Plympton and attend events alongside the Stannator.

But there are major obstacles to providing such a service on a primarily inter-regional rail route, shown when Ivybridge – on the same line – got a new station in 1994.

[15] After a feasibility study in 2017,[16] A Plymouth Joint plan was opened for consultation in 2018 which included a suggested 'Plymouth Metro' with a station at Plympton[17] however, as of May 2020, nothing has been enacted.

Plympton has hosted an annual fete called 'The Lamb Feast' for many years[18] on the local Castle Green.