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, and the last markets were held in 1833. In 1889 the historic corporation that had governed the town (the Bailiff and Burgesses) was dissolved.