A TIMELINE OF ILCHESTER, SOMERSET
By Tim Lambert
c 60 AD The Romans found the town of Lendinis on the site of Ilchester
4th Century Stone walls are built around the Roman town
5th Century Roman civilisation breaks down and Lendinis is abandoned
9th Century Alfred the Great creates a network of fortified settlements, many of them in old Roman towns. One is at Yle ceaster (Ilchester).
973 Ilchester has a mint and it is a busy though small market town
1086 At the time of the Domesday Book Ilchester or Gifelcestre is a flourishing market town with a population of several hundred
1087-88 Robert Mowbray leads a rebellion against William the Conqueror. He lays siege to Ilchester but fails to capture it.
Late 12th Century Ilchester is given a charter. Ilchester has markets and fairs.
1214 The philosopher Francis Bacon is born in or near Ilchester
13th Century Dominican friars arrive in Ilchester. From the end of the century Ilchester sends 2 MPs to parliament.
14th Century Ilchester enters a slow decline
1426 Almshouses are founded in Ilchester
1556 Ilchester is given a corporation. However by now Ilchester has declined severely. From being an important and busy town it has dwindled to being a quiet market town.
1685 the Duke of Monmouth leads a rebellion. It is crushed and 12 men are executed at Ilchester
1750 Ilchester has a population of only about 600. Even by 18th century standards it is a tiny place.
1765 A woman is burned to death at Ilchester for poisoning her husband
1795 A Tuscan column is erected in Ilchester
1801 Ilchester has a population of 942
1812-1816 Ilchester Town Hall is rebuilt
Early 19th Century Ilchester becomes a stagecoaching town. However the coming of railways in the 1840s ended the stagecoaches.
1832 Ilchester loses its 2 MPs
1833 Ilchester market ends
1843 Ilchester jail closes
1889 Ilchester Corporation is dissolved
1901 The population of Ilchester has fallen to less than 600
2000 The population of Ilchester has recovered and is now about 2,000