YEOVIL, a town of some importance on the river Yeo, in the S.E. corner of the county, doing a considerable trade in the manufacture of leather and kid gloves. Its population in 1901 was 9838. It lies chiefly on a slope which shelves down towards the little stream from which it takes its name. The G.W.R. and L. and S.W.R. have a joint station in the town, and another G.W.R. station is at Pen Mill just outside. Yeovil seems to have outgrown its original intentions and is still rapidly increasing. The older streets have the usual congested appearance of a small country town, but more spacious thoroughfares are now spreading outwards in every direction. The chief glory of the place is its fine church, remarkable alike for architecture and situation. It is a cruciform Perp. building, said to date from 1376, with a severe-looking W. tower. The interior is of great impressiveness owing to the size of its windows and the loftiness of its arches. The most noteworthy feature of the church is its 13th-cent. crypt, now used as a vestry. A groined roof rises from a central pillar, and the entrance to the communicating stairway is groined also. Otherwise the church, though noble as a whole, is somewhat devoid of objects of interest. Note, however (1) the fine roof, (2) old brass lectern with ungrammatical inscription, (3) 16th-cent. brass on floor of chancel, (4) 15th-cent. brass to an ecclesiastic. Yeovil contains few old houses, as it was burnt out in the 15th cent., but in Middle Street two buildings deserve attention: (_a_) an old chantry house, now transformed into the "Castle" Inn, (_b_) almost immediately opposite, the "George," a good specimen of an old half-timbered hostelry. Some alms-houses in Bond Street, called Woborne's alms-houses, go back, as a foundation, to the reign of Edward IV. (1476). A good view of the low lying alluvial plain which stretches around the foot of Glastonbury Tor may be obtained by following for a short distance the road to Mudford. But this is only one of the many interesting walks in the neighbourhood: Yeovil is a good centre for excursions, and Windmill and Summerhouse Hills should both be climbed. _Yeovilton_, a parish 2 m. E. of Ilchester. Its church retains but few features of interest, but notice should be taken of (1) the remains of the stoups in the N. porch and at the W. door; (2) the two piscinas (that in the chancel has a quaint carving below it); (3) the bracket in the S. wall of the nave, and the old corbels built into the walls of the chancel; (4) the fragments of ancient glass in the W. and E. windows, the former displaying the arms of Bishop Beckington, and the latter having the letters R.S. and the figure of a swan, the initials and rebus of Richard Swan (one of Bishop Beckington's executors), who was rector here. There is also an incised slab to the memory of Sir John Hunt of Speckington (d. 1626). One of the bells dates from 1435. [Illustration: NINE SPRINGS, YEOVIL] APPENDIX