A '''village''' is generally a small settled community, smaller than a [[city]] or a [[town]] but larger than a [[Hamlet (village)|hamlet]] consisting of just a handful of houses or farmsteads. Villages have generally been formed for the purpose of agricultural or specialised industrial production, or for activities such as quarrying or coal-mining; by contrast, the function of towns also includes the provision of [[commercial]] and marketing services for surrounding villages. | A '''village''' is generally a small settled community, smaller than a [[city]] or a [[town]] but larger than a [[Hamlet (village)|hamlet]] consisting of just a handful of houses or farmsteads. Villages have generally been formed for the purpose of agricultural or specialised industrial production, or for activities such as quarrying or coal-mining; by contrast, the function of towns also includes the provision of [[commercial]] and marketing services for surrounding villages. |