GILLINGHAM, a parish of Dorsetshire, in the hundred of Redlane, 105 miles from London, and five miles from Shaftesbury. It lies on the river Stour, and is the largest parish in the county, being forty miles in circumference. It is a fertile district, producing large quantities of excellent butter. A palace of one of the Saxon kings was erected here, which, by the remains that can be traced, appears to have been of stupendous magnitude and strength. A battle was fought here in 1016, when Edmund Ironside totally defeated a large army of Danish invaders. The population in 1801 amounted to 1873, in 1811 to 1992, in 1821 to 2246, and in 1831 to 2520.