Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Ilchester

ILCHESTER, formerly Ivelchester, a market-town of Somersetshire, is situated in the valley of the river Ivel or Yeo, 33 miles south-south-west of Bath, and 5 miles north-north-east of Yeovil railway station. It is connected by a stone bridge with the village of Northover on the other side of the river. The principal buildings are the parish church of St Mary, an old edifice in the Early English style, with a small octagonal tower, and the town-hall. It possesses almshouses, founded in 1426, and national schools. There are no manufactures or trade, and the importance of the town belongs wholly to the past. Under the Romans it was a military station, and bore the name of Ischalis. Anciently it was a place of considerable extent, and was defended by walls and a deep moat. Traces of these fortifications are still to be found, and numerous Roman remains have been discovered at different periods. During a rebellion against William Rufus in 1088, the town was successfully defended against Robert Mowbray, one of the leaders of the insurgents. Before the Reform Act of 1832, when it was disfranchised, Ilchester returned two members to parliament. The county jail was there until 1846. The population of the town in 1871 was 751.