a market-town of England, Dorsetshire, on the slope of a hill in the fertile valley of Blackmore, Sherborne, watered by a branch of the Yeo, 18 miles N. by W. of Dorset, and 117 S.W. by W. of London. It is compactly Sherborne, built, has some ancient houses, and several handsome public buildings. Among the latter is the parish church, formerly a cathedral, built at various dates, and in various styles. It has recently been restored at great expense, and it has a very fine tower in the Norman style, with a ponderous bell, presented by Cardinal Wolsey. Near the church are the handsome town-hall, the market-house, and the free grammar-school, which occupies some of the buildings of the old abbey restored. This school was founded by Edward VI., in 1550; it has an endowment of L1000 a-year, and several exhibitions at the universities. It contained, in 1854, 109 scholars. There are various other schools in the town, also places of worship for Wesleyans, Quakers, and Independents, the last a very handsome edifice. In the vicinity stands Sherborne Lodge, or Castle, the seat of the Earl of Digby, originally built by Sir Walter Raleigh. The remains of the Castle of Sherborne, which was demolished in the time of the Commonwealth, occupy a rocky hill at the east end of the town. Many of the inhabitants are employed in sewing gloves for manufacturers in Yeovil; and there are large silk-mills, which employ a considerable number of hands. The town is ancient, having existed in the time of the Saxons, when it was the seat of a bishop, subsequently removed to Old Sarum, and still later to Salisbury. The strength of its castle made it a place of importance in the various civil wars of the middle ages. Its staple manufacture was at one time woollen cloth, after that buttons and haberdashery, now silk. Pop. 3878.