Ilchester | |
---|---|
Location within Somerset | |
Population | 2,153 (2011) [1] |
OS grid reference | ST522226 |
• London | 124 mi (200 km) ENE |
District | |
Shire county | |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | YEOVIL |
Postcode district | BA22 |
Dialling code | 01935 |
Police | Avon and Somerset |
Fire | Devon and Somerset |
Ambulance | South Western |
UK Parliament | |
Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo or Ivel, five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. Originally a Roman town, and later a market town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a notable settlement in the county; around the 12th and 13th centuries it was effectively the county town. It had, however, declined in size and importance by the beginning of the 18th century, [2] and the last markets were held in 1833. [3] In 1889 the historic corporation that had governed the town (the Bailiff and Burgesses) was dissolved. [4]
Ilchester is alternatively called Ivelchester (after the River Ivel) and the electoral ward of South Somerset District Council is named Ivelchester. [5]
The parish, which includes the hamlet of Ilchester Mead, the former village of Sock Dennis or Stock-Dennis, and the old parish of Northover, has a population of 2,153. [1] Sock Dennis lies on the Monarch's Way long-distance footpath.
The A303 road once passed through the village but now runs via a dual carriageway bypass just to the west. [6]
The village of Yeovilton lies 1.5 miles (2.4 km) to the east of Ilchester. [6] RNAS Yeovilton continues to be a notable Royal Naval Air Station.
In the Roman period, the place was named Lindinis and was the site of a fort and then a town on the Fosse Way. Finds from a large 4th-century cemetery at Northover House suggest Christian worship. [7] It eventually served as one of two regional capitals for the Durotriges tribe. [8]
The place-name 'Ilchester' is first attested in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as Givelcestre. The name means 'Roman fort on the River Yeo'. [9]
There is evidence of continuous occupation of Ilchester despite the Roman withdrawal from Britain around 410. [10] Ilchester has been associated with the Cair Pensa vel Coyt [11] listed among the 28 cities of Britain by the History of the Britons , on the basis that it should be read as an Old Welsh form of 'Penselwood' [12] (coit being Welsh for "forest"), although others view it as three separate words: Pensa or Coyt. Bishop Ussher believed the listing referred to Exeter instead. [13]
Around the year 1000, there was a mint at Ilchester, which was moved to South Cadbury following attacks by the Danes, [8] and prior to the Siege of Ilchester in 1088.
The parish of Ilchester was part of the Tintinhull Hundred. [14]
Ilchester Friary was founded between 1221 and 1260 as a Dominican monastery. The buildings were restored in the 13th and 14th centuries until the site occupied a 1.6 hectares (4.0 acres) site, and by the 15th century it extended beyond the town walls. [15] It is believed to be the birthplace of Roger Bacon, possibly in 1213 or 1214. [16] It was dissolved in 1538, as part of the dissolution of the monasteries, [15] but the buildings continued to be used, as a silk mill and relief prison, particularly for Quakers, [17] until it was finally demolished in the early 19th century. [15]
Ilchester Nunnery was founded around 1217–1220 originally as White Hall Hospital (Latin: Alba Aula, French: Blanche Halle/Blanche Salle) and, by 1281, had been converted into an Augustinian nunnery. The original White Hall hospital had been created after the gift of a house and other property by William "The Dane" (Norman-French: Le Deneis etc., Latinised to Dacus {not in the least bit related to Dacia}, modernised to "Dennis") of Sock Dennis. [18] From a branch of this family was possibly descended the influential Denys family of Devon, (arms: three Danish battle axes) seated at Orleigh, near Buckland Brewer, Devon, from the 12th. to 17th. centuries [19] In the early 14th century concerns were raised about the management of the nunnery and the poverty of the nuns. [20] The building was expanded in 1370. The nunnery was dissolved in 1463 and the chapel become a free chapel, [21] which itself was dissolved in 1548. [22] A ruined building still existed in 1791, but the stone was then used to build the nearby Castle Farm. [22]
Ilchester was a base for Henry III of England for a short period in 1250. [8]
During the 12th century it was the county town of Somerset. [8] The town has a 13th-century mace with three kings and an angel on it, which is the oldest staff of office in England. [23] It can be seen at Ilchester Museum, which is located at the Town Hall House. [3]
In July 1645 during the English Civil War, Ilchester was the scene of several skirmishes between Royalist and Parliamentary forces fighting for control of the bridges over the River Parrett and River Yeo before the Battle of Langport. [24]
In 1795 work began on the Ivelchester and Langport Navigation, a canal linking Ilchester with Langport, but the scheme was soon bankrupted.
From 1621 to 1832, Ilchester was a Parliamentary constituency and a notorious rotten borough. [25] Ilchester was the parliamentary seat of Sir William Manners (later Lord Huntingtower) in 1803 and 1806; however, it is said that he maintained his position by demolishing the houses of his opponents and putting them in the workhouse which meant they were not able to vote. When his son was not elected in 1818 he demolished the workhouse. He was succeeded as Member of Parliament by the Irish playwright Richard Brinsley Sheridan, author of The School for Scandal . [26]
In 1962 the Ilchester Cheese Company was formed. [27]
The parish council has responsibility for local issues, including setting an annual precept (local rate) to cover the council's operating costs and producing annual accounts for public scrutiny. The parish council evaluates local planning applications and works with the local police, district council officers, and neighbourhood watch groups on matters of crime, security, and traffic. The parish council's role also includes initiating projects for the maintenance and repair of parish facilities, as well as consulting with the district council on the maintenance, repair, and improvement of highways, drainage, footpaths, public transport, and street cleaning. Conservation matters (including trees and listed buildings) and environmental issues are also the responsibility of the council.
The parish falls within the non-metropolitan district of South Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Yeovil Rural District. [28] The district council is responsible for local planning and building control, local roads, council housing, environmental health, markets and fairs, refuse collection and recycling, cemeteries and crematoria, leisure services, parks, and tourism.
Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such as education, social services, libraries, main roads, public transport, policing and fire services, trading standards, waste disposal and strategic planning.
The parish is in the 'Ivelchester' electoral ward. Ilchester is the most populous area of the ward but this stretches south east to Mudford. The total population of this ward taken at the 2011 census was 4,319. [29]
It is also part of the Yeovil county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post system of election.
Separate from the parish council, the Ilchester Town Trust repairs and manages Ilchester Town Hall, as well as providing for charitable purposes for the inhabitants of Ilchester. As well as the Town Hall, the Trust has ownership of the Roman cemetery in Northover and the Ilchester sportsfield. The Trust was established in 1889, upon the dissolution of the historic corporation that had governed the town (the Bailiff and Burgesses). The Trust also manages the Ilchester Museum which is based in the Town Hall House, behind Ilchester Town Hall. [4]
Ilchester had at least eight churches in medieval times of which two remain. The church of St Mary Major dates from the 13th century and is a Grade II* listed building, [30] as is the Church of St Andrew which is slightly more recent, [31] although it may stand on the site of an earlier Roman building and associated cemetery. [32] St Andrew's is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. [33]
Ilchester Community Primary School consists of a Junior school and an Infant school, which cover key stage 1 and key stage 2 of the national curriculum. Both parts of the school are separate, each having a deputy head of year. The school has 295 pupils enrolled. [34] The school was awarded Healthy school status in the summer of 2007. [35] Ilchester has a few Pre-schools and a Nursery. Heron Pre-School provision was rated as good by OFSTED in 2010. [36] St Mary's Pre-School, Ilchester has been in existence for around 40 years. It is located in the heart of the village, in the Church Rooms next to St Mary Major, its most recent Ofsted was in 2012 where it was rated as GOOD, particularly in safeguarding and relationships with parents. [37]
Yeovil is a town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The population of Yeovil at the last census (2021) was 49,698. It is close to Somerset's southern border with Dorset, 126 miles (203 km) west of London, 41.8 miles (67.3 km) south of Bristol, 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Sherborne and 27.6 miles (44.4 km) east of Taunton. The aircraft and defence industries which developed in the 20th century made it a target for bombing in the Second World War; they are still major employers. Yeovil Country Park, which includes Ninesprings, is one of several open spaces with educational, cultural and sporting facilities. Religious sites include the 14th-century Church of St John the Baptist. The town is on the A30 and A37 roads and has two railway stations.
Somerton is a town and civil parish in the English county of Somerset. It gave its name to the county and was briefly, around the start of the 14th century, the county town, and around 900 was possibly the capital of Wessex. It has held a weekly market since the Middle Ages, and the main square with its market cross is today popular with visitors. Situated on the River Cary, approximately 8.8 miles (14.2 km) north-west of Yeovil, Somerton has its own town council serving a population of 4,697 as of 2011.
Yeovilton is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Yeovilton and District, in Somerset, England, 1 mile (1.6 km) east of Ilchester and 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Yeovil, in South Somerset district. The parish had a population of 1,226 in the 2011 census, estimated at 1,418 in 2019. This includes Podimore and the hamlets of Speckington and Bridgehampton. The village includes RNAS Yeovilton and the associated Fleet Air Arm Museum.
Langport is a small town and civil parish in Somerset, England, 5 miles (8 km) west of Somerton. The parish, which covers only part of the town, has a population of 3,578. Langport is contiguous with Huish Episcopi, a separate parish that includes much of the town's outskirts.
Dowlish Wake is a small village and civil parish in Somerset, England, 2 miles (3 km) south of Ilminster and 5 miles (8 km) northeast of Chard in the South Somerset district. With a population of 277, it has several thatched houses and a pub, the New Inn. Its post office closed in 1991.
Brympton is a civil parish and electoral ward in Somerset, England. The parish is situated on the north-west edge of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The parish/ward has a population of 7,308. The civil parish covers the western part of the Yeovil built up area, including the stadium of Yeovil Town F.C. at Huish Park, and also includes the hamlets of Brympton D'Evercy, Lufton, Thorne Coffin and Alvington as well as part of Chilthorne Domer.
Charlton Mackrell is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of The Charltons, in the Somerset district, in the ceremonial county of Somerset, England, situated 3 miles (5 km) east of Somerton. The village has a population of 1,020.
Chilthorne Domer is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated 4 miles (6.4 km) north west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 574. It is situated on the old coach road from Ilchester to Yeovil.
Chilton Cantelo is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Yeo 5 miles (8 km) north of Yeovil and 4 miles (6 km) east of Ilchester in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 445. The parish also includes the village of Ashington.
Curry Rivel is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Somerton and 10 miles (16.1 km) east of Taunton in the South Somerset district. The parish has a population of 2,148. The parish includes the hamlet of Burton Pynsent.
High Ham is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. Within the parish of High Ham, there are the villages of High Ham and Low Ham and the hamlets of Bowdens, Henley, Paradise and Picts Hill.
Kingsbury Episcopi is a village and civil parish on the River Parrett in Somerset, England, situated 9 miles (14.5 km) north west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 1,307. The parish includes the villages of West Lambrook, East Lambrook and Thorney.
Long Load is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated on the River Yeo 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Somerton in the South Somerset district. The village has a population of 332.
Tintinhull is a village and civil parish near Yeovil, 2.5 miles (4 km) south west of Ilchester, in Somerset, England. The village is close to the A303. It is on the Fosse Way.
Stoke-sub-Hamdon, also known as Stoke under Ham, is a large village and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. It is situated 5 miles (8 km) west of Yeovil, with which it is linked by the A3088 road. The parish is located near the River Parrett, and includes the village of East Stoke.
Sock Dennis is an historic manor in the parish of Ilchester in Somerset, England.
Puckington is a village and civil parish, situated 10 miles (16 km) south-east of Taunton and 10 miles (16 km) west of Yeovil in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlet of South Bradon.
South Petherton is a large village and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England, located 5 miles (8 km) east of Ilminster and 5 miles (8 km) north of Crewkerne. The parish had a population of 3,737 in 2021 and includes the smaller village of Over Stratton and the hamlets of Compton Durville, Drayton, Wigborough and Yeabridge. The River Parrett forms the eastern boundary of the parish. The village is approximately 2 miles (3 km) from East Lambrook, Martock and Lopen.
Ilchester Nunnery, in Ilchester, Somerset, England, was founded around 1217-1220 as the "White Hall Hospital of the Holy Trinity", after the gift of a house and other property by William "The Dane" of Sock Dennis manor, Ilchester. From this family was probably descended the influential Denys family of Devon, seated at Orleigh in the 16th century. By 1281, it had been converted into an Augustinian nunnery.
The Anglican Church of St Andrew, Northover, in Ilchester, Somerset, England, dates from the 14th and 15th centuries. Today it is part of the parish of Ilchester with Northover, one of the three parishes which constitute the Ilchester District Churches. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building, and is a redundant church in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It was vested in the Trust on 1 July 1986.