Ilchester

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. The parish, which includes the village of Sock Dennis (also known as Stock-Dennis), has a population of 2,021. Sock Dennis lies on the Monarch's Way long-distance footpath.

History

Roman times

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. There is evidence of continuous occupation from the Roman and Saxon eras.

Medieval times

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

In the Domesday Book the village of Sock Dennis was in the possession of Robert, Count of Mortain. From the mid 13th century it was described as a manor but by the end of the 18th century was "an obliterated place". The place name derives from "Sock", probably an area of marsh or streams, and the family name of the successors of William the Dane, a 12th-century owner.
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 site, and by the 15th century it extended beyond the town walls. It is believed to be the birthplace of Roger Bacon, possibly in 1213 or 1214. It was dissolved in 1538, as part of the dissolution of the monasteries, but the buildings continued to be used, as a silk mill and relief prison, particularly for Quakers, until it was finally demolished in the early 19th century.
Ilchester Nunnery (which may also have been called Blanchesale) was founded around 1217-1220 originally as Whitehall hospital and, by 1281, had been converted into an Augustinian nunnery. The original Whitehall hospital had been created after the gift of a house and other property by William Dennis (Dacus) of Sock Dennis. In the early 14th century concerns were raised about the management of the nunnery and the poverty of the nuns. The building was expanded in 1370. In 1463 the nunnery was dissolved by 1463 and the chapel become a free chapel, which itself was dissolved in 1548. A ruined building still existed in 1791 but the stone was then used to build the nearby Castle Farm.
Ilchester was a base for Henry III of England for a short period in 1250.
During the 11th and 12th century it was the county town of Somerset. The town has a 13th-century mace with three kings and an angel on it, and is the oldest staff of office in England.
There is an area of well-preserved ridge and furrow earthworks over three fields to the east of Sock Dennis.

There was a church in the village of Sock Dennis in 1286. It was a daughter church of Yeovil. In 1297 the church was worth £7 15s. The church had disappeared by 1575. A doorway, probably of the early 16th century, and perhaps forming part of the fabric of the church, is incorporated in one of the buildings of Sock Dennis farm, which is all that now remains of the village.

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.
In 1861 Sock Dennis's total population was 26. In 1901 it was 22. By 1951 the population was 23.

Sock Dennis Farm

After the church in Sock Dennis was destroyed, and the place almost depopulated, it lost its parochial rights. In 1884 it was reduced, in order to enlarge the parish of Tintinhull. In 1957 the parish was abolished and with a population of 11 people transferred to Ilchester parish and and 12 people transferred to Tintinhull parish.

In 1962 the Ilchester Cheese Company was formed.

Governance

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 village falls within the Non-metropolitan district of South Somerset, which was formed on April 1, 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, having previously been part of Yeovil Rural District. 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.

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, and part of the South West England constituency of the European Parliament which elects seven MEPs using the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation.

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, as is the Church of St Andrew which is slightly more recent, although it may stand on the site of an earlier Roman building and associated cemetery. St Andrews is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Notable people from Ilchester

thumb|Bridge over the [[River Yeo (South Somerset)|River Yeo]]

Richard of Ilchester, also called Richard of Toclyve or Richard of Toclive (d. December 22, 1188) was a medieval English statesman and prelate.

Roger Bacon, who was a notable medieval scientist, is said 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.

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