| Ilchester | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Ilchester Location withinSomerset | |
| 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 | |
| 51°00′04″N2°40′57″W / 51.0011°N 2.6825°W /51.0011; -2.6825 | |
Ilchester is a village andcivil parish, situated on theRiver Yeo or Ivel, five miles (eight kilometres) north ofYeovil, in theEnglish county ofSomerset. Originally aRoman town, and later amarket town, Ilchester has a rich medieval history and was a notable settlement in the county; around the 12th and 13th centuries it was effectively thecounty 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 calledIvelchester (after theRiver Ivel) and theelectoral ward ofSouth Somerset District Council is named Ivelchester.[5]
The parish, which includes the hamlet ofIlchester Mead, the former village ofSock Dennis or Stock-Dennis, and the old parish ofNorthover, has a population of 2,153.[1] Sock Dennis lies on theMonarch's Way long-distance footpath.
TheA303 road once passed through the village but now runs via a dual carriageway bypass just to the west.[6]
The village ofYeovilton lies1+1⁄2 miles (2.5 kilometres) to the east of Ilchester.[6]RNAS Yeovilton continues to be a notableRoyal Naval Air Station.
In theRoman period, the place was namedLindinis and was the site of afort and then a town on theFosse Way. Finds from a large 4th-century cemetery at Northover House suggestChristian worship.[7] It eventually served as one of two regional capitals for theDurotrigestribe.[8]
The place-name 'Ilchester' is first attested in theDomesday Book of 1086, where it appears asGivelcestre. The name means 'Roman fort on theRiver Yeo'.[9]
There is evidence of continuous occupation of Ilchester despite theRoman withdrawal from Britain around 410.[10] Ilchester has been associated with theCair Pensa vel Coyt [11] listed among the28 cities of Britain by theHistory of the Britons, on the basis that it should be read as anOld Welsh form of 'Penselwood'[12] (coit being Welsh for "forest"), although others view it as three separate words: Pensaor Coyt.Bishop Ussher believed the listing referred toExeter instead.[13]
Around the year 1000, there was amint at Ilchester, which was moved toSouth Cadbury following attacks by the Danes,[8] and prior to the Siege of Ilchester in 1088.
The parish of Ilchester was part of theTintinhullHundred.[14]
Ilchester Friary was founded between 1221 and 1260 as aDominican monastery. The buildings were restored in the 13th and 14th centuries until the site occupied a 1.6-hectare (4-acre) site, and by the 15th century it extended beyond the town walls.[15] It is believed to be the birthplace ofRoger Bacon, possibly in 1213 or 1214.[16] It was dissolved in 1538, as part of thedissolution of the monasteries,[15] but the buildings continued to be used, as a silk mill and relief prison, particularly forQuakers,[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 anAugustinian 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 toDacus {not in the least bit related toDacia}, 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 atOrleigh, nearBuckland 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 forHenry III of England for a short period in 1250.[8]
During the 12th century it was thecounty town of Somerset.[8] The town has a 13th-centurymace with three kings and an angel on it, which is the oldeststaff of office in England.[23] It can be seen atIlchester Museum, which is located at the Town Hall House.[3]
In July 1645 during theEnglish Civil War, Ilchester was the scene of several skirmishes between Royalist and Parliamentary forces fighting for control of the bridges over theRiver Parrett andRiver Yeo before theBattle of Langport.[24]
In 1795 work began on theIvelchester and Langport Navigation, a canal linking Ilchester withLangport, but the scheme was soon bankrupted.
From 1621 to 1832,Ilchester was a Parliamentary constituency and a notoriousrotten borough.[25] Ilchester was the parliamentary seat ofSir 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 theworkhouse which meant they were not able to vote. When his son was not elected in 1818 he demolished the workhouse. He was succeeded asMember of Parliament by the Irish playwrightRichard Brinsley Sheridan, author ofThe School for Scandal.[26]
In 1962 theIlchester Cheese Company was formed.[27]
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Theparish 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, andneighbourhood 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 thenon-metropolitan district ofSouth Somerset, which was formed on 1 April 1974 under theLocal Government Act 1972, having previously been part ofYeovil Rural District.[28] The district council is responsible forlocal planning andbuilding control, local roads,council housing,environmental health,markets and fairs,refuse collection andrecycling,cemeteries andcrematoria, leisure services, parks, andtourism.
Somerset County Council is responsible for running the largest and most expensive local services such aseducation,social services,libraries, main roads,public transport,policing andfire 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 toMudford. The total population of this ward taken at the2011 census was 4,319.[29]
It is also part of theGlastonbury and Somertoncounty constituency represented in theHouse of Commons of theParliament of the United Kingdom. It elects oneMember of Parliament (MP) by thefirst past the post system of election.
Separate from the parish council, the Ilchester Town Trust repairs and managesIlchester 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 theIlchester Museum which is based in the Town Hall House, behind Ilchester Town Hall.[4]
Ilchester had at least eight churches inmedieval times of which two remain. Thechurch of St Mary Major dates from the 13th century and is a Grade II*listed building,[30] as is theChurch 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 theChurches Conservation Trust.[33]
Ilchester Community Primary School consists of aJunior school and anInfant school, which coverkey stage 1 andkey 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 byOFSTED 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]
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