Ilchester

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Map sources for Ilchester at grid reference ST521226

Ilchester is a village and civil parish, situated on the River Yeo five miles north of Yeovil, in the English county of Somerset. The village has a population of 2,021.^[1]

1 History
2 Churches
3 Roger Bacon
4 References
5 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Roman times

Main article: Lindinis

In the Roman period, the village was named Lindinis and was the site of a fort and then a town on the Fosse Way. It eventually served as one of two regional capitals for the Durotriges tribe.^[2]

[edit] Medieval times

Around 1000AD there was a mint at Ilchester, which was moved to South Cadbury following attacks by the Danes,^[2] and prior to the Siege of Ilchester in 1088.

The town was a base for Henry III of England for a short period in 1250.^[2]

During the 11th and 12th century it was the county town of Somerset.^[2]

[edit] Georgian times

Ilchester was the parliamentary seat of Sir William Manners (later Lord Huntingtower) in 1802, 1812 and 1818, 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 did not have the vote. This was defeated by Lord Darlington who built houses for his supporters and thereby became the Member of Parliament.^[2]

[edit] Churches

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,^[3] as is the Church of St Andrew which is slightly more recent.^[4]

[edit] Roger Bacon

Roger Bacon, who was a key medieval scientist, is sais to have been born in or near Ilchester. He was known as "Doctor Mirabilis" and was one of the first to insist on the use of experimentation to back theory.

[edit] References

^ Population estimates 2002. Somerset County Council. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Dunning, Robert (1983). A History of Somerset. Chichester: Phillimore & Co. ISBN 0-85033-461-6.
^ church of St. Mary Major. Images of England. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
^ church of St. Andrew. Images of England. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.