The River Isle (also known as the River Ile) flows from its source near

Combe St Nicholas Combe St Nicholas is a village and parish in Somerset, England, situated northwest of Chard and from Taunton in the South Somerset district on the edge of the Blackdown Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The parish, which includes Wadef ...

, through

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, England and discharges into the River Parrett south of Langport near Midelney. Several small springs merge into the river near Wadeford it then flows north past Donyatt,

Ilminster Ilminster is a minster town and civil parish in the South Somerset district of Somerset, England, with a population of 5,808. Bypassed in 1988, the town now lies just east of the junction of the A303 (London to Exeter) and the A358 (Taunton to C ...

, Puckington, and

Isle Abbotts Isle Abbots (also spelled Isle Abbotts) is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, around south-east of Taunton in the South Somerset district. The village had a population of 205 at the 2011 census. History The name of the village come ...

, before joining the Parrett. The first section of the river falls in and then falls less steeply falling during the subsequent . As a result, several mills were built on the upper reaches of the river. At least one mill was in existence at the time of the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manus ...

in 1086. These mills were an important part of the local economy connecting with the wool trade. The road bridge over the river at Knowle St Giles is a Grade II

listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

. A lock was built at the junction with the River Parrett, to maintain water levels, when the

Westport Canal The Westport Canal was built in the late 1830s to link Westport and Langport in Somerset, England. It was part of a larger scheme involving improvements to the River Parrett above Burrow Bridge. Langport is the point at which the River Yeo join ...

was built in the 1830s. The canal joins the river approximately before the confluence with the Parrett.

Chard Reservoir Chard Reservoir is a reservoir north east of Chard Somerset, England. It is owned and managed by South Somerset District Council and is a recipient of the Green Flag Award. It was built on the river Isle in 1842 to provide water for the Chard Ca ...

was built by damming the river in the 1840s to provide water for the Chard Canal.

References

{{authority control Isle, River 1Isle