Historic beard-singeing place (5)
I believe the answer is:
cadiz
'place' is the definition.
The definition and answer can be both locations as well as being singular nouns.
Perhaps you can see an association between them that I don't see?
I don't understand how the rest of the clue works.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for cadiz that I've seen before include "Where Drake burned the Spanish fleet" , "Old Spanish port" , "Old port of south-west Spain" , "Southwest Spanish port" , "European port" .)