Sherborne, a market town, and parish in the hundred and division of its name, 18 miles from Dorchester, and 118 from London, contained in 1831, 4075 inhabitants, and was assessed in 1815 to £13,501. It is situated on the borders of Somersetshire and banks of the river Ivel, which divides it into two parts ; partly on the acclivity of a hill and partly in the valley of Blackmore. The principal streets lie east and west, and are intersected by others in such a manner as to make it resemble a square. It is a place of high antiquity, and derives its name from two Saxon words, seire, 'clear', and burn, 'a spring.' Before the Reformation it was a place of note for the woollen manufacture ; on the decay of which it carried on the button and lace making ; to which have succeeded the establishment of silk mills.