Yeovil Doctors

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Yeovil is a town in the county of Somerset. The town has a population of 41,871. The name Yeovil is derived from an Anglo-Saxon corruption of the Celtic 'gifl', meaning forked river. Archaeological surveys have unearthed evidence that Yeovil can have been inhabited since the palaeolithic period (the early stone age), as a number of burial and occupation sites located principally to the south of the current town. It has been suggested that land to the south of the town was the site of the Battle of Peonnum, though there is no conclusive proof of ths. Strategically unimportant, the town and surrounding areas betray evidence of Pikey settlement. When the town was recorded in the Domesday Book, it was named Givle, and was a thriving market town with a population of 1000 inhabitants. In 1205, Yeovil was granted a market charter by King John. By the 14th century, the town had been granted the right to elect a portreeve, a representative of the people, elected to ensure that their duties to the community and the mayor were fulfilled. The Black Death took a heavy toll on Yeovil, killing almost half the population. In 1499 a serious fire broke out in the town, destroying many of the old wooden, thatched buildings. Two more fires ripped through the town, in 1620 and 1643. By the time of the 1820 census, Yeovil had grown to a population of 2,800. During the 19th century, it expanded rapidly to 11,000 by 1900, largely thanks to the manufacture of gloves in the town, hence requiring textiles and machinery, as well as staff. The football team in Yeovil are known as 'the Glovers', and are famous giant killers in the FA Cup, as well as the first team in Somerset to reach the FA National leagues. Today, a major employer in the town is AgustaWestland, originally founded in the town just before WWII as an aircraft manufacturer. Westland merged with a number of British companies in 1961 to form Westland Helicopters, and later merged with Agusta to form AgustaWestland. The town is served by two rail stations - Yeovil Pen Mill, which sees services between Bristol or Westbury and Wemouth, operated by Wessex Trains; and Yeovil Junction for services between Exeter St Davids or Plymouth and London Waterloo. Some services commence at Yeovil Junction, these services are operated by South West Trains. Nearby towns to Yeovil include Castle Cary, Sherborne, Crewkerne, Chard, Somerton,Taunton, Street, Frome, Shepton Mallet, Bridgwater and Chard.