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THE ISLE OF WIGHT

ITS HISTORY,
TOPOGRAPHY, AND ANTIQUITIES.

CARIaUKOOKE CASTLE.

London, Edinburgh, and New York.

THE ISLE OF WIGHT

Ita ^istarg, ^o^jographg, trnlb ^ntiqwities.

WITH NOTES UPON ITS PRINCIPAL SEATS, CHURCHES, MANORIAIi HOUSES,
LEOpNDARY AND POETICAL ASSOCIATIONS, GEOLOaY, AND
PICTURESQUE LOCALITIES.

ESPECIALLY ADAPTED TO THE WANTS OF THE
TOURIST AND EXCURSIONIST.

By W. H. davenport ADAMS.

J^EW AND Revised Edition,
With Sixteen Pages of Sectional Maps and Plans, and Large Map of the Island
printed in Colours ; all from the Maps of the Ordnance Survey.

T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW.
EDINBUKGH ; AND NEW YOKK.
1882.

^i0t at X^aps anb ^lane.

MAP OF THE ISLAND (Printed in Colov/rs).
EAST AND WEST COWES, AND ENVIRONS,
PLAN OF NEWPORT,
NEWPORT AND ITS ENVIRONS,
CARISEROOKE VILLAGE AND CASTLE,
r.RIXTON AND ITS ENVIRONS, . .
PLAN OF RYDE,
RYDE AND ITS ENVIRONS,
VENTNOn AND ITS ENVIRONS, . .
YARMOUTH AND ITS ENVIRONS,

94
104116 122136148160
184

'WC3

^81-

OTontcnts.

12

HISTORY OF THE ISLAND.
The Isle of Wight during the Celtic Period,
The Isle of Wight under the Romans,
The Saxons in the Isle of Wight,
Condition of the Island at the Period of the Norman Conquest,
The Lords of the Island, from William Fitz-Osbert to Isabella de Fortibus, .. 13
The Wardens of the Island, from Isabella de Fortibus to Sir James Worsley, . . 25
From Sir James Worsley to Colonel Hammond, . . . . . . . . 39
Charles I. in the Isle of Wight, .. . .. .. 55
The Princess Elizabeth, .. .. .. .. 73
A Summary from 1651 to 1881, . . . . . . . . . . 84

A DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
DiyTRicT I.— North —
West and East Cowes, . . . . . . 92
West Cowes, .... . . 93
East Cowes, .... 96
Environs of West Cowes, . . 97
Environs of East Cowes, . . 98
Seats of the Gentry, . . . . 101
District II.— Centre—
Newport and its Environs, . . . . . . . . 103
Environs of Newport, . . . . , . . . . . . . 114
Carisbrooke, . . . ; . . . . . . 117
District III. — South-West—
Brighstone and its Environs, . . . , . . 129
Brighstone, . . .... 130
Environs of Brighstone, .. .. . .. .. 332
Seats of the Gentry, . . 144
District IV. — North-East—
Hyde and its Environs, . . . . . . 147
Eyde, .. .. .. .. .. ..148
Environs of Eyde, . . . . . . . . . . 159
Seats of the Gentry, . . . . . . . 174

VI

CONTENTS.

District V. — South-East —
Ventnor and its Environs,
The UnderclifT, . .
Environs of Ventnor,
District VI. — North-West—
Yarmouth, Environs of Yarmouth,
The Coast Route,
Seats of the Gentry,

THE CHURCHES OF THE ISLAND, AND ITS WORTHIES.
The Churches of the Island (alphabetically arranged).
The WonTHiE.s—
Dr. Thomas Pittis,
Admiral Hopson,
Dr. Robert Hooke,
Dr. Thomas James,
Mr. Richard James,
Sir Thomas Fleming,
Dr. Thomas Arnold,

179185188
223227231236

28?2902912942962S9

THE TOURIST'S COMPANION.

Voyage Round the Island,

302

Geological Tour,

303

Antiquarian Tour,

304

Points of View,

304
Traveller's Routes,
304
Distance Tables,
306
Walks and Drives for Tourists,
307
Things Worth Seeing,
310
Ecclesiastical Divisions, &c. , . .
311
Church Directory,
311
Denominational Places of Worship,
312
Conveyances,
313
Postal Arrangements,
314
Banks,
314
Directory to the Seats of the Gentry, Interesting Localities, &c.,
314
Index,
320
§[£ tt t r 0 b u £ t i 0 n.

1. Separated from the mainland by a narrow strait or channel,
called the Solent, varying from five miles to three-quarters of a mile
in breadth, lies the Isle of Wight 
" Of all the southern isles who holds the highest place,
And evermore hath been the great'st in Britain's grace." — Drayton.
Of " an iiTegular, rhomboidal form," its northern apex pointing almost
directly to the mouth of the Southampton Water ; in length, from
east to west, about 22^ miles ; in breadth, at its widest part, from
Cowes to St. Catherine's Point, upwards of 13 miles ; it occupies an
area of 136 square miles, or 98,320 statute acres (92,702, according to
some authorities), and had a population, in 1871, of 66,219; in 1881,
of 73,045 souls. The circumference of the island may be roughly
estimated at 60 miles, though the voyage round it must be calculated
at 65.
2. To the north its shores are generally low and shelving ; on the
east, south, and south-west, they rise into formidable and precipitous
cliffs, varying from 400 to 700 feet in height. A bold range of chalk
hills, or downs, runs through the whole island, from east to west, like
a gigantic backbone. Prom this striking chain branches off, about
half-way, another range of heights, which, running southward, ter
minates in the abrupt headland of St. Catherine Point ; and here
commences a third range, following the coast line as far as Shanklin,
and the promontory of East End. The scenery of the eastern divi
sion of the island is generally of a diversified character — abrupt hills,
deep shadowy vales, and broad green meadows succeeding each other
in rapid and picturesque succession. In the western division the
northern district is flat and monotonous, relieved only by the young
firs of Parkhurst and the pleasant fields of Newtown; but the southern

VIU INTRODUCTION.
landscape and the extreme west are again distinguished by a delight
ful alternation of hill and valley.
3. The principal rivers, or rather streams, are, the Medina (from
the Latin mediiis, midmost, middle), which, dividing the island into
two nearly equal divisions, known as the East and West 2Iedine, rises
at the base of St. Catherine's Hill, and after a course of three and
twenty miles, broadens into a noble estuary between the towns of
East and West Cowes ; the Eastern Yae (Celtic, garw, " rough "),
which rises near Niton, and flows into the upper part of Brading
Haven ; and the Western Yae, which forms the peninsula of Fresh
water, rising at Freshwater Gate, within a few yards of the sea, and
emptying itself into the Solent at Yarmouth. There are other
streams — the Lugely, Newtown Pviver, and Wootton River, but not of
sufficient importance to claim special notice at our hands.
4. The most remarkable features of the littoral scenery are its
abrupt, craggy, precipitous headlands, such as Bembridge Point, the
Foreland, Dunnose, East End, Eocken End, St. Catherine Point,
Atherfield Point, Brook Point, the Needles, and Headon Hill. Some
of these are names with an ominous sound to the mariner, seldom a
winter passing without flinging upon them the odium of additional
disaster. The chines,* or ravines formed by the action of running water
upon yielding strata — from the Saxon cinan, to cleave (compare also
the word chink) — are numerous along the eastern and southern
coasts ; as, for instance, Shanklin, Luccombe, Blackgang, Barnes,
Ladder, Compton, Grange, Jackman's, Whale, Walpan, Cowleaze,
and Brook.
5. The downs or dunes,f conical hiUs of chalk, from whose summit
* The chines are " deep fissures which have been cut in the cliffs by the action of
a streamlet falling over the summit. All of them have the same general features.
There is a wide opening seaward which contracts inland with more or less rapidity,
according to the hardness of the rock, the greater or less quantity of water which ordi
narily falls over, or other circumstances. In some cases the ravine reaches for nearly a
mile inland, and is lost at length in the ordinary bed of the brook ; in others, it ter
minates abruptly in a waterfall. Although the stream must in every instance be re
garded as the cliief agent in cutting the chine, its enlargement is perliaps as much, or
more, owing to other influences. The action of the waves during great storms, when
the sea is driven violently against the cliffs, has tended considerably to enlarge the
opening of the chines, while the landslips, which continually occur after severe frosts,
must have caused the steep slopes to fall in from time to time ; but the deepening of
the chines is always brought about by the stream, as may be observed in any of them
where measures are not taken to prevent the constant weiring away of the rock"
(.Knight). t " Two parallel chains of hills stretch in a direction east and west through the whole
extent of the landscape. The northern range is of moderate height, and slopes towards

INTRODUCTION. IX
may be obtained the most beautiful imaginable panoramas, are all of
more than average height, and some, from their steep and precipitous
character, are really noticeable. The tourist through the island will
not fail to have his attention directed to Bembridge Down, Ashey
Down, and the heights of Arretou, Shanklin, Bonchurch, Wroxal),
Span, Gatcombe, St. Catherine's, Brighstone, Bowcombe, Montjoy,
Lymerston, Mottistone, Chessell, .Aiton, and Chillerton.
6. The geological features of the island have been elaborately ex
amined by Sir Henry Englefield, by Mantell (whose Geological Ex
cursions round the Isle of Wight should be one of the touiist's in
separable companions), and Professor Edward Forbes. The northern
division is formed by " the eocene strata deposited on the chalk when
the latter was in a horizontal position" {Mantell). The southern
division is '' almost entirely composed of the different members of
the cretaceous system. The white chalk forms a range of downs
from the eastern to the western extremity, and is flanked on the
south by the lower beds of this formation. These are succeeded by
another group of chalk hills that expands into a broad and lofty pro
montory, in some parts between 800 and 900 feet high, crested by
St. Catherine's, Boniface, and Shanklin Downs. On the southern
escarpment of this chain the inferior deposits of the cretaceous
system re-appear, and faUen masses of these rocks form the irregular
line of terraces which constitute the Undercliff. The downs on the
southern coast are separated from those inland by an anticlinal axis
which extends through this part of the island, and is produced by
the upheaval of the firestone, gault, and greensand. The promontory
of the Undercliff is flanked both on the east and west by extensive
bays, which have been excavated in the clays and sands of the Weal-
den and inferior cretaceous deposits by the long-continued encroach
ments of the sea. The Wealden occupies an inconsiderable extent of
surface ; but in Sandown Bay on the east, and in Brixton, Brook,
and Compton Bays, on the west, the cliffs, which are formed of the
upper clays and sands of this formation, are exposed to unremitting
destruction from the action of the waves. The sea-shore is therefore
strewn with the detritus of these fluviatile strata, and the shingle
the shore ; the southern rises with a bolder sweep and to a much greater elevation, and
exhibits the smooth and rounded aspect and undulated outline, which are so character
istic of the mountain masses of the white chalk as to indicate their geological character,
even when seen from a considerable distance. The first line of hills consists of fresh
water strata, which are superimposed on the eocene marine deposits. The southern
range is the chain of chalk downs that traverses the island throughout its entire length,
forming on the east the promontory of Culver Cliff ; and on the west that of the
Needles" (Adapted from Mantell).

X INTRODUCTION.
contains innumerable water-worn fragments of the bones of reptiles
and other organic remains " {Mantell).
1. The botanist will find in this picturesque island — "which he
who once sees never forgets, through whatever part of the wide
world his future path may lead him" {Sir Walter Scott) — a greater
wealth of floral beauty than in any other part of England. And the
amenity of the climate is such, that even far into the winter bloom
delicate plants which eLsewhere have shrunk into decay — fuchsias,
myrtles, and geraniums bearing the bleak winds without shelter or
protection. The hedgerows, as the tourist observes with admiration,
are, from May to September, literally alive with wild flowers. Every
brake is rich in blossoms ; every dell is prodigal of the daintiest
odours and the most sparkling hues.
Within the limits prescribed to us it is impossible to offer any
thing like a satisfactory catalogue of the Flora of the Isle of Wight ;
and the tourist will do well to provide himself with the elaborate
and valuable Flora Vectensis of Dr. Bromfield, as edited by Dr. Bell
Salter. He will find Ivi/ Crowfoot at .Alverstone, Eookley, and Pan
Common ; Stinking Hellebore, about St. Lawrence ; Climhing Fumi
tory, at Bordwood, Queen's Bower, -Alverstone, Newchurch ; Hairy
Rock Cress, round Newport and Carisbrooke ; Perennial Hedge
Pepperwort, on banks and ridges at Sea Grove, .Alverstone, Cowes,
Thorley, Eyde ; Wild Mignonette, at Ashey, Bowcombe, St. George's
Down, Arreton, Ventnor ; Nottingham Catch-fly, on the cliffs of
Sandown and St. Lawrence ; Knotted Sjiurry, at St. Helens Spit ;
St. Johris-wort, in various parts of the Undercliff; Red-herried
Briony, on St. George's Down, Ashey, Knighton, Arreton, Shorwell,
Brighstone, Gatcombe, Freshwater ; Elecampane, Binstead, Quarr,
-Ashey, Luccombe, Thorley, Shalfleet, Totlands ; Ivy-leaved Bell-
flower, Rookley Wilderness and Buck's Heath ; Great Broom-rape,
Ninham Heath and Bridlesford Heath ; Wood Calamint, Apse Down
Valley; Common CalamiiU, Apse Heath, Bonchmxh, Carisbrooke,
Quan-, Thoriey ; Portland Spurge, on the Culver Qiffs ; Bog Myrtle,
along the Eastern Yar; Dwarf Orchis and Fragrant Orchis, at Caris
brooke, Freshwater, Calbourne, Bonchurch; Bee-orchis, tolerably com
mon ; Fly-orchid, Ashey, Quarr, Brading, Arreton, Gatcombe, Cal
bourne; Bird^s-nest Orchis, Binstead, Priory Woods, Quarr, Calbourne,
Steephill ; Marsh Helleborine, Colwell Bay, Easton near Fresh
water, Luccombe, and Bonchurch ; Italian Wake-robin, in the
Undercliff (found nowhere else in Great Britain) ; Sweet Galingale,
at Castle Mead, near Niton ; Borrer's Sea-grass, in the marshes about

INTRODUCTION. XI
Sea View, Brading, Newtown, and Freshwater estuary ; Sea Fescue-
grass, St. Helens Spit ; and Sea-bird Grass, at Wootton Eiver, King's
Key, Newtown, Norton, and Yarmouth.
Among the principal Ferns may be mentioned : — Asplenium Tri-
chomanes, Quarr, Chale, Shorwell, the Undercliff, Carisbrooke Castle;
Asplenium Adiantum nigrum, common in most parts; Asplenium,
Ruta muraria. Freshwater, Calbourne, Arreton, Eyde ; Blechnum
Boreale, neighbourhood of Sandown and valley of the Medina ;
Botrychium lunaria, Rookley Wilderness, Luccombe, Shanklin, Nun-
well ; Ceterach offidnarium, Brading, Bembridge, Carisbrooke ;
Lastraea thelypteris, Alverstone, Compton, Newchurch, Ninham,
Eookley ; Zastrcea oreopteris. Apse Wood ; Lastrma sprinolosa. Apse
Wood, Eookley, Centurion's Copse, Bembridge ; Osmunda regalis,
valleys of the Medina and the Yar ; and Polystichum aculeatum,
-Alverstone, Bembridge, Calbourne, Cowes. The common Polypody,
the soft Shield fern, the Male fern, the dark-scaled Broad fern, the
Zady fern, the Hart's Tongue, and the Adder's Tongue are of very
frequent occurrence.
8. We have already alluded to the geniality of the climate, which
renders the island a favourite resort for invalids. " From the
variety," says an eminent physician, " which the Isle of Wight pre
sents, in point of elevation, soil, and aspect, and from the configura
tion of its hills and shores, it possesses several peculiarities of climate
and position that render it a highly favourable residence for invalids
throughout the year." The Undercliff especially claims this honour
able distinction : " It would be difficult to find in any northern
country a district of equal extent and variety of surface — and, it may
be added, of equal beauty in point of scenery — so completely screened
from the cutting north-east winds of the spring on the one hand, and
from the boisterous southerly gales of the autumn and winter on the
other " {Sir James Clark).
9. The Isle of Wight is nominally under the control of a Governor
of the Island {the Right Hon. Lord Viscount Eversley, G.C.B.), but
for all general purposes it forms a portion of the county of South
ampton or Hampshire. It returns one member to Parliament ; and
its metropolis, Newport, returns one. It is divided into two Hundreds
or Liberties : —
(1.) The East Medine, containing 14 parishes : .Axreton, Binstead,
Bonchurch, Brading, Godshill, Newchurch, Niton, Shanklin, St.
Helens, St. Lawrence, Whippingham, Whitwell, Wootton, and
Yaverland.

XU INTRODUCTION.
(2.) The West Medine, containing 16 parishes : Brighstone, Brook,
Calbourne, Carisbrooke, Chale, Freshwater, Gatcombe, Kingston,
Mottistone, Newport, Northwood, Shalfleet, Shorwell, St. Nicholas,
Thorley, and Yarmouth.
The principal Towns are, Neioport, the capital, on the river Medina;
Ryde, on the sea-shore, nearly opposite Portsmouth ; Ventnor, on the
south-eastern coast; Yarmouth, at the mouth of the Yar, opposite
Hurst Castle ; East and West Cowes, at the mouth of the Medina ;
Brading, at the head of Brading Haven ; and Sandown, on the bay
of the same name. Cowes, Ryde, and Yarmouth are the principal
ports of communication with the mainland.
10. The Military Establishments of the island are at Parkhurst,
where are capacious barracks capable of accommodating 2000 soldiers;
Sandown, Yaverland, and Bembridge Forts, strongly armed; Yar
mouth; and the Neio Defences at Sconce Point {Fort Albert), Fort
Warden, and Freshwater {Fort Victoria).
11. For Ecclesiastical Purposes the island is included in the see of
Winchester, and is divided into two rural deaneries — one in the East
and one in the West Medine. A Public Grammar School flourishes
at Newport ; and there are Cemeteries at Eyde, Binstead, Newport,
Carisbrooke, Cowes, Brading, and Ventnor.
12. The Population of the Isle of Wight are chiefly occupied in
agricultural pursuits, and the exports are confined to corn and cattle.
Considerable activity in the brewing trade is manifested at Newport;
at Cowes, the ship-building yards employ several hundred hands ;
and along the coast many small fishing villages exist.
13. The Antiquities of the island, on which, in their proper places,
we shall dwell at some length, are, — Celtic, consisting of barrows,
earthworks, and a curious relic of the past called the Longstone ;
Roman, including the vUlas at Carisbrooke, Morton, and Gurnard
Bay ; Saxon, barrows and architectural fragments ; and Nornvxn, in
cluding some ]3ortions of the ruins of Carisbrooke Castle and Quarr
Abbey. There are two museums — at R3'de and Newport — devoted
to the collection and preservation of memorials of the island history.
14. The Churches of the island may be arranged, with reference to
their architectural characteristics, as under ; —
Trans. Norman: Brading, Carisbrooke, Freshwater, Niton, Shtilfleet
(tower), Wootton, Yaverland. Early English: Arreton, Calbourne,
Niton, Shalfleet, Whitwell, Wootton. Decorated: Brighstone, Motti
stone, Shorwell. Perpendicular: Chale, Carisbrooke, Gatcombe,
Godshill (towers), Shorwell.

THE ISLE OE WIGHT.

HISTORY OP THE ISLAND.

' I dived in a hoard of tales that dealt with knights.
Half legend, half historic, counts and kings.
Who laid about them at their wills, and died ;
And mixed with these, a lady." Tennyson.

SECTION I.-THE ISLE OF WIGHT DURING THE CELTIC PERIOD.
The Isle of Wight having formerly been ignored by historical stu
dents, as offering little in its annals to interest the reason or amuse
the fancy, its chronicles were usually restricted to the bare enumera
tion of names and dates, a few unmeaning generalizations, and some
sonorous platitudes. But of late years it has been discovered that its
history was not without its scenes of excitement and its picturesque
illustrations of bygone days; and archaeologists have accordinglj'
directed their studies to the elucidation of what was obscure, with
the usual result of discovering much that was unexpected. And
even in the narrow limits to which we are here confined, we think
we shall bring forward enough of novel and important matter to
convince the reader that the annals of the sea-girt Wight are well
worthy the strict investigation they now receive ; that they are fraught
with suggestive episodes and romantic incidents, and adorned by
names which the world has been unwilling to let die.
The word Wight is generally accepted as a corruption of the Celtic
gwyth, or "a channel;" its original name being Ynys-wyth, the
" channel-island " {Dr. Guest). By Ptolemy it is referred to under
the name of 'OijiktijSis ; and the Romans called it Vecta, Vectis, and

2 THE ISLE OF WIGHT DURING THE CELTIC PERIOD.
Vectesis. The Saxons preserved, to a certain extent, the sound of
the old Celtic appellation in their Whitland and Wiht-ea.
The aboriginal inhabitants of the Isle of Wight were, undoubtedly,
a Celtic race ; and there is some reason to suppose that they were by
no means so barbarous as it has been the fashion to represent them.
The Celtic antiquities still extant evidence their possession of some
degree of artistic ingenuity and military skill ; and we know not any
thing more deserving of attentive examination than the Celtic vil
lages and earthworks which may yet be traced in the neighbourhood
of Gallibury, Eowborough, and Newbarns. They have also left to
the restless investigation of a later age numerous tumuli, barrows,
or sepulcliral mounds, most of them containing specimens of their
weapons and implements, their dress, and even their personal decora
tions. These barrows are found in great abundance on Chillerton,
Brooke, Af ton, and Mottistone Downs ; on Brixton Down is a not
able cairn ; while on Shalcombe, Bembridge, Ashey, Wroxhall, St.
Catharine, and Bowcombe Downs, are also many of these last resting-
places of our remote ancestors.
The principal contents of these barrows — specimens of which are
preserved in the Eyde and Newport Museums — are urns of baked
clay, of different sizes and designs; and a bronze implement, not
unlike the head of a chisel, called a celt.
There exists another memorial of the Celtic Period of the island
history in the remarkable Longstone, near Mottistone, to which we
shall hereafter direct the reader's attention.
According to Csesar, the Belgre, a Celtic tribe, invaded the southern
coasts of England, subdued Hampshire, and colonized the Isle of
Wight, which they named Ictis, about 85 years before the
" birth of Christ. This simple record of an important occur
rence opens to the historian a wide field of speculation. For
Diodorus Siculus, the Greek historian, also speaks of an island named
lelis, whither the Britons conveyed the tin dug from the mines of
Cornwall — as to a central dep6t — until it could be removed to
France, and afterwards dispersed over the Continent.
The Greek historian'*^ also records that this tin was conveyed
from the mainland in carts, " at low tide all being dry between it
and the island;" and from this passage, and from a reference im
mediately preceding it, to the promontory of Bolerium (the Land's
End), it has been conjectured that St. MichaeVs MowiU is really the
* See Diod. Sicul., v. 2,

THE ISLE OF WIGHT UNDER THE ROMANS. 6
Ictis alluded to by Diodorus Siculus. But a recent writer ¦*• has at
tempted to demonstrate that the ancient Ictis is the modem Wight,
and we offer a brief summary of his arguments for the consideration
of the reader : —
1. It is true that now, at low water, no cart could cross from shore
to shore; but then it is evident that great natural changes have
taken place in the configuration of the northern coast of the island
since the days of Diodorus Siculus ; and it is well known that
formerly between Anglesea and the mainland lay certain shallows,
though now the Menai waters render it inaccessible to the pedestrian.
2. Evidence exists in the local appellations that a gTeat highway,
or main road, once traversed the island from Gurnard Bay — through
Eue Street, Gonneville and Carisbrooke — to Niton, where may even
now be traced the remains of a large Celtic encampment. Close to
Niton is Puckaster Cove, a natural harbour, well adapted to shelter
the light craft of the Greek and Phoenician merchants who traded
with the British for their valuable metal.
3. The Greek Ictis may evidently be traced in the Latin Vectis,
and this similarity of sound may be accepted as no inconsiderable
proof of the validity of our argument.
4. And we have conclusive evidence that St. Michael's Mount
could never have been the Ictis of the tin-merchants, because — in
the Celtic era — it was not an island, even at high water. Florence of
Worcester says, " It was originally enclosed in a very thick wood,
distant from the sea six miles ;" and its separation from the main
land only occurred, according to the Saxon Chronicle, in 1099.
For these reasons, then, we think it may finally be concluded that
the Isle of Wight was the ancient Ictis, and the great dep6t of the
famous tin trade.
SECTION n.-THE ISLE OF WIGHT UNDER THE ROMANS.
" Vespasian was the first that brought the Isle of Wight to the
subjection of the Eomans, while he served as a private person under
Claudius Csesar " {Speed). Crossing from Gaul into the .o_ak.
southern provinces of England, he fought there thirty T^
battles, and reduced under the Eoman power two powerful
nations, — the Belgse and the Damnorici, — captured twenty towns,
and subdued the Isle of Wight {Suetonius). Two hundred and
forty yeara later (296 A.D.), Constantius, the Eoman Emperor, who
* See Journ. Brit. Arch. Association.

4 THE ISLE OF WIGHT UNDER THE ROMANS.
had been dispossessed of the British throne by the treachery of
Carausius, and afterwards by the crimes of Allectus, collected a
large fleet and army, and prepared to struggle with the latter for
his lost crown. On nearing the British coast, we are told by the
historian, " The mists so covered the whole surface of the ocean,
that the enemy's fleet, which was stationed off the Lsle of Wight to
surprise us, knew not of our proximity, and we passed through them
in security, without hindrance or delay."
These passages are all, in the wide circle of Latin literature, which
refer to the Isle of Wight; and its history for upwards of four
centuries can only be pieced out, as it were, from the Eoman me
morials which time has suffered to survive. Enough remains, how
ever, in Eoman handiwork to attest the significance of Eoman
dominion. At Brighstone, Clatterford, Morton, and Gurnard Bay,
have been discovered traces of Roman villas. At Bonchurch, within
the memory of living men, the sea has washed awa}^ the last vestiges
of a Roman encampment. At Barnes are numerous indications of
a Roman pottery. Puckaster was once the site of a Roman strong
hold ; and off Puckaster, and in the Channel, was stationed, or
cruised, the Roman fleet ( Von Midler). A recent and important
discovery of a Roman villa of more than ordinary elegance has been
made at Carisbrooke. " Many traces of Roman occupation are still
to be seen in the neighbourhood of Ventnor. Wise men, indeed,
tell us that the dark hair and brilliant eyes of the natives of this
district are derived from a Roman ancestry " {Rev. James White). A
great Roman road, there is reason to believe, once travereed the isl
and from north to south, passing the principal Roman stronghold —
originally a Celtic fortress — Carisbrooke, Caer-broc, the Fort upon
the Stream. " There are, besides, many roads called Streets, which,
if not always planned by the Romans, were adopted by them. These
streets have, by their unusually large number in the island, the im
press of extensive Rom,an residence. Thus, parts of the adopted
British tin road, from north to south, are called Rue Street,* North
Street, Chillerton Street, and Chale Street. On the west there are
Thorley Street and Street Place. On the east, Arreton Street, Bem
bridge Street, Haven Street, and Play Street; and again Elderton
Street and Whippingham Street from north to south in the East
Medina. There is some appearance of arrangement in the roads
i-unning from the north to the south, and of a reference to Caris-
* Strcad, Celtic; stratum. Liitin ; street, Saxon.

THE ISLE OF WIGHT UNDER THE ROMANS. 5
brooke Castle as «, centre in the streets from east to west " (Eev. E,
Kell). The ancient name of Newport, as sho'wn in certain borough muni
ments, was Meda — apparently Roman, and indicating its position in
the centre of the island. Grounds for believing that Newport, or
Meda, was of Eoman origin, and a town of no inconsiderable im
portance, are briefly stated in the subjoined note.* The matter is one
of great obscurity ; but this, at least, is certain, that both there, and
in other parts of the island, have been found Roman vases, gems, rings,
* We abridge from some interesting lectures by the Rev. Edmund Kell, M.A.
(Hampshire iTtdependent, 1852), the following synopsis of the arguments advanced by
those who maintain the Roman origin of Newport ; —
1. The regularity of the plan on which the ancient town was built. Four streets-
Crocker Street, Holyrood Street, Corsham Street, and West Lane — form nearly a
square, and are crossed by the intermediate streets at right angles. Probably it was
built before 137 a.d., as a coin of the Emperor Hadrian's was found enclosed in a
stone wall in a house in the Corn Market.
2. Another point deserving of attention in the laying out of the town is, that it
exactly fulfils the condition of the Roman towns in being placed near a position of
defence; also by a river side, and, where practicable, at the confluence of two streams,
so that the population might have a copious supply of water— the Medina flowing at
the east, and the Lukely stream upon the north, exactly fulfilling these latter con
ditions. It wiU also be observed that it has been conveniently situated in relation to
the Roman station at Carisbrooke Castle, its main street, Castlehold, pointing directly
to it ; thus fulfilling the former.
3. Another proof is its najne, which is deserving of particular attention, as being
undeniably Latin, and a term significant in that language of its locality. In all ancient
records it is referred to as Medina, from the Latin word medium, or the middle. Of
the ten streets which make up the town, the names of seven are Latin. Thus, Pyle
Street, from pylum, a gate or port ; and until the last seventy or eighty years Pyle
Street was the way out, the gate, or port, from Newport to Ryde, over the ford at the
bottom of Pyle Street. Lugley Street is from lux, light, as in Luguvallum (Carlisle),
and Lugum (Lowth). Crocker Street reminds us of Crocolana (the town of Brough
in Nottinghamshire), and seems to be from crocus, yellow. Scarrots Lane may be de
rived from scarrosus, rough. Castlehold is from castellum, the castle. Corsham is
Roman in its first syllable, cor, a heart. The rivers Medina and Lukely are both Roman
in name ; so is Pan Down, and Mount Joy may be a corruption of Mons Jovis.
4. Mr. Kell adduces, in further confirmation of his position, the Roman remains
discovered at Newport, consisting principally of Greek and Eoman coins of various
dates, which it is not necessary to particularize, and which would probably have been
more numerous but for the desolating attacks to which the town was exposed in its
earlier history. "In the thirteenth year of Edward III., for instance, the population
was greatly alarmed, and took extraordinary means of defence ; and it is supposed
that 4000 silver pennies lately found in Castlehold were deposited about this period.
The attack from the French was repulsed by the brave Theobald Russell, with the
loss of his own life and many of his men. Other plunderings took place in the reigns
of Henry V. and Henry VIII.; but the principal attack was made by the French in
the second year of Richard II. ; when, with the exception of Carisbrooke Castle, they
seem to have roamed over and to have completely mastered the island, and violence
and depredation of the most deplorable kind was committed."— The reader will
probably be of opinion that these arguments are somewhat insubstantial. At all events,
the etymologies are very fanciful, and many of them seem to us without the slightest
foundation. (712) 9

b THE SAXONS IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
fibulae, swords, coins, bracelets, and urns. The coins discovered in
different quarters range over the whole period of the Roman occupa
tion of Britain, and even descend to a later date. The Eomans left
England in 414 to 420 a.d. ; and at Shanklin, in 1833, were dis
covered coins of the emperors Arcadius and Honorius, the latter of
whom did not reign until 424 a.d.
It is evident, then, that the Isle of Wight was regularly colonized
by the Eomans, who founded here a busy town, built important
strongholds, and, charmed by the amenity of the climate and the
beauty of the landscape — reminding them, perhaps, of their own fair
Italy — reared their summer villas in its fairest nooks.
" The Roman saw its waters ebb and flow.
Plush, and with quick and fiery sparkles glow.
Primeval woods and dewy glades between ;
He saw the water-weed wave to and fro,
Amid the lucid lapse, in glossy sheen ;
And owned a pensive power, a purity serene." — Edmund Peel.
SECTION III.-THE SAXONS IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
Our brief resum,^ of the island annals now approaches a period
when we shall have more trustworthy authority to guide us than the
conjectures of enthusiastic archaeologists.
Between the withdrawal of the last Eoman legion from the shores
of Britain and the coming of the Saxons, intervenes a period
T^ of clouds and shadows, wherein, so far as concerns the Isle of
Wight, it is in vain we attempt to grope for aught authentic
or satisfactory. The first record in the Saxon history of the island
occurs in the year 530, when " Cerdic and Cynric (two Jutish war-
chiefs) conquered the Isle of Wight, and slew many men at Wiht-
garas-burh, or Carisbrooke" {Anglo-Saxon Chronicle). From the
statements of other historians, it would seem that the islanders
defended themselves with considerable courage, and all agree that
their subjugation was not effected without great slaughter.
In 534, Cerdic, who founded the kingdom of the West Saxons,
died ; and Cynric, his son, succeeded to " the throne of spears." The
Isle of Wight then passed into the hands of Cerdic's nephews, Stuf
and Wihtgar, the latter of whom appeare to have enjoyed the real
sovereignty of the island, and to have founded a new city at Caris
brooke, or enlarged the old Celtic and Roman stronghold ; and some
authorities pretend that he gave it his name — Wihtgaraburh. He
reigned ten years, died in 544, and was buried in the fortress which
he had created.

THE SAXONS IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT, 7
Again we lose all trace of our island-kingdom for upwards of a
century, and it is not until 661 that it reappears in the Saxon chron
icles. Then, indeed, an important event is recorded : Wulfhere, king
of Mercia, having defeated Cenwalt and the West Saxons, " passed
through their province with a vast army, made war against the Isle
of Wight, and conquered it. And by his agency, too, .iEdelwald,
king of the South Saxons, was first converted to the true faith. And
in acknowledgment thereof, he gave to him, as he received him from
the font, the Isle of Wight ; and that he might convert it to the
religion of Christ, he sent unto him Eoppa the priest, to preach it.
Nevertheless he could not then convert it."
The cross and the sword, in the old days, were constant com
panions ; and at length, in 686, the warrior succeeded in placing the
priest — who blessed his arms and prayed for the success of the battle
— in ecclesiastical superiority over the Wight. Ceadwalla, king of
the West Saxons, aided by Mul his brother, " praiseworthy and
gracious, terrible in power and excellent in person, beloved by all,
and of a widespread fame," subdued the island, and " caused it to be
converted to the faith" {Henry of Huntingdon). This notable event
is duly recorded by Bede, and in such simple language, that the
reader will probably not be indisposed to have the old ecclesiastic's
own words placed before him : —
" After that Ceadwalla had conquered the kingdom of the Gevissi,
he also subdued the Isle of Wight, which up to that time had
been abandoned to idol-worship ; and he sought to exterminate °s!
the natives by a terrible slaughter, and in their place to estab
lish 'his own followers. And he bound himself by a vow, although
not then regenerated in Christ, that if he gained the island, a fourth
part thereof, and of the spoil, he would dedicate to God. This vow
he fulfilled by bestowing it, for God's service, upon Wilfrid the
bishop, who was present with him. Now, the measurement of the
said island, according to the English standard, being twelve hun
dred families, there was given unto the bishop the land of three
hundred families : and the portion which he thus received he intrusted
to the care of a certain one of his clergy — Bernuin, his sister's son ;
and he gave him a priest named Hildila, that he might preach the
word, and administer the watere of life to those who should desire
salvation. " Now I think it should not be passed over in silence that, amongst
the first-fruits of those who were saved in that island by belief, were
two princely youths, the brothers of Arvald, king of the island, who

b THE SAXONS IX Till! ISLE OF WIGHT.
were crowned with the special grace of God ; inasmuch as when the
island was menaced by the enemy, they took to flight, and crossed
over into the next province of the Juti, and being conveyed to a
place which is called Ad Lapidem (Stone, or Stoneham), where it
was thought they might be hidden from the search of the victorious
monai-ch, were foully betrayed, and doomed by him to death. Where
upon a certain abbot and priest, named Cyniberct, who governed a
monastery not far distant, at a place which is called Hreutford, that
is, Reedford (Redbridge), went to the king, who was then concealed
in that neighbourhood, that he might be healed of wounds received
while fighting in the Isle of Wight, and besought of him that if it
needs must be that the young princes should die, at least he might
first be suffered to administer to them the sacraments of the Chris
tian religion. To this the king consented; and the priest having
taught them the word of truth, and washed them in the waters of
salvation, rendered them sure of admission into the kingdom of
heaven. And so, when the doomsman appeared, they gladly endured
a temporal death, not doubting that thereby they would pass to the
eternal life of the soul. Thus it was, that after all the provinces of
Britain had accepted Christianity, the Isle of Wight also received it ;
though, on account of the heaviness of foreign domination, no one
was appointed to the ministry thereof, nor to the bishop's seat, until
Danihel, now bishop of the Eiist Saxons" {Bede, Ecc. History, iv. 16).
The island became the seat of the bishopric alluded to by Bede
about 730 A.D., when Daniel, bishop of Winchester, obtained its
jurisdiction ; and it has ever since remained a portion of that wealthy
see. To Winchester, in 826, Egbert, king of Wessex, granted, by a
charter still extant, a portion of the lands of " Cawelburne," or Cal
bourne, which remained for many years in its possession {Hillier).
Another gap in the island history now confronts us, which we can
fill up only from the conjectures suggested by an examination of the
Saxon, or, as Mr. Freeman would call them. Old English antiquities
of the island. These are remarkably numerous, and point to the
existence among our forefathers of a high degree of luxury.
The principal tumidi or harroivs, identified as Saxon in their origin,
are to be found on Arreton and Chessel Downs, and have been
examined with great care, on different occasions, by competent autho
rities. The first recorded discovery of Anglo-Saxon remains occurred
in the month of April 1815, and from that date to the present the
discoveries have been numerous, and their results considerable.
Relics have been obtained which indicate, with remarkable force, the

THE SAXONS IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 9
gradual progress of the Saxon islanders from barbarity to civilization.
The bone combs, iron buckles, rude spears, and coarse urns of the
early race, contrast very vividly with the gold fibulre and armlets,
the polished weapons and artistic ornaments of their descendants.
Among these strange memorials of the fathers of modern England
are beads, finger-rings, buckles, childish toys, and armlets — swords,
spears, and knives — hair-pins, ear-rings, and needles — arrow-heads,
bowls, buckets, and pails ; and the curious observer, by spending an
hour or two at either of the island museums, where many of these
relics are preserved, will gather a more distinct idea of the manners
and customs, the mode of life, and even the character of the Anglo-
Saxons, than from long and patient perusal of volumes of elaborate
description. We have, indeed, sufficient evidence that the islanders had attained
to a very considerable degree of refinement. They had learned the
manufacture of glass, and the construction of stone edifices. Some
thing, too, of workmanship in metals must have been generally
known. The articles of domestic adornment, discovered by various
explorers in their researches into the tumuli, so numerous on the
island, are often distinguished by their elegance of design and supe
riority of workmanship. The wealthier Saxons appear to have de-
hghted in the decoration of their peraons. They girded their tunics
round the waist by a belt which probably held their swords or
knives, and which was gaily adorned with buckles of bronze or of
silver. They fastened their cloaks at the neck with bronze -gilt
fibulae, or clasps of precious metal, sometimes enriched with ruby-
coloured glass. Globelets of crystal of great value they suspended
round the neck. Their fingers sparkled with rings of gold, and gems
set with no common skill. The females had their beads of glass and
amber, their bronze pins, their " spindle balls." The Saxon boy and
girl played with their rattles, and strung their perforated cards to
gether, like the children of a later day. In many of his domestic
articles the Saxon displayed a refined taste, absent, perhaps, from
our modern households. His bronze bowls, his wine cups, his fune
ral urns were characterized by a graceful simplicity of design. And
when he committed to the earth the remains of his friends or neigh
bours, the sepulture was marked by a decency, we might almost say a
splendour, which of itself would be a sufficient proof that the Saxon
dwellers in the Isle of Wight were acquainted with many of the arts
and customs of civilized life.
The Danes appear to have first ]5lanted their ominous standards in

10 THE SAXONS IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
the island in the year 897, when " there came six ships and did there
serious harm  Then King Alfred commanded nine of the new
ships [long galleys, which he had built to compete with the swift,
narrow esks, or war-ships, of the Danes] to go thither; and they
obstructed their passage from the port towards the outer sea. Then
went the Danes with three of their ships out against them, and three
lay in the upper part of the port in the dry, for the men were gone
ashore. But the Englishmen took two of the three ships at the
outer part of the haven, and slew the men, and the other ship
escaped ; but in that also all the crew were slain except five, who got
away because the other ships were aground. The English vessels
were also aground very disadvantageously ; three lay ashore on that
side of the deep where lay the Danish ships, and all the rest upon
the opposite bank, so that none could reach the other. But when
the water had ebbed many furlongs from the ships, the Danes crossed
from their three ships to the three which were left by the tide on
their side, and then they fought against them." Of English there
fell in the struggle 72; of Danes, 120. And when the flood-tide
rose, it reached the Danish ships before those of the Angles, and so
they rowed out to sea; but "were so injured that they could not
row round the Sussex land, where the sea cast two of them on
shore" {Saxon Chronicle). And the crews were brought before King
Alfred at Winchester, and by his decree most righteously were
hanged. About 998 the Danes again visited the Isle of Wight, and the
chronicler records that whenever they occupied it, "they obtained
supplies from the South Saxons and the county of Southampton"
{Florence of Worcester). In 1001 they ravaged the unfortunate island
with even more than their ordinary ferocity. "They roved about
even as they pleased, and nothing could withstand them ; nor durst
any fleet by sea oppose them, nor land forces either, howsoever far
into the land they penetrated. Then was it in every way a grievous
time, inasmuch as they never rested from their evil doings" {Saxon
Chronicle). "Therefore," says Florence of Worcester, "no slight
grief affected the king; and a sadness, not to be described, the
people." In this incursion the Danes destroyed a town which the
Saxon Chronicle calls Waltham, — supposed by some authorities,
though on slight grounds, to have occupied the site of the modern
Werrow, near Thorley, — and many " cotlifs," or villages. Then a
treaty was entered into with them ; a certain ransom was paid, and
a temporary peace prevailed.

THE SAXONS IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 11
Prevailed, however, for five years only. In 1006 they once more
plundered the ill-fated island, and again in 1009. In 1013 they
obtained, under Sweyn, such an ascendency in southern England
that Ethelred the Unready was compelled to flee, and " at mid
winter" betook himself " into Wiht-land," where he remained during
the winter months, departing in the spring of 1014 to the court of
Richard, Duke of Normandy.
Sweyn was succeeded on the English throne by the sagacious
Cnut, who appears to have visited the island in 1022 — the last occa
sion on which it trembled before " the Eaven" of the Norsemen.
The Saxon Chronicle, indeed, records that in 1048 " Sandwich and
the Isle of Wight were ravaged, and the chief men that were there
were slain;'' but we believe that this passage refers to an incursion
made by the great Earl Godwin, or his son Harold, in revenge for
the maltreatment they had received at the hands of Edward the
Confessor and his Norman favourites.
The Danes have left no trace of their frequent occupancy of the
island, unless we except a small intrenchment on the elevation called
Castle HUl, near the Longstone, in the parish of Mottistone.
In the struggle between Earl Godwin and the Norman court,
which clouded the later years of Edward the Confessor's reign, the
Isle of Wight, from its position, naturally became a favourite rendez
vous of the powerful English chief. There he obtained provisions,
sheltered his ships, and reinforced his crews. He probably visited
it in 1050, when he was at Bosham with his ships. In 1052, with
his sons Sweyn and Harold, he landed there, and according to the
Saxon Chronicle, " did not much evil except that they seized provi
sions ; but they drew unto them all the land-folk by the sea-coast,
and also up the country." Another version, it is true, paints their
proceedings in blacker colours.
In 1066, "on the 8th of the kalends of May, there was such a
token seen in the heavens as no man ever before saw. Some men
said that it was the star Cometa, which others called the hairy star,
and it shone seven nights. And soon after came Tostig the Earl
(the victorious brother of King Harold), from beyond sea into the
Isle of Wight, with as large a fleet as he could draw together ; and
there they yielded him money as well as food." And during " the
summer and harvest" of the same year. King Harold gathered to
gether his fleet in the secure waters of the Solent, and went himself
into the Wight, keeping his royal state, it may be, in the Keep of
Carisbrooke. This was the prelude to that decisive battle of Hast-

12 CONDITION OF THE ISLAND AT THE NORMAN CONQUEST.
ings, which exercised so strong an influence upon the fortunes of
England. SECTION IV.-CONDITION OF THE ISLAND AT THE PERIOD OF
THE NORMAN CONQUEST.
From the curious but valuable compilation known as the Domesday
Book, made by order of William the Conqueror, we may gather some
interesting facts in illustration of the condition of the Isle of Wight
at the epoch of its occupation by the Normans. It is true that the
Domesday Book was not compiled until 1086 ; but there is no reason
to believe that any material changes were made in the general ar
rangements of the island by the Conquest, which there affected only
the landed proprietary. Apparently the island passed into the hands
of the stranger without let or hindrance ; and it may well be that
the spirit of its inhabitants had been completely broken by the long
tyranny of the Danish sea-chiefs. Probably they submitted to the
Norman invaders with instant readiness ; at all events, they could
not have been in a position to withstand them with the scantiest
prospect of success.
At the date of the Norman Conquest, the Isle of Wight possessed
a population of between 6000 and 7000. The Domesday Book thus
registers the number of villeins, borderers, and serfs employed upon
the lands of the different proprietors : —
On the Crown Lands were 198 villeins, 191 borderers, and 142 serfs.
On William Fitz-Stur's lands were 36 villeins, 56 borderers, and 24 serfs.
On William Fitz-Azor's lands were 16 villeins, 75 borderers, and 16 serfs.
On Gozelin Fitz-Azor's lands were 30 villeins, 44 borderers, and 18 serfs.
On lands belonging to the Chapel of St, Nicholas (in Carisbrooke Castle) was 1
borderer. On lands belonging to the Abbey of St. Mary of Lire in Normandy were 6 villeins.
On lands belonging to the Abbey of St. Mary of Wilton were 7 villeins and 12
borderers On lands belonging to the See of Winchester were SO villeins, 38 borderers, and 23
serfs. On lands belonging to the King's Thegns (or immediate retainers of the Crown) were
33 villeins, 47 borderers, and 11 serfs.
Total — 355 villeins, 464 borderers, and 234 serfs ; in all, 1053 souls.
Allowing, therefore, for armed retainers of the feudal chiefs, the
garrison of Carisbrooke, women, and children, the population of the
island may fairly be estimated as between 6000 and 7000; or, in
fact, at about the same number as when, three centuries before, it
was converted to Christianity.
The Domesday Book also records, as existing in the island, nine
churches: three parochial — Calbourne, Carisbrooke, and Shalfleet;

THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND. 13
and six bestowed by William Fitz-Osbert upon the Abbey of Lire —
Arreton, Freshwater, Godshill, Newchurch, and Niton.
A toll existed at Bowcombe ; there was a bake-house, belonging to
Count William, at Chiverton (Cevredone) ; and a, fishery, in connection
with the mansion — piscaria ad aulam — at Periton (Prestitone).
No fewer than thirty-three mills are named ; two at Avington, one
at Alverston, two at Sandf ord and Week, five at Shide, two at Sheat,
one at Wroxall, four at Whitfield, one at Shalcombe, one at Ford, one
at Horringford, one at Brooke, one at Kingston, two at Bowcombe,
two at Calbourne, one at Gatcombe, one at Westover, one at Wool-
verton, three at Whitfield, one at Yaverland, and one at Shorwell.
Three salterns are mentioned ¦ — at Whitfield, Bowcombe, and
Watchingwood ; nine woods, feeding thirty-seven hags, at Shalfleet,
Wroxall, Bowcombe, Heldelie, WatchingweU, Periton, Selins, Brad
ing, and Shalcombe ; six woods or copses "furnishing wood for
making fences," at Lemerston, Shorwell, Shide, Calbourne, Gat
combe, and Chiverton; and three small woods, free from, pannage, at
Sandford and Week, Hardley and Lepene.
A park, supposed to be the first in England, existed at Watching
weU. {Sir R. Worsley).

SECTION V.-THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND, FROM WILLIAM FITZ-OSBERT
TO ISABELLA DE FORTIBUS.
WILLIAM FITZ-OSBERT.
The Isle of Wight, after the conquest of England by William the
Norman, fell to the share of his kinsman and chief councillor,
WiUiam Fitz-Osbert or Osborne, of whom an old chronicler ,1,
A.D.
speaks as "a man of vast influence, noteworthy for his in
tellectual powers, as well as personal strength" {Guil. Gemett. Hist.
Normann.), and whom the Conqueror, from his boyhood, "had loved
and favoured beyond all other Norman barons '' {Guil. Pictaviensis).
Of the spoils of unhappy England, indeed, his share was such as to
indicate the esteem in which he was regarded by his sovereign. He
was created Count of Hereford, Seneschal and Marshal both of
Normandy and England, Chief Justiciary of the North of England,
Governor of the castles of York and Winchester ; and, finally, the
Isle of Wight was bestowed upon him " for his own use and profit."
These favours, indeed, his courage and prudence merited, and they
were but a just recompense of his important services; for "by his
advice William was encouraged to invade England, and by his

14 THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND.
valour was assisted to preserve it " ( William of Malmeshury). Not
but what, at times, his wrathful sovereign could hold him in dis
favour. On one occasion when, as steward of the household, he
served the Norman Duke " with the flesh of a crane scarcely half
roasted, William was so highly exasperated that he lifted up his fist
and would have struck him, had not Eudo, appointed dapifer (or
napkin-bearer), immediately warded off the blow " ( Warner).
He divided the Isle of Wight among his principal followers — the
Fitz-Azors and Fitz-Sturs — reserving some of the richest manors for
his own behoof, and bestowing others upon the Benedictine Abbey
of Lire (in the diocese of Evreux, in Normandy), which he had
founded and always liberally supported. With six of the island
churches he endowed this priory. He strengthened and perhaps
enlarged the castle, and founded and endowed the priory of Caris
brooke, conferring the latter upon the aforesaid monks of Lire. He
appears to have exercised an absolute supremacy in the island, and
to have dispossessed without remorse all the Saxon landholders, but
those who, as the king's thegns, had held their fiefs directly from
the crown.
The history of the great Norman's chequered career has no rela
tion with that of the Isle of Wight, and we shall content ourselves,
therefore, with recording his death on Septuagesima Sunday 1070, in
a skirmish at Cassels, in Flanders.
He was twice married. By his first wife, Adeliza, daughter of
Roger de Toeni, standard-bearer at Hastings, he had three sons —
William, who succeeded to his estates in Normandy; Ralph, who
became a monk in the Abbey of Cormeilles, which Fitz-Osbert had
also founded ; and Roger, surnamed De Breteuil, or Bretteville, who
became Count of Hereford, and second Lord of the Isle of Wight.
He had also a daughter, Adeliza.
His second wife was Eichildis, daughter of Reginald, Count of
Hainault ; and to his passionate love for this lady his death is
attributed by the ancient annalists. " For a long time had Flanders
been disturbed by intestine commotions. This could not Fitz-Osbert,
who was much enamoured of Richildis, endure; but he entered
Flanders with a body of troops, and being warmly welcomed by
those he came to protect, after some days had passed he rode hastily
from castle to castle, with but a few attendants. Then Friso, being
aware of this imprudence, decoyed him into an ambuscade, and slew
him — fighting bravely, but in vain — together with his step-son,
Ernulph " ( William of Malmeshury).

THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND. 15

ROGER DE BRETEUIL.
The sole circumstance that connects Roger de Breteuil — so named
from the place of his birth— with the Isle of Wight, is an
entry in Domesday Book to the effect that Raynauld, son of ^^"^^
Croc, held a portion of the lands of Wihningham, which Count
Roger had given to his father.
In 1075 Count Eoger incurred the wrath of the Conqueror, and
broke out into a rash revolt, which ended wofuUy for him and his
race. The circumstances are so graphically detailed by the chron
iclers, and so vividly illustrate the peculiar manners and customs of
the time, that the reader may not be displeased to have them placed
before him at greater length than their slight connection with the
island history of itseK would warrant.
As guardian of his youngest sister, Emma, whose dowry he had
undertaken to provide, Eoger de Breteuil contracted for her a mar
riage with a potent noble of Bretagne, one Eaulf de Gael, created
by the Conqueror Count of Norfolk. But King William, fearing,
perhaps, that the intimate alliance of two nobles of such vast power
and haughty spirit might be fatal to the peace of the realm, or for
some other weighty reason, sent over from Normandy expressly to
forbid the nuptials. The proud counts, however, thought fit to
despise their monarch's prohibition, and the marriage was celebrated
at Norwich, the chief city of De Gael's earldom, where —
" Was held that bride-ale
The source of man's bale,"
Saxon Chronicle —
a nuptial feast fatal to aU who attended it. Many bishops, abbots,
and barons were present, and many stalwart warriors. There were
Normans, and Saxons alhed by marriage to those Normans; and
Welshmen — the good friends of Count Eoger of Hereford and Count
Waltheof, who ruled the fair earldoms of Huntingdon, Northampton,
and Northumberland. In due time the heart was opened and the
tongue loosened by large draughts of wine, and out spake Count
Roger in fierce denunciation of the tyranny of King William in seeking
to prohibit his sister's alliance. It was an affront, he cried, to the
memory of his father, who had won for the Bastard his kingdom
( William of Malmeshury).
Then out spake the Saxons, who, indeed, had received far deeper
injuries, and on all sides arose fierce expressions of wrath. "They

16 THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND.
began unanimously, and with loud cries, to plot the betrayal of their
king." Said a Norman : " He is a bastard, and hath no right to a crown."
"He poisoned Conan, our gallant Breton count," muttered a
Breton. " He hath rashly invaded the noble realm of England," cried a
Saxon; "hath unjustly slain the true heirs thereof, or cruelly forced
them into exile."
"And those who aided him," was the reproach of others, "and
through whose valour he is raised higher than aU his race, he hath
treated with cold ingratitude. To us, victors and wounded, he gave
but sterile fields, and these he has taken away, or diminished at the
dictates of his avarice." So they protested solemnly that he was ab
horred by all men, and that many would rejoice were he but to perish.
Whereupon Count Roger said boldly to the powerful Count Wal
theof : " Brave Saxon, now is the much-longed-for hour for thy
revenge. Do thou unite with us, and we will establish the English
monarchy even as it was in the days of Edward. One of us shall be
king, and the other two shall be his generals, and we will govern all.
William assuredly will not return here, seeing that in Normandy he
hath enough upon his hands. Unite then, with us, O Saxon earl,
and do that which is good for thee, and thy family, and thy father
land, down-trodden under foot."
And these words were hailed with a mighty shout of applause,
and Normans and Saxons sware to aid each other, and to overthrow
King William.
But this conspiracy was crushed before it was faMy afoot, by the
energy and vigour of Lanfranc the primate, Odo of Bayeux, and
William de Warrenne. Levying a numerous army, they attacked
Eaulf de Gael's forces at a place called Vagadune, and completely
defeated them — cutting off, it is said, the right foot of every prisoner
they captured. In the west the king's troops also defeated the army
of Count Roger, and he himself was taken prisoner.
Then King William hastily returned to England, and held a court
at Westminster, where the Count of Hereford appeared, and was
unable to deny his treason. In accordance with the Norman laws,
he was condemned to lose his hereditary estates, and to be im
prisoned for life in one of the royal prisons. But haughty was the
spirit and unconquerable the pride of Count Roger, and even in his
dungeon he derided the king, and by his contumacy implacably
offended him. One Easter-tide King William, desirous, it may be.

THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND. 17
of soothing the haughty baron, sent to him a complete suit of costly
stuffs. Straightway Count Roger ordered his attendants to kindle
a great fLre,_and into the flames cast the royal gifts, — a silken tunic,
and a mantle, and a short cloak made of precious furs. When the
king heard of this affront, he was justly angered, and swore, " Very
proud is he who hath done me this dishonour ; and by the splendour
of God, out of my prison, while I live, he shall not go." And the
oath was kept.
Count Eoger died in 1086, and the vast estates of the Fitz-Osberts,
and their sovereign rights in the Isle of Wight, were resumed by
the crown.
On one occasion only did the Conqueror visit his island fortress,
and that was in an hour of peril which strongly brought out
the dominant qualities of his kingly mind. His half-brother, .
Odo, bishop of Bayeux, half warrior, half priest, who had
received from him the earldom of Kent, and fat estates and manifold
honours, collected during the Conqueror's absence in Normandy a
large and powerful following in the Isle of Wight, with the view of
crossing into Italy and intriguing for the Popedom.
The king, apprised of his brother's ambitious design, suddenly
returned, and summoned to Carisbrooke Castle his knights and men-
at-arms, and other vassals.
They met in the Royal Hall {regalis aula), by the shifting lights
of a hundred torches, which wavered and flickered merrily enough
upon the glittering armour of the knightly crowd. William sat
awhile in stern silence upon the dais; but when the murmur of
voices was hushed, he recounted, one by one, the offences which Odo
had done against him.
" Excellent peers," he cried, if we may beheve the old historian,
" I beseech you hearken to my words, and give me your counsel.
At my sailing into Normandy I commended England to the govern
ment of Odo, my brother, the bishop. In Normandy my foreign foes
have risen up against me — yea, and inward friends, I may say, have
invaded me ; for Robert my son, and other young lords whom I have
brought up, and given arms, have rebelled, unto whom my false
clients and other bordering enemies have given their assistance. But
they have not prospered — God (whose servant I am) ever defending
me ; neither have they gotten anything of mine besides iron in their
wounds. They of Anjou prepared against me ; whom, with the fear
only of war, I have pacified. These businesses, you know, have
dra'wn me into Normandy, where I have stayed long, and employed

18 THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND.
my painful endeavours on public behoofs. But, in the meantime,
my brother hath greatly oppressed England, spoiling the Church of
lands and rents ; hath made it naked of ornaments given by our pre
decessors ; and hath seduced my knights, with purpose to train them
over the Alps, who ought to defend the land against the invasion of
the Danes, Irish, and other enemies over strong for me : but my
greatest dolour is for the Church of God, which he hath afflicted, and
unto which the Christian kings that reigned before me have given
many gifts, and with their loves honoured ; for which now (as we
believe) they rest, rejoicing with a happy retribution in a pleasant
state. But my brother, to whom I committed the whole kingdom,
violently plucketh away their goods, cruelly grindeth the poor, and
with a vain hope stealeth away my knights from me, and by oppres
sion hath exasperated the whole land with unjust taxations. Con
sider thereof, most noble lords, and give me, I pray you, your advice
what is herein to be done" {Speed, book ix.).
But Odo was a prelate, and sacred, a noble wealthy and powerful,
and not over slow in his punishment of an enemy. No wonder,
therefore, that out of all that knightly train not one dared raise his
voice against him.
"Seize him!" shouted the Conqueror, as if resolved to construe
their silence into an acknowledgment of his brother's offences — " seize
him, and let him be closely guarded."
But not a knight laid his finger upon the prince of the Church.
All stood mute and aghast at the wrath of the king, who, with in
stant decision, sprang from his seat, strode through his astonished
followers, and grasped his brother's robes.
Whereupon Odo exclaimed, " I am a priest and a servant of the
Lord. None but the Pope has the right to judge me."
The monarch, prepared for the crafty excuse, replied, " I do not
punish thee as a priest, but as my own vassal, and as a noble whom
I myself have made."
And Odo, surrounded by armed men, was borne from his sove
reign's presence, and in due time despatched across the seas, to wear
out many years in a Norman fortress.
Great spoil fell into William's hands. " Heaps of yellow metal did
move admiration in the beholders ; and many of his bag's were taken
up out of the bottom of a river [the Medina ?], where they were
hidden, full of gold ground into powder " {Speed).

THE LORDS OP THE ISLAND. 19

RICHARD DE EBDVBRS I.

In those times lived a powerful knight, Richard de Eedvers {de
Biviers, or de Ripariis), so named from Eiviers, near Creuilli,
11 m —9
in Normandy, who safely sided with King Henry I. in his ¦; ::
contest with his brother Duke Eobert, and whose loyalty so
won that monarch's favour, that, in addition to the honours and
estates which had descended to him from Count Baldwin, his father,
he created him Count of Devon, with a yearly pension of one-third
the revenue of the county, and bestowed upon him the town of
Tiverton, the honour of Plympton, the manor of Christ Church, and
finally, the lordship of the Isle of Wight.
He enjoyed his honours until his death in 1107. By his wife Ade
liza, daughter of William Fitz-Osbert, he left issue ; and his son,
Baldwin de Eedvers, succeeded to his power and titles.
BALDWIN DE REDVEES I.
Count Baldwin, fourth Lord of the Island, was a type of the true
Norman Baron; restless, gallant, impatient of control, — ^but a ,.„_
pious son of the Church, ever ready by the gift of a fat acre ''i'
to deserve its blessings. He lived and reigned in the Isle of
Wight, and probably in such state as romancists and poets have
loved to paint, weaving their thick fancies upon the scanty details
afforded by the ancient chroniclers. He founded Quarr Abbey,* a
monastery of the Cistercian order, choosing for it a pleasant site in
an ample meadow-land, bordered by a thick wood, and opening out
upon the blue waters of the Solent. There he placed a colony of
monks brought over from Savigni, in Normandy, and he Hberally
endowed the monastery he had founded (a.d. 1135). Upon the town
of Eremuth or Yarmouth, situated at the mouth of the Yar, he con-
feiTed a charter — thus creating the first municipality in the Isle of
Wight. Count Baldwin espoused the cause of the Empress Maude, in her
struggle with Stephen for the English crown, and suffering a severe
defeat in the fens of Ely, betook himself with great haste (a.d.
1139-40) to his island fastness. He greatly strengthened and en
larged it, and invented, we are told, many new and surprising
engines of war for its defence. These did not avail him against the
* Quarr, from Quarrarils, in allusion to the quarries in its vicinity, which had
been worked as early as the preceding reign, and were perhaps not unknown to the
Eomans.

20 THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND.
superior military skill and strength of Stephen, who drove him from
the island, and confiscated all his possessions. Nor were they re
stored to him until 1153, when peace was made between Stephen and
Henry Plantagenet. Then the count returned from Normandy to
his Castle of Carisbrooke, and there resided undisturbed until his
death in 1155.
His wife, Adeliza, bore him three sons — Eichard, William, and
Henry — and a daughter, named Adewisia, or Hadewisa, who is
recorded to have possessed lands in the island. Baldwin, his countess,
and his son Henry were buried at Quarr Abbey.
RICHARD DE REDVERS II.
The fifth Lord of the Island, and third Count 'of Devon, was Eich
ard de Eedvers, eldest son of Count Baldwin, who married
ilOD j)iouysia, daughter of Count Eeginald of Cornwall ; begat
two sons, Baldwin and Eichard ; followed his father's excellent
example in enriching the Abbey of St. Mary of Quarr ; and bestowed
a charter upon the rapidly rising town of Newport.
He died in 1161, at Cenomanes, in France, leaving a son, Baldwin,
still a minor.
And here we pause to enumerate, very briefly, some of the privi
leges of the lords of the island. They themselves held their estates
and honours from the crown, and owed it military service, being
bound in escuage at fifteen knights' fees and a half (about 4700 acres).
They alone possessed dominion in the island. Their tenants could
not be taxed by the crown, but held their lands of the castle, or, as
it was sometimes termed, the honour of Carisbrooke. When the
lord's eldest son was admitted to the order of knighthood, or when
his daughters were married, they were bound to defray the attendant
expenses. If the castle were besieged, his tenants were bound to
defend it, at their own cost, for forty days. When he visited the
island, they were required to receive him ; when he left it, to attend
him to the place of embarkation. AU minors were placed under his
guardianship. He had the return of the king's writs, appointed his
own constable and bailiffs, and was coroner within the island. For
his pleasaunce, he had a chase in the forest of Parkhurst, and free
warren over the lands lying east of the Medina. All wrecks on the
coast, all waifs and strays, were his ; and the tolls of the fairs and
market at Ne-wport and Yarmouth. Finally, he had his own judicial
tribunal in the Knighten Court, or Court of Knights, established by
AVilliam Fitz-Osbert, and continued until a comparatively recent

THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND. 21
period, where he and his knights presided, and adjudicated on all
insular claims without let or hindrance from superior authorities
( Worsley). BALDWIN DB REDVERS II.
The second Count Baldwin, sixth Lord of the Wight, who had
married Avicia, daughter of Ealph de Dol, died, without issue,
one year after the death of his father, and was bm-ied at ^^^^
Christ Church {Lansdoimie MSS. 40, art. iv.). " '
RICHARD DE REDVERS III.
Of this Count Richard de Redvers, the historian of the Wight has
nothing to record, except that he was the first to assume the
De Redvers' coat of arms, or, a lion rampant, azure. He died •'•¦'¦""
without issue, and was buried at Mantzbourg, in Normandy.
WILLIAM DE VERNON.
One of the most Ulustrious of the lords of the island was William,
surnamed De Vernon, from a, town in the Cotentin, where he
was born, or, according to some authorities, educated. He "-"^ AD
was the second son of the first Baldwin, Count of Devon and
Lord of the Wight, and succeeded to the dignities and estates of the
De Redvers, in default of male issue to his nephew Eichard.
A gallant baron was William de Vernon, and loyal to his king, the
famous Coeur de Lion ; — at whose second coronation, celebrated on his
return from his Austrian prison (a.d. 1194), Count William was one of
the four barons who supported the silken canopy over the royal head.
As a firm adherent to Eichard, he was necessarily an object of sus
picion and hatred to the crafty John. In the first year of King John's
reign, therefore, the count — fearing confiscation of his estates — made
oyer to Hubert de Burgh, the Grand Justiciary of England (who had
wedded his daughter Joanna), the lordship of the island and the manor
of Christ Church. It was but a nominal surrender ; and on the death
of Hubert de Burgh, in 1206, De Vernon obtained the restitution of
his honours on payment to the crown of the enormous fine of 500
marks, and placing his grandson as a hostage in the king's hands.
De Vernon was one of the great barons who wrested from the reluc
tant John that famous title-deed of English freedom. Magna Charta.*
* After signing this charter. King John fled to the sea-shore, and it has generally
been asserted that he retired to the Isle of Wight. But the king's Itinerary, or journey
book (edited by Sir Thomas Duffus Hardy), conclusively shows that the statement is
erroneous. (712) 3

22 THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND.
He chiefly resided, it is believed, in his Castle of Carisbrooke,
which had undergone many changes since the days of Fitz-Osbert.
Here he exercised, we may well suppose, the splendid hospitality of
a feudal chieftain, and gathered about him his knights and vassals to
hold high revel or enjoy the vigorous pleasures of the chase. The
squire, under his regal roof, may have learned those principles of
chivalry which made the civilization of the feudal times ; and have
practised those athletic exercises which strengthen both the body
and the intellect. Here the page may have waited on the Lady of
the Island, have whispered love to her maids of honour, or at the
banquet ministered to the service of his lord.
" The fretted wall.
Beneath the shade of stately banneral.
Was slung with shining cuirass, sword, and shield :
Light-footed damsels moved with gentle graces
Round the wide hall, and showed their happy faces." — Keats.
William de Vernon imitated his jDredecessors in liberal donations
to the Abbey of Quarr, within the stately walls of which he raised a
mausoleum for his father and himself at a cost of £300, or nearly
J6000, computed at the present value of money. He died on the
14th September 1216, and was interred therein. His son Baldwin —
the third De Eedvers of that name — had " passed away " a few days
before him (1st September), and his titles, honours, and estates,
therefore, devolved upon his grandson, —
BALDWIN DE REDVERS IV.
This Baldwin, the son of Baldwin de Eedvers and Margaret Fitz
gerald, had been placed, as we have shown, in the hands of
"T^^ King John as a hostage for his grandfather's fidelity. On the
death of his kinsman, being still a minor, the king placed him
as a wai-d in the care of the notorious Fulk de Breaute, whom his
mother had been compelled by the king to marry — an unnatural
union, which excited the disgust of all thinking men. Thus " this
high-minded lad.y," says Matthew Paris, "became the wife of a
murtherous traitor. The noble was linked to the ignoble ; the pious
to the blasphemous ; the beautiful — against her will, indeed and con
strained by the tyrant .Tolin— to the base. So that of this niarriace
a certain poet has sung with sufficient elegance : —
' By law, by love, by household feelings bound-
Yet say, what law is this ? what love, or peace ?

THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND. 23
Law without law, and love that hate hath found.
And concord strange whose discords never cease.'"*
But this unworthy minion fell from his proud estate in 1224, was
deprived of his ill-gotten treasures, and banished the country.
Whereupon the wardship of the young Count Baldwin was intrusted
to Richard, Count of CornwaU, the able brother of Henry III., by
whose influence a marriage was contracted with Amicia de Clare,
daughter of Gilbert, Count of Gloucester (a.d. 1227), — the latter
being constrained to pay to the royal treasury a fine of 2000 marks
on the union of his daughter with so wealthy a young noble {Rotid.,
xi. Henry III). A son, Baldwin, was born to the youthful couple in
1235 ; and a daughter, Isabella, in 1237.
At Christmas tide, in 1240, when the third Henry held a brilliant
court at Winchester, Baldwin, adolescens primal indolis, miles elegan-
tissimus, a youth of noble disposition, and skilfully practised in all
martial exercises, was knighted, and formally invested with the lord
ship of the Wight {Matthmo Paris), — the privileges of that high
dignity having been previously enjoyed by his guardian, the Count
of Cornwall. Five years later, and Count Baldwin died (15th
February, 1245) wliOe stUl in the prime of manhood.
AMICIA DB CLARE.
At the period of his decease, his son Baldwin, the fifth De Redvers
of that name, was only ten years old, and his wardship was
intrusted to one Henricus de Wengham. He married, at the , ,,.,
° ^ A.D.
immature age of fifteen or sixteen, Avicia of Savoy, a cousin
of Queen Eleanor; had a son, John, who died at the early age of ten;
was knighted on the occasion of the nuptials of King Henry's
daughter Beatrice with the Duke of Brittany ; and deceased in
September 1252, of poison administered to him at the table of Peter
de Savoy, Earl of Richmond, when Richard of Gloucester also met
his death by the same foul means. He was buried at Breamore.
The lordship of the Isle of Wight formed a portion of the dowry
of his mother Amicia de Clare, who enjoyed it from the death of her
husband until her own decease in 1283, when the estates and honours
of the De Redvers became the undisputed inheritance of her daughter,
the celebrated Lady of the Island, —
* Lex connectit eos, amor, et concordia lecti.
Sed lex qualis ? amor quails ? concordia quails ?
Lex exlex ; amor exosus ; concordia discors.

24 THE LORDS OF THE ISLAND.

ISABELLA DE FORTIBUS.
Isabella, daughter of Baldwin de Eedvers and Amicia de Clare,
married, in her early youth, WiUiam de Fortibus, Count of
^^ Aumerle or Albemarle, and at the age of twenty-thi-ee was
left a widow, her husband dying at Amiens in 1260. She had
had by him three sons, John, Thomas, and William; and two
daughters, Alice and Aveline. The latter alone survived her ; the
others died in infancy.
On the death of her mother she succeeded, at the ripe age of forty-
six, to the vast inheritance of the De Eedvers, while in right of her
marriage she enjoyed the large estates of the Aumerles. Her abili
ties and administrative capacity appear to have been considerable,
and she supported her weighty honours with becoming dignity. She
resided principally in her Castle of Carisbrooke, where she maintained
an almost regal splendour. With knights and pages in her train,
and a body-guard of men-at-arms, we may imagine that she swept in
exceeding pomp along the broad highways of her island realm ; often
visiting, we may be sure, that new and important borough of Medina
or Newport, upon which she had conferred extensive privUeges; and
the municipalities of Yarmouth and Francheville (Newtown), founded
by her ancestors.
She was very bountiful to the Abbey of Quarr, bestowing upon it
several manors, and fully confirming the donations of her predecessore;
and to the Norman Abbey of Mantzbourg she granted her possessions
at Appuldurcombe and Week. To other religious foundations she
was equally liberal. But nevertheless she knew how to preserve her
own dignities from ecclesiastical encroachment. She claimed certain
lands enjoyed by the Abbey of Quarr, and so prompt were her pro
ceedings that the monks were forced to seek the protection of the
Crown ; and Edward I. intrusted their defence to William de Bray-
breuf, Sheriff of HamiDshire. She quarrelled also — history does not
record the why — witli the convent of Breamore, which received
gravissima damna, such heavy dmuages in the strife, that the King
judged it right to command the Bishop of Winchester, in considera
tion of its losses, to endow it with the church of Brading. " On the
vacancy of a prior of Christ Church, she assumed the power of hold
ing the lands of the convent in her hands ; and a prior of Carisbrooke
being elected without her approbation, she summoned him to answer
in her court."
Isabella de Fortibus died at Stock weU, in Surrey, in 1293 ao'ed

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 25
fifty-six. On her deathbed she executed a deed by which, for the
sum of 6000 marks — upwards of J60,000 — she parted with all the
powers, privUeges, and lands of the lordship of the Wight to Edward
I.* The king had previously sought the concession from her
daughter, the Lady Aveline, but her untimely death abruptly ter
minated the negotiation.
Henceforth, then, we are to regard the Isle of Wight as an appan
age of the Crown, the lordship of which " was rarely granted, except
for life or during pleasure, to such as the king delighted to honour."
SECTION VI.-FROM ISABELLA DE FORTIBUS TO SIR JAMES WORSLEY.
The Wardens op the Island.
The government of the Isle of Wight, under Edward I. and his
successors, was, with few exceptions, administered by Wardens, or
Cu^todes Insvlce, appointed by the Crown, and removable at the
Sovereign's pleasure. With these were often joined in commission
the Constable of Carisbrooke Castle, the Bishop of Winchester, or
some one or two notable knights, for the purpose of regulating and
investigating its defences. For the Wight, during the stormy reigns
of the Plantagenets and their incessant wars with France, was neces-
sarUy a position of considerable military importance.
The first Warden appointed by Edward I. was John Fitz-Thomas,
of whom "nothing further is known, but that he was also 1 OQO
steward of the New Forest." He was succeeded in 1295 by . „
¦^ A.D.
Eichard de Affeton {Afton), with whom was joined in com
mission Humphrey de Donasterre, Constable of Carisbrooke. And,
in the following year, another commission was appointed for the
purpose of examining into the defensive forces of the island, — Sir
Richard de Affeton, the Bishop of Winchester, and Adam de
Gourdon. This Adam de Gourdon, we may observe par parenthese, had been
a famous freebooter, and in the days of the feeble Henry III., the
terror of the Hampshire hinds. His bands ravaged the shire from
east to west, issuing forth, ever and anon, from their strongholds in
the bowery glades of the New Forest, where their leader maintained
a sovereign state, to carry off the beeves, the corn, and, it may be,
* Hugh de Courtney, her heir, the founder of the Conrtneys of Devon, disputed the
testament of the countess, and declared it a forgery. His charges were formally
investigated by the Parliament, and pronounced unfounded. — See Parliamentary Moils,
ix., Edward II.

26 THE WARDENS OP THE ISLAND.
the brown-cheeked daughters of the panic-smitten farmers. Against
this redoubtable robber-knight Prince Edward at length led a troop
of men-at-arms, and came up with him at Alton ; but it was agreed,
in accordance with the chivalrous spirit of the times, that the for
tunes of the day should be decided by a passage-at-arms between the
two leaders. So the sword of the rebel crossed the sword of the heir
of England. Sharp and obstinate was the combat, — long aftei'wards
celebrated by the old ballad minstrels, — but the prince succeeded in
disarming his opponent, and brought him to the ground. He spared
his life, with a rare generosity, and procured him the royal forgive
ness. Finally, recognizing in him certain chivalrous qualities, he
appointed him to a post near his own person ; and a trusty servant
of King Edward became the rebel whom Prince Edward had doubly
vanquished. From 1302 to 1307, Sir John de Lisle of Wootton, surnamed De
Bosco (of the Wood), was warden of the island, and also held the
constableship of the Castle of Carisbrooke. This John de Lisle was
a knight of weight and influence, and appears to have been, so to
speak, "the representative man" of the island-chivalry. "With
divers other great men," he was summoned (23 Edward I.) " to con
sult of the important affairs of the realm." He accompanied the
great Plantagenet, " well fitted with horae and arms," on his expedi
tions into France and Scotland. His son, John de Lisle, was one of
the many noble youths who received the honour of knighthood with
Prince Edward — "by bathing, and divers sacred ceremonies" — at
'¦ the famous solemnity," held by King Edward in the thirty-fourth
year of his reign {Dugdale).
Nicholas de Lisle, in 1307, the year of Sir John's death, was
appointed to the wardenship, and commanded by Edward II. to
l^lace the island in the possession of his infamous minion. Piers
Gaveston, Earl of Cornwall. But the gentlemen of the Wight, and
the English nobility, remonstrated so strongly against this appoint
ment that the weak king was compelled to rescind it ; and he shortly
afterwards bestowed the lordship, with all its privileges, and the
Castle of Carisbrooke, on his eldest son, the gallant EdwiU'd, then
styled Earl of Chester. " That prince kept them in his possession as
long as he lived, governing by wardens, as had before been practised
by his grandfather. These he generally chose out of the chief gentle
men of the island, judging them the fittest to defend their own land "
( Worsley). Sir John de Lisle, sou of the former warden, was appointed to this

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 27
importaiit office in 1310. He was succeeded in 1321 by Sir Henry
Tyes, who was beheaded for treason in the foUowing year. In 1325,
the wardens were John de la Hure and John Lisle; in 1336, John
de Langford, Lord of Chale ; and, in 1338, Theobald Russel, Lord of
Yaverland. And here we propose, in accordance with our general plan, to pause
for awhile in this arid summary of names and dates, and to put be"
fore the reader, with such skill as we can command, a View of the
curious defensive military arrangements of the Wight under the
Plantagenets. At the present time, such a subject cannot be Without
interest, and may not be without profit.
It is diificult, however, to approximate to any correct estimate of
the number of men which formed the militia of the island. Every
able-bodied inhabitant was liable, in the event of its invasion, to be
called upon to bear arms ; and those were the days when the English
peasant knew how to draw "the tough bow-string" with a strength
and a skill which rendered it a formidable weapon. From various
ancient rolls we also gather that the Earls of Devon, in right of their
feudal service, contributed to the insular forces 70 men-at-arms ; the
King, 100 bowmen ; the City of London, 300 ; while several religious
houses and the principal landowners together supplied 127 men-at-
arms and 141 bowmen. Every person owning land of the yearly
value of i£20, was bound to provide a horseman fully armed. The
island was parcelled out into nhie military districts, over each of
which was set its principal landholder or most distinguished knight.
If the reader wiU take his map, and follow upon it the an-angement
we are about to indicate, he wUl see that the division was ordered
with considerable skill : —
1. Yaterland, Bembridge, Northill, and Brading were under William Eussel, Lord of
Yaverland.
2. Stmbury, Whitwell, Wroxall, Bonchurch, Cliff, Apse, Niton, and Sandovm, under
Peter de Heyno, Lord of Stenbury.
3. Knighton, St. Helen's, Kerne, Ryde, Quarr, Binstead, and Newchurch, under Theo
bald de Gorges, Lord of Knighton.
4. The Borough of Newport, under the Bailiff of Newport.
6. East Standen, Arreton, Whippingham, St. Catlierine's, Eookley, Nettlecombe,
and Wootton, under John Urry, Lord of East Standen.
6. Kingston, Shorwell, Carisbrooke, Park, Northwood, and WatchingweU, under
John de Kingston, of Bangston.
1. Brixton, Calbourne, Mottistone, and Newtown, under Thomas Chyke, Lord of
Mottistone.
8. Brook, Shalfleet, Tlwrley, and Yarmouth, under the Lord of Brook.
9. Compton, A/ton, and Freshwater, under Adam de Compton, Lord of Compton.
On the chief eminences and exposed points of the coast, watches

28 THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND
were stationed by day and night, and beacons * kept in readiness.
Thus, in the East Medina, were thirteen of these stations; in the
West Medina, sixteen. If a hostile squadron sailed up the eastern
entrance of the Solent, straightway the fire blazed upon St. Helen's
Hill, meeting with instant response from the ready sentinels who
kept watch on the heights of Shanklin — on the down which towers
above Appuldurcombe — at Niton, and rocky Atherfield. Thence the
signal sped afar into the very heart of the island, to Standen and to
Avington ; and so away, on the one hand, to Ryde, Wootton, and
Cowes ; on the other, to Freshwater and Mottistone, and " the sea
shore at Brighstone." " And soon a score of fires, I ween.
From height, and hill, and cliff, were seen ;
Each with warlike tidings fraught.
Each from each the signal caught ;
Each after each they glanced to sight.
As stars arise upon the night."
Other regulations made by the inhabitants for their security have
been preserved by Sir Richard Worsley {History, p. 31), and are
curious enough as illustrations of the iron conditions under which the
islanders then " held their own : " —
1. That there should be but three ports in the island — namely. La
Riche (Ryde), Shamblord (East Cowes), and Yarmouth.
2. That three persons should be appointed wai'dens of these ports,
who were to prevent any one from retu-ing from the island, or export
ing provisions from thence without license.
3. That none but licensed boats should be pei-mitted to pass, ex
cept the boat belonging to the Abbot of Quarr, a boat belonging to
Sir Bartholomew de Lisle, and another belonging to Robert de
Pimely. The Warden of the Island possessed extensive powers : — could
array, at his pleasure, the horse and foot forces ; could raise new
levies, if necessary ; could provide them with weapons ; could draw
additional men from Hampshire; could compel the return of all
absentees on laain of forfeiture of their lands, tenements, goods, and
chattels ; and, in case of non-compliance, provide men to supply their
places. The King supplied the Castle of Carisbrooke with ten tuns
of wine, one hundred quarters of wheat, the same quantity of malt,
* A beacon \vas " a long and strong tree set up, with a long iron pole across the
head of it, and an iron brander fixed on a stalk in the middle of it, for holding a tar
barreh"

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 29
and oats ; fifty quarters of pease and beans ; with coals, wood, salt,
and other munitions. And to encourage the military spirit of the
inhabitants, he conferred upon them great and peculiar privUeges.
We may add that the landholders of the island were compelled, by
the terms on which they held their estates, to defend the Castle of
Carisbrooke in time of war at their own expense {sumptibus propriis)
for forty days (7 Edward III.).
A few words'* in elucidation of the ecclesiastical condition of the
island at this period may perhaps be permitted us before resuming
our historical narrative. Most of those quiet vUlage churches which
lend such a charm to its picturesque landscapes — nestling away in
shadowy combes, and among leafy copses, or looking out afar from
lonely heights upon the distant sea — echoed with matin and with
vesper in the days of the Norman barons. But the chapels or ora
tories which existed in connection with their stately mansions have
passed away — passed away like the names of their founders, like the
noble old manorial houses which once were so numerous in the
island, but of which not a gray arch or ivied buttress can now be
traced. Thus, of the chapels once existing at Alfredston (Alverston), Brid-
dlesford, Lymerston, Whitfield, and Standen, the antiquary seeks in
vain for a relic ; and keen must be his regret that memorials of the
past so full of interest have not been spared by Time and "sacrilegious
hands." But at Arreton still rises a gray old tower. At Chale, bleak,
desolate, and lonely — in the leafy village of BrigJistone — on the
abrupt hUl of Carisbrooke — at Godshill, looking down upon the fertile
mead — at Thorley, Shalfleet, sequestered Shorwell, and pleasant Gat-
combe — at quiet and sequestered Mottistone, stUl stand the churches,
repaired, "restored," and somewhat changed in aspect, it is true,
which gave up their revenues five centuries and a half agone to the
Norman Abbey of Lire and the Island Abbey of Quarr. The hamlet
of St. Helen's, now as then, supports a church, though the Prioi-y long
ago passed from the memory of man. Carisbrooke's rich priory, the
small " cell " of monks at Appuldurcombe, and the priory of St. Cross
at Newport, have utterly vanished from the earth. But the churches
of Calhoume, Yarmouth, Freshioater, Neiochurch, Brading, and
Wootton, and the dependent chapels of Northwood, St. Lawrence,
and Neviport, are still among the ecclesiastical edifices of the island.
Within the walls of Carisbrooke Castle was a small but parochial
* From a Return made by tho Dean of the Island to Henry Woodlock, Bishop of
Winchester, in 1305.

30 THE WARDENS OP THE ISLAND,
church, that of Sanctus Nicolas hi Castro, whose memorials now-a-
days are without interest or importance.
In the Isle of Wight, then, about this time, existed no fewer than
sixteen churches and eleven chapels, many of them possessed of con
siderable wealth and some degree of architectural beauty. There
were also an opulent abbey, that of Quarr ; the priories of St. Helen's,
Carisbrooke, and St. Cross ; the cell of Appuldurcombe, and a chantry
at St. Catherine's. Altogether a liberal ecclesiastical provision for a
population which probably did not exceed 12,000.
The courage of the islanders and the value of their military pre
parations were first tested in the year of grace 1340, when a French
force landed at St. Helen's point and rapidly pressed forward into
the interior. Sir Theobald Russel, at the head of the insular forces,
coming up with them, drove them back to their ships, but unfor
tunately fell in the brief though sang-uinary action. Stow, by the
way, calls him ;S'i/' Peter ; a pregnant illustration of the truth of
Byron's dictum, — " Thrice happy he whose name has been well-spelt
In the despatch ! "
In 1377 the French again invaded the island, and succeeded in
forcing their way as far as Newport. The inhabitants retired for
shelter to Carisbrooke Castle, which, says Stow, Sir Hugh TyriU
" kept manfully." A body of the invaders, approaching the castle,
were decoyed into an ambuscade, and so completely cut up that
the exulting islanders named the place where they feU "Noddies'
Hill " (now Node Hill) and " Dead-man's Lane " ( Worsley). Unable
to capture the castle, and perhaps apprehensive of the besiegers re
ceiving formidable reinforcements, the French retired, " taking of the
inhabitants 1000 marks to spare their houses unburnt" {Stow). In
this invasion the towns of Yarmouth and Francheville were com
pletely destroyed, and the whole island appears to have been in the
temporary occupation of the enemy.
The lordship of the Isle of Wight and the Ciistle of Carisbrooke
1 QBR ^^'''^^ bestowed by Richard II., in the ninth year of his reign,
•'¦^^° on a potent and splendid noble, William de Montacute, Earl
of Salisbury, who fills no unimportant niche in English history.
This lord had enjoyed the special favour of Edwai'd III., havino-
fought with him at the siege of Caen and the battle of Cregy. He
won two memorable sea-fights — defeating the Spaniards off Win-
chelsea in 1351, and burning seven large Spanish ships at St. Malo

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 31
in 1373. At the battle of Poictiers he commanded the rearward of
the English army ; " in the heat of which fight, it is said that he
strove with the Earl of Warwick which of them should most bedew
the land of Poictiers with French blood " {Dugdale).
This gallant baron, who was one of the first knights of the most
noble Order of the Garter, was wont to maintain on ship-board 300
men-at-arms, 300 archers, 20 knights, and 279 esquires — a magnifi
cent contribution, assuredly, to the naval strength of England.
Edward III., in 1377, made him Admiral of the fleet ; and he was
present at Sheen in the June of the same year, when the great
sovereign who had so liberally recompensed his services " passed
away." Never resting on his arms, we hear of him in the following
year as harassing the French coast with his ships and capturing
Cherbourg. Shortly afterwards he was appointed Governor of
Calais. A terrible calamity befell him in 1383. " In a, tUting at Windsor,''
chai'ging in the melee, he accidentally slew his only son — a misfortune
which clouded all his later years. In 1386 Eichard II. bestowed
upon him "the Isle of Wight and the Castle of Carisbrooke," with
aU their royalties, rights, and privUeges, "without paying any rent;"*
honours which the magnificent earl enjoyed eleven yeai'S, dying at
Christ Church, Twyneham, on the 3rd June 1397.
On the death of this earl, the constableship of Carisbrooke was be
stowed, for his life, upon Thomas, Earl of Kent ; the lordship
of the island was conferred upon Edmund, Earl of Eutland, ^ ^
fifth son of Edward III., a man whose ambition, valour, and
sagacious intellect enabled him to hold his own even in the stormy
days of Henry IV.
Against Eichard II. and his brothers of Lancaster and York, a
conspiracy was formed, in 1397, by the Earls of Derby, Arundel, and
Warwick, the Duke of Gloucester, and certain dignitaries of the
Church, from which this Earl Edmund gained a great advantage.
For the plot being discovered, and the leaders beheaded, Earl Edmund
received a large share of the spoil of their vast estates. The Earl of
Warwick was suffered to escape with banishment to the Isle of
Wight, his sentence being pronounced in this quaint fashion : —
" Earl of Warwick ! this sentence is very favourable, for you have
deserved to die as much as the Earl of Arundel ; but the handsome
• A great French invasion being apprehended in 1386, the Earl of Salisbury, inas
much as " his lands were in the Isle of Wight, was ordered thither to guard and protect it
mth its men-at-arms and bowmen" (Froissart).

32 THE WARDENS OP THE ISLAND.
services you have done in time past to King Edward, of happy
memory, and the Prince of Wales, his son, as well on this as on the
other side of the sea, have secured your life ; but it is ordered that
you banish yourself to the Isle of Wight, taking with you a suffi
ciency of wealth to support your state so long as you shaU live, and
that you never quit the island " {Froissart).
The earl, created Duke of Albemarle, played an important part
in the shifting drama of the reign of Henry IV. ; but his treason
and his ambition, his deeds of valour and wisdom, his subtUty and
courage, rather belong to the history of England than to the annala
of the Isle of Wight.
Having received his hereditary title of Duke of York, he accom
panied Henry V. in that famous invasion of France which
*r^ closed so gloriously with the battle of Agincourt ; and upon
that historic field terminated his turbulent career. " It is said
that he desired of King Henry that he might have the fore-ward of
the battle that day, and had it ; and that by much heat and throng
ing, being a fat man, he was smothered to death " {Dugdale).
" Suffolk first died, and York, all haggled over.
Comes to him, when in gore he lay insteeped.
And takes him by the beard ; kisses the gashes,
That bloodily did yawn upon his face ;
And cries aloud, — Tarry, dear cousin Suffolk t
My soul shall thine keep company to heaven :
Tarry, sweet soul, for mine, then fly abreast ;
As, in this glorious and well-foughten field.
We kept together in our chivalry ! " — Shakespeake.
During the lordship of Earl Edmund the Fi-ench made another
descent upon the island. The old chronicle thus tells the
tale : — " Walerani, Count de St. Pol, assembled at Abbeville,
in Ponthieu, about 1600 fightiug men, among whom were
many men of noble birth, who had largely provided salted meat, bis
cuits, brandy, flour, and other things necessary for use at sea. From
Abbeville the count led them to Harfleur, where they found all sorts
of vessels ready to receive them. Having there abode some days to
perfect their arrangements, and commend themselves to St. Nicholas,
they embarked on board these vessels and sailed straight for the Isle
of Wight. Landing there, they assumed a bold face to meet their
enemies, of whom, on their landing, they had seen but little ; most
or all of them having retired to the woods and fastnesses. And now
the count made several new knights ; namely, Philippe de Harcoiirt,
Jean de Frosseux, Le Seigneur de Guiency, and several othera, who

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 33
went to burn some paltry villages, and set on fire some other places.
Meanwhile there came to them an astute priest of the country to
treat for the ransom and safety of the isle ; and he gave the count to
understand that to him and his knights would be paid a very con
siderable sum of money. To this did the count lend an eager ear ;
but it was simply a deception on the part of the priest, so that their
movements might be interrupted until the strength of the island
could be got together. Now of this plot Waleram at length was
advised, but too late for him to avenge himself ; and re-embarking
his men with all speed, he set sail, and returned home without effect
ing anything more. Then were his lords sore displeased with him,
inasmuch as they had invested largely in provision for this expedi
tion, which had thus been utterly overthrown by a solitary priest "
{Monstrdet, c. xix).
Earl Edmund's widow obtained from the king a grant for life of
the lordship of the island, the castle and manor of Carisbrooke,
the manor of Bowcombe, and the tithes of the church of Fresh- '^ i
water. She also possessed, as a portion of her dowry, the
manors of Thorley, Whitfield, Pann, and Niton, so that she specially
deserves a line of record among the historic men and women of the
Wight. She died in 1430.
" Towards the latter end of this year a body of Frenchmen landed
on the island, and boasted that they would keep their Christ
mas there ; but as near a thousand of them were driving cattle '^ i
towards their ships, they were suddenly attacked by the
islanders, and obliged to leave, not only all their plunder, but also
many of their men behind."
In the foUowing year, or "about that time,'' they came again
" with a great navie, and sent certayne of their men to demand in
the name of King Eichard, and of Queen Isabell, a tribute or sub-
sedie of the inhabitants ; who answered that King Richard was dead,
and the queen, some time his wife, was sent home to his parents,
without condition of any tribute ; but if the Frenchmen's minde
were to fight, they willed them to come up, and no man should let
{hinder) them for the space of five hours to refresh themselves, but
when that time was expired, they should have battayle given to
them : which when the Frenchmen heard, they went away and did
nothing" {Stow). Such confidence in their own valour had the battle
of Agincourt and the victories of Henry of Monmouth excited in the
men of the Wight.
The lordship of the island, " by virtue of a grant of the reversion

34 THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND.
thereof," passed into the hands of the famous Humphrey, Duke of
Gloucester (17 Henry VI.), on the decease of the Duchess of
York. There is no reason to suppose that he ever set his foot
upon its .shores, and we therefore content ourselves with this
brief notice of his temporary connection with it. During his lordship,
Henry Trenchard, an island gentleman, held the post of warden.
A singular event in our annals is here to be noted. Upon Henry
Beau champ, Duke of Warwick, King Henry — "to whom he
"** was very dear" — bestowed the nominal dignity of King of the
Isle of Wight, and jjlaced the mimic crown with his own hands
upon his youthful brow. " He had the Castle of Bristol given him,
with the islands of Guernsey and Jersey, the patronage of the Church
and Priory of St. Mary Magdalene of Goldcliff, with leave to annex
it to the Church of Tewkesbury. He confirmed the grants made by
his predecessors to the Church of Tewkesbury ; gave all the ornaments
he wore to purchase vestments for the monastery; died in the
twenty-second year of his age, and was biu'ied in the middle
of the choir."
Though titular king, he enjoyed neither power nor profit from his
dignity, the lordship remaining with "the good duke'' until his death
in 1447.
Henry Trenchard then received from King Henry a grant of the
constableship of Carisbrooke.
Eichard Plantagenet, Duke of York, father of Edward IV., was
the next lord of the island; and one John Newport and
Henry Bruin were successively his lieutenants. Against the
illegal oppressions of the former, the inhabitants remonstrated
forcibly, and laid their complaints both before the duke and the
parliament. Duke Richard fell in the battle of Wakefield, — one of
the most sanguinary of the great fights of the White and Red Roses,
—in 1460.
Edmund, Duke of Somerset, in 1453, obtained a grant of the island
and the Castle of Carisbrooke for himself and his heira-male, in
"Ti, satisfaction of certain sums of money due to him from the crown.
He was slain in the skirmish at St. Albans, May 22, 1455.
His son Henry, Duke of Somerset, succeeded to his honours, but
revolted from the Yorkish partj^, to which his father had
^^ clung so stoutly. Thereupon, being taken by Lord Montague
at the battle of Hexham, fought upon the banks of the Dils-
water. May 15, 1464, his head was struck off without the formality
of trial or sentence.

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 35
The gallant Anthony, Lord Scales,'*- next received a dignity iUus-
trated by so many of the heroic leaders of feudal England.
His royal brother-in-law, in recognition of his eminent ser- '
vices, bestowed upon him " a grant in special tail of the Isle
of Wight, with the castle and lordship of Carisbrooke, and all other
the castles, manors, and lordships in the island." The next year he
was despatched as ambassador to Charles, Duke of Burgundy, to
negotiate a marriage between the prince and the Lady Margaret,
sister to Edward IV. In return, came to Edward's court a chivalrous
nobleman, the Count de Charolois, or the Bastard, " having in his
retinue divers brave men, expert in all feats of chivalry, and to the
number of 400 horse in his train ; " and great festivities were pre
pared for his welcome.
And here the reader will permit us to introduce a brief episode in
illustration, not only of Lord Scales' mighty merits, but of the manners
of the age wherein he lived. We shall borrow the words of a famous
historian, but the lover of fact arrayed in splendid fiction will find
the scene we are about to quote charmingly painted in glowing
colours by the late Lord Lytton, in his " Last of the Barons." The
king decreed a grand tourney, or tilting match, "whereupon lists
were set up in West Smithfield, and upon Thursday next after Corpus
Christi Day (1467), the king being present, they ran together with
sharp spears, and parted with equal honour. Likewise, the next day,
on horseback ; at which time this Lord Scales his horse, having a
long sharp jute of steel on his chaffron,t upon their coping together
it ran into the nose of the Bastard's horse. Which making him to
mount, he fell on the one side with his rider. Whereupon this Lord
Scales rode about him, with his sword drawn, till the king commanded
the marshal to help him up, no more being done that day.
" But the next day coming into the lists on foot, with pole-axes,
they fought valiantly, till the point of this lord's pole-axe entered the
sight of the Bastard's helm. Which being discerned by the king, he
cast down his warder, to the end the marshal should sever them.
Hereupon the Bastard requiring that he might go on of his enter
prise, and consultation being had with the Duke of Clarence, then
constable, and the Duke of Norfolk, marshal, whether it might be
aUowed or not, they determined that if so, then, by the law of arms,
* Edward TV., in the first of his reign, conferred the captainship for life on Sir
Geoffrey Gates, who surrendered it in 1467 and received in compensation the governor-
£hip of Calais.
t Chevron, a head-piece, the head armour of the horse.

36 THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND.
the Bastard ought to be delivered to his adversary in the same con
dition as he stood when the king caused them to be severed. Which
when the Bastard understood, he relinquished (very wisely !) his
further challenge " {Dugdale, Baro?iage, vol. ii.).
Lord Scales, on the death of his father, became Earl Rivers, hut
did not enjoy the earldom many years. Being a formidable obstacle
in the upward path of Richard of Gloucester, he was put to death at
Pontefraot Castle on the 13th or 14th of June 1483.
" O Pomfret ! Pomfret ! O thou bloody prison,
Fatal and ominous to noble peers ! " — Shakespeare.
On the death of Earl Rivers, Richard III. bestowed the captaincy
of the island on Sir William Berkeley, and shortly afterwards
.%, on Sir John Savile. The battle of Bosworth Field, however,
A.D. . . , . .
summarily disposed of King Richard's servants, and in 1485
the lordship and captaincy of the Isle of Wight were granted by
Henry VII. to his wife's brother, —
SIR EDWARD WOODVILLE.
" A stout man of arms,'' and of famous excellence in all knightly
exercises, who appears to have gained considerable influence over the
knights and gentlemen of his miniature realm.-* For being much
affected towards the Duke of Brittany, who was then at war with the
King of France, Sir Edward determined to lead a body of men-at-
arms to his assistance. " And having plain repulse and deniaU of the
king, could not rest, but determined to work his business secretly
without any knowledge of the king, and went straight into the Isle
of Wight, wdiereof he was made ruler and captain, and there gathered
together a crew of hardy pereonages, to the number of 400 " {Hall,
folio XV.). So, with forty gentlemen in four vessels, he set sail from
St. Helen's for Brittany ; joined the Duke's forces, and marched
against the French army, with which they came into collision at St.
Aubin. "To make the Frenchmen believe that they had a great number
of Englishmen, they apparelled 1700 Bretons in coats with red crosses,
after the English fashion. The Englishmen shot so fast, that the
Frenchmen in the fore-ward were fain to recede to the battaile where
their horsemen were." But they were finally outnumbered and out-
generalled ; and notwithstanding the courage of the islanders, the
* He repaired and strengthened the Castle of Carisbrooke, and erected its noble
gate-house, with its circular towers, still bearing tlie scutcheon of the Woodvilles, and
the white rose of York.

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 37
Bretons were totally routed. So terrible, truly, was the carnage, that
out of the four hundred English who had followed Sir Edward's
standard, only one — a boy — escaped to relate the sad history of their
misfortunes ; their leader, and " many noble and notable persons "
were among the slain. And there was scarcely a family in the
island which had not cause to rue the fatal battle of St. Aubin's
(A.D. 1488).
Sir Reginald Bray, a trusty servant of King Henry's mother, who
had been " most happUy instrumental in advancing King Henry
to the royal throne by his faithful and sedulous transacting in
that affau- " {Dugdale), received a lease of the island, with the
Castle of Carisbrooke and its appurtenances, the crown lands, and
the manors of Swainstone, Brighstone, Thorley, and Wellow, on the
condition of making a yearly payment to the crown of 307 marks
( J205, nearly £2500 at the present value of money). It must have
been during Sir Reginald's administration that Edward IV.'s daughter.
Lady Cicely, retired to the Isle of Wight, and spent there the last
years of her singularly chequered life, of which so httle is known to
the general reader, that a brief memoir may not be unacceptable.
THE PRINCESS CICELY.
Cicely, or CecUia, the third daughter of Edward IV. and Elizabeth
his wife, was bom towards the close of 1469. Her first years were
years of storm and shadow ; for she was scarcely a twelvemonth old
when her royal mother, on the outbreak of the Lancastrian rebellion,
was compelled to flee with her to sanctuary at Westminster ; and she
had but just attained her fifth year, when she was betrothed by
proxy (26th December, 1474) to James, the sou of James III. of
Scotland. The contemplated marriage, however, was not carried out. King
Edward's ambitious designs preventing its consummation ; and the
Lady CecUia, instead of a throne and probable unhappiness, was left
to consult at a future period the modest wishes of her loving heart,
and to furnish English history with the rare instance of a daughter of
one of its kings wedding "a man of mean estate."
On the decease of Edward IV., and the gradual development of
Eichard of Gloucester's ambitious designs, Cecilia and her elder sister
were placed in sanctuary at Westminster. A scheme devised by
their adherents for their escape to the Continent was betrayed to
Eichard, and he immediately placed a strong guard round the sanc
tuary, under the command of one of his creatures, John Nesfield.
(712) 4

38 THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND.
Thus imprisoned, the royal ladies and the queen-mother remained for
nine months, negotiating meanwhile with the subtle Richard relative
to his proposed alliance with the Princess Elizabeth. His "messengers,
being men of gravity, handled the queen so craftily, that anon she
began to be allured, and to hearken unto them favourably " {Harding).
Richard at length solemnly undertook to provide for their safety,
to put them " in honest places of good name and fame ; " to
*°7 marry " such of them as were then marriageable to gentlemen
born," and to provide each with a dowry of lands and tene
ments of the yearly value of 200 marks {Harl. MSS., 433). On these
conditions the queen gave up her daughters, who received apartments
in the palace, and " familiar loving entertainment."
It was, however, very speedily reported that Eichard designed to
marry Cicely beneath her condition, so that her offspring might not
prove troublesome candidates for the crown ; and when Henry of
Eiohmond lauded in England, resolved to wed her if her sister Eliza
beth were already married to King Eichard, he received assurance
that this dishonouring marriage had reaUy been contracted, and was
" sore amazed and troubled " at the tidings. But their falsity was
soon detected, and after the victory of Bosworth, and Henry's
Tw subsequent marriage to Elizabeth, she resumed her proper
position in the royal court, and was treated with the distinc
tion due to her birth and personal attractions.
At Elizabeth's coronation, in November 24, 1487, she also bore her
sister's train ; and her loveliness made her " the observed of all
observers.'' Amongst these was a certain gaUant soldier, a kinsman
and favoured servant of the king, John, Lord Wells, who immediately
proffered his suit to the beautiful princess ; and though he was more
than twice her age, was accepted by her, and, with the king's consent,
they were straightway wedded. As husband and wife they attended
the Christmas revels at Greenwich, which were held that year with
extraordinary magnificence.
By Lord Wells the Lady Cicely had two daughters, Elizabeth and
Anne, whose education, it is recorded, she sedulously attended to,
while her lord waited upon his royal nephew in his expedition to
France, and his progresses tlirough his dominions. About 1495 or
1496 — the date is uncertain — she lost her elder daughter ; and in
1498 her husband died of pleurisy, "at Pasmer's Place, in Saint
Swithin's Lane," bequeathing to his weU-loved wife the whole of his
large possessions. Shortly afterwards her sorrows were much in
creased by the death of her younger daughter.

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 39
We next find mention of the widowed lady as figuring in the grand
pageantry of the bridals of Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon,
whose train she bore ; and the day afterwards, diligent chroniclers
record, she performed " two bass dances " with Prince Arthur (Nov.
1501). Two years later, and she suddenly retired from the splendour of
the court into the obscurity of a private condition, wedding — from
true love, we may surely presume — one John, or Thomas Kyme, of
the Kymes of Kyme Tower, Lincolnshire, a gentleman by birth, but
whom the old annalists, stout upholders of feudal distinctions, dis
dainfully speak of as " a man of mean degi-ee.'' This singular event
took place about the close of 1503, or the beginning of 1504. This
gentleman is indifferently styled " John Keime of the Isle of Wight,
knight," and "Sir John Kime of the Isle of Wight" {Harl. MSS., 1139),
and is reputed to have had two children by the Lady Cicely, named
Eichard and Margerie. With his wife he retired to East Standen,
near Newport, where for a few brief years " the daughter of England "
secluded herseK among her quiet household joys, dying on the 24th
of August, 1507, in her thirty-eighth year. She was buried in the
Abbey of Quarr, and a stately monument erected to her memory.
But of this " Hic Jacet '' not a stone now remains {Miss Roberts' Houses
of York aiid Lancaster, ii., etc.).
Eeturning to our narrative, we can but barely record the captaincy
of Sir Nicholas Wadham, who came of an ancient Devonshu-e family,
and held, by virtue of his patrimonial inheritance, certain manors in
the Isle of Wight. His second wife, Margaret, sister of the Jane
Seymour who wedded Henry VIIL, died at Carisbrooke, and was
buried in the parish church, where her monument may still be noted.
Sir Nicholas himself died in 1511, when the captaincy was conferred
upon a gallant and distinguished knight. Sir James Worsley, whose
career we shall briefly indicate in our next section.
SECTION VII.-FROM SIR JAMES WORSLEY TO COLONEL HAMMOND.
SIR JAMES WORSLEY.
Sir James Worsley was a younger brother of the Worsleys of Lan
cashire, who rose into high repute at the courts of Henry VII.
and Henry VIIL, and who, as page to the former, and keeper ^ ^
of the wardrobe to the latter, enjoyed considerable distinction,
and received much of their confidence.
By his marriage with Anne, daughter of Sir John Leigh, and

40 THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND.
heiress of the Hackets of Woolverton, he had become possessed of
Appuldurcombe and other large estates in the Isle of Wight, occu
pying a position among its gentlemen which abundantly justified the
king's choice of him for their captain.
He was appointed Captain-General for life, at a salary of 6s. 9d.
per day (nearly £5, according to modern computation) ; and was
made, moreover, constable of Carisbrooke ; keeper of the forest ;
steward, bailiff, and surveyor of the cro-wn lands ; clerk of the
market ; sheriff, and coroner of the island. These weighty offices he
held until his death in 1538. SIR RICHARD WORSLEY
succeeded to all his honours, trusts, and estates, and maintained the
dignity of his ofiice with becoming splendour. At his mansion of
Appuldurcombe he entertained, in 1540, King Henry, his minister
Cromwell (then constable of Carisbrooke Castle), and a splendid
retinue. What occasioned the royal -visit it is difficult to conjecture,
unless it was for the purpose of enjoying the pleasures of the chase in
Parkhurst Forest.
Five years later, and the French made their last descent upon this
" invincible isle." The circumstances are related -with singular
vigour by Mr. J. A. Froude in his History of Englaivi, and we
need not apologize to the reader for iUustrating our pages with
his graphic pictures.
"With July," he says, "came the summer, bringing with it its
calms and heat ; and the great armament,* commanded by D'Anne-
bault in person, sailed for England  The king was at Portsmouth,
having gone down to review the fleet, when, on the 18th of July, two
hundred sail were reported at the back of the Isle of Wight. The
entire force of the enemy, which had been collected, had been safely
transported across the Channel. With boats feeling the way in front
with sounding-lines, they rounded St. Helen's Point, and took up
their jjosition in a Une which extended from Brading Harbour almost
to Eyde. In the light evening breeze fourteen English ships stood
across to reconnoitre. D'Annebault came to meet them with the
galleys, and there was some distant firing ; but there was no
intention of an engagement. The English withdrew, and night
closed in.
* The French fleet, under Claude d'Annebaiilt, consisted of 1.50 large ships, 25
galleys, and 50 small vessels and transports (Archceologia, ii.). The English fleet, under
Lord Lisle, was far inferior, but his ships were larger and better manned.

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 41
" The morning which followed was breathlessly calm. Lisle's fleet
lay all inside in the Spit, the heavy sails hanging motionless on the
yards, the smoke from the chimneys of the cottages on shore rising
in blue columns straight up into the air. It was a morning beautiful
with the beauty of an English summer and an English sea ; but for
the work before him. Lord Lisle would have gladly heard the west
wind among his shrouds. At this time he had not a galley to oppose
to the five-and-twenty which D'Annebault had brought with him ;
and in such weather the galleys had all the advantages of the modern
gunboats. From the single long gun which each of them carried in
the bow, they poured shot for an hour into the tall stationary hulls
of the line-of -battle ships ; and keeping in constant motion, they were
themselves in perfect security. According to the French account of
the action, the Great Harry suffered so severely as almost to be sunk
at her anchorage ; and had the cahn continued, they believed that
they coiUd have destroyed the entire fleet. As the morning drew on,
however, the off-shore breeze sprung up suddenly ; the large ships
began to glide through the water ; a number of frigates — long, narrow
vessels — so s-wift, the French said, that they could outsail their fastest
shaUops — came out -with ' incredible swiftness ; ' and the fortune of
the day was changed. The enemy were afraid to turn lest they should
be run over ; and if they attempted to escape into the wind, they
would be cut off from their o-wn fleet. The main line advanced
barely in time to save them ; and the English, whose object was to
draw the enemy into action under the guns of their own fortresses
and among the shoals at the Spit, retired to the old ground. The
loss on both sides had been insignificant ; but the occasion was rendered
memorable by a misfortune. The Mary Rose, a ship of six hundred
tons, and one of the finest in the navy, was among the vessels engaged
with the gaUeys. She was commanded by Sir George Carew, and
manned with a crew who were said, all of them, to be fitter, in their
own conceit, to order than obey, and to be incompetent for ordinary
work. The ports were open for the action, the guns were run out,
and, in consequence of the calm, had been imperfectly secured. The
breeze rising suddenly, and the vessel lying slightly over, the wind
ward tier slipped across the deck, and, as she yielded further to the
weight, the lee ports were depressed below the line, the ship instantly
filled, and carried down with her every soul who was on board.
Almost at the same moment the French treasure-ship. La Maitresse,
was also reported to be sinking. She had been strained at sea, and
the shock of her own cannon completed the mischief. There was but

42 THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND.
just time to save her crew and remove the money-chest, when she,
too, was disabled. She was towed to the mouth of Brading Harbour,
and left on the shore.
" These inglorious casualties were a feeble result of the meeting of
the two largest navies which had encountered each other for cen
turies. The day had as yet lost but a few hours, and D'Annebault,
hearing that the king was a spectator of the scene, believed that he
might taunt him out of his caution by landing troops in the island.
The sight of the enemy taking possession of English territory, and
the blaze of English villages, scarcely two cannon-shot distance from
him, would provoke his patience, and the fleet would again advance.
Detachments were sent on shore at three different points. Pierre
Strozzi, an Italian, attacked a fort, perhaps near Sea View,* which
had annoyed the galleys in the morning. The garrison abandoned it
as he approached, and it was destroyed. M. de Thais, landing with
out resistance, advanced into the island to reconnoitre. He went
forward till he had entangled his party in a glen surrounded by
thickets ; and here he was checked by a shower of arrows from invis
ible hands. The English, few in number, but on their o-(vn ground,
hovered about him, giving way when they were attacked, but hang
ing on his skirts, and pouring death into his ranks from their silent
bows, till prudence warned him to withdraw to the open sands. The
third detachment was the most considerable ; it was composed of
picked men, and was led by two of the most distinguished commanders
of the galleys. These must have lauded close to Bembridge. They
were no sooner on shore than they were charged by a body of cavalry.
There was sharp fighting ; and the soldiera in the nearest ships, ex
cited at the spectacle of the skirmish and the rattle of the carbines,
became unmanageable, seized the boats, and went off without their
officers, to join. The English being now outnumbered, withdrew';
the French straggled after them in loose order, tiU they came out
upon the downs sloping up towards the Culver Cliffs ; and here, being
scattered in twos and threes, they were again charged with fatal
effect. Many were cut in pieces ; the rest fled, the EugUsh pureuing
and sabring them down to the shore; and but few would have
escaped, but that the disaster was ])erceived from the fleet, and laro-e
masses of men were sent in, under shelter of the guns, to reUeve the
fugitives ; and the English, being badly pressed in return, drew off,
still fighting ;is they retreated, till they reached a stream (the Eastern
* The headland at Sea View still bears in ancient maps the appellation of Old
Fort. M. Thais probably landed at Brading, and penetrated into the Barnsley woods.

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 43
Yar, probably), which they crossed, and broke the bridge behind
them" {Froude, iv. 423-427).
The evening had now come on, and D'Annebault had to determine
whether he should attack Portsmouth, or seize upon the Isle of
Wight. The former plan was at once rejected, on account of the
difficulty of the entrance to the harbour. " It remained, therefore,
to decide whether the army should land in force upon the island and
drive the English out of it, as they might easily do. They had
brought with them 7000 pioneers, who could rapidly throw up for
tresses at Newport, Cowes, St. Helen's, and elsewhere ; and they could
have garrisons strong enough to maintain their ground against any
force which the English would be able to bring against them. They
would thus hold in their hands a security for Boulogne ; and as the
English did not dare to face their fleet in the open water, they might
convert their tenure into a permanency.
" D'Annebault, however, had received discretionary powers ; and,
for some unknown reason, he determined to try his fortune elsewhere.
After three days of barren demonstration, the fleet weighed anchor
and sailed. His misfortunes in the Isle of Wight were not yet over.
The ships were in want of fresh water ; and on leaving St. Helen's he
went round into Shanklin Bay (July 21), where he sent his boats to
fill their casks at the rivulet which runs down the Chine. The
stream was small, the task was tedious, and the Chevalier d'Eulx,
who, with a few companies, was appointed to guard the watering
parties, seeing no signs of danger, wandered inland, attended by some
of his men, to the top of the high down adjoining. The English,
who had been engaged with the other detachments two days before,
had kept on the hills, watching the motions of the fleet. The
chevalier was caught in an ambuscade, and, after defending himself
like a hero, he was killed, with most of his followers."
This invasion was productive of good fruits, as far as the island
was concerned, by inducing the king to order the construction of
several forts for its defence. These were circular towers, with a
platform mounting two or three guns, and accommodating a small
garrison — on which modem engineers would look with a great deal
of contempt. At East and West Cowes, at Sandown, Yarmouth, and
near Freshwater, these fastnesses were erected, under the superinten
dence of Eichard Worsley, — the last being named after him Worsley's
Tower. The indefatigable captain also persuaded the islanders to
¦provide a train of artillery at their own expense, every parish pro-
•.viding their o-wn gun.

44 THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND.
In September 1547, the first of the l-eign of Edward VI., a return
was made to the Crown of the condition of these fortresses, from
which we shaU extract a few details:— At Yarmouth, under the
command of Captain Eichard Ewdall, were two guns of brass, and
eight small guns of iron, nineteen hagbuts, and one hundred and
forty-one bows. At Sharpnode, under the charge of Nicholas
Clieke, were two brass guns. At Carisbrooke, under Richard
Worsley himself, were five iron " slynges, fowlers, and double basses,"
one hundred and forty hagbuts, and a tolerable provision of powder,
bows, arrows, javelins, and bUls. At Sandham {Sandovm), under
the care of Peter Smythe, were three pieces of brass, and eight of
iron, seventy-eight hagbuts, one hundred and twenty biUs, and a
chest of bows and arrows. And at West Cowes, under Robert Ray
mond, captain, were two brass guns, eleven of iron, several basses
" not liable to serve," and a small provision of bows, bills, and pikes.
The Sandham captain received four shillings per die/tn; his under
captain, two shillings ; thirteen soldiers, sixpence each ; one porter,
eightpence ; the master gunner, eightpence ; and seven gunners, six
pence each. At West Cowes, the captain received but one shilling
daUy ; two soldiers, one porter, and six gunnera were paid the same
rates as their comrades at Sandham {Harl. MSS.).
When Queen Elizabeth came to the throne she placed the defensive
establishment of the island on a safer basis, as may be gathered from
the instructions issued to the captain of the island in the second year
of her reign, which we now condense : —
The said captain shall forthwith put in order and array the whole people of the
Isle as shall seem meetest for the defence of the said isle.
He shall cause every "centoner," twice a year, to call together the whole *'centon,"
and bring together to such place within the said isle as by the said captain shall be
appointed, " there to consult what is to be done for the better fortification and strength
of the said isle."
He shall cause the able men in these centons twice a year to muster for practice.
He shall prohibit that neither timber, wood, nor coal shall be carried out of the isle
to any place.
All manners of persons having lands to the clear yearly value of twenty marks, should
find one "hasquebutier" furnished in time of war to remain in the isle under the rule
of the captain during the time of war. And every other person having land valued
at forty shillings shall join so many together as shall amount to the yearly value of
twenty marks, and so be jointly charged with one hasquebutier.
It was also ordered by the queen that fire-arms should be intro
duced into the island ; and an arquebus-maker was settled in Caris
brooke Castle to keep them in order.
Richard Worsley was one of the commissioners for the sale of
church plate on the suppression of the religious houses, and therefore

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 45
on the accession of Queen Mary, found it necessary to resign all his
offices — a Mr. Girling, of whom history says nothing, succeeding him.
In 1556, the captain of the island was one Nicholas Uvedale. He
joined the Dudley conspiracy, and undertook to betray the island and
Hurst Castle to the French, who were to assist in deposing Queen
Mary. The plot was betrayed to Government, and Uvedale tortured
into making a full confession {Froude). When Queen Elizabeth
came to the throne, Worsley was reinstated, and employed by her in
several important commissions. He died, full of honours, in ] 565.
SIR EDWARD HORSEY.
Edward Horsey was descended from a reputable Doraet family of
Melcombe-Horsey, and as a gallant sea-chief did good service against
the French, clearing the Channel from their piratical cruisers. He
was held in high esteem by the great Earl of Leicester, and at his
patron's secret nuptials with the Lady Douglas Sheffield, gave away
the bride ; though we do not find, when at a later period the ambi
tious noble denied the marriage, that Sir Edward vindicated the
lady's fair fame.
His government of the island was marked by energy and foresight.
He encouraged trade, while he kept alive a military spirit among
those he ruled. From certain MSS. still extant in that wonderful
store-house of unpublished history — the British Museum — it is, how
ever, to be inferred that his sway was somewhat lax ; and we read of
piratical doings in the Medina, wherein " Sir Edward Horsey's men "
were openly concerned. Mr. Froude has shown us that their leader
shared the audacious morality of Drake, Frobisher, and Hawkins — ¦
believing it to be a religion and a policy to oppress and defraud the
Frenchman and the Spaniard. He was implicated in the Dudley
conspiracy, which made Lady Jane Grey a " ten days' queen," but
contrived to escape punishment.
It is recorded of this gallant sea-rover that he mightily interested
himself in the preservation of game, and that he gave a lamb for
every hare brought into the island. Sir Richard Worsley states that
" he lived in perfect harmony with the gentlemen there ; " and we
may fairly suppose that his sea-life would give him a frankness of
speech and manners calculated to render him popular.
He died of the plague at Haseley, on the 28th of March 1582, and
was buried in Newport Church, where a handsome monument was
erected to his memory. Sir Philip Sidney, our English Bayard, is
said to have held the captaincy of the island about this period.

46 THE WARDENS OP THE ISLAND.

SIR GEORGE CAREY
was appointed soon after the decease of Sir Edward. It was his
misfortune to succeed a popular governor, and the inhabitants accord
ingly drew a contrast by no means to his advantage. A preacher at
Newport added fuel to the flame by conferring upon him, in the
prayer before the sermon, the unauthorized title of " Governor." He
stretched his authority, moreover, to an iUegal extent at the epoch of
the apprehended invasion of the Spanish Armada ; but he probably
was only desirous of adopting necessary precautions, which the ill-
feeling of the inhabitants seized upon as arbitrary measures
justifying an appeal to the Lords in Council. The commotion,
however, appears to have subsided, and Sir George to have
withdrawn his excessive pretensions ; for Sir John Oglander eulogizes
his splendid hospitality, and commends him for his constant residence
at Carisbrooke Castle.
" I have heard," says Sir John, " and partly know it to be true,
that not only heretofore there was no lawyer nor attorney in oure
island, but in Sir George Carey's time, an attorney coming in to settle
in the island, was, by his command, with a pound of candles hanging
att his breech lighted, with bells about his legs, hunted oute of the
island ; insomuch as oure ancestors lived here so quietly and securely,
being neither trouble to London nor Winchester, so they seldom or
never went oute of the islaml ; insomuch as when they went to
London (thinking it an East India voyage), they always made their
wills, supposing no trouble like to travel."
Sir John Oglander paints the condition of the island at this period
in glowing colours : — " Money was plenty in the yeomen's purses, and
all the gentry fuU of money and out of debt ; the markets full, como-
dities vending themselves at most high rates. Prizes and men-of-
warre at the Cowes, which gave great rates for our comodities, and
exchanged other good ones with us. If you had anything to sell, you
should not have needed to have looked for a chapman, for you could
not almost ask but have. All things were exported and imported at
your heart's desire, your tenants rich, and a bargain could not stand
at any rate." In another part of his Memoirs, he states that he has
seen 300 ships at one time iu Cowes harbour.
During Sir George Carey's captaincy, Carisbrooke Castle was
thoroughly repaired and considerably enlarged, under the direction
of Gianibelli, an Italian engineer, who planned the fortifications of
Antwerp, and destroyed the Duke of Parma's fire-ships in 1585 {J. i.

THE WARDENS OP THE ISLAND. 47
Motley). Towards the outlay the queen gave £4000, the gentry
£400, and every able-bodied man his labour. The other island-for
tresses were strengthened, and Carey's Sconce erected near Yarmouth.
In 1585, Newport, Yarmouth, and Newtown first sent members to
Parliament. Sir George Carey, on the death of his father, succeeded to the title
of Lord Hunsdon. He was a kinsman of the queen, and much
favoured by her, receiving from her hands the Order of the Garter
and the Lord Chamberlainship of her household. Died on the 9th
of September, 1603. THE EARL OF SOUTHAMPTON.
The next captain and governor — for this title was now regularly
assumed — was Henry, Earl of Southampton, known in history
as the patron of Shakespeare and the friend of Essex. He 'V^
regularly resided in his island-palace, and held, conjointly with
the chief knights and gentlemen of the island, " an ordinary, twice
every week," on St. George's Down, near Arreton, where they di
verted themselves with the then popular game of bowls.
The Free Grammar School at Newport was established during his
governorship ; and to the same period may be referred the erection
of those manorial houses, of which, at Yaverland and Mottistone,
two notable examples may still be admired.
King James visited the island twice or thrice during Lord South
ampton's rule. He was at Beaulieu, the seat of Lord Chancellor
Wriothesley, in August 1607, and during his stay there knighted an
island gentleman, Bowyer Worsley. " It is highly probable that the
king was afterwards in the Isle of Wight, and was then entertained
at Nunwell, the seat of Sir W. Oglander " {Nichols) ; for Mr. WiUiam
Knyveton, his attendant, -wrote to the Dowager-Countess of Shrews
bury on the 22nd of June, " that his Majestic intends a progresse into
the He of Wight ; " and there yet lingers a tradition that the king
(and Queen Elizabeth) honoured Nunwell with a visit. Notwith
standing his timidity, he was passionately fond of the chase, and
Parkhurst Forest could not fail to supply him with abundant sport.
And, at all events, the parochial register of Carisbrooke proves that
he hunted there in 1609. " King James," runs the record, in the
-vicar's own handwriting, " landed at the Cows, and saw a muster at
Hony Hill, and saw in the afternoon most of the iland, with Prince
Charles his sonne, and hunted in the park, killed a buck, and so de
parted again to Bowly, the 2nd of August, Ann. Dom. 1609, being

48 THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND.
Wednesday" (/. Baker). And a later entry records a visit from
Prince Charles : " Prince Charles landed at the Cowes, and came into
the forest, and saw a skirmish there, and went from thence to Al-
vington Down, and looked over the island, and so thence to Newport,
where he dined at Mr. James's house ; and so his grace departed to the
Cowes, and tooke ship and went to Portsmouth, in the year 1618, the
27th of August, being Thursday " {Carisbrooke Parochial Muniments).
At this time the principal gentry of the island were. Sir Robert
DiUington;* Sir Richard Worsley ; Sir Thomas Fleming ; Sir Richard
White, "a soldier and follower of the Earl of Southampton;" Sir
John Meux ; Sir John Leigh ; Sir William Lisle ; Sir John Richards ;
Sir John Oglander ; Sir William Oglander ; and Sir Edward Dennis;
the Chekes of Mottistone ; the Bowermans of Brook ; the Urrys of
Thorley ; the Worsleys of Gatcombe ; and the Lisles of Bridlesford
{Sir J. Oglander).
The Earl of Southampton died in December 1625, and the govern
ment of the island passed into the hands of —
EDWARD LORD CONWAY.
This gallant gentleman was knighted by the Earl of Essex at the
sacking of Cadiz in 1596, where he commanded a regiment of foot.
He served under King James as one of his principal Secretaries of
State, was created Baron Conway in 1625, and appointed Captain of
the Isle of Wight on the 8th December in the same year {Dugdale).
King Charles continued him in his secretaryship, and bestowed upon
him an Irish viscountcy. As a further proof of the royal favom-, he
was created, in 1628, Viscount Conway of Conway; and shortly
afterwards appointed Lord President of the Councih
He never resided in his government, but administered its affaire
through his lieutenants. Sir Edward Dennis and Sir John Oglander.t
Partly to this circumstance, and partly to the troubles which had
already clouded the reign of the unfortunate Charles, must be attri-
* Sir John Leigh was knighted at Beaulieu by James I., August 30, 1606; Sir W.
Oglander at Hampton Court, September 1606; Sir John Oglander at Royston, December
22, 1615 ; Sir W. Mewys (Meu.x) at Hampton Court, June 26, 1606 ; Sir J. Mewys,
May 22, 1605, at Greenwich ; Sir E. White at -^Vliitehall, December 1605 ; Sir W. Lisle,
May 14, 1606, at Whitehall ; Sir R. Worsley at Whitehall, February S, 1611 ; and Sir
E. Dennis, February 20, lfiu7, at Oatlands.
t Sir John Oglander collected valuable MS. memorials of his native isle, which have
never yet been published in cxtenso, but were made much use of by Sir R. Worsley in
the compilation of his heavy but valuable History. He was not only Deputy-Governor
of the Isle of Wight (1624), but also of Portsmouth (1620). In 1637 he served as Sheriff of
Hampshire. He married Prances, daughter of Sir George More of Loseley Surrey,
knight ; and had several children by her. ' '

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 49
buted the declining prosperity of the island, and the decay of its
gently— bitterly bewaUed by the gossiping knight whose MS.
Memoirs we have so frequently quoted. "It grieved me," he ex
claims, " to hear and see the poverty and complaint of our poor island,
AprU 1629. No money stirring, little market, a smaU assembly of
the gentlemen, less of the farmers and yeomanry. Our ordinary
down for want of company ; little resort to our lecture [the weekly
lecture at Ne-wport] ; the comely visages and wonted carriage of it
clean altered." " The Isle of Wight, since my memory, is infinitely
decayed ; for either it is by reason that so many attorneys have of
late made this their habitation, and so by suits undone the country ;
 or else wanting the good bargains they were wont to levy from
men-of-war, who also vended all our commodities at very high prices,
and ready money was easy to be had for all things. Now peace and
law hath beggared us all, so that within my memory many of the
gentlemen and almost all the yeomanry are undone."
Lord Conway died in 1631, and was .succeeded by —
RICHARD LORD WESTON,
whose " wisdom and integrity " were abundantly tested in the high
ofiices of state which he held under James and Charles. He was
created Earl of Portland in 1633, and died at WaUingford House,
Westminster, March 1634. He was followed in the government by
his son, — JEROME, EARL OP PORTLAND,
who held it, much to the satisfaction of the island gentry, until
removed by the parliament, on the ground that he was " popishly
affected," but in reality because his loyalty to the crown could not
be misunderstood. They further objected against him " all the acts
of good fellowship, all the waste of powder, and all the waste of
wine, in the drinking of healths, and other acts of jollity, which
ever he had been at in his government, from the first hour of his
entering upon it " {Claretvloii).
During his captaincy an anonymous traveller, passing through the
island in 1635, -wrote down in plainest words his impressions of
what he saw; and the narrative is curious enough, we fancy, to
justify us in now, for the first time, embalming it in type.
THE ISLE OP WIGHT IN 1635.
" From this rich merchant and sweet maritime town [Southamp
ton] I crossed over that broad stream [Southampton Water] to

60 THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND.
Heath [Hythe], which is almost a league, with a blustering passage ;
and so, by a knight's place, leaving Calshot Castle, running with a
hook a mile into the sea ; and so, leaving Leap on my left, I there,
with much ado, leapt my nag into the boat, and got passage to cross
over that three miles' rough and untoward channel to Garnard [Gur
nard Bay], and there set footing in that strong, healthful, and pleas
ant island of Europe. I hastened through a little forest to the chief
town thereof, and to the chief inn in the town, where one of the
captains of the island, with some merry Londoners, kept his quarter
that night, and kept me sentinel — for rest I could not take more than
they must upon their resting posture.
" The next morning I marched a short mUe from this town to a
spacious, strong, and defensible castle, which was built by a Saxon,
but hath now a young lord to its governor \the Lord Weston, son to
the Lord of Portland, Lord Treasv,rer. Sic in margine]. It is
mounted on a hill, with long, deep ditches round about the walls,
whereunto I was suddenly admitted by a brave old blade (the resid
ing deputy-governor thereof), over a stately large bridge, through a
strongly-built gate-house — the Deputy's lodgings — and within, thus
I found it : —
" In that corner next Newport, on a mounted hiU, stands a round
.strong tower, called the keep, to which I ascended by 60 stairs,
wherein hath been watching and lodging rooms. Nothing therein
now but the wall, and a deep well of water in the midst thereof.
" As I marched with my old keeper the rounds upon the walls,
I viewed the large chambers [guns so named] and lodgings, the
jilatforms, counterscarps, casemates, bulwarks, and trenches with
out the walls, whereupon were mounted many pieces of ordnance.
I found it well guarded with arms, though not with men ; for
in the armoury, which is over against the chapel, in one room, were
500 good corselets ; and in another room, by the other, 700 or 800
muskets. " By this time I was pretty well informed of the strength of this
castle and her warlike munition ; and so I hastened back again to
the rendezvous, where I left that mad captain, and in the same place
I found him, fully resolved, by laying in good store of pro-nsion in
his camp, to have lain leaguer there, if his nimble-spirited wife had
not come and taken up the bucklers, and fetched him home, for his
leading staff failed him.
" I found this town [Newport] governed by a mayor, and twelve
aldermen, and two captains ; and but one church, wherein is a fair

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 51
monument for a knight [Sir Edward Horsey] who had been governor
of the island.
" This fertile and pleasant island, for her martial discipline, I
found her most bravely and prudently guided by the government of
two generous knights [Sir E. Dennis and Sir J. Oglander], Ueuten-
ants, and fourteen gentle and expert captains [see post\ most of them
all worthy knights and gentlemen, having pleasant situations in this
isle ; and having under their command 2000 foot soldiers, of ready
exercise and well disciplined, trained men — most of them as expert
in handling their arms as our artillery nurseries; which skill they
attain to by taking pleasure in that honourable exercise, and train
ing, and drilling, from their very infancy. Every captain hath his
proper field-piece, which marches and guards him into the field,
where they aU often meet together, and pitch an equal battle of 1000
on each side, with an equal distribution of the captains — eight of
each party, with the two lieutenants, who are also captains ; the East
against the West Mede, on St. (jJeorge's Down, by the river that
runs down to Cowes Castle. A brave show there is, and brave ser-
-^-ice performed by thundering echoes from those valleys by that
sweet stream. They have, besides, in this island arms for 2000 more,
if need should require. A safeguard for so small an island — of
twenty miles in longitude, and but ten in latitude — to be so securely
furnished with.
"As this precious island is well strengthened and fortified in
wardly, so is she also weU guarded and defended outwardly by Yar
mouth Castle {Captain Burley), Cowes Castle {Captain Tarry), by the
Needles, and Sando-wn Fort {Captain Buck) ; having no place of
invasion either in or out, but such places as are safely defended ; as
Yarmouth against Hurst Castle {Lieutenant Gorge), Gurnard {Captain
Barret) agahist Leap, Cowes against Calshot Castle {Captain James),
and Ryde against Portsmouth — so as no daring approaching enemies
can pass those channels without thundering gunshot from those com
manding castles.
" I could wUlingly have spent some longer time in such a stately,
safe, hedged-in paradise, but that it jogged me along by that sweet
and delicate stream to their new, white-built maritime town of
Cowes ; from whence, after I had spent a little time in -viewing that
strong-buUt castle and her ordnance, I saUed thence with a fine gale
of -wind over the stUl and quiet waves to Southampton."*
* A Relation of a Short Survey, &c. By a Lieutenant of the Military Company at
Norwich, August 1636. Lansdoiim^ MSS., 213.

52 THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND.

THE EARL OF PEMBROKE
received the appointment of the captaincy in 1642. He immediately
demanded from one Sir John Dingley, who had been Deputy-Gover
nor, a report upon the condition of the island, and was presented
with it on the 31st March, couched in sufiiciently unsatisfactory
terms. In this interesting document Sir John points out that the park
belonging to the captain is three miles in circuit; that there is a
common for the whole country, to put in horses or beasts without
stint, which is called by the name of Parkhurst Chase ; that the said
chase has been grievously neglected by its keeper and ranger ; that
Sandham Fort, though of great consequence, is but "poorly
manned;" that Cowes Castle, also, is insufficiently garrisoned, and
Yarmouth in like condition ; that Worsley's Sconce had been taken
down by order of Lord Conway ; that the trained bands are much
weakened and decayed, and the island nearly depopulated by reason
of the lords of manors and the farmera getting together as many
farms as they can; that there is a town called Ne-wport, made by
King James a municipal town (" mare-town "), which will not now
be governed like other to-svns, and "hinder men from buying and
selling at their pleasure ; " and, finally, that the clergy of the island,
for the most part, are " loose and idle livers, and neglect their
charge" {Worsley, 111-114).
The militia of the island numbered at this time about 2000 men,
divided into two divisions and fourteen companies — eight in the
West Medine, six in the East Medine — led by fourteen captains,
and commanded by the two lieutenants of the island. Of these
2000, nearly 1100 handled arquebuses ; 33 had charge of the culverins
or small cannons ; 263 bore corselets ; 196, pikes; 10, halberds; 297
were unarmed;* and 133 were officers.
The watches and wards that were kept in the island (September
20, 1638) are shown in a MS. of Sir John Oglander's: —
East Medine. — At St. Catherine's, a Y'ard with two men; on the
Hatton Nlghtonfkld, a watch with two men  under Captain Eice.
A watch at Lands, of two men, and another on Wroxall Down 
in Sir Edwai-d Dennis's district. On Ashey Down, a ward of one
man and a watch of two ; and at St. Helen's Point, a watch of two
 under Sir J. Oglander. On Knighton, a watch of two men, and
* Tliese men were soon afterwards armed.

THE WARDENS OF THE ISLAND. 53
at Ryde a similai- watch  under Sir E. DiUington. On Appuldur
combe, and at Cripple, near Niton, a watch of two men  under Sir
Hem-y Worsley. A similar watch at St. George's Dovni  under
Captain Clieke. A ward of one man and a watch of two men on
Bemh-idge Down  under Captain Basket. A watch of two men
at East Cowes, at Wootton, and at Fishhouse  under Sir W. Lisle.
West Medine.— The usual watch at Ram,sey Down and Clwde
Boion  under Mr. Meaux. On Lardon Down and at Atherfield
 under Sir John Leigh. On Harborough Down and on the sea
shore at Brixton  under Captain Urry. On Avington Down, on
Gatcombe Down, and at Northwood  under Captain Harvey. On
Freshwater Down, a ward and watch of two men each, and a watch
o\i. Mottistone Down  under Captain Bowerman. At Hamstead, a,
watch of two men  under Captain Hobson. In Newport, two
companies, which patrolled the town.
If the, reader wiU take his map, and mark each of these stations
with some distinguishing sign, he will, at a glance, perceive how
skilfuUy they were distributed in reference to the general defence of
the island.
Though much dissatisfaction, when the Earl of Portland was re
moved from the captaincy, was expressed by the knights and gentle
men who had served under him, it could scarcely have arisen from
any- feeling of wounded loyalty. On the contrary, from the very
outset of the great civil wiir, the inhabitants of the Wight sided with
the parliament, and so secured an immunity from the tumults and
distractions which fell with such heaviness upon other parts of Eng
land. They were, indeed, so vehement in their zeal for the parlia-
mentai'ian party, that they could not suffer the Countess of Portland
to abide peaceably in the castle, where she had taken refuge with her
five children and her husband's brother and sister, under the protec
tion of Colonel Brett, the recently appointed custodian of Caris
brooke. The Mayor of Newport, Moses Eead, at the head of the
Newport train-bands and 400 naval auxiliaries supplied by the men-
of-war in the Solent, and inspired by Ha,rby, a stout Puritan and
minister of Newport, besieged the castle, wherein Colonel Brett
had but 20 men, and provisions for 3 days. The brave countess,
however, made her appearance on the ramparts with a lighted match
in her hand, and declared that she herself would fire the first cannon,
and that the garrison would hold out to the last extremity, unless
they were granted easy and honourable terms of surrender. A paci
fication was soon arranged, when, as we may reasonably conclude,
(712) 5

64

THE WARDENS OP THE ISLAND.

neither party was very much in earnest. Colonel Brett, his com
rades, and their attendants, were permitted to go where they would,
except to Portsmouth, then held for the king by dissolute Goring ;
and after a day or two's delay, the countess and her family were
removed from the island.
The other fortresses, in like manner, were seized for the parlia
ment; and the Earl of Pembroke, on his arrival at Cowes, was
received with a cordial welcome by the leading inhabitants, who
proffered him, in behalf of the good cause, their heartiest services.
The Jourwxls of the House of Commons present numerous indica
tions of the watchfulness exercised by the parliament in reference to
the safety of the Isle of Wight ; and though it is not our pro-vince
to enter fully into these details, it may be permitted us to place a
few significant passages before our readers in illustration of the
remarkable contrasts existing between the present and the past.
We read on the 13th of August 1642 :—
" Ordered, That it be recommended to the Earl of Warwick to
furnish the town of Newport in the Isle of Wight with thirty
barrels of powder, with all convenient speed, to be disposed of as
the Mayor of Newport, Mr. Bunckley, Mr. Thomas Boreman, and
Mr. Eobert Urry of Freshwater, shall think fit, for the safeguard of
that place and island.
" And it is further Ordered, That Mr. Venn and Mr. Vassall do
write a letter of thanks to the Mayor of Newport, and those that
joined with him in the certificate to the House of the state of that
town, for their care of the safety of that place, and respects to this
House ; and to assure them that this House hath, in some measure,
already taken care, and will take further care, in providing for the
safety of that island."
We read on the 18tli of February 1645 : —
" Ordered, That there be forthwith provided and furnished out of
the public stores, for the service of the Isle of Wight, forty barrels
of powder, one ton of match, three hundred culverin shot, one thou
sand demi-culverin shot, one thousand Saker shot, and two tons
of lead : And the Lieutenant of the Ordnance is required to take
notice thereof, and to furnish these provisions accordingly."
The Earl of Pembroke was withdrawn from the captaincy in 1647,
and Colonel Eobert Hammond, a soldier of good repute, appointed
(6th September 1647). The colonel was a nephew of Dr. Henry
Hammond, one of the king's chaplains; but he owed his rise to
Cromwell's favour, and was married to Hampden's daughter. At

CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 55
the early age of twenty-two he had entered the army, and fought
against the Eoyalists. His sympathies, therefore, were naturally
with the statesmen of the parliament, and justified the confidence of
those who intrusted to him so important a command.

SECTION VIII. -CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
ARRIVES IN THE ISLAND.
Whilst pent up in Hampton Court, and surrounded by the soldiers
of the parliament, Charles I. could not but feel that he was in reality
a closely-watched and suspected prisoner. He felt, too, that the
great Independent leaders, however sincere in their desire, would
soon be without the power to assist him ; that they themselves were,
to some extent, the servants of their army. He had reason, perhaps,
to dread the secret dagger. At all events, he was on the brink of
an imminent peril ; and he came to the conclusion that his escape
would leave the Puritan chiefs at greater liberty to carry out their
professed designs of serving him, while placing himself in a position
to act with fuller confidence and freer energy.
So, on the evening of the 11th of November 1647, attended by
Legge, the groom of the chamber, he effected his escape from the
palace, and being joined by Berkeley and Ashburnham, crossed the
Thames at Thames-Ditton, and rode with fiery speed through the
dark and cloudy night to Titchfield House, a fair seat of the Earl of
Southampton. The Dowager Countess welcomed him gladly, and
spread before him the refreshment he needed.
He now deliberated with his attendants whither he should next
proceed, and great confidence being professed by Ashburnham (a
man apparently of very sanguine temperament) in the good inten
tions of Colonel Hammond, it was resolved that Ashburnham and
Berkeley should repair to the island, and sound the colonel cautiously
upon his feelings and sympathies. They bore a complimentary
message from his sovereign, and were required to insist upon a
pledge, that if the king placed himself under his protection, he
would not surrender him to the army or the parliament, but provide
him with an opportunity of effecting his escape. And if he refused
that undertaking, they were not to disclose the secret of the king's
present concealment.
They started from Titchfield on a windy and violent morning ;
they reached Lymington, but could not make the passage of the
Solent on account of the stormy weather, and were detained there

56 CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
the whole day. They arrived at Carisbrooke ou the following morn
ing ; but Colonel Hammond had set out for Newport ou matters of
importance, and they were forced to follow him thither. When, at
length, they found themselves in the presence of the governor, and
explained their errand, he exjDressed considerable apprehension, but
finally determined ui^on repairing with them to the king's retreat.
Ashburnham and Berkeley weakly consented to this proposal, and,
by so doing, betrayed their unfortunate sovereign into the hands
of the very men he had endeavoured to avoid. There is no room,
however, to suppose — in fact^ their whole future conduct negatives
the suspicion — that they were actuated by any traitorous motives.
They confided too imi^licitly, not in Hammond's honour, which they
had no I'eason to doubt, but in his power to secure the king's person for
any length of time from the machinations of his bitterest enemies.
Colonel Hammond's letter to the Speaker of the House of Peers sets
forth the circumstances under which King Charles entered theisland : —
" My Lord, — I hold it ray duty to give your lordship an account of the king's
unexpected coming into this island, and of the manner of it, which was thus ;—
" This morning, as I was on the way passing from Carisbrooke Castle to Newport,
Mr. Ashbi^rnhara and Sir John Berkeley overtook me ; and, after a short discourse,
told me that the king was near, and that he would be with me that night; that he was
come from Hampton Court upon information that there were some intended to de
stroy his person, and that he could not with safety continue any longer there ; and
that, finding his case thus, chose rather to put liimself in my hand, being a member
of the ai-ray ; whom, he saith, he would not have left, could he have had security to
his person, than to go to any other place. Being herewith exceedingly surprised at
present, I knew not what course to take ; but upon serious consideration, weighing
tlie great concernment that the person of the king is of, in this junction of affairs, to
the settlement of the peace of the kingdom, I resolved it my duty to the king, to the
parliament, and kingdom, to use the utmost of my endeavours to preserve his person
from any such horrid attempt, and to bring him to a place of safety; where he may
also be in a capacity of answering the expectation of parliament and kingdom, in
agreeing to such things as may extend to the settlement of those gi'eat divisions
and distractions abounding in every corner thereof. Hereupon I went immediately
with them over the water, taking Captain Basket, the captain of Cowes Castle, with
me, and found the king near the water side ; and finding myself no way able to secm-e
him there, I chose, he desiring it, to bring liim over into this island, where he now is.
"My lord, my endeavours, as for my life, shall be to preserve and secure his per
son. And I humbly desire I may receive the pleasure of the parliament in this great
and weighty matter; and that the Lord will direct your counsels to his glory and the
kingdom's good and peace, shall be my prayer; and my endeavour shall be ever to
express myself in all things in my power.— My lord, your lordship's and the king
dom's most humble and faithful servant, *' EouERT Hammond.*'
*' Cowes, Nov. 13, 1G17."
*The Houses duly thanked Colonel Hammond, and issued instructions for his
guidance, besides voting £5000 for " His Majesty's present necessities and accommoda
tion,"— .elO daily for his table, and a provision yearly of £5000, — and liberally
rewarding the governor on account of his increased responsibilities with a gratuity
of £1000, and an annuity of £500 for himself and his heirs. '

CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 57
The unfortunate king, with Hammond, Captain Basket, Legge,
Berkeley, and Ashburnham in attendance, landed in the island on
the 22nd day of November, and, passing the night in a small and
obscure ale-house, made their way towards Carisbrooke on the fol
lowing day, being Sunday. He was received with respect by all,
with scarcely-concealed affection by a loyal few. " A gentlewoman,*
as he passed through Newport, presented him with a damask rose
which grew in her garden at this cold season of the year, and prayed
for him ; which his Majesty heartily thanked her for " {Herbert).
And so the king passed onwards into the Castle of Carisbrooke.
PRECAUTIONS.
Meanwhile the Parliament, which, as we have seen, had received
due information from Colonel Hammond of these remarkable
proceedings, had issued, on the 16th of November, instructions ~°*
for his guidance. They ran as follows : —
" Resolved by the Lords and Commons in Rarliament assembled,
"1. That the securest place during the time the king shall think lit to continue
him in the Isle of Wight be Carisbrooke Castle.
" 2. That noe person who hath bin in armes, or assisted in this unnatur.al war
against the parliament, be permitted to come or remain in the said isle during tiie king's
residence tliere, unless they be inhabitants of the isle, and liave compounded with
the parliament.
" 3. That no person who hatli bin in armes, or assisted, &c., sliall be permitted to
come into the king's presence, or into any fort or castle in the said isle, during the
king's residence there, although he be an inhabitant and hath compounded with
the parliament.
*' 4. That no stranger, or person of a foreign nation, shall be permitted to come into
the king's presence, without the directions of both houses, except such as have warrant
from the parliament of Scotland, or from the committee of that parliament thereunto
authorized, and are not disabled by the propositions agreed on by both kingdomes.
" 5. That a sufficient guard be appointed by Colonel Robert Hammond, governor
of the said isle, for security of the king's person from any violence, and preventing
his departing the said isle without the direction of both houses " (Journals, House oj
Commons). Colonel Hammond's position had thus become peculiarly difficult.
If he neglected his trust, he could exjoect but little from the tendei-
mercies of the dominant party ; if he performed it faithfully, though
mildly — if he "did his spiriting" ever so gently — he could not but
incur the hatred of the Eoyalists. He appears to have adopted that
" golden mean " the Eoman poet unwisely commends, and with the
scanty success he might reasonably have expected. The Eoyalist
newsletters and pamphlets of the period load him with the foulest
* It is said her name was Frances Prattle. — Hillier.

58 CHARLES I. IN TIIE ISLE OP WIGHT.
abuse ; and later writers, taking up the unjust prejudices conceived
in a time of violent excitement, have shown his memory but little
indulgence. Nevertheless, Sir Thomas Herbert, the most chivalrous
of the kii]g-'s adherents, who had opportunities of observing him
closely, speaks of him in honourable terms, and confesses that the
Eoundheads suspected him of being " too much of a courtier.'' And
Taylor, " the water-poet," a zealous Eoyalist, warmly vindicates him
from the aspersions of his enemies. He says that he will speak of
him without flattery, and he continue."!, " The plaine truth is, that
myself, with many others, did hate him so much, that he was very
seldom or never prayed for. The reasons and motives which possest
most men with this mistaking and misapplied inveterate malice, was
upon the flying lying reports that the governour had behaved himself
most coarsely, rigid, and barbarously unrespective to his Majesty.
The false weekly pamphlets and pamphleteers (being inspired by
their father, the devil) were not ashamed to publish in print that
the governour had proceeded so far in incivility, as to immure or
wall his Majesty in a small, close roome, under many bolts, bars,
grates, locks and kej's, and debarred him the comforts of his soule,
and of the society of men ; and further, it was often printed (by
severall lying vUlaines) that the said Governour Hammond did strike
the king on the face, and gave him a black eye. These reports being
invented by the devil's imps (the fire-brands of contention), printed
and published by needy, greedy knaves and varlets, and believed by
too many fooles and foolish Gotehamists (amongst which number I,
with much simplicity, was one) ; and as by oath and duty I am
bound to save, love, and honour my soveraigne lord and master, so
(on the contrary) myselfe, with aU true and loyall subjects, had no
cause to be well affected to any man that should dare to affront his
Majesty with such transcendent base indignities.
" But to give the world satisfaction of the truth, it is certaine that
all these aspersions and rumours against the governour are most
odious, scandalous, and malicious lies ; for, according to the trust
reposed in him, he hath always carried himselfe with such deport
ment and humblenesse of dutifuU service to his Majesty, that he
hath gained much love and favour from his soveraigne, and such
good regard from all knowing men, as belongs to a gentleman of his
place and quality " {Journal of the Brit. Archwol. Association, Dec.
1853). Considerable liberty was allowed to the king and his attendants
for the first few weeks of his detention. He was permitted to

CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 59
pursue the chase in the green arcades of Parkhurst, to receive the
visits of the gentry of the island, to enjoy the services of his most
devoted adherents, and the ministrations of his chaplains, Drs.
Sheldon and Hammond. The respect and something of the etiquette
of a court were retained about his person. Colonel Hammond's
mother, a lady of good famUy, superintended his household arrange
ments, and the king's own furniture was brought from his palaces,
to give an air of splendour to the bare, bleak chambers of the castle
{Herbert, Clarendon, and others). DARK TIMES.
WhUe the king was thus sheltered within the walls of Carisbrooke,
and his partisans were everywhere scheming and designing his
speedy restoration to power, the triumphant parliament — or rather,
that imperious majority which controlled its proceedings — was
busied in endeavouring to bring to some conclusion the troubles of
the nation, and finally, on the 14th December, passed four resolutions,
to which, as to an ultimatum, they required the assent of the king as
a preliminary to entering upon a personal treaty with him {Liiujard,
X. c. 4, and Journals, vol. ix.). These resolutions, in effect, placed
the royal prerogative in the hands of the parliament, vesting in it
the command of the army for twenty years ; limiting the creation
of peers ; empowering the houses to adjourn from place to place as
they might deem it best ; and insisting upon the king's acknowledg
ment of the justice of their cause. Buoyed up by the promises of
his supporters, and by a treaty secretly agreed upon with the Scotch
commissioners, the king warmly protested that " neither the desire
of being freed from that tedious and irksome condition of life which
he had so long suffered, nor the apprehension of anything that might
befall him, should ever prevaU with him to consent to any one Act
tUl the conditions of the whole peace should be concluded " {Claren
don). His adherents, meanwhile, had been concerting a plan of escape,
and a ship, pro-vided by the queen, had for some time been hovering
off the coast. The evening of the day on which he forwarded to the
parliament his peremptory refusal of their ultimatum was appointed
for the enterprise ; but Hammond obtained some inkling of it, and
proceeded to enforce restrictions which he had hitherto avoided.
His suspicions were further aroused by a singular 4meute, which
took place in Newport itself.
There lived in that busy borough at this unquiet time one Captain

60 CHARLES L IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
Burley, who had served in the royal army, and afterwards had
holden a military command in the island. As if seized by a sudden
frenzy, or acting on some preconcerted plot whose particulars were
never kno-wn, he caused a drum to be beaten, and drawing together
a small gathering of curious and adventurous citizens, declared him
self their leader, and proposed to attempt the rescue of the royal
captive. But Berkeley and Ashburnham, apprehending no good
consequences to the king, made haste to dismiss to their homes the
noisy crowd. A company of soldiei's was dra-wn out from Caris
brooke, Burley taken prisoner, and the riot abruptly terminated. A
commission of Oyer and Terminer was instantly appointed by the
parliament to sit at Winchester, under Chief Baron Wilde (January
22, 1648). The result may be easily guessed. Burley was found
guilty of high treason, and on the 3rd of February expiated his
loyalty by a terrible death. He was hung, drawn, and quartered ;
but suffered with invincible coui-age, exclaiming to the last, " Fear
God, and honour the king '. "
To take measures* for the monarch's safe custody was now ap
pointed a special commission, kno-wn — from the place of their meet
ings — as the Derby House Committee. It included seven peers, — the
Earls of Kent, Manchester, Northumberland, and Warwick, and the
Lords Eoberts, Say and Sele, and Wharton ; and thirteen commoners,
— Sir AVilliam Armine, Sir John Evelyn, Sir Gilbert Gerrard, Sir
Arthur Haselrig, ^nd Sir Harry Vane, the Lieutenant General
Cromwell, and Pierpoint, Harry Vane the younger, Fiennes, Brown,
Crew, H. John, and Wallop. They communicated direct with Ham
mond, the correspondence being conducted in cipher ; and such was
the subtlety of their measures, such the skill of their agents, that
they learned every movement of the royalists, and often apprised
Hammond of plots hatched in his very neighbourhood, to which he
himself could gain no clew.
The appointment of this committee immediately affected the con
ditions of the king's imprisonment, and compelled Hammond to
watch his captive with a closer vigilance.
Four conservators were appointed, — Herbert, MUdmay, Captain
Titus, and Preston, who alternately, two at a time, guarded the
doors of the royal apartments. When the king went abroad for a
' Sir William Constable, Lieutenant-Colonel Goffe, and Lieutenant-Colonel Salmon,
were sent from the army to the Isle of Wight. Reinforcements of troops were poured
in ; the ports garrisoned and victualled ; and Vice-Admiral Rainsborough's fleet ordered
to cruise off the island.

CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 61
walk he was always accompanied by Colonel Hammond ; and his
exercise was strictly confined within the limits of the castle walls.
Most of his attendants were dismissed, and — what the king felt sorelj'
— his chaplains were ordered to leave the island (February 1648).
Nevertheless, the governor did what he could to lessen the dis
comfort of this close confinement. He converted the barbican, or
place of arms of the castle, "into a bowling green, scarce to be
equalled, and at one side built a pretty summer house for retire
ment" {Herbert). His own manner was marked by a courteous
deference, and he never intruded upon the monarch's privacy.
King Charles's daily life,* during this period, if monotonous, was
not altogether an unpleasing one, and exhibits the better features of
his character.
He rose betimes, prayed devoutly and read the Scriptures, then
breakfasted, and afterwards took exercise "within the works, a
place sufficiently large and convenient for the king's walking, and
ha-ving good air, and a delightful prospect both to the sea and land."
When he had dined — and during his dinner, always a temperate one,
he entered into famUiar converse with those who waited on him — he
withdrew to his private chamber, and read or wrote until the
evening meal. Then he took further exercise, and so, at an early
hour, retired to rest.
His chief favourites among his books have been carefully recorded.
" The Sacred Scriptures he most delighted in ; read often in Bishop
Andrews's Sermons ; Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity ; Dr. Hammond's
Works ; ViUalpandus upon Ezekiel, etc. ; Sands's Paraphrase upon
King David's Psalms ; Herbert's Divine Poems ; and also Godfrey
of BuUoigne, writ in Italian by Torquato Tasso, and done into
English heroic verse by Mr. Fairfax, a poem his majesty much
commended, as he did also Ariosto, by Sir John Harrington, a
facetious poet, much esteemed of by Prince Henry his master:
Spenser's Faerie Queen, and the like, for alleviating his spirits after
serious studies." He likewise amused himself in composition : wrote
some commonplace verses, — the Suspiria Regalia, or Royal Sighs,
and Majesty in Misery ; and translated from the Latin Dr. Sander
son's book De Juramentis. Of his little library the faithful Herbert
was the custodian.
* *' His majesty takes usually every morning a walk about the castle wall, and the like
in the afternoon, if fair ; much time spent every day in private ; he speaks most to us at
dinner.. ..His majesty is as merry as formerly; all quiet and f^ir between his majesty
and Colonel Hammond " (Rushvjorth's Collections, iv, 2),

62 CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
The king was fond of writing Latin and Greek mottoes in his
books, and especiaUy affected the significant epigraph, Dum spiro,
spero — " While I breathe, I hope ; " and in one he wrote the follow
ing distich : — " Rebus in adversis facile est contemnere vitam;
Fortiter ille facit qui miser esse potest." *
His scholarship was, indeed, considerable; and he was well ac
quainted with Latin, Greek, French, Spanish, and Italian {Herbert).
He told Sir Philip Warwick that his best companion was " an old,
little, crumpling man," who "for three months together made my
fire ; " but this statement was either exaggerated or misunderstood
by Sir PhUip, for Sir Thomas Herbert continued in close attendance
upon him {Godwin). From the time that he was deprived of his
usual retinue, " he would never suffer his hair to be cut, nor cared he
to have any new cloaths ; so that his aspect and appearance was
very different from what it had used to be ; otherwise, his health
was good, and he was much more cheerful in his discourses towards
all men than could have been imagined after such a mortification of
all kinds. He was not at all dejected in his spirits, but carried him
self with the same majesty he had used to do. His hair was all
grey, which, making all others very sad, made it thought that he
had sorrow in his countenance, which appeared only by that shadow"
{Clarendon). THE FIRST ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE.
Such was the quiet tenor of the royal prisoner's daily life ; but as
the political complications of the kingdom rapidly increased in diffi
culty, and hourly became more ominous, his adherents bent all their
energies to the perfection of a plan of escape.
Amongst the household was a gallant and ingenious man named
Henry Firebrace,t who having resolved upon opening a communi
cation between the king and his friends in the island, contrived to
secure the confidence of Captain Titus, one of the conservators or
wardens already named, who was a loyal servant of the king at heart.
Charles was wont to retire " into his bed-chamber as soon as he had
supped, shutting the door to him. I offered my service," says Fire-
brace,]: " to one of the conservators (Captain Titus) to wait at the
* " It is an easy matter to speak slightingly of life when we are in sore distress ; but
the brave man is he who can calmly endure to be wretched."
t He was known to the king, and privately enjoined by him to repair to the island.
To effect this, he applied to the speaker and to other commissioners for permission to
wait upon the king as page of the bed-chamber. His prayer was readily grantetj.
I Liftter to Sir George Lane. Published at Whitehall, 1675.

CHARLES L IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 63
door opening into the back stairs whUst he went to supper — I pre
tending not to sup — which he accepted of ; by which means I had
freedom of speaking with his majesty." When Firebrace had any
lettere to deliver, they were placed in a certain concealment in the
royal chamber, where in due time the king's answer was also de
posited. In the wainscot, which was covered by thick hangings, an
aperture was made, so that the king might privately communicate
with his attendants, and on the approach of any suspicious person,
instantly let faU the hang-ings.
The plan at length determined upon seemed feasible enough, and
to present every prospect of a successful issue.
One of the attendants placed about the king, by order of the par
liament, was a Mr. Richard Osburne (or Osborn), a
" gentleman of an ancient famUy, and singular good parts,'' n f.,g '
but of lax morals, having been educated by Lord Wharton,
a nobleman of dissolute character. This Osburne had been converted
into a zealous adherent of King Charles by the infiuence of the
monarch's stately presence and fascinating manner. There were also
Mr. Edward Worsley of Gatcombe, a gentleman of good descent, and
Mr. John Newlatid of Newport, eager with life and purse to serve
their king. With Captain Titus and Mr. Henry Firebrace, they
formed the adventurous design so curiously frustrated.
The king, at a certain signal made by Firebrace (to toss a stone
against his bed-room window), was to force himself through the
window, and let himself do-wn by a stout cord. [Firebrace had much
misdoubted that the king would be able to make his way through so
narrow an opening ; but Charles declared that where his head would
pass, surely his body would follow.] Firebrace, it was agreed, should
then receive him, and conduct him across the court, where no sentinel
was stationed, to the great wall. This the king would descend by
means of a thick rope, with a stick fastened to it for a seat, and
climbing the counterscarp, which was very low, would find a horse
ready saddled, boots and pistols, with Osburne and Worsley, well
mounted, to escort him. Eiding across the island in the deep night
shadows, they would speedily gain the sea-side, and join Mr. New-
land, who held in readiness a properly furnished boat. The monarch's
safety was then insured.
The night came. The king dismissed his attendants. Worsley
and Osburne stealthily led their horses into the neighbourhood of the
castle, and John Newland, on the bleak sea-shore, eagerly awaited
his sovereign's coming. Firebrace took up his station beneath the

64 CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
memorable window, and gave the appointed signal. Then "his
majesty,'' says Firebrace, "put himself forward, but, too late, found
himself mistaken, he sticking fast between his breast and shouldere,
and not able to get backward or forward, but that, at the instant
before he endeavoured to come out, he mistrusted and tied a piece of
his cord to a bar of the window within, by means whereof he forced
himself back. Whilst he stuck, I heard him groan, but could not
come to help him, which (you may imag-ine) was no small affliction to
me. So soon as he was in again, to let me see (as I had to my grief
heard) the design was broken, he set a candle in the window. If this
unfortunate impediment had not hapjiened, his majesty had certainly
then made a good escape."
Firebrace warned his confederates of the faUure of their scheme,
by flinging stones from the high waU at the place where the king
should have descended. They took the alarm, and got away quietly
and without discovery.
Some hints of the intended escape, however, reached the Derby
House Committee, and Cromwell wrote to Hammond in reference to
it, expressly naming Firebrace "as the gentleman who led the way ;"
and cautioning the governor against Captain Titus, Dowcett, and
others of the king's household. Firebrace was shortly afterwards dis
missed, though not before he had succeeded in arranging a mode of
communication between the king and his friends, and rendering
some help towards a future attempt at escape. He wrote to a Mrs.
Whorwood, " a tall, well -fashioned, and well-languaged gentlewoman,"
a stanch loyalist, residing in London, and desired her to forward
some files and aquafortis to sever the window-bars. She immedi
ately betook herself to the famous astrologer Lilly, who, in his turn,
had recourse to one George Farmer, a locksmith in Bow Lane. Of
these fantastic devices the Derby House Committee obtained informa
tion, and warned Hammond to be upon his guard. The aquafortis,
therefore, never reached the king, being " upset on the road ; " but a
hacker, intended to convert into saws two knives which the king
had concealed, in spite of all his jailei-'s precaution, safely reached
him.* Charles was now removed from the apartments he had occupied
since his entrance into the castle, to the chief officer's, " in a buUding
on the left side of the first court." As the window contained but one
* In Mr. Hillier's "Narrative of the Detention of Charles I." will be found by the
curious reader a voiy full account of these matters, with some interesting letters and
novel details.

CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 65
bar, a second was inserted by Hammond's orders, having scarcely five
niches between each bar and the stone muUions. Beneath it was
thrown up a platform of earth, where a sentinel was stationed, and
ordnance was so placed as to command the vai-ious approaches.
Nevertheless the king, under certain restrictions, was still permitted
to receive those who waited upon him. He often discoursed with a
Mr. Troughton, chaplain to the governor, and an anti- Episcopalian,
a young man of good parts, " who," says Herbert, " could argue pretty
well." On one occasion, whilst disputing with him warmly, Charles
suddenly took a sword from a lieutenant of foot who was in waiting,
and drew it, much to the alarm of the young debater ; but a gentle
man present, better interpreting the monarch's intention, bent his
knee, received the honour x>i knighthood, and rose "Sir John Dun-
comb.'' The king told him he had then no better method of acknow
ledging his services.
He sometimes received books proffered to him by their authors.
Thus, one Mr. Sedgwick posted down from London to present him
with his "Leaves of the Tree of Life." The king accepted it for
perusal, read it, and returned it, ironically remarking, " that, by what
he had read in that book, he believed the composer stood in some need
of sleep." THE SECOND ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE. '
The project next designed for the king's release was simple in its
details. The king, with a file or some aquafortis, was to
sever the iron window-bars, let himself down, and cross
ing the bowling-green, descend the counterscarp, mount a horse ready
saddled, and, accompanied by Osbm-ne and Worsley, ride across the
island to the sea-shore, then into Newland's boat, and so to the coast
of Hampshire. There he would find horses in readiness to convey
him to Sir Edward Alford's seat, near Arundel in Sussex, whence, at
a fitting opportunity, he might proceed to Queensborough, and take
ship for HoUand.
But of this well-devised scheme Eolfe, Hammond's chief officer,
" a fellow of low extraction and very ordinary parts," a fierce republican,
and a brutal soldier, obtained information, so that when, on the
evening of Sunday, May the 20th, the king made the attempt, he
found, on coming through the -window, more persons in waiting than
he had been led to expect, and apprehending danger, closed the
windows, and tranquilly retired to his rest. Eolfe had stationed, at
a suitable spot, a soldier in whom he could trust, -with orders, it is
asserted by some authorities, to fire at the king if he got through the

66 CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
window ; others armed with pistols, stood in convenient proximity.
Osburne and Worsley, taking the alarm, rode off, escaping uninjured
the fire of the musketeers placed in readiness to intercept them ;*
but on reaching Newland's boat the master refused to take them on
board because they were unaccompanied by the king ; so, leaving
their horses on the shore, they concealed themselves in the woods of
Gatcombe for several days, finding means in the night, by the assist
ance of a kinsman of Mr. Worsley's, to obtain provisions, and at
length to leave the island. They efiected their escape to London,
where Firebrace contrived to conceal them.
Osburne immediately addressed a letter to Lord Wharton, declar
ing his conviction that Eolfe had designed to murder the kmg, and
repeating certain conversations to that effect which Eolfe had held
when he believed him to be in the interest of the parliament. Lord
Wharton treated the letter with silent indifference, whereupon
Osburne laid his complaint before parliament, and the Peers received
it in so serious a spirit as to desire the House of Commons to join
with them in the necessary investigation.
Abraham Dowcett, whose fidelity to the parliament had previously
been suspected, and who had assisted in the project of escape, was
examined in support of Osburne's statement before the bar of the House
of Peers ; and, being " imperfect in the English language," was per
mitted to put in the following written declaration (3rd July 1648) : —
" 1. I am ready to make oath that ]Mr. Richard Osburne told me the king's person
was in great danger, and that the said Rolfe had a design on foot for the conveying
his majesty's person to some place of secrecy, where onely three should go with him,
and where they might dispose of his person as they should think fit; which information
from Mr. Osburne, and the assurance I had of his majesty's intentions forthwith to
come to his parliament, was the cause of my engagement in this business.
"2. I am ready likewise to depose that the said Rolfe came to me (when I was a
prisoner in the castle) and, in a jeering manner, asked me why the king came not
doune according to his appointment ; and then, with great indignation and fury, said
he waited almost three hours under the new platform, with a good pistol ready charged,
to receive if he had come."
To which Major Eolfe put in a counter-statement, which we
abridge : —
"My Lords,— Knowing myself (I speak in the presence of that God who searcheth
all hearts) to bo perfectly clear and innocent of that foul and horrid crime charged
upon me —that I abhor the very thought of it ; earnestly desiring an opportunity of
appearing for vindication of my innoccncy, or whatever else malice in wicked men can
lay against me ; resting fully assured that, whatsoever award I shall find at the hands
of men, I shall enjoy the happiness of an upright and peaceable conscience -with the
same God in whose in-esence I stand. "Edward [Edmdnd?] Kolfe."
^ It is said that one of the sentinels was afterwards fired at and killed ; by whom
was never discovered (Hillier's King Charles in the Isle of Wight).

CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 67
The charge brought against him by Osburne and Dowcett is im
probable enough, or, at ail events, not substantiated by any evidence
we know of. Is it to be supposed he would indulge in such dangerous
confidences with men whose attachment to the king had so long been
suspected l Nor, at that time, would the king's death have been an
event by which Eolfe's party could have profited. His g-uilt, how
ever, was very generally credited by the Eoyalists, and provided the
news-writers and pamphleteers of the day with a fertile and inex
haustible subject. Thus a rhymester exclaims, —

Another :

* Tliat he [the king] hath 'scaped the cursed plot,
Thanks, Osburn, unto thee ! "
Mercurius Bellicus, 11th July, 1648.
" !Now if the people do proceed to sing,
God curse the parliament and bless the king ;
If they continue their unpleasant notes —
Give us our prince or els we'll cut your throats ;
Then there may hap a treaty, Kolf may die.
Else Osburn's trust for his discovery." Mercurius Psittacvs, 10th July.
A third relates an incident of the king's captivity in the most exag
gerated form, —
" And were it but onely for abusing their soveraigne lord the king in so vile and
transcendant manner, they [the Puritan chiefs] could not but full expect the strictest
vengeance, while, contrary to their oathes, their frequent solemn protestations, their
publishing to the world in print that they intended nothing but his preservation, with
the supportance and backing him in all his just privileges, they have shut him up in
prison, put so strict a guard upon him that he enjoyeth not the liberty of the meanest
of his subjects; have accused him for poisoning his father, thereby endeavouring as
much as in them lay not onely to render him odious in the eyes of his subjects, but
also to take away bis life; have limited his meales, so that the meanest gentleman is
served with more varieties; and, which is worst of all, have made Hammond, the
worst of villaines, his jailor, whom they countenance— yea, authorize— to revile him on
all occasions to his face; which hell-hound, the other day, upon a pretended order from
them, in the dead of night, came and knockt at his majestie's doore; and when the king,
all amazed, demanded who was there, he told him it was he, and he must come in.
His majestic desired him to put off the business till the morrow; but he replied he
neither could nor would, and that if he opened not the doore he would break it open.
Whereupon the meek prince presently arose, and casting his cloak about him, admitted
him. Eeing in, he told him he had an order from the Houses to search his cabinet
for letters; whereupon his majestic, opening his cabinet, took thence two letters, and
left him to view the rest, which the traytor perceiving, demanded them also. The
king told him he should not have them, and, with that word, threw them into the
fire; when Hammond endeavouring to gain them, the king tripe up his heeles, and
laid him on the fire also. "Whereupon the villaine bauld out for aide, when presently
came in a ruffian, and laid hands on the king in such a rude manner as he would
have strangled him, and, striving with him, pusht his face upon the hilt of Hammond's
sword, whereby it was extremely bruised; and, attempting him further, hit him also
against the pummel of a chaire, whereby his majestie's eye is black and blew; but
maugre the utmost of the two devils, the letters were burnt, and Hammond, rising up,
threatened his majestie in very opprobrious language, and so departed at that present"
(Declaration from the Isle of Wight, 1648).

68 CHARLES L IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
Another example must content us : —
"They have any time this six months frequently solicited Hammond (a mercenary
slave, a fellow whose litterature lies in his heeles, and whose nature is so flexible that
with small allurement he may be woo'd to act any kind of villanie), his majestie's
demoniacall jaylor, to convey his majestie's person out of the Isle of Wight to some more
obscure place (perhaps to immure him in some hollow cave cut out of from the intraills
of the earth, and there to dispatch him by poyson, to depresse him beneath a feather
bed, or as hell should prompt his executioner " (Mercurius Bellicus, 6th July).
Eolfe was tried at Winchester on the 28th of August, acquitted,
and shortly afterwards discharged from custody, when the Commons
ordered him, as a recompense for his imprisonment, a gift of J150.
He returned to the Isle of Wight, and resumed his position at Caris
brooke Castle. THE TREATY OF NEWPORT.
" What though the faction are agreed
The kingdom still to cheat ?
Doe what they can, it is decreed
The king shall come and treat."
McrcuritLS Fragmatlcus.
On the 3rd of August it was resolved by the two Houses of the
Legislature that a personal treaty should be entered into with the
king, iu the hope of securing a settlement for the distractions of the
realm ; and after much debate and conference -with the royal
prisoner, it was agTeed that the negotiation should be conducted at
Newport, the chief to-wn of the Isle of Wight.
Fifteen commissioners were appointed to transact this important
matter ; five lords — the Earls of Middlesex, Northumberland, Pem
broke, and Salisbury, and Lord Say and Sele ; ten commoners —
Thomas Lord Weuman, Sir Harbottle Grimston, Sir John Potts, Sir
Harry Vane, Samuel Brown, John Bulkley (or Buckley), John Crew,
Denzil Holies, William Pierrepoint, and John Glynn, the Eecorder
of London. It was estimated that ^£10,000 would defray the expenses.
^300 were allowed the commissioners towards their outlay, and
Messrs. Marshall and Eye were appointed chaplains. The restrictions
upon the king's personal liberty were to a great extent removed ;
horses were provided for his pleasure ; and a certain number of lords,
prelates, clergy, and gentlemen, reputed for their loyalty, permitted
to repair to the Isle of Wight to attend upon him. Amongst these
attached adherents were the Duke of Eichmond, the Marquis of
Hertford, the Earls of Lindsey and Southampton, who were named
Gentlemen of the Bedchamber ; the Bishops of London and Salis
bury, the Dean of Canterbury, Drs. Sanderson and Heywood, his
chaplains ; Nicholas Oudart, Charles Whitaker, Sir Edward Walker,

CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 69
and Sir Philip Warwick, his secretaries ; Henry Firebrace, clerk of
the kitchen ; and Anthony MUdmay, his carver. Drs. Brian Duppa
and Juxon were also in attendance {Oudart's Diary).
The royal household was accommodated in Mr. Matthew Hopkins'
house, near the GroAnmar School, at Newport ; the Bull (now the
Bugle) Inn was placed at the disposal of the Parliamentary commis
sioners ; and the conferences were held in the Town Hall.
The king sat upon a raised dais under a canopy, attended by his
lords, chaplains, and secretaries. The commissioners were seated on
each side of a long table, at a convenient distance from him. When
he sought to consult with his attendants, or to refresh himself, he
retired to the adjoining chamber. The negotiations were conducted
with much gravity, the king displaying so vigorous an intellect and
so keen an apprehension as to astonish his foes and delight his friends.
Even Sir Harry Vane pronounced him " a person of great abilities."
" The Earl of Salisbuiy," says Clarendon, " thought him ' wonderfuUy
improved of late.' "
This important conference, on which the eyes of all parties in the
nation were fixed with intensest eagerness, was protracted for three
months. A minute report of each day's transactions is preserved in
Oudart's Diary (vide PecKs Desiderata Curiosa, b. ix.) ; but with
most of its details we must not here concern ourselves. They relate
to the history of the Wight only so far as that history is involved in
the history of England.
We learn from this Diary, however, and from Herbert's Memoirs,
in what manner the monarch passed his days at Newport. He rose
early ; performed at some length, as he was wont, his religious
duties ; breakfasted, and devoted the morning to discussions with the
commissioners. Then he gave audience to the island gentry, to his
friends, to poor invalids afflicted -with the king's evil and desirous of
receiving his healing touch. (Seven of these cases are recorded by
Taylor, the water-poet.) Having dined, he conversed -with his chap
lain, and the bishops in attendance, upon national affairs, or the
progress of the treaty. After supper he -withdrew to his own apart
ment, to record the events of the day and dictate lettera to the Prince
of Wales.*
^ A curious anecdote is recorded in "Rushworth's Collections," which may be quoted
as an evidence of the feeling prevalent in the town itself : " His majesty last night at
supper, the Bishop of London waiting on the right hand of his chair and the Bishop of
Salisbury next to him, as usual, all were put into a great fear by reason of a fire near
the court ; but soon after came news that it was only a chimney, and quenched ; but
the same night one of the soldiers on the guard, and one of the king's footmen,
(712) G

70 CHARLES L IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT.
On Sunday, one of his chaplains, or some reverend prelate, per
formed divine service in the chamber in the Grammar School now
occupied as the schoolroom, and he listened with that devoutness
which always characterized his religious exercises. Oudart furnishes
us with the names of the preachers and notes of their discourses : —
Sunday, the 8th October  Dr. T. Turner  Text, John v. 14.
Sunday, the 15th October  Dr. Heywood.
Wednesday, the 26th October, 1  Psalm xlii. 6, 6.
Fast Day, ) ¦"
Sunday, the 29th October  Dr. T. Turner  „ Matt. xi. 28.
Sunday, the 6th November  Dr. Heywood  Psalm Ixviii. 1.
Sunday, the 12th November  Dr. Jos. Gulson.
Sunday, the 19th November, I . Archbishop of Armagh. „ Gen. xlix. 3.
The King's Birthday, ) -o i>
Sunday, the 26th November  Dr. Sanderson  „ Heb. a. 4.
Oudart also preserves two quaint couplets, "written about this
time in the king's own hand," and which were found among the
royal manuscripts : —

And-

' A coward 's still unsafe, but courage knows
No other foe but him who doth oppose."

' A pickthank and a picklock, both are alike evil ;
The diff'rence is, this trots, that ambles to the devil.'

Meanwhile the army had grown more powerful than the Parlia
ment, and its leaders were evidently determined to get the person
of the king into their own power. Fairfax summoned Hammond,
whose fidelity to his trust was a weighty obstacle in their way, to
the headquarters at Windsor; and Colonel Eure was ordered to
repair to the island to take charge of the king, and remove him
again to Carisbrooke.
But Colonel Hammond, though compelled to obey the general's
orders in a matter of militaiy discipline, refused to give up the trust
placed in his hands by the Parliament ; and before he repaired to
Windsor, intrusted the government of the island and the security of
the royal person to three deputies — Major Eolfe, Captain Bowerman,
and Captain Hawes. He gave them strict injunctions to prevent
the removal of the king.
On the 27th November the treaty was signed by Charles, but with
broke out into a great flame, and were parted, but so that the footman put a second
affront upon him afterwards, and they were then a second time appeased; and
that night his majesty's health went round lustily in the George cellars, whither' some
of the cooks and others came over from the court" (Rushviorth's Collections, vol. iv.,
part 2).

CHARLES 1. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 71
manifest reluctance, for it bestowed all the prerogatives of the Crown
upon the Parliament; and the commissioners, accompanied by Col
onel Hammond, immediately set out for London. The king, a prey
to bitter apprehensions, returned, with his suite, to Carisbrooke.
REMOVAL FROM THE ISLAND.
The leaders of the army, however, were not to be balked of their
prey, and secretly despatched a troop of horse and a company of
foot, under Lieutenant-Colonel Cobbit, to seize the Stuart, and repair
with him to Hurst Castle.* Of their arrival one of the king's
attendants was informed by a person in disguise, and much alarm
was consequently excited in the king's mind. He summoned to his
presence the Duke of Eichmond, the Earl of Lindsey, and Colonel
Cooke, one of Cromwell's soldiers, but attached to the king. As the
result of their deliberations, Cooke repaired to Eolfe, and acquainted
him that the king wished to know whether the army had resolved to
seize him that night.
" Not that I know of," replied Eolfe ; and added, " You may
assure the king from me that he may rest quietly this night."
Colonel Cooke, observing the emphasis placed upon these words,
pressed him further on the intentions of the army, but without
obtaining any satisfactory answer. Eolfe promised, however, to give
the king due notice of what they might purpose in reference to his
removal. Having acquainted the king with what had passed. Colonel Cooke,
"though the night was extraordinarily dark," and the rain fell
heavily, made his way to Newport. There he speedily found his
worst fears confirmed. The streets were alive with soldiers — with
faces of men whom he well knew; and he soon ascertained that
every officer who was suspected of entertaining friendly feelings for
the king had been removed, and his place supplied by a less scrupu
lous instrument. " The govei-nor (Captain Bowerman) plainly told
him he was no better than their prisoner in his own garrison,
for they had threatened him with immediate death if he but
so much as whispered with any of his servants" {Colonel Cookds
Narrative). During his absence Firebrace had vainly endeavoured to persuade
the king to take advantage of the confusion which prevailed, and
make his escape, reminding him that Mr. John Newland's boat
* On their arrival Captain Bowerman sternly refused them admission into the
castle ; but Eolfe, who commanded at Newport, proffered his assistance.

72 CHARLES 1. IN THE ISLE OP WIGHT.
might easily be procured. But the king having given his word of
honour not to attempt an escape,* persisted in his refusal.
On Colonel Cooke's return to the castle, " he found," he says, " a
great alteration at court. Guards not only set round the king's
lodgings, and at every window, but even within doors also; nay,
sentinels on the king's very chamber door, so that the king was
almost suffocated with the smoke of their matches." After much
entreaty. Colonel Cooke succeeded in relieving him from the intoler
able nuisance.
Having related what he had seen and heard, the faithful colonel,
conjointly with the Duke of Eichmond and the Earl of Lindsey,
besought the royal prisoner, while he had yet time, to accomplish his
escape. But though they showed it was perfectly feasible, and ad
duced many serious arguments why it should be attempted, the king
replied, " They have promised me, and I have promised them ; and
I will not break first."
So, after a while. King Charles retired to rest — his sorrowful
attendants holding themselves in readiness for whatever might occur.
" It was then about one o'clock ; and though Colonel Cooke went not
to bed all that night, yet all things were carried with such secrecy
and quiet, that not the least noise was heard, nor the least cause of
suspicion given.
" But next morning, just at break of day, the king, hearing a
great knocking at his outward door, sent the Duke of Eichmond to
ask what it meant ; who demanding. Who icas there ? he was an
swered. My name is MUdmay. (One of the servants the Parliament
had put to the king, and brother to Sir Henry.)
"The duke demanded. What he would have? Who answered,
There were some gentlemen from the army very desirous to speak with
the king.
" Which account the duke gave the king ; but the knocking rather
increasing, the king commanded the duke to let them into the room.
No sooner was this done, but before the king could get from his bed,
these officers rushed into his chamber, and abraptly told the king
they had orders to remove him.
" From whom ? said the king. They replied. From the army.
'• The king asked. To ivhat place ? To the Castle, said they.
" The king demanded. To what castle ? Again they answered, To
the Castle.
"• " Not to go out of the island dui-ing the treaty, nor twenty days after, without the
advice of both Houses of Parliament" (Rushworth).

CHARLES I. IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT. 73
" The Castle, said the king, is no castle; and added, he was weU
enough prepared for any castle, requiring them to name the castle.
" After a short whisper together they said. Hurst Castle.
" Indeed, said the king, you could not have named a worse. Where
upon immediately the king called to the Duke of Eichmond to send
for the Earl of Lindsey and Colonel Cooke.
" At first they scrupled at the Earl of Lindsey's coming ; but the
king saying. Why not both, since both lie together ?
" Then having whispered together, they promised to send for both,
but sent for neither'' {Colonel Cooke's Narrative).
Meanwhile, Firebrace, by the king's desire, had caused a break
fast to be prepared;* but the rough soldiers hurried him into the
coach which was in waiting -without suffering him to taste it. After
he had taken his seat Lieutenant-Colonel Cobbit,t " with his hat
on," attempted to jump in ; but Charles stoutly pushed him back,
exclaiming, " It is not come to that yet ; get you out." And so the
Ueutenant-colonel was forced to content himself with a seat beside
the driver, while Herbert, Harrington, and Mildmay entered the
coach. Then the king hastily bade his servants farewell, with an
e-vident presentiment of coming evil. " At other times," says Her
bert, " he was cheerful ; but at his parting from his friends he
showed the sorrow in his heart by the sadness of his countenance — a
real sympathy."
Through the shadows of the sullen night the coach, escorted by
two troops of horse, " went westward, towards Worsley's Tower, in
Freshwater Isle, a little beyond Yarmouth Haven." Having rested
there an hour, the king and his attendants went on board of a small
sailing vessel, crossed the narrow sea, and landed at Hurst Castle.
SECTION IX. -THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH.
On the removal of Colonel Hammond, the government of the
island was conferred upon Colonel WiUiam Sydenham, a zeal
ous Parliamentarian soldier, who had defended Weymouth 'v'*
and Melcombe Eegis against the royal forces. He was a brother
of the famous physician, and a kinsman of Dr. Hopton Sydenham,
for a brief time Eector of Brighstone. Cromwell trusted him so
thoroughly as to appoint him one of his council, and at a later
* " The king said to me, ' I know not where these people intend to carry me, and I
would willingly eat before I go, therefore get me something to eat ' " (Firebrace's Nar
rative). t Cobbit, according to Herbert; Eolfe, according to Firebrace,

7i THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH.
period to raise him to the House of Peers which he attempted to
establish.* During his government Carisbrooke again became a royal prison,
and received within its precincts two of the lineage of its late cap
tive — the Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Gloucester. As the
former died within its walls, and as her dust still lies in the church
at Newport — as her history, moreover, has all the pathos of a tender
romance — we apprehend that the reader will not look with disfavour
upon the brief memoir we subjoin.
THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH.
'* Doomed in her opening flower of life to know
All a true Stuart's heritage of woe." — Agnes Strickland.
This hapless daughter of the fated House of the Stuarts was born
at St. James's Palace on the 20th January 1635. She was the
second daughter and fifth child of Charles I. and Henrietta Maria,
and seems to have inherited the melancholy temperament of the one
and something of the delicate loveliness of the other. Her birth
called forth a special embassy of congratulation from the States of
Holland, and costly presents were forwarded to the royal mother —
" a massive piece of ambergris, two fair and almost transparent china
basins, a curious clock, and of far greater value than these, two
beautiful originals of Titian, and two of Tintoret, to add to the
galleries of paintings with which the king was enriching Whitehall
and Hampton Court" {Strickland).
As she grew out of infancy into childliood a notable resemblance
was observed between her and her sister, the Princess Mary, so that
the poet Crashaw likened them to " two silken sister-fiowers.'' Her
portrait, painted by Vaughau when she was five years old, represents
her as very fair, with long loose ringlets, and a tender expression of
countenance. Beneath an engraving from this portrait, which was
inserted in " The True Effigies of the Eoyal Progeny," are written
some complimentary lines, justified, certainly, by her girlish beauty : —
" Hero is the grace of Nature's workmanship,
Wherein herselfe herselfe she did outstrip.
Elizabeth the fair, the rare, the great.
In birth, and blood, and virtues full replete ;
An high-prized jewel, an unvalued gem.
Of more worth than a kingly diadem."
' A contemporary writer gives a concise sketch of this Puritan leader: "Colonel
Sydenham, a gentleman of not very much per annum at the beginning of the wars was
made governor of Melcombe Eegis in the -\Vest ; became one of the Long Parliarnent,

THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH. 75
But from her earliest years her constitution seems to have been
very delicate. She was " sad, and somewhat liable to complaints of
the spleen;"* and when but nine years old (1643) she met with an
accident whUe running across a room, which caused a fractured leg.
But the debility of her frame was contrasted by the vigour of her
intellect. " She proved a lady of parts beyond her age ; the quick
ness of her mind making recompense for the weakness of her body.''
Her physical infirmity preventing her from joining- with any vigour
in the pastimes of her brothers and sisters, she sought recreation in
letters; and so great was her progTess, that before she was eight
years of age she could read and write five languages besides her own
— Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Italian, French. To the study of the first
two her earnest and devout mind led her to apply with singular
enthusiasm, and she read the Scriptures — an exercise in which she
especiaUy delighted — in their original tongues. Her theological
acquirements must have been extensive, if she was able to under
stand the work which William Greenhill dedicated to her in 1644,
an " Exposition of the first five chapters of Ezekiel." At a later
period she accepted the dedication of Alexander Eowley's " Scholar's
Companion," an English-Latin Lexicon of Hebrew and Greek words
employed in the Bible. Eowley speaks of " the fame of her great
inclination to the study of the Book of books, and of its two original
languages — the Hebrew and Greek." And Greenhill says, " Your
desire to know the original tongues, that you may understand the
Scriptures better, your resolution to write them out with your own
princely hand, and to come to the perfect knowledge of them, breed
in us hopes that you -will exceed all your sex, and be without equal
in Europe.''
Her first gouvernante was the Countess of Eoxburghe ; and for a
few years, while under her care, she enjoyed the companionship of
her brothers and sisters. But in February 1642 the queen set out
for HoUand with her eldest daughter Mary, betrothed to the Prince of
Orange, to raise supplies for her husband's assistance in his struggle
with the Parliament. Neither her mother nor her sister, there-
and hath augmented his revenue to some purpose : he helped in question, to change
the government, and make those laws of treason against kingship; was also of the
Little Parliament, and those that were sillce ; one also of the Protector's council, hath
a princely command in the Isle of Wight, is one of the commissioners of the Treasury:
by all of which he is grown very great and considerable" (A Second Narrative, etc.,
A.D. 1658).
* When, in 1640, there was some design of betrothing her to the Prince of Orange,
the Secretary of State wrote that she might probably die before the contract was com
pleted.

76 THE PEINCESS ELIZABETH.
fore, did sad Elizabeth ever meet again. Her royal father's visits
were necessarily few; with her brothers, Charles and James, it is
doubtful if ever she felt much sympathy. So, lone and still, she
brooded in the darkness of the times over the fate that dogged the
steps of her unhappy sire. The battle echoes of Marston and Naseby
broke in upon her solitude like death-music; and as earth grew
more and more repulsive to her saddened soul, she turned with the
greater eagerness to the consolations of heaven.
In October 1642, the plague becoming epidemical in the vicinity
of St. James's, it was resolved by the Commons that her household
should be removed to a suitable mansion in a more healthy locality,
and for that purpose Lord Cottington's house in Broad Street was
finally engaged.
Her establishment at this time was not on a scale of ordinary
comfort, such as might be found in a tradesman's modest famUy, and
she was so hedged round with rigorous restrictions that she could
neither speak with nor write to any of her royal father's friends. The
Countess of Eoxburghe at length addressed an urgent remonstrance
to the House, and due inquiry being made, the Speaker himself
acknowledged its justice, by declaring that her poverty was such " he
should be ashamed to speak of it." A monthly payment of ,£800
was, therefore, ordered to Colonel HoUand to defray the expenses of
her household, and at a later period a larger allowance was made.
In 1643 the Commons removed her gouvernante and servants, and
placed her under the care, at first, of Lady Vere, and shortly after
wards of the Countess of Dorset. The princess remonstrated in a
letter addressed to the Peers, which is pathetically simple : —
" My Lords, — I account myself very miserable that I must have my servants taken
from me, and strangers put to me. You promised me that you would have a care of
me ; and I hope you will show it in preventing so gi-eat a grief as this would be to me.
I pray, my lords, consider of it, and give me cause to thank you, and to rest your lo\iug
friend, "Elizabeth.
" To the Right Hon. the Lords and Peers in Farliumcnt."
The Lords objected to these proceedings, and appointed a com
mittee of inquiry, but without effect. The Commons would brook
no interference from the Upper House, even in so small a matter,
and of themselves determined upon the number of the royal lady's
servants : — Two cofferesses, four chamber women, a laundress, and
starcher; two physicians (of whom the senior was the eminent
Mayerne); six chaplains, and one house chaplain; two gentlemen
ushers, one French master, four pages, etc. They also ordered that

THE PEINCESS ELIZABETH. 77
prayers should be read twice every day, and two sermons preached
on every Sunday ; the gates were to be locked at sunset, and on no
occasion opened after 10 p.m., without the special license of the chief
resident officer. For the house expenses ,£100 monthly were voted,
and an additional sum for apparel.
In July 1644 she was removed to Sir J. Danver's house at Chelsea,
and in September to Whitehall, where she received the instructions
of Mrs. Makin, a noted linguist.
Early in 1645, on the death of the Countess of Dorset, her brother
(the young Duke of Gloucester) and herself were placed under the
care of the Earl of Northumberland, and resided for a few weeks at
pleasant Sion House, on the banks of the Thames. He was allowed
£3000 per annum for his labour, and £9500 for the diet of his
wards. From Sion House they returned to St. James's Palace,
where they were joined by the young Duke of York, after the fatal
issue of the siege of Oxford. Weary days dragged on, each marked
by the shadow of some dread disaster to their father's cause, until
the tidings of his capture at Holdenby reached the ears of his un
happy daughter. Her sympathy for him, however, was reciprocated
by his paternal love, which prompted him, at considerable risk, to
seek an interview -with her.
On the 16th July, therefore, the Earl of Northumberland accom
panied the princess and the young princes to Maidenhead. Through
streets gaily stre-wn -with flowers they passed, until they reached the
Greyhound Inn, where, about eleven o'clock, they were joined by
King Charles. The interview was an affecting one. To the Duke
of Gloucester, then a lad about seven years old, the king said, " Do
you know me, chUd?" and when the little prince replied, "No," he
continued, " I am your father, chUd ; and it is not one of the least of
my misfortunes that I have brought you, and your brothers and
sisters, into the world to share my miseries" {Whitelocke, 259).
From Maidenhead the royal children went to Caversham, a quiet
-rillage on the green banks of the Thames, and stayed there two
days, mightily enjoying themselves the while.
During the king's detention at Hampton Court, he was several
times permitted to see them. On these occasions Cromwell was often
present, and it is to be noted that he alone, of all the stern Puritan
leaders, bent the knee to the sons and daughters of King Charles.
A longer interval than usual ha-ving at one time occurred, the prin
cess, it would appear, affectionately complained, and the king soothed
her in these loving but guarded words : —

78 THE PEINCESS ELIZABETH. "Hampton Coubt, S7th Oct. lea.
" Dear Daughter, — This is to assure you that it is not through forgetfulness, or
any want of kyndenes, that I have not, all this tyme, sent for you, but for such reasons
as is fitter for you to imagen (which you may easily doe), than me to wryte ; but now I
hope to see you upon Fryday or Saturday next, as your brother James can more par
ticularly tell you, to whom referring you, I rest your loving father, " Chaeles E."
Equally tender in spirit is the following, written at a later period,
but which may here be fitly introduced : — " Newport, IIM October WIS.
" Dear Daughter, — It is not want of affection that makes me write so seldome to
you, but want of matter such as I could wishe ; and indeed I am loathe to write to
those I love when I am out of humore (as I have beene these dayes by past), least my
letters should treble those I desyre to please ; but having this opportimity, I would not
loose it, though at this time I have nothing to say, but God bless you. So I rest, your
loving father, ,, _, „
Charles E.
" Give your brother my blessing with a kisse ; and comend me kyndly to my Lady
Northumberland by the same token." Ellis's Orig. Letters, 2nd series, ii.
The aspect of affairs was now so menacing that the partisans of the
royal family thought it advisable to remove the young Duke of York
out of the reach of the Parliament. The king, while at Hampton
Court, had foreseen that this would be necessary, and had enjoined
him, " when a fit opportunity offered, to make his escape beyond the
seas." They were at this period residing at St. James's, " where,"
says Clarendon, " they had the liberty of the garden and park to
walk and exercise themselves in, and lords and ladies, and other
persons of condition, were not restrained from resorting thither to
visit them." One Colonel Bamfield, " a man of an active and insinu
ating nature," availed himself of this permission to devise means of
escape ; and the princess providing the duke with female apparel,
when joining, as they were wont to do, in "hide and seek" — a
favourite pastime of their younger brother, the Duke of Gloucester —
he made his way unperceived into the garden, and thence by a
private door into the park, where Colonel Bamfield met him, and
conducted him to the river (AprU 21, 1647). He afterwards reached
Holland in safety.
His escape caused considerable excitement, and the Parliamentary
proceedings in consequence are thus alluded to by Eushworth : —
"April 2:2, 1647. — A message came from the Lords to the Com
mons, desiring a conference in the Painted Chamber, concerning the
escape of the Duke of York last night from St. James's. At this
conference report was made that the duke, with his brother the

THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH. 79
Duke of Gloucester, and his sister the Lady Elizabeth, being sporting
by themselves after supper, the duke privately slipt from 'em down
the back stairs, without either cloke or coat, and having the key of
the garden door, passed through the park, and so away."
Shortly afterwards, however, the royal children were intrusted to
the guardianship of the Countess of Leicester, much to the relief of
the Earl of Northumberland, whom nature had ill fitted to play the
part of jailer. An allowance was made to the duke of £2500 per
annum, and a suitable number of attendants was appointed to wait
upon them. They had previously been removed to Sion House,
where they remained in a captivity but thinly disguised, until, on
the fatal morning of the 29th of January 1649, they were summoned
to take their last farewell of their martyr-father.
Some lives are long, not from years, but events ; the heart grows
aged and the mind matured while the eyes are stiU f uU of the light
of youth. It was so with the child-princess. She counted but
thirteen summers, and yet she possessed the intelligence, and, alas !
had undergone the experience of a woman thrice as old. In simple
but expressive language she recorded, during her imprisonment at
Carisbrooke, the particulars of this last sad interview between the
children and the father — an interview which the shadow of the
coming death must have darkened to their souls. This remarkable
narrative runs in simple fashion, thus : —
" Wliat the KinQ said to me 29th of January last, being the last time I had the happiness
to see him.
" He told me that he was glad I was come, for, though he had not time to say much,
yet somewhat he wished to say to me which he could not to another, and he had feared
'the cruelty' was too great to permit his writing. 'But, sweetheart,' he added, 'thou
wilt forget what I teU thee. ' Then shedding abundance of tears, I told him that I would
write down all he said to me. ' He wished me,' he said, ' not to grieve and torment
myself for him, for it was a glorious death he should die, it being for the laws and
religion of the land.' He told me what books to read against Popery. He said that
' he had forgiven all his enemies, and he hoped God would forgive them also ; ' and
he commanded us, and all the rest of my brothers and sisters, to forgive them also.
Above all, he bade me tell my mother that 'his thoughts had never strayed from
her, and that his love for her would be the same to the last;' withal, he commanded
me and my brother to love her, and be obedient to her. He desired me 'not to
grieve for him, for he should die a martyr; and that he doubted not but God would
restore the throne to his son, and that then we should be all happier than we could
possibly have been if he had lived ; ' with many other things which I cannot remember.
" Then, taking my brother Gloucester on his knee, he said, ' Sweetheart, now will
they cut off thy father's bead; ' upon which the child looked very steadfastly upon him.
' Heed, my child, what I say : they will cut off my head, and perhaps make thee a king.
But mark what I say : you must not be a king as long as your brothers Charles and
James live ; therefore, I charge you, do not be made a king by them.' At which the
child, sighing deeply, replied, ' I wiU be torn in pieces first.' And these words coming
from so young a child, rejoiced my father exceedingly; and his majesty spoke to him

80 THE PEINCESS ELIZABETH.
of the welfare of his soul, and to keep his religion, commanding him to fear God and
he would provide for him. All which the young child earnestly promised.
" His majesty also bid me send his blessing to the rest of my brothers and sisters,
with commendations to all his friends. So, after giving me his blessing, I took my
leave"* (Reliquice Sacrce, 337, 338).
Many kisses, many embraces — such kisses, such embraces as love
on the threshold of the grave well may bestow upon the loved ones
— the royal sire lavished on his children, already fatherless in his sad
eyes. And then he called to good Bishop Juxon to lead them from
him. They sobbed bitterly. The father, stiU a man and a king,
leaned his head against the window and strove to keep do-wn his tears ;
but as they passed through the door his eyes chanced to light upon
them, and hastening from the window, he folded them in one last,
long embrace, and pressed upon their lips his last, long kisses, and
then — cast himself upon his knees and told his sorrow and his love
to God.
At this interview he gave to Elizabeth two seals, wherein were set
two diamonds, and a yet more costly gift — a Bible — saying, " It had
been his great comfort and constant companion through all his sor
rows, and he lioped it would be hers." And it was hers : she die4
with her pale cheek resting on its open page.
-After the execution of King Charles, his children were removed to
Penshurst, thus adding another historic association to the home of
Sir Philip Sidney. The aUowance received from the Parliament was
now reduced to XlOOO per annum each, and their household was
greatly curtailed. Orders were given " that they should be treated
without any addition of titles, and that they should sit at their meat
as the children of the family did, and all at one table.'' At Pens
hurst they were carefully tended by the Countess of Leicester, the
mother of Algernon Sidney, who "' observed the order of the Parlia
ment with obedience enough, and," says Clarendon, with a somewhat
ungenerous sneer, " treated them with as much respect as the lady
pretended she dm'st pay to them.''
While residing in this " the fitting abode of the noble Sidneys,"
the malady of the princess, which had lurked so long in her feeble
frame, rapidly grew upon her, necessitating the constant attendance
^ " Ho bad her remember to tell her brother James 'twas his father's last desire
that he should no longer look on Charles as his eldest brother only, but be obedient to
him as his sovereign ; and that they should love one another, and forgive their father's
enemys, but not trust 'em, seeing they had bin false to him, and he feared also to their
own souls. He bid her read Bishop Andrews' Sermons, Hooker's Ecclesiastical
Polity, and Bishop Laud's book against Fisher, to ground her against Popery" (Rush-
worth's Collections, vi. 604).

THE PRINCESS ELIZABETH. 81
of her physician. Dr. Treherne. Otherwise her situation was pleasant
enough; and, doubtless, to her cultivated mind the historic and
poetic associations of " the ancient pile," which Ben Jonson had
celebrated in stately verse, had a constant charm. The massive
oaken table, whereat she took her place " with the children of the
family," had been graced with the presence of " the chivalrous author
of the Arcadia;" that virtuous Countess of Pembroke whom the
poet's epitaph * has immortalized ; the amiable Edward VI. ; the
royal Elizabeth ; the magnificent Leicester ; Cecil, astute, unscrupu
lous, and able ; her grandfather, the pedantic James ; and " the
martyr-king " himself, while yet in his grave and decorous youth.
There is still at Penshurst a reUc of the times of our Ul-fated maiden
Stuart. In the south court, on a very simple frame of wood, hangs
a great bell, bearing an inscription in raised letters to this effect : —
Robert, Earl of Leicester, at Penshurst, 1649. The princess and her
brother probably witnessed the elevation of this bell, and heard its
earliest tones swell over the old pleasaunce and float far away down
the waters of the Medway.t From " the broad beech and the chest
nut shade," from " the mount to which the Dryads did resort " {Ben
London), the Princess Elizabeth — her health being sufficiently restored
— and her brother were removed to Carisbrooke Castle, in pursuance
of an order made by the Parliament for the removal of " the two
children of the late king out of the Umits of the Commonwealth "
{Journals, House of Commons).
They landed at Cowes on Thursday the 13th of August 1650,
having left Penshurst on Friday the 9th, and reached Carisbrooke,
after some delay, on Saturday the 16th. The apartments aUotted to
them were elegantly fm-nished, and their charge was intrusted to
Mr. Anthony MUdmay (see ante, p. 60), who, according to Eoyalist
testimony, was " an honest and faithful gentleman." In attendance
upon them were Mr. Level, the young duke's tutor ; John Barmiston,
gentleman-usher ; Judith Briott, her gentlewoman ; Elizabeth Jones,
her "laundrie-mayde;" and John Clai-ke, groom of her chamber.
To add to their comforts, MUdmay sent to Penshurst for a large
quantity of then- father's household furniture ; but probably it " did
^ " Underneath this marble hearse
Lies, the subject of all verse,
Sidney's sister, Pembroke's mother."
Ben JoTison.
t We may here notice that at Penshurst Parsonage long dwelt Dr. Hammond, one of
Charles the First's chaplains, and uncle of Colonel Hammond, the Governor of Caris
brooke (see ante, p. 59).

82 THE PEINCESS ELIZABETH.
not arrive at its destination sufficiently early to afford any comfort
to the princess " {Journal, British Archaeological Association, Sept.
1855). It is almost unnecessary to state that there exists no foundation
for Hume's assertion that the leaders of the Commonwealth designed
to apprentice the princess to a button-maker at Newport, and the
young duke to a shoemaker. Reports to this effect, however, reached
Queen Henrietta, and caused her much uneasiness. In the House of
Commons, indeed, a debate arose on the question of pro-piding for the
maintenance of the royal captives, and Cromwell bluntly said, iu that
rough, vigorous way of his, that " as to the young boy, it would be
better to bind him to a good trade ;'' but the Parliament carried
their severity no further than to enjoin that " no person should be
allowed to kiss their hands, and that they should not be otherwise
treated than as the children of a gentleman."
The confinement of the princess was of briefest duration. On the
Monday following her admission into Carisbrooke (August 19th),
while playing at bowls, there fell a sudden shower, and the princess
being of an infirm and debilitated body, " it caused her to take cold,
and the next day she complained of headache and feverish distemper,
which by fits increiised upon her ; and on the first three or four days
she had the advice of Dr. BagneU, a worthy and able physician of
Newport, and then care was taken by Dr. Treherne, in London, to
send a physician and remedies of election [an astrological nostrum]
to her. But notwithstanding the care of that honest and faithful
gentleman, Anthony MUdmay, Esq., and all the art of her physicians,
her disease grew upon her ; and, after many rare ejaculatory ex
pressions, abundantly demonstrating her unparalleled piety, to the
eternal honour of her own memory and the astonishment of those
who waited on her, she took leave of the world on Sunday the 8th
September 1650."
The Pere Gamaohe, a capuchin attached to the court of Henrietta
Maria, gives in his memoirs a somewhat different account of the last
scenes of this sad drama, based, of course, upon the rumours which
travelled from England, and accumulated in monstrosity on the way:
"The princess, then about twelve years old, endowed with an
excellent understanding, and justly appreciating her high birth,
vexed at being obliged to lea\'e the royal residence of St. James's,
was absorbed in melancholy thoughts on approaching the castle to
which she was going. There she made many doleful reflections, and
they made such deep impression on her heart, and so heated her

THE PEINCESS ELIZABETH. 83
blood, that a violent fever ensued. It seemed at first that it was too
violent to last long, but the event proved otherwise ; for the disorder
kept increasing, resisted all remedies, and at length put an end to
the life of the atflicted princess " {Court and Times of Cliarles I.).
According to Sir Theodore Mayerne, who was summoned to her
assistance, but did not reach the castle until after her decease, " she
died of a malignant fever, which constantly increased, she being far
distant from physicians and remedies." Heath's account is some
what more minute : " The Princess Elizabeth, coming from bowls
with her brother the Duke of Gloucester, complained first of her
head, and having lain sick a fortnight, died. Little care was there
taken of her, the place affording no learned physician, yet Dr.
Mayerne sent out some fitting cordials." But this accusation, as we
have sho-wn, was incorrect, Drs. BagneU and Treherne being in
constant attendance upon her, and Sir Theodore Mayerne's aid was
immediately sought. The progress of her disease, however, antici
pated his arrival. She expired in solitude, sitting in her apartment
at Carisbrooke, " her fair cheek resting on a. Bible, which was the
last gift of her murdered father, and which had been her only con
solation in the last sad months of her life " {Strickland).
From a recent examination of her remains, it has been satisfac-
torUy shown that the princess died of a disease just introduced into
England, and comparatively unknown to English practitioners —
Rachitis or Rickets.* To natural causes, therefore, and not to the
effects of a romantic melancholy, must her early death be ascribed
by the impartial historian.
The princess's body was first embalmed, and then caref uUy disposed
of in a leaden coffin. It lay exposed to the sorrowing gaze of her
attendants for some fourteen days, and on Wednesday the 24th of
September " was brought (in a borrowed coach) from the castle to
the town of Newport, attended thither with her few late servants.
At the end of the town the corpse was met and waited on by the
mayor and aldermen thereof in their formalities to the church, where,
about the middle of the east part of the chancel in St. Thomas's
Chapel, her highness was interred in a small vault purposely made,
with an inscription of the date of her death engraved on her coffin."
Quaint old Fuller, who has preserved this simple narrative, makes
thereupon a characteristic comment : " The hawks of Norway, where
a winter's day is hardly an hour of clear light, are the swiftest of
* See Adams's History, Topography, and Antiquities of the Isle of Wight.

84 THE PEINCESS ELIZABETH.
wing of any fowl under the firmament. Nature teaching them to
bestir themselves, to lengthen the shortness of the time with their
swiftness. Such the active piety of this lady, improving the little
life allotted to her ' in running the way of God's commandments.' "
The coffin was made of strong lead, ridged in the middle. On the
lid was placed a brass plate, with the inscription, —
" Elizabeth, Second Davgbter
of y*' late King Charles,
dece'd Sept. viii., si.d.c.l."
It was interred in the middle of the east part of the chancel, and
the letters E. S. were cut in the adjacent waU. But in the course
of time the vault and its memorable occupant were forgotten, until,
in October 1793, some workmen employed in opening a new grave
discovered the coffin.
" In order that the spot might not be again overlooked, a plate
with a simple inscription was placed on the stone covering of the
vault ; and advantage was taken of the opportunity to remove from
the wall of the churchyard, where it had long administered a sUent
but potent rebuke of the then very prevalent practice of burying in
the church, a tablet bearing the following singular inscription : —
' Here lyeth y" body of Master George Shergold, late minister of
New Port, who, during sixteen years in discharge of his office,
strictly observed y= true discipline of y" Church of England, disliking
that dead bodies should be interred in God's house, appointed to be
interred in this place. He died, universally lamented and esteemed,
January xxiii, 1707.' This old inscription being placed with the
face to the stone, and economically supplying, by the reverse, the
tablet for the more interesting record " {Journal, Brit. Arch. Associa
tion, Sept. 1855).
When the new Church of St. Thomas was erected in 1856, the
princess's remains were therein interred, and a graceful monument,
with a graceful inscription (see post), was raised -within its walls to
the daughter of the Stuart by her Majesty the Queen.
SECTION X.-A SUMMARY FROM 1651 TO 1881.
Carisbrooke, during the Commonwealth, was the prison of many
gaUant Cavaliers and independent spirits, whose loyalty ren-
A n dered them obnoxious to the ruling powers, but none of these
is it needful we should notice. At Cowes Castle, however, was
confined a poet, a wit, a soldier, and a man of letters — Sir William

A SUMJIAEY FROM 1651 TO 1881. 85
d' Avenant, the godson — by scandal said to be the son — of WUliam
Shakespeare. WhUe imprisoned at Cowes, and awaiting trial on a charge of high
treason, he finished the first portion of his great poem, " Gondibert,"
of which a brother poet warmly sang : —
" Here no bold tales of gods or monsters swell.
But human passions such as with us dwell ;
Man is thy theme, his virtue or his rage.
Drawn to the life in each elaborate page." — Waller.
He says, in the postscript to the first edition, " I am here arrived
at the middle of the third book. But it is high time to strike saU
and cast anchor, though I have run but half my course, when at the
helm I am threatened with Death, who, though he can visit us but
once, seems troublesome, and even in the innocent may beget such a
gravity as diverts the music of verse." It is pleasant, however, to
know that after his removal from Cowes to the Tower, to be tried,
his life was saved by the good offices of two aldermen of York whom
he had once obliged ; and that he lived to interfere, in his turn, on
MUton's behalf with Charles II. He has been characterized by the
elder D'Israeli as " a poet and a wit, the creator of the English stage
with the music of Italy and the scenery of France ; a soldier, an
emigrant, a courtier, and a politician ! " Aubrey, in his own quaint
fashion, desci-ibes the circumstances which led to D'Avenant's im
prisonment. The anecdote is worth extracting : " He laid an inge
nious design to carry a considerable number of artificers, chiefly
weavers, from France to Virginia, and by Mary the queen-mother's
means he got favour from the King of France to go into the prison
and pick and choose ; so when the poor wretches understood what
his design was they cried, uno ore, ' Tous tisserans ' (We are all
weavers). Well, he took thirty-six, as I remember, and not more,
and shipped them ; and as he was on his voyage to Virginia, he and
his weavers were aU taken by the ships then belonging to the
Pariiament of England. The French slaves, I suppose, they sold, but
Sir WiUiam was brought prisoner to England. Whether he was at
first a prisoner at Carisbrooke Castle,* in the Isle of Wight, or at the
Tower of London, I have forgotten. He was a prisoner at both.
His 'Gondibert' was finished at Carisbrooke Castle."
* Aubrey was in error. The postscript to " Gondibert" is dated from Cowes Castle.

(712)

86 A SUMJIAEY FROM 1651 TO 1881.
GOVERNORS OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT SINCE THE RESTORATION.
When Charles II. was welcomed back to the throne he was so soon
to disgrace, the old things passed away -with a wonderful
¦y ^ celerity, and dashing Cavaliers speedily usurped the seats of
stern-browed Puritans. Colonel Sydenham, therefore, was
compeUed to quit his island-captaincy, and Lord Culpeper "reigned
in his stead."
1. Thomas, Lord Culpeper (1660 a.d.), had been of some service to
the Eoyalist cause, and was a gallant but imperious soldier, better
fitted to shine in the arts of war than in those of peace. His govern
ment was so excessively unpopular, from its arbitrary character, that
the islanders appealed to the king for redress, but obtained scant
satisfaction from Lord Clarendon. Their principal grounds of com
plaint were : That he had enclosed a considerable portion of Park
hurst Forest, imprisoned several loyal subjects in "a noisome dun
geon " in Carisbrooke Castle, neglected the defences of the island, and
assumed the title of " governor " in addition to that of " captain."
They also remonstrated, and with justice, against the piratical doings
of his kinsman and deputy. Captain .Alexander Culpeper, who plun
dered foreign vessels which put into " the Cowes " in distress, and
committed other enormities recorded in the manuscript history trea
sured up in the British Museum.
Though shielded by Lord Clarendon, the Cavalier captain of the
Wight deemed it ad-visable to surrender his post, and was succeeded,
much to the joy of the islanders, by the famous sea-chief —
2. Admiral Sir Robert Holmes (1667 A.D.), whose rise in the service
had been as rapid as his courage and skUl were eminent. In 1661
we first hear of him as the commodore of a smaU squadron of four
frigates despatched to the African coast to make reprisals on the
Dutch ; an expedition in which he was completely successful. Two
years later, as captain of the Jersey, a 50-gun ship, he was again on
the coast of Africa, and captured Goree.* He next reduced Cape
Corse Island (1664 a.d.) ; and saUing to .Ajnerica, joined Sir Robert
Carr's squadron, and subdued the Dutch settlement of New York.
His successes gained him the appointment of captain to a fine new
vessel, the Defiance, of 66 guns ; and on its launch at Woolwich he
* Dryden says of him in the Annus Mirahills:—
" And Holmes, whose name shall live in epic song,
"WTiile music numbers, or while verse has feet ;
Holmes, the Achates of the general's fight,
-\Vho first bewitched our eyes with Guinea gold."

A SUMJIAEY FEOM 1661 TO 1881. 87
received the honour of knighthood from his royal patron, Charles II.,
who was present (27th March 1665). In the two great naval actions
-with the Dutch, which Ulustrate with a lurid splendour the dark
pages of Charles the Second's reign (June 3, 1665, and June 25, 1666),
he bore himself as became an English seaman, and won "golden
opinions" from his countrymen.
He was selected by Albemarle to command the squadron destined
to operate on the Dutch coast, and with a squadron of boats and fire-
ships, entering the channel between the islands of Vlie and Schelling,
where the Baltic fleet lay in fancied security, achieved a most brilliant
success — burning two men-of-war, 180 merchantmen, and the town
of Brandaris, with a loss of only twelve men killed and wounded
{Chamock, Biographia Navalis).
Sir Robert Holmes was now appointed commander-in-chief of the
Portsmouth squadron (answering to the modern dignity of port-
admiral), and to the vacant governorship of the Isle of Wight.* He
immediately took up his residence in the island, buUding himself a
stately mansion at Yarmoutht (then a strongly fortified and well gar
risoned totvn, approached from the east by a drawbridge). Here, in
July 1671, he entertained King Charles, the Duke of York, Prince
Rupert, and a brUliant company; and again in 1675 he was honoured
by a royal progress. The Duke of York visited him in 1673.
He acquired great popularity in his government, from his zeal in
furthering the interests of the island. His deputy-governor was the
Sir Edward Worsley who so loyally served King Charles I. during
his imprisonment at Carisbrooke.
Sir Eobert Holmes died at Yarmouth, fuU of years and honours,
on the 18th November 1692. He was buried in Yarmouth Church,
and a splendid monument erected to his memory by his son.
3. John, Lord Cutts (1693 a.d.), was made governor in the year
after Sir Eobert's death. During the interval, it would seem, from
the inscription on the monument in the church of Yarmouth, that
Henry Holmes, Sir Eobert's eldest son, had administered the affairs
of the island.
Lord Cutts was of an ancient Cambridgeshire family ; had been
liberaUy educated ; was a polished scholar, and a most daring soldier.
In the Irish and Flanders campaigns of King WiUiam his heroic
bravery was frequently displayed, and raised him, step by step, to
the rank of lieutenant-general and the colonelcy of the Coldstream
* In the preceding year he had been appointed governor of Sandown Castle.
t Now the George Inn.

88 A SUMMARY FROM 1661 TO 1881.
Guards. In the camp, where he spent the prime of his years, he
acquired an imperiousness of temper and a habit of command which,
when brought to bear upon his administration of the government of
the Wight, involved him in ceaseless conflicts, and rendered him
singularly unpopular. He interfered in the management of the cor
porations, disfranchised several burgesses of Newtown, threw a
clergyman into the dungeon of Cowes Castle, and raised a feud
between himself and the island gentry that promised to result in
serious consequences.
Lord Cutts, however, had the frank heart as well as the rough
hand of the soldier, and perceiving the difficulties in which he was
involved, wisely hastened to withdraw his more objectionable preten
sions. The gentry of the island were equaUy ready to lay down their
arms ; and in March 1697 a solemn pact or treaty was concluded
between the governor and his subjects at Appuldurcombe (the seat
of Sir Eobert Worsley), which proved the beginning of a lasting
peace. Lord Cutts grew excessively popular, and maintained a
splendid hospitality. And at Carisbrooke Castle, already falling into
pitiful decay, he caused to be repaired and refitted the governor's
apartments. This gallant soldier, whose bravery at the siege of Namur is histor
ically famous, served under Marlborough in the glorious campaign
of 1704, and on the field of Blenheim commanded a brigade of
infantry. His successful attack upon the -village of Blenheim greatly
contributed to the completeness of that splendid victory.
For his services he was named Commander-in-Chief of the Forces,
and one of the Lord-Justices of Ireland, where he died, while yet in
the prime of manhood, in 1706.
4. A civilian was selected to succeed the briUiant soldier in his
island-government — Charles, Duke of Bolton (then Marquis of Win
chester), a Knight of the Garter, Warden of the New Forest, and
Lord-Lieutenant of Hampshire and Dorsetshire, and (in 1706) one of
the Commissioners for negotiating the union between England and
Scotland. As he was emphatically "an absentee," a lieutenant-
governor was now formaUy appointed. Colonel Morgan was the first
to fill the office, at a salary of .£365 per annum.
5. In 1710 the Duke of Bolton retired, and John Richmond Webb,
Lieutenant-General and Colonel of Foot, one of the soldiers of fortune
bred up by WUliam III. and the great Marlborough, who fought
gallantly at Blenheim, and defeated La Mothe at Wynendale, was
raised to the governorship. He was superseded in 1715 by —

A SUMMAEY FEOM 1651 TO 1881. 89
6. William, Earl Cadogan, whose services form a portion of
British history that need not here be recapitulated. A brother
soldier of Cutts and Webb, he shared with honour in Marlborough's
campaigns in Flanders and the Netherlands. At Oudenarde and
Malplaquet he speciaUy distinguished himself. On the death of
Marlborough in 1722, he succeeded to his dignities as Commander-ia-
Chief and Master-General of the Ordnance. He died in August 1726.
7. Charles, Duke of Bolton, held the governorship (rapidly becoming
a sinecure) imtU 1733, when, opposing the excise scheme of Walpole,
he was forced by that powerful minister to resign all his offices, and
the governorship was bestowed on a more tractable peer.
8. John, Duke of Montague, whose rule was a very brief one, inas
much as in July 1734 he surrendered his appointment.
9. John Wallop, Lord Viscount Lymington, resigned the governor
ship and vice-admiralty of the island in July 1742, on the fall of
Walpole, whom he had strongly supported. He was, however,
rewarded by George II. with the Earldom of Portsmouth, and
reappointed to the governorship of the Isle of Wight in 1745, on the
dismissal of —
10. Charles, Duke of Bolton, who had enjoyed it for three years.
11. -After the death of the Earl of Portsmouth, aged seventy-two, on
November 23, 1762, the government of the island, for a brief interval,
was administered by the lieutenant-governor. Thomas, Lord Holmes,
Baron KUmaUock of the kingdom of Ireland, was appointed to the
post in April 1763. Lord Holmes was the son of Henry Holmes, for
merly lieutenant-governor of the island, and Mary, daughter of
Admiral Sir Eobert Holmes. He was bom in 1699, and died with
out issue in 1764. During his year-long governorship he chiefly
resided in the island, where he was weU beloved. He was wont, it
is said, to entertain his friends in two caverns in the cliffs of Fresh
water, still traditionaUy known as Lord Holmes's Parlour and Lord
Holmes's Kitchen.
12. He was succeeded by Hans Staidey, Esq., a Lord of the
Admiralty, and a gentleman of considerable property, who built and
splendidly fltted uji a cottage ornee at SteephiU. The sad tale of his
daughter's early fate is related by the poet Thomson in the second
book of " The Seasons." *
* " And art thou, Stanley, of that sacred band?
Alas, for us too soon 1 " etc. — Tliomson's Seasons.
She died in 1738, at the early age of eighteen, and was buried in Holyrood Church,
Southampton, where there is a monument to her memory. Thomson wrote the
epitaph.

90 A SUMMARY FEOM 1651 TO 1881.
13. Harry Powlett, Duke of Bolton, superseded Mr. Hans Stanley
in 1766, and was in his turn superseded by Mr. Stanley in 1770,
who held it until his decease in 1780. The House of Industry at
Parkhurst, a species of prototype of the Modem Poor Law Union,
was founded, we may here notice, in 1770.
14. Sir Ricliard Worsley, Bart., ComptroUer of the Eoyal House
hold, and a Privy Councillor, descended from one of the most influ
ential of the old island famUies, and possessing large estates at
Appuldurcombe and St. La-wrence, was next appointed. To his
industry and research we are indebted for a ponderous but very
valuable history of the island, published in 1782, and dedicated to
King George III. He was removed from the government in 1782,
and the Duke of Bolton reappointed. It was in this same year that,
according to Horace Walpole, the French Government, presuming on
the reverses sustained by the British arms in .Ajnerica, demanded
the cession of the Isle of Wight as the reward of their neutrality.
15. In 1791 the office was bestowed upon the Right Honourable
Thomas Orde, in whose patent it was first provided that the appoint
ments to the military commands of Yarmouth, Cowes, and Sando-wn
should be vested in the Crown. Mr. Orde built a house at Fern
Hill, near Wootton, where he frequently resided. In 1795 he
assumed the arms and name of Powlett, on succeeding, in right of
his wife (a natural daughter of the last Duke of Bolton), to large
estates; and in 1797 was elevated to the peerage with the title of
Lord Bolton, of Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire. He is spoken of as " a
man of very powerful talents, great industry in business, extensive
political knowledge, and many amiable moral qualities " {Collins).
16. John Harris, first Earl of Malmeshury, a distinguished English
diplomatist. Ambassador to the Com-ts of Paris and St. Petersburg,
was appointed August 22, 1807.
17. The Right Hon. W. H. Ashe A'Court Holmes, Earl of Heytes-
bui-y (died 1860), formerly Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, received the
appointment in 1841, on the understanding that the salary pre-viously
attaching to it (about ^1300) would no longer be allowed. He re
signed it in 1857, when the honour was conferred upon — ¦
18. Charles Shaw Lefevre, Viscount Eversley. This distinguished
statesman was born iu Bedford Square, in 1794; was educated at
Winchester, and afterwards at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he
graduated as Master of Arts in 1817. In the same year he married
Helena, youngest daughter of the late S. Whitbread, Esq., and
shortly afterwards entered Parliament.

A SU.MMAEY FROM 1651 TO 1881. 91
From 1839 to 1857 he held the high office of Speaker of the House
of Commons, and discharged its responsible and sometimes difficult
duties -with a dignity and courtesy which won him "golden opinions"
from all pai-ties. Governor and Captain of the Isle of Wight.
Right Hon. the Viscount Eversley, G.C.B., P.O.
Member of Parliament for the Island—Son. Evelyn Ashley (L.).
(1881) Registered electors, 5044.
Member of Parliament for Newport — Charles Cavendish Clifford, Esq.
(1881) Registered electors, 1332.
Coroner f err the Island — F. Blake, Esq.
Population (in 1881), 73,045.
Inhabited houses, 14,630.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE ISLE OF WIGHT;
ITS

* And Wight who checks the western tide." — Collins.

DISTRICT I.— NORTH.
WEST AND EAST COWES.
The tourist may enter the Isle of Wight either at R3'de via Ports
mouth, at Cowes I'id Portsmouth or Southampton, or at Yarmouth
vid Lymington. The first is the most popular; but the Cowes route,
as the most central, is perhaps the most convenient for the tourist
who intends to examine the island thoroughly, and does not visit it
simply pour passer le temps during the season which fashion loves to
spend at the sea-side. The passage from Portsmouth to West Cowes
is made through Spithead, where some of our ironclads may gener
ally be seen ; thence past the front of Osborne House and Norris
Castle, with their beautiful and picturesque surroundings — making
it, on a fine day, a most enjoyable trip.
The passage from Southampton (the fable-city of Sir Bevis) to
West Cowes occupies about an hour, and on a bright summer noon is
not without a certain agreeable character. The banks of South
ampton Water are beautiful with associations of " antique verse and
high romance," .and as the rapid vessel bears him past the ruins of
Netley, Hythe, Calshot Castle, and Eaglehurst, the traveller wiU not
fail to recall historic memories and legendary fancies which will
pleasantly beguile the time. As he approaches the mouth of the

WEST COWES. 93
Medina, he will observe with pleasure the picturesque aspect of its
banks, crowned by the gardens, and vUlas, and winding streets of the
two Cowes, — " The two great Cowes that in loud thunder roar.
This on the eastern, that the western shore.
Where Newport enters stately Wight."— Leland.
Each of the sister-towns stands on a gently sloping hUl, well sur
rounded -svith fresh green foliage. In the back ground of East Cowes
rise the Palladian towers of Osborne. The river is always thronged
-with vessels of different sizes and rigging. The shore is busy with
shipwrights, and crowded with the skeletons of unfinished craft.
Altogether, a picture of varied and animated life.
WEST COWES
(Hotels— Maiine, Fountain, Gloucester, Vine, Dolphin, Globe. Steamers, for South
ampton, or Eyde and Portsmouth. Railway to Newport, and thence to Ventnor
or Ryde)
is a to-wn of considerable antiquity, and has always been the chief
port of the island. In the days of Elizabeth and the earlier Stuarts
its harbour was constantly frequented by English and foreign masts
— " prizes and men-of-war, which gave great rates for its commodi
ties" {Sir J. Oglander, MSS.).
1. West Cowes, in 1871, had a population of 5730, wliich, in 1881,
had increased to 6300. In 1841 its population did not exceed 4107.
In 1851 it had 814 inhabited houses; in 1881, about 1200; the total
number in the West Cowes registration district being 2526. It is
included in the parish of Northwood (pop. 9175), and, for municipal
purposes, in the borough of Newport. Its government is in the
hands of a local board, annually elected by the ratepayers, under the
provisions of the " Health of To-wns " Act.
2. Cowes Harbour is an estuary formed by the junction of the Me
dina (here half a mile wide) with the Solent. It is commodious,
sheltered, and capable of admitting vessels of heavy tonnage. Dur
ing the yachting season (May to November) it is the favourite rendez
vous of the yacht clubs of the south of England, and then presents
a peculiarly attractive aspect. The customs levied here in 1880
amounted to £4000. A steam-ferry crosses the harbour at stated
intervals. The tourist should take a boat up the river (which is
famous for its oysters), and also to Egypt and Gurnard Bay. For
merly the landing-place here was very inconvenient, but a new pier
was constructed in 1867 opposite Gloucester House.

94 WEST COWES.
3. West Cowes Castle was one of the circular forts built by Henry
VIIL, about 1538-9, for the defence of the southern coast. Its
materials were brought across the Solent from the ruins of Beaulieu
Priory, so that the spoils of the Church furnished the arms by which
the Pope and his allies were to be defied. During the Common
wealth and Protectorate it was much used as a prison, and here
D' Avenant, the poet, dramatist, and father of English Opera, was
confined in 1651, and wrote a portion of his epic of " Gondibert."
Its inutility as a fortress having become apparent after the formation
of the stronger defences at Hurst and Yarmouth, it was sold by the
Government, in 1856-7, to the Royal Yacht Club, who repaired and
refitted it at considerable expense, and now employ its miniature
battery for peaceful ceremonials.
4. The Royal Yacht Club, to which, undoubtedly, the town owes
much of its prosperity, was founded in June 1815. It includes 262
members, and on its lists are enroUed about 150 yachts. Commodore,
the Earl of Wilton ; vice-commodore, the Marquis of Londonderry.
The entrance fee is £15, 15s. ; the annual subscription £8. No
yachts under forty tons are enrolled in the club. The annual regatta,
one of " the sights" of the season, usually takes place on August 21,
22, and 23, and receives the patronage of the Queen and the Royal
Family. A plate of one hundred guineas is given by her Majesty.
The club is entitled to carry the St. George's ensign. The yachting
season extends from May 1st to November 1st.
5. The Dockyard and Shipbuildijig Establishment of the Messrs.
White, first established in 1815, has attained a world-wide reputa
tion, ha-ving contributed approved vessels to almost every foreign
navy as well as to our own. Many of our s-wiftest yachts have been
launched at these yards, where the Messrs. White employ throughout
the year nearly five hundred men.
6. The Streets of Cowes are mostly narrow and hilly, -with few
large shops or good houses. But the envii-ons are very beautiful, and
crowded with pleasant villa-gardens ; and near the castle there is om
good row of houses, buUt by the late Sir Chaides FeUows, and ap
propriately named the Marino Parade. A pleasant promenade has
been laid out, and a handsome fountain erected, at the expense of
Mr. G. R. Stephenson, the eminent engineer. The bathing here is
very good, from the excellence of the beach, and wtis famous even in
1760, when Henry Jones, in a poem called Vectis, -wrote : —
" No more to foreign baths shall Britain roam.
But plunge at Cowes, and find rich health at home."

EAST AND WEST COWES,
AND ENVIRONS.

Gurnard, Bayi

On a Scale of Oitc Inch to a Staticee Mile.

District I,

me

The Figures indicate Height in Feet above ^ea-lcvel.

WEST COWES. 95
West Cowes has not given birth to any literary or artistic celeb
rity. Almost the only associations of this kind which it enjoys are
connected with the residence in 1799, at the house of a surgeon
named Lynn, of Morland the painter, who produced here some
of his cabinet pictures ; and the memory of the late eminent anti
quary and traveUer, Sir Charles Fellows, who died at his seat near
the town.
7. There are two places of worship in the town connected with the
Church of England ; — West Cowes Church, remarkable as one of the
few churches erected during the Commonwealth, but entirely rebuilt
in 1867, and consecrated by Bishop Douglas of Bombay in 1868 ;
and the Church of the Holy Trinity, which occupies a prominent
situation on the West Cliff, and was improved some years ago by the
addition of a new chancel.
Chapels : — Roman Catholic, Carvel Lane ; Wesleyan Methodist, Me
dina Road; Congregationalist, Union Road, with new and large
schools opposite ; Baptist, Victoria Road ; United Methodist, Victoria
Road ; Primitive Methodist, Market Hill.
DAY-JOURNEYS.
In laying down these day-journeys we shall endeavour to point out
to the tourist all the fair nooks and " angles of this isle " that lie out
of the beaten guide-book track, as well as the show-places and tame
lions which are the peculiar property of excursionists, and " the fly
men" in whom they generally confide, a. .Along the Parade to
Egypt House, the seat of the Earl of Hard-wicke, and thence by a
path along the shore to Gurnard Bay (where Charles II. landed in
1671, on a visit to the governor of the island). Southward, past Rew
Street (notice traces of ancient Celtic-Romano road), to Mark's Corner;
then into the Ne-wport Road, and homeward to Cowes along the river
bank. b. By the bank of the Medina to Ne-wport (5 miles), passing
Northwood Church, and (about a mUe from Newport) Parkhurst
Prison, Barracks, and House of Industry. Return through the forest
by the Signal Staff to Mark's Cross, reversing the order of sub-route a.
c. Through Fiddler's Green and Cockleton, keeping on the skirts of
the forest to Shalfleet (5 miles), and then, by road on the right, to
Ne-wto-wn (ij mUe). Return by Clamerkin's Ford and Coleman's
Farm, crossing the south-western angle of the forest to Hedge
Corner, reaching the Ne-wport Road near the Parkhurst Reformatory.
By the highroad back to Cowes. d. Through the forest to Bow
combe Do-wn (notice barrows and traces of Roman road), to Caris-

96 EAST COWES.
brooke Castle, returning vid Newport, e. Cross the river by the
ferry to East Cowes, and passing Osborne, take a bridle road through
the royal estates from Barton to Wootton Church. Descend the hill
to Wootton Bridge (a causeway over a considerable creek), and
through Quarr Wood and Binstead into Eyde (7 miles). Eeturn
by the main road to Newport, and back to Cowes vid Parkhurst.
/. From Cowes to Northwood, and vid Parkhurst to Ne-wport. Through
the town, and take the right bank of the Medina, passing Fairlie
(notice the ancient house and fine glimpses of well-wooded country),
to Whippingham, a quiet viUage with an interesting church ; and
vid East Cowes, across the river, home.
EAST COWES
(anciently Shamblord) straggles along the left bank of the river and
up a tolerably steep hill, where it forms a collection of elegant -viUas,
called East Cowes Park, the unfortunate speculation of an enterpris
ing builder, who relied too confidently on the attractions of its
proximity to Osborne. From the summit may be enjoyed a panorama
of exquisite beauty — the mouth of the river with its numerous masts,
the town of West Cowes rising in a succession of terraces among
leafy trees, the green landscapes beyond, the foliage of the New
Forest, and the ripples of Southampton Water. About 30 acres were
here arranged with taste and effect as a botanic garden. The park
itself covered nearly 160 acres. The wood ascending the hiU
debouches, if we may use the term, opposite the principal entrance
to Osborne — a picturesque archway with handsome iron gates.
Observe, too, the entrance to East Cowes Castle, apparently intended
as an imitation or a rival of that of Osborne.
Of the castle erected by Henry VIIL, from the ruins of a religious
house at East Shamblord, not a vestige exists.* It is referred to by
Leland : " Ther be two new castelles sette up and furnishid at the
mouth of Newporte ; that is the only haven in Wighte to be spoken
of. That that is sette up on the este side of the havin is cauUid the
Est Cow ; and that that is sette up at the west syde is cauUid the
West Cow, and is the bigger casteUe of the two."
1. East Cowes Cliapel, dedicated to St. James. The foundation-
stone was laid by her Majesty when Princess Victoria. The living is
a vicarage ; annual value, £200, and held by the Eev. F. Whyley, M. A.
" " This has been long totally demolished ; the materials have from time to time been
carried away ; some within the memory of persons now living, in order to build a house
at Newport, and for other erections."— ffr-ose. Antiquities, ii. (a.d. 1770).

ENVIRONS OP WEST COWES. 97
There are also places of worship for the chief dissenting denomi
nations. 2. The Trinity House has here a district station, with a rather
handsome frontage. The Queen's private landing-place is approached
through it.
3. Population of East Cowes, in 1795, 300 ; in 1851, 1440 ; and in
1881, 2200. The chief hotel (weU situated on the bank of the river,
with a fine view) is the East Medina.
DAY-JOURNEYS.
Much pleasant rambling is to be enjoyed in the neighbourhood,
which is thickly wooded, and alternates very agreeably between hill
and dale ; the river, from many points, producing a charming effect.
a. From East Cowes through Barton {\\ mile) to Wootton Bridge (2
miles), and thence to the venerable ruins of Quarr Abbey (2 miles),
returning through Wootton to Whippingham (4 miles), wiU offer a
most attractive day's journey, b. Or by the river side to Newport
(4 miles), passing the Folly inn, where oysters may be enjoyed fresh
from their " beds " in the Medina, and through Newport to Caris
brooke (1 mile), thence returning by way of Northwood and West
Cowes (about 5 miles). "The rambler may very well keep beside
the river to Whippingham, occasionaUy ascending the uplands ; and
if he be a lover of river scenery, he -will not regret the devious course
it has led him. The broad sweep of the stream stretches before you
in bold sweeping curves, its clear green water curling into light
ripples, and reflecting in long tremulous lines the white sails that are
gliding rapidly along ; on each side are fine hanging woods, or slopes
of 'glad light green;' in front the view is bounded by softly swelling
uplands, or, when a turn in the path brings into sight the broad
opening where the river faUs into the sea, by the river Solent and the
hazy coast beyond" {Knight), c. A boat voyage up the Medina,
taking care to start just before high water so as to secure each way
the advantage of the tide, is very enjoyable, d. From Cowes,
through Wootton and Binstead, adopting the footpath that passes
Quarr Abbey, to Eyde (6 mUes) and back, will give the pedestrian a
day's experience of the finest scenery of this part of the island.
ENVIRONS OP -(VEST COWES.
Northwood is the name of a village and parish in the West Medina
liberty of the Isle of Wight. The parish is bounded north and
north-west by the sea ; west by Calbourne parish ; south by Shalfleet
(712) 8

98 ENVIRONS OF EAST COWES.
parish and part of Parkhurst Forest. Contains (including West
Cowes) 5122 acres, and a population (in 1881) of 4578 souls.
The church, dedicated to St. John the Baptist, was a chapel of ease
to Carisbrooke until the reign of Henry VIII. (a.d. 1545), when
parochial privileges were granted to it. In its vicinity, prior to the
time of the great destroyer, Henry VIIL, stood a smaU religious
house of " Brothers and Sisters of the fraternity of John the Baptist
in the church of Northwood ;" but not a trace of it is now discernible,
nor is anything known of its history.
A church, dedicated to AU Saints, was erected here in 1863, at a
cost of about £600 ; is a neat brick building (Rev. B. Macnamara,
M.A., incumbent). There is also a chapel belonging to the Primitive
Methodists. Gurnard Bay, a small cove, with pleasantly-wooded banks, is weU
worth a visit. The view of the Hampshire coast, and the mouth of
the Beaulieu river, of the bold reach of the Solent, and the distant
western heights of the island, is full of variety and interest. " Be
tween Rue Street and Thorney is a smaU farm called Whippence,
which deserves some notice, from its being finely shaded by a con
siderable range of tall elms, that are so disposed as to form a rich
boundary to a -wide and semi-circular lawn, which gradually descends
from the farm-house towards the shore" {Wyndham). Thomess
has also the charm of leafiness, and of an extensive range of wood
and water. From the sea Gurnard Bay offers a delightful prospect.*
In a cottage garden on the west side were discovered, in 1864,
ruins of a Roman villa. Gurnard vUlage and hotel are pleas
antly situated on the high ground.
ENVIRONS OF EAST COWES.
Whippingham is a parish and viUage in the East ^Medina liberty,
evidently so named from its original Saxon holders, the Wepingas'
ham, or home. Called Wipingeham in Domesday Book. The parish
is bounded, east by Wootton, west by the Medina, south by Arreton,
and north by the Solent as far as King's Key ; contains 5208
acres, and (in 1871) 755 inhabited houses. The population was
3730, against 4578 in 1881.
Whippingham Church sta,nds on a gentle eminence just above the
river, its tower forming ii prominent landmark to all the country-
* It is the traditional rite of a sea-port to which the tin was brought from Leap, on
the opposite coast. Cliarles II. landed here in lti71, on his visit to Sir Eobert Holmes
at Yarmouth.

ENVIEONS OF EAST COWES. 99
side. Near it is the Neiv Cemetery, which has been arranged with
much taste; and the Victoria and Albert Almshouses.
The present building was erected at the cost of the Queen and the
late Prince Consort, from the designs of Mr. A. J. Humbert. The
first stone was laid by the Queen, May 23, 1860. The style is
Norman. The stained glass windows are of good design and colour,
and the decorations in admirable taste ; but the most notable feature
is Theed's marble monument to the Prince Consort, bearing the fol
io-wing inscription : — " To the beloved memory of Francis- Albert-
Augustus-Charles-Emanuel, Prince Consort, who departed this life
December 14, 1861, in his 43rd year. This monument is placed in
the church erected under his dh-ection by his broken-hearted and
devoted widow. Queen Victoria, 1864." There is also a memorial to
Dr. Arnold's father.
Whippingham is a rectory, valued in the Clergy List at £757,
occupied by the Rev. Canon Prothero, B.D., one of the Queen's
chaplains, appointed in 1857. The parsonage commands a beautiful
and extensive landscape. It was rebuilt, or modified, by Dr. Ridley,
Lord Eldon's brother-in-law, and Dr. Hook, Dean of Worcester, son
of the once popular musical composer, and brother of Theodore Hook,
of pleasant memory. The late Dean Hook (of Chichester), author of
"Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury," began his clerical life
here as curate to his uncle, the aforesaid Dr. Hook.
Barton, or Burton, is an ancient manor, now forming a portion of
the royal demesne of Osborne, between which and King's Key it
lies. After the Conquest it belonged to the Fitz-Sturs, whose heiress,
in the reign of Hem-y III., married Walter de Insula. Shortly
afterwards (a.d. 1282) John de Insula, Rector of Shalfleet, and Peter
de Winton, Rector of Godshill, founded here a religious house, and
liberally endowed it, dedicating it to the Holy Trinity. The consti
tution and regulations of the society, which consisted of an arch-
priest, five other priests, and a clerk, are preserved in the Winchester
registers (a.d. 1289), and are exceedingly curious : —
"There shall be six chaplains and one clerk, to officiate both for the living and the
dead, under the rules of St. Augustine. 2. One of these shall be presented to the
Bishop of Winchester to be the arch-priest, to whom the rest shall take an oath of
obedience. 3. The arch-priest shall be chosen by the chaplains there residing, who shall
present him to the bishop within twenty days after any vacancy shall happen. 4. They
shall be subject to the immediate authority of the bishop. 6. When any chaplain shall
die, his goods shall remain in the oratory. 6. They shall have only one mess, with a
pittance at a meal, excepting on the greater festivals, when they may have three messes.
7. They shall be diligent in reading and praying. 8. They shall not go beyond the
bounds of the oratory without licens3 from the ilrch-priest. 9. Their habits shall be of

100 ENVIRONS OF EAST COWES.
one colour, either blue or black ; they shall be clothed pallia Hiberniensi de ni^ra boneia
cum pileo (in the Irish vestment of a black bonnet and a cloak). 10, The arch-priest
shall sit at the head of the table, next to him those who have celebrated the great
mass, then the priest of St. Mary, next the priest of the Holy Trinity, and then the
priest who says mass for the dead. 11. The clerk shall read something edifying to them
while they dine. 12. They shall sleep in one room. 13. They shaU make a special
prayer for their benefactors. 14. They shall, in all their ceremonies, and in tinkling
the bell, follow the use of Sarum. 15. The arch-priest alone shall have charge of the
business of the house. 16. All of them, after their admission into the house, shall swear
to observe these statutes. Further Ordered : — After a year and a day from entering into
the Oratory, no one shall accept of any other benefice, or shall depart the house " (Jour
nal, Brit. Arch. Association).
The patronage of the Oratory was bestowed on the Bishops of
Winchester. In 1439 the Oratory and its endo-wments were entirely
surrendered into the hands of Cardinal Beaufort, then bishop.
William of Waynflete conferred it on Winchester College. It was
dissolved by Henry VIII., but the lands remained in possession of
the college, untU purchased, about twenty years ago, by her Majesty.
Barton Court House was probably buUt in the reign of EUzabeth,
and some portion of the Oratory used in its construction. When
demolished by the Queen's orders, a very solid wall, the sole remain
der of the original building, was brought to light. " One peculiarity
of the house was, that it contained a room about twelve feet square,
known as the Chapel, which had been apparently fitted up as a secret
chapel for the performance of mass subsequent to the Reformation,
and which, within the memory of living individuals, retained its
altar, crucifix, aud other Catholic accessoi-ies '' {Moody). Two of the
fronts — the southern and eastern — have been preserved in the new
building, and are worth inspection as specimens of Tudor domestic
architecture. Osborne, a "household word" with Englishmen, was formerly
called Austerburne, East Bourne, or the E;istern Brook. After being
held for many years by an ancient island family, the Bowermans, it
passed into the hands of the Arneys; then the Lovibonds; and,
temp. Charles I., was purchased by Eustace M;uin, who, according
to ix. vulgar tradition, buried a large sum of money, during the
troubles of the civil war, in an adjacent wood (still known as Money
Coppice), and not marking the spot, was never able to recover his
treasure. Mr. Mann's grand-daughter and heiress married a Mr.
Blachford, whose son built Osborne House, then a plain but commodi
ous mansion of stone. Their descendant, Lady Isabella Blachford,
tr.ansferred the estate to her Majesty in 1840, who has enlarged it by
later purchases, until it comprises 5000 acres, and stretches from the
Medina west to Brook's Copse east. The old house was pulled down.

ENVIEONS OF EAST COWES. 101
and the present mansion built, from the designs of T. Cubitt, Esq.,
assisted, it is said, by the late Prince Consort. The architecture is
Domestic Italian ; prominent features are the campanile or beU-
tower, 90 feet high, and fiag-tower, 107 feet. The Queen occupies the
apartments in advance of the latter. The rooms are crowded with
objects of taste and vertu, sculptures by our most eminent artists, rare
specimens of the modem painters, and all the refinements which a
cultivated taste could suggest. The gardens are arranged in terraces,
with a la-wn sloping to the water's edge, where there is a small jetty
for her Majesty's convenience. The estate comprises many delightful
varieties of scenery, — woodland, meadow, valley, glen, and broad,
rich pastures. The Prince Consort's agricultural experiments were
here conducted -with skiU and vigour. The Model Farm is arranged
-with exceUent taste. There are spacious kennels on the estate, and
numerous exceUent cottages for labourers and others, constructed ou
the most approved sanitary principles. The lodges on the East Cowes
road are of fanciful design. Osborne Cottage is a picturesque marine
vUla, frequently granted by her Majesty as a marine residence to
members of the Royal FamUy. We may add that from the grounds
and palace visitors are rigorously excluded.
King's Key, about two miles from Osborne, and three south-east
from East Cowes, is a narrow but picturesque creek, formed by the
small stream of Palmer's Brook, jutting in between high, sloping
banks crowned with thick masses of wood. Its name is connected
with a tradition that King John dwelt in its retired neighbourhood
for three months, after the signature of Magna Charta (a.d. 1215).
" Here he led," says Grafton, " a solitarie lyf e among reivers and
fishermen;" but the king's Itinerary, or Journey Book, so ably edited
by Sir T. Duffus Hardy, satisfactorily proves that the tradition
cannot be supported by any historical evidence. It was formerly
known as Shofleet Creek, and was a favourite resort of the sea-
rovers in Elizabeth's reign. SEATS OF THE GENTRY.
Fairlee lies in the parish of Whippingham, though it is scarcely a
mUe from Newport. The position is an admirable one, commanding
a fine view of the Medina valley and the surrounding country, here
eminently sweet and pastoral. The house is a substantial, unadorned
building of glazed brick, fronting an ample lawn, which stretches
down to the river {Moule).
Padmore House, near Wliippingham Chmxh, was formerly a farm.

102 ENVIEONS OP EAST COWES.
but is now a comfortable family mansion, enjoying broad reaches of
woodland, vale, meadow, and water. Woodhouse Farm, on the
western bank of King's Key, and Woodside, a delightful little villa,
nestling down amid fine old trees near the Wootton river, are only
to be discovered by the tourist who leaves the well-trodden highway
for " fresh fields and pastures new." He wUl gain, for instance, a
very delightful day's strolling by taking a by-way on the left of the
East Cowes road, a little below Osborne, and winding through the
copses, past Barton Farm, Brock's Copse, and Palmer's Farm to
Wootton Church, whence he may make his way into the highroad,
and keeping Fern Hill on his left, after a mUe or two of pleasant
country lanes, cross Stapler's Heath, and so into Newport. He can
then return to East or West Cowes by one of the sub-routes previ
ously detailed.
Northwood (near West Cowes) is a large stone building, with wings,
seated in a considerable park, and commanding a fine prospect of
wood and water. It was the seat of G. H. Ward, Esq., formerly
well known as the author of a curious book, entitled, " The Ideal of
a Christian Church." Is now in the possession of G. W. Ward, Esq.
Norris Castle, finely situated on the brow of a hill, which slopes
gently to the marge of the Solent, and commands the most beautiful
views conceivable of land and sea ; — of Stokes Bay, on the opposite
coast; Portsmouth, and the sail-thronged roadstead of St. Helen's,
with the wooded shore of the Wight away to the glittering -villas of
Eyde ; Northwood, the broad waters of Southampton river, and the
masts and roofs of Southampton ; and to the west, the abrupt head
land of Calshot Castle and the green masses of the New Forest.
Norris Castle was built for Lord Henry Se^Tnour by Mr. Wyatt
(afterwards so well kno-wn as Sir Jeffrey Wyattville), and is an
adaptation of castellated Gothic to modern purposes. The front is
bold and picturesque, and admirably diversified with thick clusters
of ivy. A stout sea-wall, built of Swanage stone, at a cost of £2000,
was erected by the late proprietor, Mr. E. Bell. Here George IV.
was entertained in 1819, and here the Queen (then Princess Victoria)
aud the Duchess of Kent resided in 1831-2. In 1859 the Duchess
of Kent was again a resident. East Cou-cs Casdc, in the im
mediate neighbourhood of Norris Castle, " combines the features of
the castellated mansion of a late date with those of the baronial
fortress of a much earlier period ; " was rebuilt in its present rococo
style by the architect John Nash (1798), the designer of Eegent
Street and Buckingham Palace ; and passed through the hands of the

NEWPORT. 103
Earl of Shannon, R. Barwell, C. E. J. Sawyer, and George Tudor,
Esq. Lady Gort now occupies it. Many of the rooms are fitted up
in a style of great magnificence. Observe especially the library and
picture gallery. The conservatory is a fine one, 250 feet in length,
and the gardens are picturesquely laid out. Slatwoods (Peacock, Esq.)
is noticeable as the birth-place of Dr. Arnold, the eminent historian
and reformer of our public school discipline. His father was the
collector of customs, and died here in 1801. He himself was born at
Slatwoods (June 13, 1795), and always looked back to it with singular
affection. From " the great willow-tree " in the grounds he " trans
planted shoots successively to Laleham, to Eugby, and to Fox How "
{Stanley's Life of Dr. Arnold). He revisited it in 1836, and wrote to
his sister, Mrs. Buckland : " Slatwoods was deeply interesting. I
thought of what Fox How might be to my children forty years
hence, and of the growth of the trees in that intervah But Fox
How cannot be to them what Slatwoods is to me — the only home of
my chUdhood" {Sta-idey). Arnold died June 13, 1842.

DISTEICT II.— CENTRE.
NEWPORT AND ITS ENVIRONS.
NEWPORT
(Hotels: The Bugle, -''" Warburton's, Green Dragon, Star, Newport Arms, Swan, Wheat
Sheaf Inn)
is the metropolitan town of the island. Seated on the Medina river,
in a pleasant valley, it is almost surrounded by lofty calcareous
downs, the grassy slopes of which are always chequered with shifting
lights and shadows. It is a market town and a borough, returning
one member to Parliament. The market is held every Saturday, and
brings together the whole produce of the island. The cattle market
is held every other Wednesday, and being largely attended by the
island farmers, is well worth seeing. Though almost surrounded by
the West Medina liberty, Newport has a jurisdiction of its o-wn ; a
court of borough petty sessions, which sits every Monday ; and
county petty sessions every Saturday. The County Court for the
island is held here and at Ryde in alternate months.
THE MUNICIPALITY.
1. Newport, at the instance of Sir George Carey, Governor of the
'^ The word Bugle is from buculus, a young ox. The old sign of this long-established
inn was an ox, and it was known as the Bull.

104 NEWPORT.
Wight, was summoned to return two representatives to the Parlia
ment holden in the 27th Queen Elizabeth, 1585, and from that date
has been regularly so represented ; but by the Reform Act of 1867
the number was reduced to one. The right of voting was at first
restricted to the free burgesses, and as they were limited to twenty-
four, it was essentially a close borough until thi'o-wn open by the
Reform Act. The ancient borough comprehended the whole of the
chapelry of Newport, a part of the parish of St. Nicholas caUed
Castle Hold, the river Medina and harbour of Cowes from the town
to a shoal out at sea called the Brambles, and aU the land on the
contiguous banks where the tide has ever flowed. By an Act of
Parliament the municipal boundary of the borough was completely
changed. Among its representatives have been the famous Lord Falkland
(1640), Admiral Sir Robert Holmes (1678-1689), gaUant Lord Cutts
(1648), Lord Palmerston (1790 and 1807), and the Right Hon. George
Canning (1826). Since the Reform Bill the foUowing have been its
members : — Dec. 12, 1832 — Thomas Hawkiiu, 216 votes ; and Thomas
Ord, 204. Jan. 8, 1835 — Thomas Ord, 235; and Thomas Hawkins,
233. July 26, IS'il— Thomas HavAins, 264; and James Blake, 263.
June 30, 1841— C. W. Martin (C), 254; and /. J. Hamilton (G),
252. July 30, 1847— (?. Plowden (C), 262 ; and C. W. Martin (C),
252. July 9, 1852— IF. Biggs, 310; and IF. N. Massey, 306. Feb.
10, 1857, on resignation of Mr. Biggs — R. W. Kennard (G), 270.
March 28, ISbl—Capt. O. E. Mangles, 305 ; and Charles Buxton, 296.
April 1859— /i. W. Kennard {C), and IF. L. Poivys (G). July
1866 — C. TF. jl/artm (L.), and iJ. W. Kennard {G.). Present member
¦ — G. Cavendish Clifford, Esq. (L.).
2. The registered electors number 1362. Population of the muni-
cijial borough in 1881, 9430; of the p;u-liamentary borough, 9075.
3. The income of the Corporation is about £1300. The gross
estimated rental is £16,968 ; and ratable value, £13,537. The Cor
poration is authorized to levy certain duties connected with Cowes
Harbour. 4. The Fire Brigade consists of a supei'intendent, thi-ee engineers,
three foremen, and five firemen. Annual cost, £60.
The town is well lighted, there being about two hundred street
lamps within its precincts. Yearly cost, £360. The Borough Police
consists of an inspector and four constables. The Hants Ccmstabu-
lary Police is under the direction of one superintendent, three
sergeants, aud thirty-seven constables.

NEWPORT. 105

PUELIO BUILDINGS.
1. The Town Hcdl is situated in the High Street, and faces a large
open area or square. It was erected on the site of the old To-wn
Hall in 1816, from the designs of the architect Nash, at a cost of
£10,000, and though heavy in character, is a noticeable building.
"The basement is opened on two sides by arches, surmounted by
Ionic columns, which support a pediment in front. The columns only
are of stone, the remainder being stuccoed." Here are held the
weekly sittings of the magistrates, the meetings of the Corporation,
and aU public ceremonials. The council chamber has a portrait, by
Owen, of the late Sir Leonard Worsley Holmes, recorder of the
borough. Observe, also, a fine statue (12 feet high) of James the
First's Lord Chief-Justice (Sir Thomas Fleming), presented to the
town by his descendant, Mr. Fleming of South Stoneham. Under
neath the Town Hall is held the weekly market, which on market
days presents a lively and animated scene, and is very well attended.
2. The Free Grammar School (St. James Street), a plain stone
mansion of the Tudor era, is noteworthy for its historical associations.
Here Charles I. met the parliamentary commissioners in the autumn
of 1648 (see ante, p. 69), and in the room now used as the school
room divine ser-yice was performed every Sunday before him and his
suite.* The school was established in 1614^19, by Sir Thomas
Fleming, Sir John Oglander, Edward Cheke of Mottistone, and
others of the island gentlemen, for the education on the foundation
of fifteen (now twenty) boys, entering at seven or eight years of age,
and remaining until they are fifteen. Thirty day scholars are also
admitted, and the master may receive boarders. The income is de
rived from the rents of three houses in Ne-wport and about thirty -five
acres of land at Hunny Hill. The master's yearly salary is £120, and
he has also a house and garden rent free {Carlisle's Endoujcd Schools).
3. The Isle of Wight Institution is an elegant structure, erected in
1811, at a cost of £3000, from Nash's designs, aud fronts the open
area of St. James Square, where the cattle market is held. It con
tains an exceUent library of upwards of 5000 volumes ; a reading-
room, well supplied with magazines and newspapers ; and a valuable
museum of British, Eoman, and Anglo-Saxon antiquities, with fossils,
natural history specimens, and coins.
* The king occupied Sir WiUiam Hopkins' house ; the Cavaliers made merry at the
George Inn (long since puUed down); and the parliamentary commissioners stayed
at the BuU (now the Bugle) Inn.

106 NEWPORT.
4. The Mall, with its raised footpaths, leads into the Carisbrooke
road. At the point of junction stands the Simeon Monument, a
finely carved, floriated memorial cross, raised by subscription iu
honour of the late Sir John Simeon, M.P., an accomplished scholar
and true English gentleman.
5. The New Railway Station, conveniently situated, forms the
junction of the various lines to Cowes, Ryde, and Sandown ; the
latter giving access to Ventnor and all the southern portions of the
island. A line is projected to run from Newport to Yarmouth and
Freshwater, thus opening the western part of the Wight.
ITS ANNALS.
The Corporation of Newport consists of a mayor, six aldermen, and
eighteen councUlors (out of whom the aldermen are chosen), appointed
under the provisions of the 6th and 7th WiUiam IV. There are also
a town clerk, treasurer, and clerk to the justices.
The municipal constituency numbers about 1200.
The town (then caUed Meda) received its first charter from Richard
de Redvers, Lord of the Island, temp. Henry II. A second and
fuller charter, very liberal in its provisions, was granted by Isabella
de Fortibus, to her " new borough of Medina." Fifteen charters,
confirming and amplifying the above, were granted by different
English sovereigns from Richard II. to Charles II. They are extant
among the muniments of the borough, and many are adorned with
well-executed portraits of the monarchs who bestowed them.
The first charter of incorporation was given by James I., and sub
stituted for the bailiff of the town a mayor, twenty-four burgesses,
and a recorder. The seal then used was of copper, and presented a
figure of James I., in royal robes and crowned. On one side of him
the initial J., on the other %\., and round the seal the legend, " S'stat-
vtorvm Mercator' Capt, Infra Bvrgvm de Newport in Insvla Vect."
A second charter of incorporation was granted by Charles II., and
constituted a corporation of mayor, aldermen, and burgesses; the
twelve aldermen elected from the twenty-four burgesses. A recorder
was also appointed.
Newport was probably founded by the Eomans as a port to their
town at Carisbrooke, and w:is known to them by the name of Meda.
What position it held at the epoch of the Norman Conquest it is
impossible to ascertain ; but it must have acquu-ed some degree of
prosperity in the days of Eichard de Redvers, when the chapel
of St. Thomas was erected at the cost of its inhabitants.

NEWPORT. 107
In 1377 it was captured by the French, who had invaded the island,
and was so ruthlessly devastated that it remained unoccupied for two
years afterwards. They next proceeded to assault the castle of Caris
brooke, but were repulsed by Sir Hugh Tyrril with such signal suc
cess, that the localities where the slaughter chiefly occurred were
named (it is said) by the exulting islanders Node (or Noddled) Hill
and DeadmarHs Lane.
Newport was again set on fire by the French in the reign of
Edward IV., when its church was injured.
It was almost decimated by the plague in 1582 and two foUowing
years, the captain of the island. Sir Edward Horsey, being one of
the victims. The road to Carisbrooke was blocked up by the dead-
carts, and so crowded was the cemetery, that license was accorded to
the inhabitants of Newport to form a grave-yard round their own
church. Not the less the town continued to grow in prosperity and increase
in infiuence. A town hall was built, and a jail, and an ordinary
established, at which Sir John Oglander had known " twelve knights
and as many gentlemen " to attend. In a report of the condition of
the island in 1642, drawn up for the Earl of Pembroke, occurs a
curious passage : — " Since y" coming of King James," he says, " there
is a toun in the island (called Newport) made a mare-toun, which
heretofore was only a bayly-toun, and then y"= live-tenants and jus
tices had y^ same power there they had in y*" rest of y° country. But
now they have gotten a charter to be a mare-toun, and have justices,
a recorder, aldermen, etc., which y"= other two mare-touns have not,
as Yarmouth and Newtoun ; they will not be governed as those two
mare-touns and y" rest of y'^ island are, which is very prejudiciall to
y'' country, and I wish it might be regulated. And in that toun of
Newport y'= captain of y'= island is clerk of y" market, and hath y"
ordering of y= country ; this toun, notwithstanding, will take y'^
power to themselves, and hinder men from buying and selling at
their pleasure."
Camden speaks of it as, in his time, " a toun well seated and much
frequented, populous with inhabitants, having an entrance into the
isle from the haven, and a passage for vessels of smaU burden unto
the key."
In the reign of James L, indeed, some considerable men dwelt in
Newport and its vicinity; — the James family, at whose house the
king refreshed himself when he visited the island in August 1618 ;
the Fleming family, whose head was then Lord Chief Justice of Eng-

108 NEWPORT.
land ; the Marches, and the Stephens. In 1614-19, the Free Grammar
School was established.
In 1623 leave was obtained from the corporation, by Mr. Andrew
James, to establish water-works for the supply of the town. His
scheme never came into full operation, and "the principal part of
the water used by the inhabitants was brought in water-carts from
Carisbrooke " for more than a century later. But he probably com
menced it, inasmuch as an historian, writing about 1796, says, " In
digging lately in the beast market for stone to pave the town -with,
a large reservoir was discovered, and several pipes have likewise
been found in the road from Carisbrooke, leading in a direct road to
Newport" {Tomkins).
The privilege of carrying on a trade in the borough was chiefly
confined, in the " good old times," to those who had served their
apprenticeship within its limits, and were, so to speak, " native and
to the manner born." Thus we find it recorded in the corporation
books, Nov. 13, 1629, how the corporation determined that one John
Wavell should be "opposed and resisted as faiTC as lawe and the
charter of the borough would afford. And the charge thereof should
be borne by the whole corporation." Nor was he allowed to open his
store until he had ultimately paid a fine.
Here are some brief extracts illustrative of men and things as they
were : —
" September 3, 162!^. — It is thought fitt and agreed, that part of the vestrie where the
mortar is usuallie made, shaU serve to make a prison for the toun, if yt male be ad
mitted by the Chauncellor.
"In 1625, we find 'it being reported that King James is deceased, watch and ward
are to be kept daily untU the certaintie of the report be known, and longer if need
require.* " May 28, 1G2S. — It is reported ' that the plague is suspected to be in some tonnes
whereof the inhabitants might have recourse to this tonne at Whitsun fair,' and there
fore the said fair is not to be holden.
" September SO, 165^4. — Every house is to provide a watchman at the householder's
expense (except the minister and schoolmaster), or to pay double watch for every
default. ^' AjyrllS, 1G5G. — 'A disperse and sale of goods and chattels' to be levied on those
citizens who have not duly paid their subscriptions towards ' the maintenance of Mr.
Robert Tutchin, the minister.'
" August 18, li:r,e.—A dinner is to be given to the governor, and ' the whole charge
of it shall be borne by the toun, for that it is intended the governor shall be moved
about some things for the public good of the toun,'
" March IS, 16U7. — AU the able inhabitants to be called together ' to set down what
each will give yearly towards tlie support of a godly minister.'
"April 161,8.— K monthly taxation of £208, 2s. 6ld., imposed by ordinance of Par
liament on the Isle of A\'ight for six montlis ending the 20th September last, is to be
' sot on the town tor three montlis more.' It is agreed that a petition shaU be presented
to the Houses, praying that Newport may bo relieved from so onerous a burden.
" August So, 1051.— A proclamation is received ' from the Parliament of the common-

NEWPORT. 109
wealth of England, declaring Charles Stewart and his agents, abettors, and complices,
to be traitors, rebels, and public enemies.*
" March 3, 1661. — It is resolved that three aldermen and three chief burgesses in their
gowjis attend the mayor to church every Sunday.
" October Iu, 1663. — The two seats before the governor's seat (in the church) are * to
be left to the disposal of Thomas, Lord Culpeper, to be reduced into a pew for his lady
to sit in during the time of his government.' "
1. Honours ofNewpoi't. — Mountjoy Blunt was created Earl of New
port in the fourth year of Charles I. Succeeded, in 1655, by his
son, also Earl of Newport. Charles Blunt died in 1665, and Henry
Blunt died 1679. In the reign of Anne, a Lord Windsor was
created Baron Ne-wport, succeeded by his son Herbert, who died 1758.
2. Chai-ities of Newport. — The Blue School, in Lugley Street, was
founded in 1761, for the education and maintenance of twenty poor
girls bom in Newport, who are properly fitted for servants, and made
" good Christians and useful subjects." Supported by voluntary sub
scriptions, and the interest of certain sums of money, bequeathed by
Benjamin Cooke, Esq., and Mrs. Martha Cooke, in 1764. The school
is regulated by the minister of Newport and six ladies. Every girl,
on leaving, is presented with suitable clothing, a Bible, and a prayer-
book. If she retains for one year the situation with which she is
pro-vided, she is rewarded with the gratuity of a sovereign.
Worsley's Almshouses were founded in 1618, by Sir R. Worsley, in
pursuance of the wUl of one Giles Kent ; they consist of six small
tenements of one room each, inhabited by six poor -widows.
The Upper Almshouses are four tenements, occupied by deserving
families, established in 1623 by Daniel Serle of Westmill, in the
parish of Carisbrooke,
Widow Roman's Almshouses were erected in 1752, in pursuance of
the provisions contained in her will : — " I bequeath to such six widows
as shall inhabit the Charity House in Newport, called the Lower
Almshouse, situated in Crocker Street, and shall not receive alms
from the town, the sum of £10 every year for ever, after the decease
of my brother-in-law, W. Roman, from my property at Yafford, free
from all taxes and deductions whatever ; by equal portions, by the
churchwardens and overseers of the poor of the parish of Newport,
to be disposed of to the six widows equally, share and share alike."
Each widow, therefore, at Michaelmas and Lady Day, receives
16s. 8d.
Bowie's and Ruffin's Gifts are two sums of £5 each, distributed
yearly to the poor on Christmas eve. The first £5, Bowie's gift, are
expended in bread ; Ruffin's donation, in bread and beef.

110 NEWPORT.
3. Religious Edifices. — There is a picturesque new church in New
port, dedicated to St. Thomas d-Becket, the tower of which is every
where so prominent a landmark, that the tourist cannot fail to find
its locality -without difficulty. St. John's Church is situated on St.
John's Hill. There are also a Catholic Chapel in Pyle Street, which,
in 1857, was attended by the Emperor Louis Napoleon and the
Empress Eugenie, and in 1860 by the Archduke MaximUian of
Austria and his wife ; a Baptist Chapel in Castle Hold ; Primitive
Methodist, in Holy wood Street; Wesleyan, in Pyle Street; Con
gregational, in St. James's Street; Unitarian, in High Street;
also a handsome chapel belonging to the Bible Christians, in Quay
Street. 4. " Newport stands nearly in the centre of the island, in a spot
apparently marked out by nature for the site of the miniature capitaL
It is built on a gentle slope rising from the west bank of the Medina,
which is navigable for vessels of considerable burden up to the to-wn;
and the nature of the surrounding hills aUows of easy lines of com
munication to radiate from it to every part of the island. The town
itself is neat, clean, cheerful-looking, and apparently flourishing.
The streets are well paved and lighted, and filled with good, well-
stored shops" {Thorne). "Newport is essentially a domestic town
— the heart and centre of the Isle of Wight. Its streets are laid out
with great regularity, the largest ones lying east and west, with cross
ones north and south, dividing the area into chequers. The two
principal ones are those which connect the great roads — St. James's
Street, from Cowes road, to that which leads by Niton to the Under
cliff; and High Street, which connects the Ryde road with the road
to Carisbrooke, and the western roads which diverge from them"
(Mudie). The original plan of the to-svn appears to have contem
plated three large squares, or piazzas, for markets of poultry, cattle,
and corn, to be formed by the intersection of the main streets. In
one of these now stands St. Thomas's Church ; the To-wn Hall has
encroached upon another ; and a third is ii-regular enough, though not
diverted from its original purpose.
At high water there is a depth, at the town quays, of about six
feet ; but at low water it does not exceed two feet. Many plans
have been devised for deepening and widening the channel of the
river — one by Sir John Rennie, the eminent engineer — but the esti
mated outlay has always deterred the inhabitants from embarking in
the enterprise. And as railway transit now obtains between Cowes
and Newport, the project is not likely to be revived.

NEWPORT. Ill
" Set in the midst of our meridian Isle,
By wandering heaths and pensive woods embraced,
With dewy meads, and downs of open smile.
And winding waters, naturaUy graced,
The rural capital is meetly placed.
Newport, so long as to the blue-eyed deep
Thy river by its gleamy wings is traced.
Be it thine thy portion unimpaired to keep !" — Edmund Peel.
5. Extinct Ecclesiastical Foundations. — At St. Cross (long the seat
of G. Kirkpatrick, Esq.) was formerly a smaU priory, dependent upon
the French abbey of Tiron, and afterwards, on the dissolution by
Henry V. of the alien priories, bestowed upon the college of Win
chester. It was in existence before 1155, as the name of "Gerard,
Prior de Sancta Cruce,'' occurs among the witnesses to a grant made
by William de Vernon to the monks of Quarr. It is mentioned in
the Lincoln taxation, 20 Edward I., and amongst the alien priories,
25 Edward I. In Part I. Richard II., it is called the Hospital of St.
Cross, " Rex dedit Johanni de Coweshall custodiam hospitalis Sanctte
Crucis in insula Vectis ad totam vitam." (The king gave the charge
of the Hospital of St. Cross to John de CoweshaU for his whole life)
— {Dugdale and Tannei).
The Chantry was founded by one John Garston, and dedicated to
the Blessed Virgin, The Chantry House in Newport still preserves
its memory.
At Marvel, near Standen, was a small college of secular priests,
founded by Henry of Blois, Bishop of Winchester.
6. There has been little alteration in the ground-plan of Newport
in the last two centuries and a half. In Speed's " Theatre of Great
Britaine's Empire" (1635), there is a plan of the to-wn " described
by WiUiam White, senior," which might almost be used by the
modem tourist. The five principal streets running from east to
west, or rather south-west, are " Lugley Street, Crocker Street, High
Street, PUe Street, and Cosham Street." These are crossed by
" Holyrodde Street " and " St. James's Street." The key is con
nected with " Holyrodde Street " by Key Street, and with Lugley
Street by " Shospoole Street." Sea Street connects Shospoole Street
with High Street. " Sainte Cross," Castle Hold, and the Church
yard are also indicated. DAY-JOUENEYS.
a. " The walks in the immediate Vicinity of Newport are many of
them very beautiful ; but there is one spot in particular which affords
so pleasant a prospect that it should on no account be left unvisited.
We refer, of course, to Mountjoy, the lofty hill on the south of the
(712) 9

112 NEWPORT.
to-wii. From the summit of this hill you see, on a clear day, the
whole lower valley of the Medina and the surrounding country, — a
rich, undulating tract, where shining meadows alternate with dusky
lines of sombre foliage, and the broad Medina, winding through the
midst, leads the eye along the curves of the valley to its union with
the sea, where a forest of small craft and a light hazy vapour mark
the site of Cowes. Bounding the valley on the right is a range of
low hills, from the highest of which the tower of Osborne rises out of
a dense mass of trees. On the left another range of uplands termi
nates near you in the brown, heathy tract of Parkhurst Forest. In
the extreme distance are the purple hills of Hampshire ; between
which and the northern side of the island the Solent breaks upon the
sight at intervals, between the depressions in the uplands, gleaming
in the sunshine like a number of small lakes. .Ajid at the foot of the
hill on which you stand lies the town of Newport, its regular rows of
plain houses and dark red roofs partly concealed by noble trees, which,
with the gray tower of the old church and the masts of the ships that
are lying by the town quay, not only break the uniformity and lone
liness of the buildings, but render the little town a bold and striking
relief to the open country beyond, and assist it in throwing the whole
landscape into exquisite harmony" {Knight). This, indeed, is ''a
morning walk " which we strongly recommend to the pedestrian
tourist, b. From Newport to Carisbrooke {1\ mile), and view the
famous old castle {&ee post, p. 117); thence, through a pleasant valley
with sloping downs on each side, to one of the prettiest of the island
churches, Shorwell (4 mUes — notice the fine old mansion of North-
court) ; to the leafy -village of Brixton, or Briglistone, -with its memo
ries of Ken and Wilberforce (2 miles) ; back to Newport by the same
road. c. Or, continue from Brixton to Mottistone (2 mUes), and
across the do-wns to Swainston and Calbourne (2 miles — see Eoiite
IV.) ; homeward vid Parkhurst (4 miles), d. Or, from Newport to
Wootton Bridge (4 miles) ; Quarr Abbey (1 mile) ; Binstead (2
miles) ; and Eyde (1 mile) ; returning to Wootton Bridge (4 mUes) ;
by a road to the left to Arreton (3 mUes) ; and by a most picturesque
road into Newport (4 mUes). e. A delightful day may be spent in
an excursion to the wUd beauties of the Undercliff, thus : Newport
to Standen (Ii mile) ; Pidford (1 J mile) ; thence by Eookley, keeping
the left road, to Godshill, its quaint village and fine church (about 4
miles) ; from Godshill, passing Appuldurcombe — the ancient seat of
the Worsleys, to Steep HUl, ^'entnor, and Bonchurch (5 miles).
Eeturn through St. Laurence (2 inUes) to Whitwell (notice interesting

NEWPOET. 113
church — 1 mile ) ; then, vid Whitcomb, Black Down, and Appleford,
to Kingston, one of the smaUest of parishes, by a romantic and heathy
road (5 miles) ; from Kingston, passing Billingham House, across the
chalky height of Chillerton Down (2 mUes), to Gatcombe, a charming-
little hamlet, nestled away amidst bright waters and gTeen trees (1
mile) ; and homeward, vid Marvel and Watergate to Newport (3
mUes). A long tour, but a most enjoyable one, opening up the
-widest contrasts of scenery, and the amplest possible reaches of land
scape and seascape. /. We must also recommend to the tourist our
hill-route, as we were wont to caU it in the days of our island
pedestrianism. Leave Ne-wport by " The Long Lane '' (it well
deserves its name), and cross .Arreton Do-wn (4 miles — notice the fine
panoramic interchange of hill and dale expanding around you). Then
by way of Messly Do-wn to Ashey Down (3 miles), known afar off by
its sea-mark. From its summit may be enjoyed t/ie view in the
island, which lies beneath, spread out like a many-coloured map.
From Ashey Down a road bending slightly to the south leads to
Brading Down (2 mUes) ; descend into the valley, and take the
Brading road to Yarbridge (where Izaak Walton's disciples will find
good carp and dace — Ij mile). Then, up a steep lane which winds
between blooming banks and chalky rifts, vid Yaverland (notice
Norman church), to Benibridge Down {l^ mile — notice its obelisk).
Return through Yaverland, keeping the coast-road, to Sandown (3
miles), and its lovely bay ; and thence, through the fair valley of the
Yar, vid Lake (1 mile) and Borthwood {1^ mile) to Newchurch (2
miles). Descending the hill, keep by the base of the do-wns to
Arreton (2J miles), and go into Newport, via St. George's Do-wn and
Shide, or vid Long Lane (4 miles), g. A short but pleasant walk
may be enjoyed from Newport, across Stapler's Heath, and through
or by Briddlesford to Haven Street, returning vid Combley Wood into
Long Lane. h. Or, a well-trodden route is that which conducts the
Newport flyman through Shorwell to Brighstone, and then away
south to Chale and Blackgang (notice chine), returning vid Kingston,
ChUlerton, and Gatcombe. i. The walks to West Cowes, or to East
Cowes and Osborne, or vid Parkhurst Forest to Newto-wn, Shalfleet,
and Yarmouth, or by Calbourne, over a wonderfully picturesque and
breezy road, which crosses Chessel, Shalcombe and Afton Downs, to
Freshwater-Gate (about 13 miles), should by no means be neglected
by the tourist, who, however, is advised to determine for himself
where he will go, and by w/iat road he will go ; for if he confide iu
the mercies of the Newport flyman, he will see " the show-places,"

114 ENVIRONS OF NEWPORT.
and miss the rarest beauties of the island, k. A day should be de
voted to an examination of the curious pit-villages of the Celts stUl
discernible at Gallibury, Eowborough, and Newbarns (see post).
Eowborough and Gallibury are easily reached by the road to Shor
well, turning of to the right at Eowborough Farm (3f miles). The
pits lie in Westover Bottom, and in Newbarn Bottom (towards
Calbourne). The pedestrian should then cross Brixton Do-wn to
Mottistone Down, and in a little shadowy combe on its slope towards
Mottistone, inspect the Long Stone, a curious cromlech or Celtic
memorial (see post).
Many of the places mentioned above will be described in extenso
under Districts IV. and V. We now proceed to sketch those which
lie within a moderate distance of our starting-place^Newport.
ENVIRONS OP NE-WPORT.
Arreton, a parish and village of the Isle of Wight. The parish
comprises 8833 acres ; and, in 1881, had a population of 1920. It is
3 miles from Newport, 7 miles from Ventnor, and 8 miles from Eyde.
Boundaries : East, the parishes of Newchurch and Binstead ; north,
Wootton and Whippingham ; west, Gatcombe and Carisbrooke ; and
south, Godshill.
The village (which may be reached by rail, at a distance of about
one mile from the Horringford station) lies in a rich and fruitful
valley, " adorned with corn-fields and pastures, through which a smaU
river winds in a variety of directions," at the foot of a lofty down ;
while "a fine range of opposite hiUs, covered with grazing flocks,
terminates with a bold sweep into the ocean, whose blue waves appear
at a distance beyond " {Legh Richmond). It consists of a long strag
gling street of scattered farms and cottages, -with a small, neat public-
house ; the church and parsonage house are very pleasantly situated
on the slope of a hill, at a slight distance from the main road.
On the road to Ne-wport, below St. George's Do-wn, lies East
Standen, where, in the reign of Henry VII., lived and died the Lady
Cicely, daughter of Edward IV. (1503-1507). A Norman knight.
Sir Peter d'Evercy, built here a chapel in connection with his manor-
house, of which we read .as late as 1365 ; it was probably in existence
in the days of Lady Cicely. Sir Eichard Worsley says that, in his
time, " the foundations of the chapel were still visible in the orchard
behind the house ; " but they long ago disappeared.
At SuUons, a neighbouring hamlet (to the north of St. George's
Down), may be seen the phenomenon of the sudden disappearance of

, ENVIEONS OP NEWPORT. 115
a brook into a subterranean channel. It emerges again on Pan
Down, near Shide (2 miles distant).
On the road to Sando-wn, to the right, stands a picturesque cottage,
formerly inhabited by Elizabeth Wallbridge, Legh Richmond's Dairy
man's Daughter, and still in the possession of her family. There are
few persons, we presume, who are not acquainted with the details of
her simple life, told so fioridly, and yet effectively, by Legh Rich
mond. His books, by the way, contain some exceUent sketches of
the scenery of this part of the island. The village heroine's grave is
in the churchyard.
From Arreton Down may be enjoyed a prospect of abundant beauty,
— hamlets shining among leafy copses, venerable manor-houses and
ancient farm-steads, meadows and uplands, streams, groves, and
shadowy combes. On its summit, a few years ago, were opened two
considerable tumuli, or barrows, and many interesting relics exhumed.
St. Georges Down is quite classic ground. Here, in the days of
the Earl of Southampton (1607-9), was a famous bowling-green,
"raUed in" at the cost of the gentry of the island, and a sort of
summer-house, maintained in a bountiful fashion. " I have seen,"
says Sir John Oglander, "with my Lord of Southampton at St.
George's Down, at bowds, some thirty or forty knights and gentlemen,
where our meeting was then t-wice every week, Tuesdays and Thurs
days ; and we had an ordinary there, and card-tables." " This is the
most centrical elevation of the island. It is unconnected with any
other hiUs, and the plain upon its top may be a mile in length. The
views from it are not so exclusive as those from the higher hills,
though they are sufficiently varied to arrest, occasionally, the progTess
of a passenger, and, particularly, on the spot where the whole length
of the Newport Eiver discloses itself, from that low to-wn even to the
harbour and streets of Cowes" {Wyndham).
In this extensive and fertile parish are also included Briddlesford,
anciently the seat of a branch of the De Lisles, one of whom. Sir
John de Lisle, built here a chapel, dedicated to St. Martin ; West
Standen, near Long Lane, formerly included among the possessions
of IsabeUa de Fortibus ; Haseley, granted by one Engelgerius de
Bohun to the monks of Quarr, and by them converted into a pleasant
grange, sold, with Quarr Abbey, to John Mills, a Southampton
merchant {temp. Henry VIIL), and by his descendants to the father
of Sir Thomas Fleming, James L's Lord Chief Justice, — here Sir
Edward Horsey died of the plague 1582 ; Merston, Periton, Bud-
bridge, Pidford, Stapler's Heath, from which there " is a very fine

116 ENVIRONS OF NEWPOET. .
view ; " and Blackwater, or Blackbridge, at the head of Wootton
River, " a region of the thickest shade, where antique and decayed
oaks expose their half -naked roots from both the banks" ( Wyndharri).
We may add that Haseley belonged to the great Harold who fell at
Hastings, — " the last of the Saxon kings."
.Ai-reton is a vicarage which has long been in the gift of the Fleming
family (Rev. R. N. Durrant, M.A.), valued in the Clergy List at
£285 per annum. The church was one of the six bestowed by
William Fitz-Osbert on the Abbey of Lire. The manor was conferred
by Baldwin de Redvers upon his new foundation at Quarr. At the
dissolution of the religious houses Sir Levinus Bennett became
possessed of it, and his son sold it to Lord Culpeper (or Colepeper),
whose daughter and heiress brought it into the Yorkshire famUy of
Fairfaxes, now represented by the present owner, Charles Wykeham
Martin, Esq.
Arreton Farm-house is a good specimen of the Jacobean domestic
architecture, in the occupancy of F. Roach, Esq  Stickworth is a
considei-able seat, south of Arreton, 5 mUes south-east of Ne-wport 
Fer7i Hill (J. J. Gait, Esq.) is in this parish, but more conveniently
visited from Eyde. Its position, on the brink of a decli-vity, well
wooded, and commanding a fine -view of the broad sweep of the
Wootton Eiver, and the blue .sheeny Solent, renders it a noteworthy
mansion. It was built by Lord Bolton, when governor of the island,
and " appears to have been erected upon the plan of a church ; a
lofty and handsome tower rises from one end, with a lai-ge Gothic
¦window near its base, wliUe a single room annexed to the other end,
of an inferior height and breadth to the rest of the building, denotes
the chancel of it."
Gatcombe. — The fair -village of Gatcombe (the gate or opening
of the valley) lies Z\ miles S.S.W. of Newport, 11 from Eyde, and 7^
from Ventnor. The parish contains 1392 acres, and a population, in
1881, of 223, a decrease of 17 since the last census. Boundaries :
North-west and south, parish of Carisbrooke ; Arreton, east. A por
tion of (Uhillerton hamlet is included in this parish.
In Domesday Book the manor is mentioned among the possessions
of the Norman knight WUliam Fitz-Stur. A younger branch of the
Worsleys enjoyed for centuries this most agreeable estate.*
Gatcombe House (Mrs. Lane) is a large stone mansion, buUt about
1750, by one of the Worsley family. " The tower of the adjoining
->* Of this branch of the Worsleys came the gaUant Sir Edward, who attempted to re
lease Charles I. from his imprisonment at Carisbrooke.

NEWPORT
AND ITS ENVIRONS.

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District II.

The Figures indicate Height in Feet aboz-e Sea-level.

ENVIEONS OF NEWPORT. 117
church, just showing its top and pinnacles from above the grove in
which it is embosomed  the high knolls of timber that back and
flank the building, and a range of coppice that covers the steep preci
pice of a lofty hiU on the south side, sufficiently mark out its beau
tiful situation " ( Wyndham).
The rectory of Gatcombe is in the presentation of the University
of Oxford, which purchased the advowson in 1821. The present in
cumbent is the Eev. Bertram Jones.
During the summer coaches and chars-a-banc- leave Ventnor and
Newport daily, passing through Gatcombe.
Carisbrooke {Red Lion, Castle, and Eight Bells), anciently
Beaucombe, Bowcombe, or Buccombe, the fair valley, is one of the
largest, most fruitful, and most populous of the parishes of the island.
It includes 7409 acres, and a population, in 1881, of 8305, against
8178 in 1871. [The parish of Carisbrooke includes the hamlets of
Bowcombe, Billingham, and part of ChiUerton ; also Parkhurst
Forest, containing 2 houses. Part of Parkhurst Prison, containing
about 200 inmates, and the Isle of Wight House of Industry, con
taining 500 persons in 1871, are in this parish {Census Comm., 1881)].
A considerable portion of the to-wn of Ne-wport is also within it. The
value of rated property has largely increased of late years. The
-village of Carisbrooke (chiefly built along the high road) suffered
severely from fire in the autumn of 1881.
1. Here anciently stood, on the summit of the hill, and facing the
stately castle — pleasantly enough placed among fine old trees and
green uplands, and with a bright -view northward of busy Newport,
and the broad lights of the rippling Medina — a priory of Benedictine
monks, associated with the famous Abbey of Lire. This wealthy
house was founded by WUliam Fitz-Osbert, about 1070, and endowed
-with six of the richest island churches, — Arreton, Whippingham,
Newchurch, GodshiU, Niton, and Freshwater; the neighbouring pile
of Carisbrooke being added at a later period, besides fair lands and
Uberal revenues. Successive lords of the island foUowed in Fitz-
Osbert's pious footsteps, until Carisbrooke Priory became second only
to Quarr Abbey in wealth and infiuence. When Edward III., in
want of funds to support his wars -with France, seized upon aU the
alien priories — that is, upon those which were connected with relig
ious houses abroad — Carisbrooke passed to the Crown, and, after a
brief interval, was bestowed upon the Abbey of Mont Grace, in York
shire. Henry IV., in 1399, desirous of confirming his friendly relations

118 ENVIRONS OF NEWPOET.
with the French court, restored the priory to the Abbey of Lire ; but
it was again resumed by Henry V., and conferred upon the new
abbey which he had founded at Sheen. .After Henry VIII.'s cele
brated coup de grace, the Sheen monks leased Carisbrooke, worth
about £270 yearly, and the tithes of Godshill and Freshwater, to Sir
James Worsley for £105, 6s. 2d. per annum, — a considerable sum in
those days. A renewal of the lease was granted to his son Eichard,
on whose death it passed to the celebrated Walsingham (Elizabeth's
great statesman), with the hand of Worsley's widow. It is said that
Walsingham destroyed the ofiices of the monks. From him it was
purchased by Sir Thomas Fleming, at the time that he obtained
possession of Quarr Abbey ; and the stately structure speedily fell
into utter and lamentable decay. The site is now occupied by a farm,
into the walls of which, apparently, have been built some portions of
the ancient building, which " probably extended itself as far as the
church, and had an entrance into it" {Tomkins).
A chapel, dedicated to St. Aug-ustine, and in the Cartulary of
Carisbrooke (which is still extant, and contains upwards of 200 deeds,
records, grants, and papers) mentioned as "a chapiel for lepers," for
merly stood near the priory ; but not a vestige of it remains.
2. Carisbrooke Castle. — The glory and boast of Carisbrooke, how
ever, is the historic pUe, so grand even in its very decay, which,
with its crown of towers, circles the artificial mound rising with such
abruptness out of the fertile valley, 239 feet above the sea. Between
this mound, and the hiU up whose ascent straggles the long street of
Carisbrooke viUage, -winds a branch of the Medina, — noted for the
excellence of its shining waters, — and spreads a pleasant sweep of
grassy plain. Along the horizon — southward and westward — rolls a
range of lofty downs. At the foot of the lull clusters the town of
Newport, with its church spires and tiled roofs presenting a cui-ious
picture ; in the mid-distance rise the masts of Cowes harbour ; and
still farther off, the blue hills of Hampshire seem to melt into azure
vapour. The massive tower of Carisbrooke CSiurch, and the green
masses of Parkhurst Forest, reUeve the -view in another direction.
And so — " The pastoral slopes in noonday quiet sleep, —
Green lanes run down into the vaUey green.
Or climb, 'mid gleamy brooks, a bosky steep, —
Towers over liiU and dale the castle's haughty keep ! "
Edmund Peel.
In fact, Carisbrooke, from " the bravery " of its position, and the
extent of its ruins, as well as its historical associations, cannot fail to

ENVIEONS OF NEWPOET. 119
impress the thoughtful observer with peculiar force, " I do not
think," wrote Keats, " I shall ever see a ruin to surpass Carisbrooke
Castle." And he proceeds with some lively details : " The trench is
overgrown with the smoothest turf, and the walls with i-vy. The
keep within side is one bower of ivy ; a colony of jackdaws have
been there for many years. I daresay I have seen many a descendant
of some old cawer who peeped through the bar at Charles I., when
he was there in confinement" {Keats' Life and Letters).*
The tourist from Newport proceeds along the ancient Mall, and
crossing the brooke which, with the caer (a stronghold or fort) above
it, gives name to the village, laboriously ascends the steep eminence
on which the venerable pile is based. He then finds himself opposite
the entrance, an archway of picturesque character, of the reign of
Elizabeth, for it bears her initials, and the date 1598, on a stone
shield over the arch. Crossing a stone bridge which spans the moat,
now filled with wild flowers and verdant turf, he reaches the Gate
house, built by gallant Antony Woodville ; a stately machicolated
structure, stUl boasting of its ancient cross-barred, ponderous gates,
and adorned with noble circular towers, which have been grooved for
two portcullises. Some years ago these towers were shrouded in
the most luxuriant ivy, but during the repairs of 1860-4 their rich
overgrowth was carefully removed, much to the detriment of their
picturesque character, though an advantage in the way of insuring
them a longer existence. The Woodville escutcheon is discernible
over the gate, flanked on each side by the " White Eose" of the house
of York.
Ha-ving entered the castle area, you see, on your left, the ruins of
the apartments which formed the prison of King Charles during so
many months of heart-weariness and impending perU. The cicerone
points out a -window as that from which the unhappy monarch sought
to escape, — but this is a pleasant fiction. The true window was an
aperture "blocked up in after alterations, but nevertheless easily
recognizable in the exterior of the wall, as it nearly adjoins the only
buttress on this side of the castle " {Hillier). This part of the ruins
is of the architecture of the fifteenth century.
To the right he the scanty remains of the Chapel of St. Nicholas.
It is of recent date, ha-ving been erected during Lord Lymington's
governorship, but it has been suffered to moulder into complete
* Among the Carisbrooke ruins may be found the rusty-baek fern (Ceterach officina-
rum) and false maiden-hair (Asplenium trichomancs). Also the fragrant orchis (Gym-
nadenia conopsea)

120 ENVIEONS OF NEWPORT.
decay. It was built on the site of a former chapel, or oratory,
founded by Fitz-Osbert. Over it was formerly an armoury, dis
mantled by orders of Lord Cadogan.
The Tilt-yard, or Bowling-Green, was converted by Colonel Ham
mond out of the ancient place of arms, for the amusement of
Charles I. " The bowling-green on the barbican with its turf steps, the
walls of the old castle frowning above it, and its beautiful marine
view, is as perfect at the present moment as if it had been laid down
but yesterday," — as perfect as when the Stuart walked to and fro
attended by Colonel Hammond, or the Princess EUzabeth played
" at bowls, a sport she much delighted in.''
The plain, indeed the somewhat ugly, mansion which faces you
as you enter appears to have been modernized out of the original
Hall, and divided into two stories. It was formerly connected with
the keep by a strong wall. During the extensive repairs, so ably
directed by Mr. Hardwicke, the architect, many interesting detaUs,
hitherto concealed, were discovered. A stalwart chimney, and one of
the ancient windows on the side opposite to the keep, may now be
seen. The smaller of the tvm chapels which once existed within the
castle precincts, — the chapel erected by IsabeUa de Fortibus, — has
been brought to light. The side window remains, and the beautiful
arcade on both sides, but of the east -window there is no trace but
the position of the sill ; it is now occupied by the great staircase
which Lord Cutts put up when he repaired the governor's residence
{The Builder, No. 739). " Adjoining the chapel, south, was the
principal apartment of the castle, communicating with the chapel by
means of a hagioscope. In this room is a very fine ancient stair
case " {Murray). Some of the apartments in the governor's resi
dence, with their coved ceilings of " the Georgian era," are worth
examination. The massive and venerable Keep, to the north-east, stands upon an
artificial mound, bravely overlooking the rest of the castle, and
commanding a grand panorama of the surrounding landscape. It
is reached by a weary fiight of 74 rather difficult steps, leading to a
stout gateway grooved for a portcuUis. The keep is a Norman
erection, of what date is uncertain. In the interior a smaller flight
of steps leads to the irregular polygon, 60 feet broad, formed by the
massive walls of the old Tower. The donjon well (for there were
two wells in the castle), — of a fabulous depth, according to tradition,
— has long been choked up.
" One of the most curious things in the castle is the other well,

ENVIRONS OF NEWPORT. 121
which is above 300 feet deep " (really 144 feet deep, with 37 feet
depth of water). " The visitor is showij into the well-house (near
the entrance) ; and while he is noticing the singular appearance of
the room, one side of which is occupied by an enormous wooden
wheel, a small lamp is lighted; and after being told to mark the
time that elapses before a glass of water that is thrown down strikes
against the bottom of the well, the lamp is lowered by means of a
small windlass, making, as he watches its descent, a circle of light
continually lessening till the lamp is seen to float on the surface of
the water, at a depth that makes him almost dizzy. A grave old
donkey is then introduced, who quietly walks into the huge tread-
wheel, which he anon begins to turn, — as curs in days of yore turned
spits, — whereby the bucket is lowered and drawn up again ; which
feat being accompUshed, Jacob very soberly walks out again"
{Knight). The building over the well (of the date of the fifteenth
century) was carefully repaired and restored by Mr. Hardwicke.
The well itself probably reaches the chalk-marl, which is in general
the first water-shed when the white chalk is perforated.
We need not dwell upon the history of Carisbrooke Castle, which
is, in fact, the history of the island, as we have already given it at
considerable detail in the earlier pages of our little volume. Its
name is said to have been corrupted from that of the old Jutish
stronghold, whose site it probably occupies, — Gwitigaraburg, Gars-
burg, Garsbrook, Carisbrooke, Warner claims for it a yet more
fanciful derivation: — Caerbroc, the town among the yew trees. And
another etymology is: — Caer, the fort; brooke, on the brook or
stream ; an appellation clearly descriptive of its peculiar situation.
There can be little doubt but that Carisbrooke was originally a
British settlement, and that it commanded or overawed the great
highway of the tin trade which crossed the island from Gurnard
Bay to Puckaster Cove, By the Romans its eligibility as a military
position was immediately recognized, and we have evidence that it
was their principal island-settlement, only pushed from its pride of
place by Ne-wport, when the situation of the latter, on a navigable
stream, rendered it commercially of greater importance. The old
Roman road — laid down, we fancy, on the line of the British trajeot
— may still be traced upon Bowcombe Down. The recent discovery
of a large Roman -villa, adjoining the parsonage, confirms the truth
of this hypothesis.
To William Fitz-Osbert is due the erection of the present strong
hold, and some parts of his handiwork are, probably, still extant.

122 ENVIRONS OF NEWPORT.
Richard de Redvers largely repaired and rebuilt it, inventing, we
are told, many new engines of war, and raising, perhaps, its massive
keep, which is evidently of early Norman architecture. By Isabella
de Fortibus it was completely restored, and considerably strengthened.
In a recent work a very curious statement of the expenditure she
incurred has been published — from the original document ; and an
inquisition, or survey of the island, taken shortly after her death, which
is still extant, affords an interesting view of the then condition of
the castle : — " The jury say, upon their oath, that the advowson of
the free chapel of the blessed Nicholas, in the Castle of Carisbrooke,
belongs to the abbot and convent of Quarrera. A house in the same
castle, to wit, one hall, four chambers for straw adjoining the hall,
with a solar (upper chamber) ; one small church, and another great
church, which churches are supported at the expense of the Abbot of
Quarrera ; one large kitchen ; one chamber for the constable, with a
solar to the same ; one small chamber beyond the gate, and another
under the wall; one great chamber with a solar; one house which is
called the 'Old Chapel;' one larder; one great house which is called
' the bakehouse and bre whouse,' in which there is a granary at one end ;
two great stables for corn and forage ; two high towers, built with the
chamber for straw, and other two towers built under the wall; one
house, with a wall for a prison ; one chamber near the same. Richard
le Porter hath the custody of the prison in the castle, and of the
castle-gate, for the term of his life, by charter of Isabella, formerly
Countess of Albemarle, and receives yearly, from the manor of Buc
combe, his pension." The chapel recently brought to light by
Mr. Hardwicke is the " small church " herein mentioned, and was
built by IsabeUa de Fortibus ; for in the accounts already alluded
to occurs an entry, " For cleansing and making a foundation for the
new church."
The castle-walls, at this period, included only an area of an acre
and a half, and were nearly " in figure a rectangular parallelogram,
having the angles rounded " ( Worsley). Montacute, Earl of Salis
bury, did something towards its repair in the ninth year of Richard
II., and great additions were made to its strength and beauty by
Antony Woodville, better known as Lord Scales, during his cap
taincy of the island. At a later period it was thoroughly restored
by order of Henry VIIL, and the Mountjoy Tower at the south-east
angle of the keep was then erected. When the alarm of invasion by
the Spanish Armada echoed through the land, the fortifications were
remodeUed on the plan of those of Antwerp, by Gianibelli, the

CARISBROOK
VILLAGE AND CASTLE

ENVIEONS OF NEWPORT, 123
Italian engineer, who constructed Tilbury fort. The ramparts
erected by him are still in some degree of preservation, and include
twenty acres of ground, their circuit being nearly a mile. The
Queen contributed £4000, the gentry of the island £400, and the
commonalty their personal labour, by digging the outward ditch
without fee or payment. The present building is, in fact, the Castle
of Carisbrooke as enlarged and strengthened in the days of Eliza
beth. The works occupied 245 days (25th March to 24th November,
1587) ; and the manual labour and materials cost £470, 18s, 5d., —
nearly £6000 at the present value of money.
The governor's residence within the castle was repaired by Lord
Cutts, and afterwards by Lord Bolton, during their respective
governorships of the island. Their successors being " non-resident,"
took but little heed of the condition of the grand old stronghold,
and it gradually mouldered away into grievous dilapidation, until,
in 1860, Mr. Hardwicke was commissioned to check the decay, and
effect what reparation he could.
And now, let us hope, this famous pile, —
Whereon the men of other times
Have stamped their names, and deeds, and crimes, —
will raise, for many a long year, its gray keep and ivied buttresses
upon the height of Carisbrooke, a splendid memorial of the historic
past.* 3. The Roman Villa. — The remains of an extensive Roman vUla
were discovered in 1859 by some workmen employed in making
certain alterations in the garden attached to Carisbrooke vicarage.
Its position was admirable. A considerable hill sheltered it in the
rear, while before it shone the waters of the Medina, fertilizing a
fair, rich vaUey; and beyond, on a lofty mound, rose the Eoman
towers of Carisbrooke. It evidently belonged to a person of distinc
tion, from its size and general arrangements. Its mosaics are not
equal in workmanship to those which have been discovered in other
localities; but not the less must the villa be regarded as a most
interesting memorial of Roman supremacy in the Isle of Wight.
Instead of a minute elaboration of its ruins, which the tourist will
best ajipreciate from a careful personal inspection, we propose to
*In 1807, Sir Walter Scott (then -writing the first part of "Marmion") visited
Caiisbrooke in company with his friend W. Stewart Eose, who alludes to the journey
in his poem of " Gundimoro ; " — " Bound to the gloomy bower
Where Charles was prisoned in yon island tower."

124: ENVIEONS OF NEWPORT.
extract Lord Lytton's popular and generally accurate description of
the arrangements of a Roman -villa, from the pages of " The Last
Days of Pompeii," by way of affording the reader an insight into the
" domestic economy " of the mighty conqueroi-s of the world : —
" You enter, then, usuaUy by a small entrance-passage (caUed
vestibulum) into a hall, sometimes with (but more frequently without)
the ornament of columns ; around three sides of this hall are doors
comjnunicating with several bed-chambers (among which is the
porter's), the best of these being usually appropriated to country
visitors. At the extremity of the hall, on either side, to the right
and left, if the house is large, there are two smaU recesses, rather
than chambers, generally devoted to the ladies of the mansion ; and
in the centre of the tesseUated pavement of the hall is invariably a
square, shallow reservoir, for rain-water (classically termed impluvium),
which was admitted by an aperture in the room above, the said
aperture being covered at -wiU by an awning. Near this impluvium,
which had a peculiar sanctity in the eyes of the ancients, were some
times placed images of the household gods ; while in some corner of
the most ostentatious place was deposited a huge wooden chest, orna
mented and strengthened by bands of bronze or iron, and secured by
strong hooks upon a stone pedestal so firmly as to defy the attempts
of any robber to detach it from its position. It is supposed that
this chest was the money-box, or coffer, of the master of the house ;
though, as no money has been found in any of the chests discovered
at Pompeii, it is probable that it was sometimes rather designed for
ornament than use.
" In this hall (or atrium, to speak classically) the clients and
-visitors of inferior rank were usually received. In the houses of the
more ' respectable ' an atrie)isis, or slave peculiarly devoted to the
service of the hall, was invariably retained, and his rank among his
fellow-slaves was high and important. The reservoir in the centre
must have been rather a dangerous ornament ; but the centre of a
hall was like the grass-plot of a college, and interdicted to the passers
to and fro, who found ample space in the margin. Right opposite
the entrance, at the other end of the hall, was an apartment {tabli-
num) in which the pavement was usually adorned with rich mosaics,
and the walls covered with elaborate paintings. Here were usually
kept the records of the family, or those of any public ofiice that had
been filled by the owner. On one side of this saloon, if we may so
call it, was often a dining-room, or triclinium; on the other side,
perhaps, what we should now term a cabinet of gems, containing

ENVIEONS OF NEWPOET. 125
whatever curiosities wore deemed most rare and costly; and invari
ably a small passage for the slaves to cross to the farther parts of
the house without passing the apartments thus mentioned. These
rooms all opened on a square or oblong colonnade, technically termed
peristyle. If the house was small, its boundary ceased with this
colonnade ; and in that case its centre, however diminutive, was or
dinarily appropriated to the purpose of a garden, and adorned with
vases of fiowers placed upon pedestals ; while under the colonnade,
to the right and left, were doors, admitting to bedrooms,* to a second
triclinium, or eating-room (for the ancients generally appropriated
two rooms at least to that purpose, one for summer, and one for
winter, or, perhaps, one for ordinary, the other for festive occasions),
and, if the owner affected letters, a cabinet, dignified by the name of
library — for a very small room was sufiicient to contain the few rolls
of papyrus which the ancients deemed a notable collection of books.
" At the end of the peristyle was generally the kitchen. Supposing
the house was large, it did not end with the peristyle, and the centre
thereof was not, in that case, a garden, but might be, perhaps,
adorned with a fountain, or basin for fish; and at its end, exactly
opposite to the tablinum, was generally another eating-room, on
either side of which were bedrooms, and perhaps a picture-saloon,
or pinacotheca. t These apartments communicated again with a
square and oblong space, usually adoi-ned on three sides with a
colonnade like the peristyle, and very much resembling the peri
style, only usually longer. This was the proper viridarium, or
garden, being commonly adorned with a fountain or statues, and
a profusion of gay flowers. At its extreme end was the gardener's
house ; on either side, beneath the colonnade, were sometimes,
if the size of the family required it, additional rooms. The apart
ments themselves were ordinarily of small size; for in those de
lightful climes they received an extraordinary number of visitors
in the peristyle (or portico), the hall, or the garden : and even their
banquet-rooms, however elaborately adorned and carefully selected
in point of aspect, were of diminutive proportions ; for the intellec
tual ancients, being fond of society, not of crowds, rarely feasted
more than nine at a time, so that large dinner-rooms were not so
necessary with them as with us. But the suite of rooms, seen at
* The Eomans had bedrooms appropriated not only to the sleep of night, but also to
the day siesta (cruiiicula diurna).
t In the stately palaces of Eorae this picture-room generally communicated with
the atrium.

126 ENVIEONS OP NEWPORT.
once from the entrance, must have had a very imposing effect : you
beheld at once the hall, richly paved and painted ; the tablinum ; the
graceful peristyle, and (if the house extended further) the opposite
banquet-room and the garden, which closed the -view with some
gushing fount or marble statue."
The villa at Carisbrooke seems to have occupied an area of about
120 feet by 50, and to have included among its apartments two lai-ge
halls, one about 22 feet square, the other about 40 feet by 22 feet.
Another apartment, 14 feet square, exhibits a good mosaic pavement,
with a graceful vase and flowers in the centre. To the south-west is
a semicircular bath. The remaining walls are from 1 to 3 feet high,
and built of chalk, with mortar and flint.
4. Carisbrooke Church .is a very fine specimen of Early English,
and its noble tower is an admirable landmai-k for all the country
side. 5. A Roman Catholic Nunnery has recently been erected in the
vicinity of the viUage, by the Countess of Clare, at a cost of £18,000.
The buildings possess no particular architectural pretensions, but
are simple and even elegant in design.
6. Carish'ooke Cemetery, a spot to make one, as Shelley says, " in
love with death," was formed in 1858, at a cost of £4500. Its two
chapels are in the Early English style.
Parkhurst. — At Parkhurst three considerable buildings attract
the attention of the tourist — the Barracks, the Prison, and the House
of Industry.
1. The Barracks lie to the left of the road connecting Newport
with West Cowes, about half a mile from the former. They were
established in September 1798, and were originally caUed Parkhurst
Barracks; but their name was afterwards changed to Albany, in
compliment to the then Commander-in-Chief, the Duke of York and
Albany. They occupy an area of 1211 feet by 700 — or about 100
acres — and include five officers' houses, eight large and twelve small
barracks, a house for the commandant, another for the chief account
ant, a chapel, necessary offices, and a large parade ground, next in
completeness to that of Chatham. There are three excellent wells
worked by means of engine-pumps. Altogether, the arrangements
of the Barracks, which will accommodate about 3000 men, are excel
lent, and their sanitary condition is superior to that of most of our
English barracks. The depots of several regiments are always
stationed here. Lieutenant-Colonel Jeffrey is the present command
ant, and the number of troops stationed here varies from 800 to 1200.

ENVIEONS OF NEWPOET. 127
2. In 1838 the Government converted the hospital portion of the
Barracks into a reformatory prison for juvenile offenders ; and the
experiment answered so admirably as to lead to the construction of
a second prison, a little higher up the hiU. Together the two build
ings would contain 700 prisoners, but the average number of inmates
did not exceed 400. The system adopted was a combination of
punishment and prevention, — " the prevention of crime in the uncon
victed, and the reformation and punishment of the convicted offender,"
— objects sought to be attained " by moral and religious instruction
and industrial employment. The penal discipline consisted of depri
vation of liberty, wearing an iron on the leg, a strongly-marked
prison dress, and a regular diet reduced to its minimum. Silence
was enforced, and the prisoners were subjected to uninterrupted sur-
veUlance." Of late years, however, this establishment has undergone
very considerable changes. In 1863 it was remodelled, and adapted
for the reception of female convicts ; whUe in 1869 it was again sub
jected to modification, and set apart for the admission of male con
victs under sentence of penal servitude, of whom it will accommodate
about 700. It is now subject, therefore, to the same strict regula
tions as the prison at Portland or Dartmoor, and admission can be
obtained only by special order and under exceptional circum
stances. A large staff of warders is employed, and the most rigorous
precautions are adopted to prevent the escape of the inmates. It
may be regarded as hyper-sentimental to object to the location of
such an establishment in the immediate -vicinity of some of the finest
scenery and most interesting places in the island, yet the visitor
certainly feels a disagreeable impression when the gloomy pile rises
before him, and is sensible of a certain incongruity between it and
the surrounding landscape. It is a kind of plague-spot, indicative of
disease, which he would gladly shut out from his thoughts and recol
lections ; and he finds it impossible to suppress a strong desire that
the Government would reUeve the Isle of Wight from the heavy
shadow of a criminal prison. This may be regarded as an assthetic
affectation ; yet the mind must be indifferent indeed that can wholly
throw aside such a feeling. We confess to a belief that Dartmoor or
Portland is a much more appropriate locality, and would rejoice to
know that the Isle of Wight was relieved from the unpleasant associa
tions of this dreary structure. Admission to inspect Parkhiu-st
Prison can be obtained only from the Secretary of State for the
Home Department.
3. The House of Itulustry was established by the gentlemen of the

128 ENVIEONS OF NEWPORT.
island in 1770, and is managed under a local Act. In some measure
its system of management was the forerunner of that of the new
Poor Law, and it has undoubtedly proved a great boon to the pauper
population of the island. A grant of 80 acres of the waste lands of
the forest was obtained from the Crown, and the present buUding —
which will accommodate seven hundred inmates, though in 1871 it
only contained four hundred — erected at a cost of £20,000. They
are supported by a rate levied on the different parishes, and amount
ing to a considerable yearly income ; and the management i-ests in
the hands of a corporation styled guardians of the poor, consisting of
landowners rated at £50 per annum, heirs-apparent to £100 per
annum, and occupiers of land rated at £100 per annum. Out of
these are annually elected twenty-four directors and thirty-six acting
guardians. The whole frontage of the house is about 300 feet in length, and
27 in depth, with a wing ranging southwards 170 feet by 24. The
dining-hall is 118 feet long.
The grounds are divided into fields and gardens, and tended and
cultivated by the inmates. There are also workshops for artisans
and tradesmen, whose productions are regularly sold for the benefit
of the institution.*
In the vicinity of Newport and Carisbrooke are many fine
farms, numerous villas, and seats of the gentry, to which it is im
possible for us to allude in our limited space. The Parsonage at
Carisbrooke is most agreeably situated. Shide House is a respectable
mansion ; while, east of the town, on the Ryde road, are Bdleeroft,
well worthy of its significant name, and a deserted Lace Manufactory ,
formerly famous for the production of the Isle of Wight lace, " ex
tensively patronized by Her Majesty and the court."
In the thickets bet-ween Rowledge and Apes Down, 2^ miles west.
Sir Da-vid Brewster and other eminent naturalists discovered, in
1841, the wood calamint {Calamintha sylvatica), previously supposed
to be confined to Switzerland.
" The country around Carisbrooke is very lovely. There are de
licious green lanes, where the trees interlace overhead and form an
exquisite roof to the informal avenue; there are again lone farm
houses, shaded by lofty, spreading elms, and environed by broad
tilths of wheat; little playful brooks running wild among the alder-
spotted meadows, .and downy heights with wide-spread prospects,
" Ptirkhurst Forest is now under the control of the Chief Commissioner of Works.
The annual receipts amount to about £120ii : the expenditure to £950.

BRIGHSTONE. 129
and shadowy copses, peopled only by the merry song-birds. You
might roam about here for weeks, and not exhaust the affluence of
gentle pastoral loveliness'' {Thome).
Places to he visited by the pedestrian — Apes Down, where may be
seen a section of coloured clays resembling that at Alum Bay, 2i-
miles ; Clatterford, 1 mile, where Roman relics, especially the ruins
of a villa, have been discovered ; Bowcombe Do-wn, and traces of a
Eoman road ; Park Cross, 2 miles, a lovely nook ; Chillerton and its
chalky down, 4 miles ; Sheat, a fine old gabled manor-house, contain
ing some good Jacobean woodwork ; Marvel, 1 mile, the site of an
ancient religious house ; Rowborough (see post) ; and Newbarns, for
Celtic earthworks, 2^ miles, at the foot of Gatcombe Down (see post).

DISTRICT IIL -SOUTH-WEST.
BRIGHSTONE AND ITS ENVIRONS.
Having taken Cowes and Newport as the centres of two consider
able districts of the island, we shall select, as the best starting-point
for our third great division, the delightful viUage of Brixton or
Brighstone, situated on the main road from Ventnor to Freshwater,
and Newport to Freshwater Gate, a distance of 7 miles south-west of
Newport, 14 miles south-west of Ryde, 11 north-west of Ventnor, and
9 miles south-east of Yarmouth. {Inns : New Inn, and Five Bells.)
" A cheerful little village, on the sunny side of the Isle of Wight,
sheltered from cold winds by overhanging hills, with a goodly church,
and a near prospect of the sea " — {Life of Ken) — is not an inaccurate
description of this pleasantest of the pleasant places on the south
western coast of the island ; for it lies on a sunny table-land, open to
the warm breezes of the south, and defended against bitter winds by
a range of lofty do-wns, whose green sides are for ever dappled with
changing shadows. All about it are blossomy gardens and clumps of
green elms, and sequestered bowers hidden away among silent hills,
and " eternal whisperings around " of the distant sea. And ever the
wind goes — " With a musical motion towards the west,
-Where the long white cliffs are gleaming ! "
Owen Meredith.
And the birds whir from copse to copse, and the soft rosy haze rises
above the ample meadows, and onwards to the furthest angle of the
isle rolls the great chain of abrupt hills, whose summits, we may

130 BEIGHSTONE.
fancy, are guarded by the spirits of those who sleep within their
bosom ! So it lies —
" Deep-meadowed, happy, fair with orchard lawns
And bowery hoUows crowned with summer sea."
Tennyson.
BRIGHSTONE (OR BRIXTOn)
(From Ecbright's tovm, the manor having been conferred on the see of Winchester by
King Egbert [Ecbert or Ecbright] in a.d. 826)
is a parish and rural deanery in the West Medina liberty, containing
3251 acres, and a population, in 1881, of 540. A great portion of the
land consists of bare chalky downs, and the population, therefore, is
chiefly centred in the village of Brighstone, which is one of the largest
in the island. On the west the parish is bounded by Mottistone, on
the east by Shorwell, north by Calbourne and Carisbrooke, south by
the English Channel. It includes Lemerston, part of Chilton, Ather
field, and Uggeton (now called Muggleton), formerly a possession of
the Knights Templars.
Briglistone Church is an interesting edifice, which has recently been
restored with considerable taste. Bishop Ken, the sweet singer of
the " Morning " and " Evening Hymns," the honest prelate who
refused to receive Nell Gwynne into his house at Winchester, held
the rectory from 1667 to 1669. His yew-hedge is still shown as "a
cherished memorial" in the rectory garden ; and his name imparts to
the church and village " a sweet savour of holy things.'' The late
Bishop of Winchester was the incumbent from 1830 to 1840 ; and
his father, the illustrious William Wilberforce, spent several months
of the last year of his life in the pretty and cozy parsonage-house.
A walk under Rough Down is still associated with his name. In
this delightful neighbourhood he spent the summer of 1832, "climb
ing with delight to the top of the chalk downs, or of an intermediate
terrace, or walking long upon the unfrequented shore."
Dr. Moberly, the present Bishop of Salisbury, a theologian of high
repute, and formerly Bampton Lecturer, held the rectory for a brief
period. In 1860 the National Lifeboat Institution selected Brighstone as
one of their stations ; and their boat has been the means of saving
many lives.
Lemerston or Lymerston lies about one mile eastward of Brixton
viUage. The manor was anciently in the possession of the Cro-wn,
but soon after the Conquest was bestowed upon a family who took

BRIGHSTONE. 131
their name from it — De Lymerston, or Lemerston. They founded
here a chapel of the Holy Ghost for three priests, who were to ofiici-
ate both for the living and the dead, under the rules of St. Augus
tine. In the reign of Henry I., Sir Roger Tichbome married Isabella,
the heiress of the Lemerstons, and the estate remained in the Tich
bome family until about the middle of the last century, when it
was purchased by George Stanley, the father of the Right Hon.
Hans Stanley. It lately belonged to S. Stanley, Esq. of Paultons,
Hampshire. The oratory was in existence in 1349, but probably soon afterwards
perished, as it was a private chapel, and the Tichbornes did not
reside at Lemerston. DAY-JOURNEYS.
The tourist who takes up his abode at Brighstone for a week
will find six days' ample occupation in the following excursions : —
a. Passing Lemerston, and the pleasant old mansion of Westcourt,
to the village of Shorwell (2J miles) ; let him then ascend the hiU, by
Sir H. P. Gordon's seat, Northcourt; turn to the right, and take
the ChUlerton road, which opens up some fine bursts of scenery, vid
Gatcombe (3i miles) to Newport. Return by Carisbrooke and Row-
borough. (See District II., Day-journey b.) h. From Brighstone to
the west, by a picturesque road which winds up steep hills and down
into green vales, with agreeable alternations; passing Mottistone
(1 mile — notice a steep lane, by the church, which leads to the Long
Stone, or Druidic cromlech). Brook (2 miles — notice the chine, and
petrified forest), and taking the road to the north, vid Shalcombe and
-Alton Do-wns to Freshwater Gate (3| miles). Returning, if the tide
permit, by the sands, past Brook Point with its petrified forest.
Brook Chine, Chilton Chine, and Grange Chine (about 7 miles).
c. From Brighstone, by Mottistone Mill, through Calbourne Bottom,
and to Westover (formerly the seat of the Holmes famUy, now of the
Earl of Heytesbury), to Calbourne (SJ miles) and Newtown (3 mUes).
Returning by Swainston (notice the seat of Sir Barrington Simeon),
over the downs, d. From Brighstone to Woolverton, an old gabled
Jacobean mansion, and across a wild moorland country to Kingston
(4 miles). Then by way of Stroud Green (1 mile), passing Chale Farm
(1 mile), with its bits of Early English architecture, to Chale (half a
mile), and Blackgang Chine (half a mile). Ascend St. Catherine's
Hill, and cross into Niton, whence the tourist may continue his tour
to Godshill and Ventnor, or return vid Atherfield to Brighstone.

132 ENVIRONS OP BEIGHSTONE.
e. A walk along the cliffs, passing Barnes Chine, Cowleaze Chine,
Atherfield Point, Whale Chine, Walpan Chine, St. Catherine's Point,
and Lighthouse, to Puckaster Cove. Returning by Day-joumey d.
f. .\ walk along the cliffs, westward, observing Grange Chine, Chilton
Chine, Bull Rock, Brook Chine, Brook Point, and Compton Bay, to
Freshwater Gate. Then across a delightful country to Freshwater
and Yarmouth, returning vid Calbourne, by Day-journey o ; or, from
Freshwater Gate to Alum Bay and the Needles, returning vid Afton
Down, by Day-journey b.
ENVIRONS OF BRIGHSTONE.
Mottistone, a parish and village in the West Medina liberty.
The parish contains 1107 acres; population, in 1881, 143. Bounded
north by Calbourne, south by the Channel, east by Brighstone, west
by Shalfleet. Most of this parish lies between the sea and the green
slopes of Mottistone Down (698 feet in height), and possesses a good
arable soil. The scanty population (8 to an acre) is chiefly occupied
in agricultural pursuits. North of the church is a large farm-house,
formerly the manor-house and residence of the Cheke famUy. It
is an excellent specimen of the Tudor domestic architecture. It was
built in 1557, and is jjopularly, though erroneously, supposed to have
been the birth-place of Sir John Cheke, —
" Who taught Cambridge and King Edward Greek" (SIilton);
and who really did belong to the Mottistone famUy. " Mottistone
Church is worth turning aside to see : it is of different dates, and has
the peculiar picturesqueness that so many of those old churches pos
sess which have thus gro-wn into their present form by the addition
of new limbs in different ages " {Thome). The internal fittings are of
cedar, obtained from a vessel which was wrecked on the neighbouring
coast. A weather-worn pair of stocks is preserved in the churchyai-d.
Pitt Place (Colonel Brown), a short distance beyond the -village, lying
left of the road, is a commodious mansion, enjoying a fine sea pros
pect. The tourist, however, will visit Mottistone chiefly for the purpose
of examining the singular relic of bygone days known as the Long
Stone, which probably gives its name to the village. " It is a huge
quadrangular mass of stone, bearing upon it no marks of the chisel,
though somewhat rudely formed. It consists of stratified iron sand
stone, from the lower green-sand formation, — the prevailing stone in
that neighbourhood, abundance of which might be had from Comp-

ENVIRONS OF BRIGHSTONE. 133
ton Bay Cliff. The height of the upright stone is 13 feet, its widest
side 6} feet, its cu-cumference 20 feet." Its depth is supposed to be
considerable. At a slight distance from it lies a recumbent stone :
"its length 9 feet 3 inches; its -width, at the widest part, 4 feet;
and its height, at the thickest end, 2^ feet. Besides these two con
tiguous stones, there is another, of a similar kind, about 300 yards
distant from Longstone, to the east, on the wayside. This stone is
4 feet 3 inches wide, and 2 feet 2 inches thick. Another stone lies
near the gate from the Calbourne and Mottistone road to the path
way to Longstone, from which it is distant 570 yards." By some
authorities Longstone has been considered as simply a landmark ;
others have looked upon it as a place of public meeting, from the
Saxon mote, as in the word " wardmote ; " but unquestionably it and
its companions are simply the remains of a cromlech, or British sepul
chral chamber.*
About 200 yards north-east of it is Castle Hill, where stands an
ancient earthwork, or fort, nearly square, probably of British origin.
Its length, from north to south, is 191 feet; its breadth, from east to
west (on the north side), 177 feet; and on the south side, 168 feet.
The bank which surrounds it is 21 feet broad and 3 feet high. Be
hind it rises the huge tumulus of Black Barrow. There are other
earthworks in the neighbourhood which the tourist may easily light
upon ; and from almost every point he will at least enjoy a delect
able sweep of lea, and dale, and grove, farmstead and grange, white
cliff and sparkling sea.
Brook, 3 miles from Brighstone, lies in a hollow betwixt the
hiUs, looking out upon a rough and pebbled beach. The parish con-
* Mr. Wright's remarks upon these cromlechs, or British cemeteries, will interest
the reader. "A cromlech," he says, "is a rude chamber constructed of massive fiat
stones, three forming usuaUy its three sides, the fourth being open, and a fourth flat
stone serving for a roof. There can be Uttle doubt that monuments of this description
belong to the ancient Britons, because they are certainly not more modern than the
Eoman period, whUe they are as certainly not Eoman ; and they are found in great
numbers in Ireland, where a Celtic population was established. Increased knowledge
on these subjects has left no room for doubt that the cromlechs are nothing more than
sepulchral chambers. The ashes of the dead — for in most of those interments we find
that the bodies of the deceased had been burned — were coUected into an urn of rude
pottery, and placed, with a few other articles, within the chamber, and the whole was
then covered with a mound. In opening many such mounds in different parts of the
kingdom, the cromlech, with the sepulchral deposit within, has been found perfect;
when the cromlech is now found exposed to view [as here, at Mottistone], without a
mound, it has been robbed of its covering of earth by accident or design at some remote
period" (Wanderwigs of an Antiqwiry, p. 173). The reader wiU perceive that this de
scription taUies exactly with that of the cromlech at Mottistone. The four stones are
StUl extant, and their present positions may be accounted for by a variety of assump
tions.

134 ENVIEONS OF BEIGHSTONE.
tains 713 acres, and, in 1881,. 195 souls. Boundaries: North, Thorley;
south, the Channel ; east, Shalfleet ; west. Freshwater. The church, a
lonely building, has been recently rebuUt, after being destroyed by fire
on the 16th of December 1863. The manor was in the possession of the
Bowermans, an ancient island family, for many years, and afterwards
of the Howes ; but was recently purchased (about 1856) by C. Seely,
Esq., M.P., whose seat. Brook House, upon the uplands, is a noble
mansion, finely situated. It was here that Dame Joanna Bowerman
received, in 1499, King Henry VII. ; who, in acknowledgment of
her hospitality, presented her with a drinking-horn, long preserved
in the family, and granted her the yearly gift of a fat buck from
Parkhurst Forest. And here, in 1864, Mr. Seely entertained Gari
baldi, who planted some trees in the grounds, as he did also at Far-
ingford. From Brook Down we enjoy a goodly prospect, but perhaps it is
even finer from Afton Down (500 feet in height). " Freshwater Bay
stretches round in a splendid curve ; the chalk cliffs, which rise per
pendicularly to a height of some 500 or 600 feet from the sea raging
constantly against their base, were formerly cro-wned by the Needles
lighthouse. Beyond is the broad belt of the Channel, along which
ships of all sizes are constantly passing to and fro. In the extreme
distance lies the coast of Doi-set, which is -visible from Poole Harbour
to Portland Bill ; while the foreground obtains boldness and strength
from the shattered and detached masses of rock that lift their heads
far above the water at Freshwater Gate. Nor, though less gTand, is
that inland view less pleasing where the Yar winds ' its silver -wind
ing way ' along the rich valley to which it gives its name, enlarging
rapidly from a scarcely traceable ri-vnlet, till, in a mile or two, it has
become a goodly estuary " {Thome).
The life-boat station at Brook is supplied by two-and-twenty men,
besides the cockswains.
Passing Brook Church we see Dunsbury and Shalcombe Downs
on our left, and Brook and Chessel on our right. " As we pass the
manor-house the ferruginous beds of green-sand may be traced in the
banks on the roadside, and Brook Church is seen standing high up
the hill on a terrace of those deposits. The relative positions of the
strata in this district are displayed in the cuttings on the side of the
road from Shalcombe Down through the village of Brook to the sea
shore. If we proceed from the coast at Brook Chine through the
village, and ascend the road by the church and over Shalcombe Down,
we pass in succession the Wealden, the gi-een-sand, the gault, the

ENVIRONS OF BRIGHSTONE. 135
fire-stone; and then cross the ridge formed by the highly-inclined
strata of the white chalk " {Mantell).
Shorwell. — We now turn to the pastures and green dells of
the grateful inland village of Shorwell, which boasts one of the fairest
of the island churches. The parish derives its name from a brook
{Shoi'-wdl) which runs through it, rising on the grounds of North-
court. It contains 3685 acres, and a population, in 1881, of 622.
Boundaries : North, Carisbrooke ; south, Brighstone; east and partly
south, GodshUl, Niton, and Chale ; west, Brighstone. Shorwell is 5
mUes from Newport, and 12 from Ryde. It lies in an agreeable vaUey,
which forms the only pass or opening in the range of downs from
Gatcombe to Freshwater, and debouches, so to speak, upon the
table-land which skirts the chalk cliffs of Brighstone and Chale Bays.
The church is certainly an interesting edifice ; has been restored
within the last few years with commendable care ; contains two or
three very good brasses, and some monuments to the Leigh family.
It dates from the reign of Edward IIL, when the parish was taken
out of that of Carisbrooke, on the complaint of the inhabitants that
they had to carry their dead five miles to burial, and when " the
waters were out," in winter, the death of one person was the occa
sion of many more. There are two schools in the village. In the
neighbourhood are the handsome seats of Northcourt, Woolverton, and
Westcourt. {Qee post.)
Barnes is a cluster of small cottages south of Brighstone, which
gives name to an inconsiderable chine, opening upon Brighstone Bay.
It is noticeable on account of the remains of a Romano- British pottery
which once existed here, and was probably of an important char
acter, but has gradually been washed away with the crumbling cliff
by the continual agency of the undermining waves of the English
Channel Fragments of urns, drinking vessels, and other pottery,
were excavated some years ago.
Kingston, anciently Chingeston, or the King's Manor, lies about
f)\ miles south-south-west of Newport, 4 miles south-east of Brigh
stone, and about 2 miles from ShorweU, It contains 883 acres, and
a population, iu 1881, of 69 souls. The church, one of the smallest
and plainest in the island, dating from the fourteenth century, is
pleasantly surrounded by elm-trees,
Chale {Clarendon Hotel) is a very pretty viUage, 8-| miles south-
south-west of Newport, lying, a short distance from the sea, at the
foot of Chale Down. The name is derived by some from schiele, the
hoUow of a bowl or cup, in allusion to the shape of the bay, or per-

136 ENVIRONS OF BEIGHSTONE.
haps of Blackgang Chine. The parish contained, in 1881, 681
inhabitants. Acreage, 2375. The church is a good thirteenth-cen
tury building, well restored, with a noble Perpendicular tower,
Chale Abbey Farm, on the left, is a picturesque building, with
several relics of decorated architecture wrought into it, and a fine old
barn, 100 ft, by 30. It would seem to be of ecclesiastical origin, but
its history is wholly unrecorded. The Parsonage on the right (from
Kingston) is a pleasant house pleasantly placed.
" Here the country begins to expand itself into more level and ex
tensive fields, and to disclose the boundless view of the English
Channel, the proximity of which prevents the few trees that are
scattered through this open region from showing any signs of luxuri
ance " ( Wyndham).
Blackgang Chine, one of the lions of the island ; St. Catlierine's Hill;
and Atherfield Point, we shall describe in their proper places.
In elude Churchyard lie buried eighteen of the victims who perished
by the -wreck of the Clarendon in Chale Bay, October 11, 1836.
ALONG THE COAST.
From Brighstone Westward. — The route to be pursued by the
tourist along the cliffs has been agreeably described by a traveller
who wrote and travelled half a century ago. His sketch is still
correct in its details, though we now traverse a weU-made military
road : — " Our track was mostly over extensive sheep-walks, fragrant
with thyme crushed under the wheels of the carriage. Rich farms
and neat cottages adorned the valleys. The meanest of the cottages,
and those inhabited by the poorer classes, were buried in roses, jessa
mine, and honeysuckle, and often large myrtles, which, on the southern
coast, bear the winter out of doors " {Simond). He crosses an exten
sive table-land, sheltered from the north by a long and lofty range of
undulating do-wns. OccasionaUy he comes to a thick cluster of
branching elms, or a lone farm-stead nestling away in a quiet valley
— "an ancient grange half -hid in harvest-home.'' Rivulets, too,
wind slowly tlu-ough the plain, untU lost in the deep savage ravines,
or chines, which their agency has worn in the yielding soil. Far
away to the westw.ard a wall of precipitous chalky cliff gleams with
wonderful brilliancy ; and beyond, against the horizon Uke a bank of
white cloud, rise the steep bulwarks of the Isle of Portland. To the
south stretch the shifting waters of the famous Channel.
" Outspread is seen
Ocean's blue mantle, streaked with purple and green ;
(712)

BRIXTON
AND ITS ENVIRONS.

On n Scn/c of One ]neh to ei Sfatjf.'c .Mile.

District III.

^ ' /^-fc_ "-^ ¦! ' v^ « '-*'^// I wii,, W^''''"^/ " -

J

The Figures intiicate IJeigitt in Feet abo-.je Sea-level.

ENVIRONS OP BEIGHSTONE. 137
Now 'tis he sees a canvassed ship, and now
Marks the bright silver curUng round the prow ;
Now sees the lark down-dropping to his nest.
And the broad-winged sea-gull, never at rest —
For when no more he spreads his feathers free,
His breast is dancing on the restless sea." — Keats.
" The villages along the summit of these cliffs have some attractions
in point of beauty, and are full of interest to the antiquary, Motti
stone Church is worth turning aside to see. The little secluded vU
lage of Brook, lying in a hollow betwixt the hills, close by the chine
of the same name, and looking upon a rough, rock-stre-wn beach,
might also be seen ; but it will be well to ascend the Downs at
Mottistone, and proceed along them to Freshwater, The views from
these grounds are of vast extent, and are hardly surpassed in the
island in any respect."
Freshwater Gate, -with its singular rocks, and deep, shadowy
caverns, wiU engage our attention hereafter. We now proceed on
our homeward route — from Freshwater Gate to Brighstone ; and, as
the tide permits — time and tide always wait for the scribe ! — will
make our way along the firm red sands,
1. Compton* Bay, divided by Brook Point from Brook Bay, will
first attract the tourist's attention. The Chine is " a deep chasm
worn in the ferruginous sands by a stream that falls from the summit
of the cliff," which is here, and as far as Atherfield Point, composed
of the clays, shales, and sands of the Wealden formation. The
Wealden fossils are consequently very abundant along these shores,
and petrified hazel nuts, called by the islanders Noah's nuts, are often
met -with,
" The section from Compton Chine to Brook is superb. We there
see at one view the whole geology of the district, from the chalk with
flints down to the battel beds, and all -within an hour's walk. This
is so beautiful a key, that I am at a loss to conceive how so much con
fusion has arisen " {Sir Charles Lyell).
2. The eastern extremity of Compton Bay is Brook Ledge, or Brook
Poini, and " at its base a dangerous reef of rocks extends seaward
to a considerable distance. If the tide is very low, a succession
of ledges of this kind are -visible along the shore, stretching out to
the distance of half a mile or more from the land, and indicating the
former extent of the southern coast of the island, at a comparatively
* Compton (combe and tori), the settlement in the hollow. Afton (af, avmi), the
settlement by the stream.

138 ENVIRONS OF BRIGHSTONE.
very modern period. These reefs and rocks consist of the harden
masses of the Wealden sandstone, which have resisted the destructive
effects of the waves, after the clays, sands, and softer materials have
been swept away " {Mantell). Many disastrous wrecks have occurred
upon this dangerous coast.
Here the attention of the tourist will be arrested by the remains
of a singular and vast petrifaction — petrified trunks and branches of
huge trees ; which " evidently originated in a raft composed of a
prostrate pine-forest, transported from a distance by the river which
flowed through the country whence the Wealden deposits were
derived, and became submerged in the sand and mud of the delta, .
burying with it the bones of reptiles, mussel-shells, and other ex
traneous bodies it had gathered in its course" {MaiUdl). To the
geologist this scene, a sort of glimpse of a former world, cannot but
suggest the most interesting conclusions, " The trees appear to have
been submerged when arrived at maturity, and while fresh and
vigorous. On a late visit there were two stems which could be traced
to a length of 20 feet ; and they were of such a magnitude as to
indicate the height of the trees when living at from 40 to 50 feet.
Many stems are concealed and protected by the fuci, corallines, and
zoophytes, which here thrive luxuriantly, and occupy the place of the
lichens and other parasitical plants, with which the now petrified
trees were doubtless invested when flourishing in then- native forests,
and affording shelter to the iguanodon and other gigantic reptUes "
{Mantell). The sea-beach in Compton and Brixton Bays chiefly consists of
chalk flints broken and rounded by attrition into boulders, pebbles,
and gravel. Some of these are transparent, with bands and veins of
quartz and chalcedony. There are " silicifled chalk sponges," called
by the lapidaries moss-agates ; and the beautiful choanites (petrified i
sea-anemones), which are simply characteristic zoophytes of the white
chalk. Pebbles of pure transparent quartz, othei-s of jasper — dark-
brown mottled, and opaque white — and boulders of petrified bone and
wood, are also found in considerable numbers.
Passing Brook Chine, we notice, at low water, the ominous reef of
Bvllface Ledge, and find oui-selves in the small cove or hollow of
Brighstone Bay, as it is somewhat grandiloquently caUed. The cliffs
are completely scored with chines of various degrees of interest; most
of them, however, being fully as deserving of examination as the
show-chines at Blackgang or Shanklin. The tourist will come to
them, and other noteworthy points, in the following order : —

ENVIRONS OP BEIGHSTONE.

139

Chilton Chine

Grange Chine

Brighstone Bay ^ Barnes Chine
Shepherd's or
White's Chine
^Cowieaae Chine

r Dutchman's 1
•{ Hole J
(.Ship Ledge
j Barnes 1
t Hole J

Chale Bay

Fishing Cove
Whale Chine
Walpan Chine
Ladder Chine
Blackgang Chine

Atlierfieid Point

Height of Cliff.
80 ft.
|- 114 II
149 II
!• 182 II

120167

300 Ii

Rockeo End

From Briglistone Eastward. — At Chilton Green {chil, chalk, and ton,
the settlement) rises a small stream which works its -way to the cliff,
and produces a chine of an interesting character. At Sudmore (towards
Crab Point) is a small fishing hamlet. Near Grange Chins (a lifeboat
station) is a cavern of considerable height, called DutchmanJs Hole,
from a Dutch galliot having been hurled into it. Barnes Hole is also
a tolerably extensive cavern. Barnes Chine is of Uttle importance.
Cowleaze Chine is Worth notice. The rivulet to which it owes its
formation does not reach the cliff directly, but runs parallel with it
for some distance. It is said at one time to have entered the sea at
Cowleaze Chine, but to have been diverted by a shepherd, in order
to secure the eels which nestled in its mud ; and it hollowed out a
new and deep channel so rapidly that he was unable to restore it to its
former course. Here " the Wealden clay and its passage to the sands
beneath are better displayed than in any other locality " {Dr. Fitton).
Walpan Chine (about IJ mile from Blackgang) is worth visiting
for the different shapes of its winding sides. It is 184 feet in height,
and formed by a stream from Chale.
Ladder, or Chale Chine, is an excavation in the black clay cliffs,
which in this place are about 200 feet in height. It runs deep into
the land, is extremely narrow, and its sides in many places are per
pendicular. " It is as naked as Blackgang Chine, and though much less
deep, is more gloomy ; but the most striking peculiarity of its char
acter is the copious exudation of chalybeate springs from its sides,
which are stained tvith ochreous tints to a very great extent, and
their dusky red on the black clay ground gives the appearance of a
vast extinguished furnace to the deep hollow." Some fishermen's huts
are situated on the shore at the bottom.

140 ENVIRONS OP BRIGHSTONE.
Whale Chine, described by Sterling as resembling " a mighty gash
inflicted by the sword of an Orlando," is 180 feet wide at its mouth,
and extends inland for nearly two-thirds of a mile. It is easily
reached from the military road.
Atherfield Point {Aderfeldt, the veined or streaked field) throws out
a dangerous ledge of rocks into the sea — the scene of several wrecks,
and the whilom haunt of a gang of smugglers. The cliffs at the point
are about 120 feet in height, and almost entirely consist of the green-
sand strata. The Wealden clay begins here, and stretches as far as
BuUface Ledge, in a layer about six feet deep. " Near this place,
after recent slips of the cliff, and the removal of the fallen debris by
the waves, the uppermost of the Wealden deposits and the lowermost
of the green-sand may be seen in juxtaposition ; in other words, the
line of demarcation between the accumulated sediments of a mighty
river — some primeval NUe or Ganges, teeming with the spoUs of the
land and the exuvias of extinct terrestrial and fluviatUe animals and
plants — and the bed of a vast ocean, loaded -with the debris of marine
organisms, of genera and species unkno-wn iu the present seas"
{Mantdl). Blackgang Chine {Black gang, the black way, or path) is the most
famous of the island curiosities, and has been lionized in the guide
books usque ad nauseam. Viewed from the sea, its aspect is wildly
picturesque, and not without a certain savage grandeur. Viewed
from a resting-place about half-way down, there is something exceed
ingly effective in the irregular combination of bare, bleak down, iron-
coloured rock, abrupt precipitous cliff, and boundless sea, which the
-view presents. There is neither tree nor slirub ; no bright masses of
f(5liage relieve its sombre sides ; and on a breezy day, when the south
wind brings up the foamy waters with a heavy thud upon the shore,
filling the dark hollow with its dreary echoes, anything more desolate
or sorrowful it is impossible to conceive.
" The chine is on the west declivity of St. Catherine's Hill (769
feet*), and its upper appearance is not far below its high summit ;
two currents, from distant parts of this hill, have made their way to
its brow, and from this height have excavated two large separate
chasms, but their waters form a junction at the top of a high
prominent point, the sides of which have been torn away by their
respective torrents. The chasms at this junction become one, and
consequently much deepened ; from whence the united waters more
rapidly hurry down the steep channel for about two hundred yards,
^ Some autliorities place its height at 830 feet.

ENVIRONS OF BRIGHSTONE. 141
tUl they arrive at an impenetrable precipice of rock (a layer of iron
stone grit), from whence they faU in a perpendicular cascade of 70
feet upon the shore " ( Wyndham). Very little water is found in the
chine, however, except after hea-vy rains. The cliff sides are but " of
mean height and lumpish form," but above them tower majestic
broken cliffs, 400 feet in height ; and as a background to the singular
picture, above these rises "the majestic escarpment" of St. Catherine's
HiU. " The country people in these parts once thought that they were
possessed of a PactoUan sand, for they obtained for a certain time
some gold dust from the sand of the bay ; but, from a number of
dollars having been from time to time cast on shore, it was justly
suspected that it came from the -wreck of some unfortunate Spanish
ship" {Pennant).
Chale Bay was the scene, on the morning of the 11th October 1836,
of a terrible -wreck,* which has long held a prominent place in the
dark roll of these mournful disasters. The good ship Clarendon, a
West Indiaman of 345 tons, -with a crew of 17 men and boys, and
11 passengers, was driven in-shore by a tremendous gale, and imme
diately went to pieces. Only three lives were saved. We may add
that scarcely a winter passes without one or more -wrecks, often
accompanied by loss of life ; and the adjacent churchyard is full of
sad memorials.
" It may be as well -to wam -visitors against approaching too near
the breaking waves, even when only exhibiting their ordinary
grandeur. After bursting, they rush up the beach to some distance,
and the back draught is so powerful as to throw do-wn an individual
who may be taken by sm-prise, and whose footing upon the loose
shingle is necessarily so uncertain as to render him ill able to with
stand its force. Should a wave overtake a person in this manner,
durmg tempestuous weather, he would probably be drawn into
the boiling surge, and almost certain destruction would be the result.
A providential escape occurred in the summer of 1848 to a lady
resident near the spot. She was walking with a female friend along
the shore, when a wave, bursting with more than usual violence,
dashed up to them, and bore her away in its retiring surge. Her
struggles for assistance were in vain, and certain death appeared
before her. With equal heroism and judgment her companion, in
stead of rushing immediately to her aid, and involving the loss of
* Here also, in 1830, was wrecked a Dutch gaUiot, the Diana Frau; but the crew were
saved.

142 ENVIEONS OF BRIGHSTONE.
her own life, watched the opportunity of the return of a wave of less
force than the others, ran to her assistance, and by an almost super
human effort succeeded in rescuing her now almost lifeless friend,
and in placing her in safety on the cliff above."
In 1844, however, a youth of nineteen was less fortunate. With
some lads he was picking up oranges which had been washed on
shore from a wreck in the neighbourhood, when a wave caught hold
of him, dragged him from his companions, and in ten minutes flung
him back again at their feet, a lifeless corpse.
From the beach at Blackgang Chine the tourist ascends to the
upper cliff by a rough flight of steps, formed by small logs of wood
embedded in the earth at somewhat irregular distances. At the
summit is a large and well-stocked " bazaar," where the tourist is
expected to purchase, or contribute 6d. towards the cost of keeping
in order the paths, which, during the storms of winter, are often
destroyed or seriously injured. This arrangement applies to all per
sons passing either up or down the chine, which is private property.
In a large building adjoining the " bazaar," note the skeleton of an
immense whale, 82 feet long: it was stranded at Gurnard in 1842;
said to be the largest and most perfect specimen in existence. A
commodious hotel and some lodging-houses are seated in exceUent
positions upon the cliff; very pleasant in the genial months of sum
mer and autumn, but a little too exposed for winter residence.*
The tourist will next ascend St. Catherines Hill (775 feet), the
loftiest elevation in the island, which, with its two towers, offers for so
many miles around a conspicuous and splendid landmark. Here, at
least as early as the beginning of the fourteenth century, stood a
hermitage, in strange solitude, on the summit of this precipitous
height, wheTe even on the stillest day the winds roam and whistle
as they list ! One Walter de Godyton buUt here a chantry (in 1323),
dedicating it to St. Catherine, who, in the Eoman Hagiology, is
invariably the patroness of hills and mountains. In the registry of
the diocese of Winchester, however, occurs an entry referring to the
hermitage : — " Walter de LangstreU, admissus ad hermitorium supra
montem de Chale, in insula Vectis, idib. Octobris, a.d. 1312;" which
shows that it was erected prior to the foundation of the chantry,
Walter de Godyton also provided an endowment for a mass priest,
who should chant masses, and maintain a burning light at night for
the safety of mariners passing that dangerous coast. This duty was
' A Landslip took place in this vicinity a year ago, can-ying away some portion of
the carriage-road.

ENVIRONS OF BEIGHSTONE. 143
duly performed until the dissolution of the minor religious houses,
when the priest was swept away, though the chantry, built of stone
and massive masonry, remained, and may stUl be inspected by the
curious. Many years since it was strongly repaired, in consideration
of its value as a landmark, when " the foundation of the whole chapel
was also cleared and levelled; by which, not only its figure was
discovered, but also the floor and stone hearth of the priest's little
ceU at the south-west comer" {Worsley). Its height is 35^ feet; its
form octagonal. Almost adjoining it is the shell of a lighthouse,
erected in 1785 by the Trinity Board; but speedily discontinued,
the mists which so often crown the summit of the, hill rendering it
of little service. In its place a beacon was established, under the
charge of a lieutenant, a midshipman, and two seamen. St. Cath
erine's is " the western extremity of the southern range of chalk
downs, which is separated by a considerable district of green-sand
from the central chain of hills. This system of chalk downs varies
in breadth from half a mile to 3 miles, and extends 6 miles in a
direction E.N.E. and W.S.W., from St. Catherine's HiU to Dunnose,
its eastern termination, which is 771 feet high. The intermediate
parts of this range maintain an elevation of from 650 to 800 feet,
with the exception of a deep vaUey on the east of St. Catherine's,
through which the road to Niton passes, and another at Steep Hill,
caUed the Shute, or Shoot, above Ventnor, traversed by the road to
Appuldurcombe and Newport" {Mantell).
Enthusiastic traveUers have frequently expatiated upon the splen
did prospect to be enjoyed, on a clear sunny day, from the summit
of this lofty down. " The view is really of wondrous extent — reach
ing over by far the larger part of the island, and including the New
Forest and the hUls of Hampshire, and the south coast as far as
Beachy Head. In the opposite direction, the high lands about Cher
bourg are said -to have been occasionaUy seen, but it is a very rare
occurrence. On a calm, clear day, the better part of the island lies
spread like a map at your feet : its bare hills, and its long valleys
dusky -with the thick foliage that everywhere crowds them; the
-villages and the towns marked by the lighter or denser smoky vapour
that hangs above them; the winding streams, growing sometimes
into lakes ere they faU into the sea ; and the silver ocean that
encircles it, alive with mighty ships of war, and every kind of smaller
craft ; and, beyond that again, the far distant hiUs, losing themselves
in a soft purple haze'' {Thome). Miss SeweU, in her " Ursula,"
describing the scenery towards Freshwater, says : — " The coast forms

144 ENVIRONS OP BEIGHSTONE.
part of a great bay indented by smaUer ones. The shore is closed
iu with red sand cliffs, rather low, broken, and jagged ; but away to
the west the red sand changes into chalk, and the cliffs become very
steep, and rise to a great height ; standing out against the sky when
the sun shines on them, until they almost dazzle the eye ; and at
other times covering themselves, as it were, with a bluish veil of mist,
and looking out proudly from behind it. I always liked the white cliffs
very much, yet my eye never rested upon them long, but turned to
a distant stretch of gray land, looking like a cloud, which could be
seen just where the sea and sky met." Such a scene, in fact, as the
poet has touched with a glowing pencU in the foUowing lines : —
" A land of streams ! some, Uke a downward smoke,
Slow-dropping veils of thinnest lawn, do go ;
You see the gleaming river seaward flow
From the inner land ....
Through mountain clefts the dale
Is seen far inland, and the yeUow down
Bordered with trees, and many a winding vale
And meadow, set with slender gaUngale ;
A land where aU things always seem the same ! " — Tennyson.
The chief points in the panorama are : to the north, the long chalk
range of St. George's, Ashey, and Brading Downs, with Brading
Haven to the north-east. To the north-west are the towers of Osborne
and the roofs of Newport ; and beyond, that " streak of silver sea,"
the Solent. On a hill in the centre of the picture rises GodshiU
Church. To the west sweep the undulating Unes of ChUlerton,
Brighstone, Afton, and the High Downs, with, at their feet, the
shore-belt which lines a long reach of bays. Finally, to the south,
broad and beautiful, like a plain of molten glass, sleeps the English
Channel. SEATS OF THE GENTRY.
In that portion of the island which we have now surveyed, — a
triangle, as it were, the three points of which are indicated by
Rocken End, Freshwater Gate, and Gatcombe Down, — are some
ancient mansions which deserve more than passing notice.
Northcourt, the seat of Sir H. P. Gordon, Bart, lies on the right
of the road from Newport to Shorwell, about half a mile from the
latter village, in a position of singular beauty. The house was begun
in the reign of James I. by Sir John Leigh, and completed by his
son, Barnaby Leigh, from whose descendant the manor was pur
chased by E. Bull, Esq. His eldest daughter, to whom it was
bequeathed, devised it to her half-brother, E. H. C. Bennet, Esq., of

ENVIEONS OF BEIGHSTONE. 145
Beckenham, Kent, whose widow became the possessor on the death
of their eldest son. From the Bennets it passed by marriage into
the hands of General Sir James Willoughby Gordon, Bart., a distin
guished Peninsular soldier, who died in 1851 ; and it is now in the
possession of his son. Sir H. P. Gordon, Bart., one of the magistrates
for the county. " The front of the house is adorned with a hand
some central porch. On either hand is a large window, and beyond
them, semi-octagon bows, two stories high, terminated by a battle
ment and pinnacles. Beyond these, to the right, the front termi
nates with a projecting building, which is wanting to the left. AU
these parts severally finish in gables, ornamented with slender pin
nacles rising from projecting corbels" {Neale). The east front is the
only portion of the ancient mansion which remains in its orig-inal
purity, and with its square projecting windows, its casements pen
dent on their stone muUions, its seated porch, and gable-end roof,
has a very picturesque appearance. Over the porch is a scutcheon,
and the date 1615. The gardens are admirably laid out in terraces,
and from certain points command the finest conceivable views of the
EngMsh Channel. In a woody hollow, formerly a chalk pit, and
overhung by a large ash tree, is a low stone building like a Gothic
chapel, with a thatched roof and painted windows, containing a
stately sarcophagus of white marble, on the front of which are carved,
in bas-relief, a male and female figure hanging over an urn. This
was erected to the memory of Miss Catherine BuU by her sister.*
On a tablet, beneath the urn, are inscribed some mediocre lines by
her father, R. BuU, Esq. :—
" Oft, in this once beloved retreat,
A father and a sister meet ;
Here they reflect on blessings past,
On happiness too great to last:
Here, from their fond endearment torn,
A daughter, sister, friend they mourn ;
Soothing the mutual pangs they feel,
Adding to wounds they cannot heal.
Strangers to grief whUe she survived.
In her their every pleasure lived ;
She was their comfort, joy, and pride—
With her their every pleasure died !
Ah, shade revered ! look down and see
How all their thoughts ascend to thee !
In scenes where grief must ever pine.
Where every bursting sigh is thine.
Prostrate they bow to God's behest,
Convinced whatever is, is best ;
* On the neighbouring down is a smaU stone obeUsk, also dedicated to this lady's
memory, and very inappropriately caUed by the natives Bull's Folly.

146 ENVIEONS OP BEIGHSTONE,
In trembling hope they may be given
AVith thee, blest saint, to rest in heaven !
If, reader, thou canst shed a tear
At sorrow's asking, drop it here ! "
On another tablet, detached from the monument, is an inscription
to the genius loci : —
" Sweet Peace, that lov'st in placid scenes to dwell.
Extend thy blessings to this quiet dell ;
Bring Eesignation to the wounded breast.
And Contemplation, Reason's favourite guest ;
Restore that calm Eeligion only gives.
Correct those thoughts desponding Grief conceives :
So shaU these shades a brighter aspect wear,
Nor longer faU the soUtary tear ;
So shall Content from tranquil pleasures flow.
And Peace, sweet Peace, best happiness bestow ! "
In the grounds a small stream rises, which, running southward
through the village, has given to it the appellation of Shorwell. The
main road passes through this pleasant estate, and over it has been
thrown a picturesque rural bridge to connect the di-vided portions.
Westcourt, or South Shorwell, on the Brighstone road, is probably
of the same date as Northcourt, and, though of smaller size, was
evidently at one time the residence of a considerable family. This
ivy-shrouded house derives its name from its position with regard to —
Woolverton (Wulfere's to-wn), 1 mile south of Northcourt, a large
mansion of the date of James I., which contains some good carvings,
and is agreeably surrounded with luxuriant foliage. Near it may
be traced the site of a more ancient house. No buildings are -visible,
but "a broad and deep moat, enclosing a square area, is entire.
This was evidently the principal seat in the parish" {Englefield).
Waitscourt, a pleasantly-situated mansion, lies to the south of
Brighstone Church, on a road to the left of the Parsonage,
To Mottistone Farm, Pitt Place, and Brook House, we have already
alluded. PLACES TO BE VISITED BY THE PEDESTRIAN.
Chilton Green, 1 mile south of Brighstone ; Yafford, 1 mile south
west of Shorwell; Doion Court, and The Hermitage, "the Dene" of
Miss Sewell's "Ursula,'' situated at the foot of St. Catherine's Down;
the Alexandrian Pillar, on the north-west extremity of St. Cath
erine's Down, and best reached from the Hermitage (this pillar, 72
feet high, was erected by a Russian merchant, Michael Hoy, while
living at the Hermitage, to commemorate the visit to England, m
1814, of the Czar Alexander: a tablet to the memory of the heroes
who fell in the Crimean War was placed on the base of this hand-

ENVIEONS OF BRIGHSTONE. 147
some column, in 1857, by Lieut. Dawes); Stroud Green, 2 miles north
of Chale; Ivy House, a picturesque farm half a mile north-east of
Kingston; Rowborough and Gallibury, about 3 miles from Brigh
stone, by a breezy route across the downs, or by the road to New
port, striking off to the left at Rowborough Farm. " This collection
of ancient British pits may be regarded as constituting two villages,
divided by natural boundaries, though connected by the intermediate
pits and defences on the downs" {Rev. E. Kell). Gallibury means,
we are told, the burgh or fastness of the Gaels (Kelts) ; Rowborough,
the village in a row or line. The Rev. E. Kell, F.S.A., who carefuUy
examined these ancient British habitations in 1854-5, measured
sixty-two of the pits, or hollows, " some round, the majority oval,
and a few double pits." He also observed noteworthy traces of the
Celtic fortifications, — in particular, an embankment at the head of
the valley on the side of Brighstone Down, 175 feet in length, 40 in
breadth, and 8 in depth  There is another and larger British
settlement, about a mile distant, at the foot of Newbarns Down,
which the tourist should examine. " This ancient viUage is located
in three small vaUeys running from Newbarns Down into a larger
vaUey, encircled by high hills. Through the centre of each of these
valleys are pits, in number thirty-four; and nearly at the base,
where the three vaUeys unite, is a pond of very considerable dimen
sions, which received its supplies from the neighbouring hUls. Be
sides these thirty-four larger pits, there are in the basin of the
vaUey sixty or seventy generally of a smaller size" {Rev. E. Kell).
On the neighbouring downs are many other pits, barrows, embank
ments, and ditches, memorials of the earlier inhabitants of this beau
tiful isle.

DISTRICT IV.— NORTH-EAST.
RYDE AND ITS ENVIRONS.
US' The district, of which we intend to regard the populous and
prosperous town of Ryde as the centre, must be understood to com
prise a portion of the parishes of Newchurch, Brading, Wootton, and
St. Helen's ; that is, the north-eastern angle of the Isle of Wight,
bounded by a line drawn from Wootton Bridge on the Fishhouse or
Fishbourne Creek to Newchurch, a base line from Newchurch to
the Culver Cliffs, and the coast line, marked by Wootton Creek,
Ryde, Bembridge Foreland, and White Cliff Bay. All the routes
indicated within these boundaries are available for pedestrians.

148 RYDE.

RYDE.
Hotels— The Pier; Yelf's, Union Street; Kent, Union Street; York, George Street;
Sivier's, Pier Street; Eagle, Pier Street; Esplanade; Crown, St. Thomas's Square;
Belgrave, Nelson Street; Castle, High Street; Strand; Star, High Street.
2Ja«fcs— National Provincial Bank, Union Street; Hampshire Banking Company,
Union Street; Capital and Counties Bank, Union Street.
Post-OjSice (three deliveries a day). Union Street. Pillar .Boxes— High Street, Dover
Street, Spencer Road, Queen's Road, Esplanade, Monkton Street, near St. John's toll'
gate ; and at Binstead, Haylands, and Swanmore.
Libraries — Mills' Royal Marine, Union Street; Mason's, and Watts', Cross Street;
Pittman's, and Wagner's, Union Street; Ticehurst's, Monkton Street. Also, in con»
nection with the Philosophical Society, Melville Street; and Young Men's Christian
Association, Lind Street.
School of Art and Museum, in George Street. The foundation stone was laid by
the Crown Princess of Germany (Princess Victoria), August 17, 1874.
Eailway Terminus — in connection with Ryde Pier Tramway — at corner of Monkton
Street and St. John's Road. Trains to Brading, Sandown, Shanklin, Wroxall, and
Ventnor ; and, vid Sandown, to Newport.
Newspapers — Isle of Wight Times, lid., Wednesday evening; Eyde News, Id.,
Friday evening ; Isle of Wight Observer, l^d., Friday evening; and Ryde Ventilator,
Id., Saturday morning.
Baths — Kemp's, on Esplanade ; and Victoria Pier.
CoacheSj from the Esplanade and the Castle Inn, several times a day, for Wootton
Bridge, Newport, and Carisbrooke; also for Brading, Sandown, and Shanklin.
Boats — Usual charge for rowing-boats. Is. 6d., and for sailing-boats, 2s. 6d. an hour.
Carriages — Per mile. Is. 6d., and over three miles, Is. 2d. per mUe; or 2s. 6d. per
hour, and 20s. per day, for one-horse carriage, and 2s. 6d. per hour, or 27s. per day, for
two-horse carriage.
Ryde is the prmcipal " watering-place" of the island, and the chief
resort of summer visitors, for whom it is equally eligible as a place
of residence and as a starting-point fi^om which all the beauties
of the Undercliff and the picturesque scenery of the East Medine
may conveniently be reached. A bright and lively town, entirely
free from the din and vulgarity of Margate or Ramsgate, command
ing very delightful prospects of sea and land, and abundantly pro
vided with those " amenities'* which visitors so keenly appreciate, its
popularity has been a thing of constant increase. Few towns, in
deed, have made a more rapid progress, except in the case of certain
manufacturing and commercial centres. In 1801 its population did
not exceed 900 or 1000; in 1811, it had risen to 1601 ; in 1821, to
2876; in 1831, to 3676; in 1841, to 5840; in 1851, it numbered
7149; ten years later, the total sprang to 9629; in 1871 it had
reached 11,260; and in 1881, 12,670. Against 1000 inhabited houses
in 1841, and 1734 in 1861, it counted 2136 in 1871, and about 2450
in 1881.
The administration of the town was formerly in the hands of a
Board of Commissioners : but, by an Act of Parliament obtained in
1867, the town was converted into a municipality, and it is now
(712)

IVes I jS anrLs

EcLst S aihds

PLAN OF RYDE.

EYDE. 149
governed by a corporation, consisting of six aldermen, three of whom
retire every third year ; and eighteen councillors, six of whom retire
annually. The mayor is chosen from the aldermen. This corpora
tion has at its disposal a considerable revenue, exceeding ,£19,000.
[We group together a few memoranda which may be of interest or
service to resident or tourist. Ryde is absolutely without manufac
tures ; it is a pleasure town, pur et simple, and it offers the attractions
of good society and a healthy climate. In the season, which is a
tolerably long one, its aspect is exceedingly lively ; and a promenade
on Ryde Pier introduces you to the " cream of fashion," to the fairest
examples of English beauty, to the leading members of the English
aristocracy, and to toilets and costumes bewilderingly graceful and
astonishingly brilliant. It is worth notice, in connection with a re
markable episode of the history of the nineteenth century, that it
was at Ryde the Empress Eugenie landed (1870), on her flight from
Paris, after that disastrous battle of Sedan which shattered the
second French empire. She disembarked from Sir John Burgoyne's
yacht the Gazelle, and took up her residence at the York Hotel.
The regatta week (in August) may be regarded as the culmination
of the season ; but concerts and balls are of frequent occurrence
from June to October ; and the Solent is always " speckled " with
white- winged yachts of various rigs and sizes. Communication with
Portsmouth and Southampton is regularly maintained by a hand
some and commodious steam-boat service. To most parts of the
island easy access can now be had by rail. The hotel accommodation
of Ryde is excellent ; lodgings are numerous, comfortable, and, as
a rule, very moderate in their tariff. Good bathing may be en
joyed from the Victoria Pier. The theatre is neat and convenient ;
good concerts are frequent in the season.]
PUBLIC BUILDINGS.
1. The Pier (admission, 2d. ; annual ticket, 10s.) is, of course, the
great "lion" and main attraction of the place. Previous to its
erection only a small and dUapidated jetty existed ; so that at low
water visitors were conveyed from their boats by a horse and cart,
or in sedans supported by a couple of sailors, — a dAsagrimeni of which
both Fielding and Marryat have complained. In 1813 a local Act
was procured, and the construction of a pier undertaken, by a com
pany whose funds were supplied by 2400 shares of £50 each. At
first 1740 feet in length, it grew in 1824 by 300 feet, and in 1860 and
1863 by other extensions ; so that it is now about 2305 feet in length,

150 EYDE.
affording a delightful promenade, from which may be obtained a sea
view of no ordinary beauty, including, as it does, the whole sweep of
the Solent, from Osborne on the west to the Nab light- vessel on the
east ; Spithead, with its men-of-war ; the Motherbank, with its
merchant sail ; Portsmouth Harbour, mast-thronged, and backed, as
it were, by the blue Hampshire hills ; the sunny Hampshire coast ;
and the well-wooded shores of the island stretching away, with many
a gentle curve, on either hand. From the pier-head, looking back
u]3on the to-wn, the spectator may enjoy another attractive pictm-e :
the villas of Ryde rise one above another like an amphitheatre,
diversified by clusters of foliage, by two or three tall church spires,
and long lines of streets -ndnding up the steep hill on which the town
is built. The shores of the island assume the shape of a crescent,
the eastward point of w-liich is the wooded headland of Sea View,
and the western, the sloping ridge crowned by the stately towers of
Osborne. It is difBcult to match anywhere, even in Brighton or Scarborough,
the animated and picturesque spectacle presented by Ryde Pier on a
bright summer day. It is charming- in itself, and charming in its
accessories. Mr. Frith should sketch it as at once a companion and
a contrast to his " Ramsgate Sands." Enlivening as is the scene, it
is rendered doubly exhilarating by the purity and elasticity of the
atmosphere. Moreover, it has all the advantages of variety, for it
changes in character at different hours of the day. In the morning
people resort to it for health ; in the afternoon, for fashion ; in the
evening, for sentiment. Its afternoon aspect has been pleasantly
described by a London journalist; — "ToUets," he says, "of an
excruciatingly elaborate kind, costumes of the very latest description,
fashion, beauty, demoiselles and dames, blondes and brunettes, heroes
and heroines of a hundred drawing-room tales, faces that are as
familiar to you, whether seen in the Park, the salons of Mayfair and
Belgravia, watering-places English and Continental, as is your own
front door ; others again that inspire you with a certain sense of
novelty and innocence; gossip, scandal, chit-chat, criticism — que
voulez-vous? — you have them all galore on Ryde Pier. The hour
four, and the band — no matter to which of the three regiments
quartered within avaUable distance of this place it belongs — playing
at the termination of some race, momentarily expected, and you have
Ryde Pier under one of its most f.avourable aspects, if not the most.
For all practical purposes the Pier at such a period simply means the
pier-head, and the pier-head is a promenade some two hundred feet

EYDE. 151
m extent. Into this space is compressed everybody in Ryde who is
anybody, — and the anybodies number not less than half a thousand.
Imagine a selection from the Row during the season — or, better stUl,
the occupants of one or two dra-wing-rooms, at that hour of the day
at which the modern Kettledrum is generally celebrated — placed on
the wooden platform ' far above the melancholy main,' and you have
a fair idea of the scene. To move at all is not an easy matter ; to
move s-wdftly is an impossibility. Skirts of every texture and every
hue sweep the ground, and the sea-breeze as it comes in makes music
with the silken and muslin folds, and infuses into the odours of Piesse
and Lubin an aromatic element of saline."
In the evening the Pier becomes the favourite resort of happy
young couples to whom sentimental nothings are stUl more precious
than the words of the wise, and who appear to derive a singular
enjoyment from a steadfast contemplation of the rippling sea, — a
contemplation so profound as to render them heedless of aU that
passes around them.-* In the morning, old gentlemen may be seen
pacing up and down the half-mile of timber, in search, we suppose,
of an appetite ; and brisk young ladies scud merrily along, talking
and laughing, as they perform their reg-ular " constitutionaL" Where
there are young ladies there wiU also be young men ; and these make
their appearance in every variety of attire, the predominant being
that which is conventionally supposed to indicate the bold yachtsman
or amateur sea-rover. Altogether, the visitor to Ryde will find some
thing to amuse him on its Pier at all times of the day ; and if he be
poetically inclined, a promenade by moonlight, when the sea ripples
in silver, and a calm radiance falls on the island-hills, may suggest to
him an " inspiration."
A tramway runs the whole length of the Pier, conveying passengers
and luggage direct from the steam-boat to the raUway station. Fares
(to end of Pier), 6d. first class, and 5d. second class.
2. The New Railway Pier, a massive structure on iron columns,
runs parallel with, and almost touches, the Promenade Pier, having
a noble landing-stage at the head, where passengers, under cover and
* " It was on Eyde Pier, and in the evening, what time the summer waters of the
fair Solent stretched broad and smooth on either hand, and the lights of the ships at
Spithead, the yachts in the roadstead, and of Southsea, five miles away, made long
lines across this ocean lake ; while the summer air was soft and warm ; while the lazy
water of the flowing tide lapped at the supports of the pier and gurgled among the
planks below ; while, as they two turned side by side, looking out beyond the pier, and
picturing endless happiness, the steps of those who came and went upon the pier
dropped unheeded on their ears, and the music of the band was only the setting of the
love-song in their hearts." — Ersanx and Eice, Monks ofThrlema,

152 RYDE.
in comfort, may pass from the boat to the rail, and without further
change be deposited at Ventnor or any of the intermediate stations.
This improvement has been carried out by the South Coast and
South- Western Companies jointly. A new and powerful fleet of
steam-boats are also being provided for the passage.
3. The Esplanade is another promenade, and not an unworthy
rival of the Pier. It is of comparatively recent construction
(1855-56), aud provides a broad, straight, and open parade, de
fended from the sea by a wall of exceUent masonry — length 120O
feet, and breadth, at the widest, 150. The sea wall is 19^ feet in
depth, and coped with Swanage stone. The railway runs under the
Esplanade in a tunnel. The foreshore in front is undergoing great
improvemints, and a boating lake is being constructed.
4. Almost parallel with the Pier, and opening upon the Esplanade
nearly opposite George Street, is the Victoria Pier, buUt by an
extinct "Isle of Wight Steam Ferry Company,'' whose managers
proposed to furnish an easier communication with the mainland, in
connection with the Stokes Bay Railway, — a feeder of the London
and South- Western, which avoids the town of Portsmouth. The
Pier, about 700 feet long, now belongs to the Old Pier Company,
and has been provided with stages for the purpose of bathing.
Tickets to the baths, 6d. each.
5. The Town Hall, in Lind Street, erected in 1829-31, at a cost of
.£5000. The frontage, including the wings, measures 198 feet. The
centre has a slight projection, and forms a vestibule with a columned
pediment, of elegant design. A handsome clock tower was erected
by the late Miss Player : the clock, a gift to the town, cost .£400.
A portion of the right wing is occupied by the Literary Institute ;
the left wing forms a market. The Town Hall, properly so called,
forms the centre of the building ; and over the market is an Assembly
Room, capable of seating 750 persons.
6. The Yacht Club House is an ornamental building west of the
Pier, with a smaU battery seaward, and interior appurtenances of con
siderable elegance. The foundation-stone was laid by the late Prince
Consort, March 1846, and the Club House opened in the foUowing
year. It -was enlarged, and a new Italian fagade erected, in 1864.
The Royal Victoria Club was estabUshed May 24, 1845, and, by
Admiralty warrant of July 29, in the same year, was entitled to
bear the St. George's ensign. The Club now enroUs 190 yachts, with
an aggregate of about 121,000 tons. The entrance fee is £b, 5s., and
the annual subscription, £5, 5s. The annual regatta is held about

EYDE. 153
the second week in August, and is followed, after a short interval,
by a town regatta for the encouragement of the Ryde boatmen.
7. The Royal Victoria Arcade, in Union Street, is a covered prome
nade, with handsome shops on each side, and a sort of circular recess
or show-room at the end of it. The design was furnished by West-
macott, and carried out at a cost of £10,000.
8. The School of Art and Museum is situated in George Street.
The foundation-stone was laid by her Imperial and Royal Highness
the Crown Princess of Prnssia in August 1874, and the building was
opened in December 1875. Within it is accommodation for the
elementary classes, and rooms for study and drawing from the
antique, etc. It is in connection with the South Kensington Science
and Art Department. The Museum, originally established in 1857,
contains a large and valuable collection of antiquities and specimens
of the zoology and natural history of the island, with natural and
scientific curiosities brought from all parts of the world. Open to
the pubUc usually from 10 to 4 o'clock.
The Young Men's Christian Association, a handsome building,
situated in Lind Street, cost upwards of £2000. The library con
tains 7000 volumes, and the reading-room is supplied with the serial
publications of the day.
\_Hazelwood, in a measure connected with the above, is situated at
Swanmore, about a mile from the sea. It is a large and handsome
house, pleasantly placed on high ground, commanding good sea and
land views. The object of the establishment is to provide a home
for young men engaged in business in London, during their holidays
or when needing change of air. A small weekly sum secures admis
sion on certain conditions. The home contains a large dining-room,
dra-wing-room, Ubrary, and reading-room, and ample sleeping accom
modation for forty inmates. It is managed by a local committee.
Samuel Morley, Esq., M.P., is president.]
9. The Royal Isle of Wight Infirmary is situated in the Swanmore
Road, on ground presented by the lord and lady of the manor. It
owes its prosperity to the exertions of the late Dr. Dodd, and has
undoubtedly been of great advantage to the island poor. Its income
averages about £1600. A fever ward was erected in connection -with
this institution in 1871.
10. The Water-works which supply the town are placed at the
foot of Ashey Do-wn, nearly 4 miles from Ryde, and cost the large
sum of £22,500. They were constructed under the superintendence
of Messrs. Easton and Amos, a well-known hydraulic engineering

154 EYDE.
firm. The reservoir will hold 504,000 gallons, and is about 250 feet
above low-water mark. A considerable extension of the works is
projected. 11. The Ryde Theatre, in St. Tliomas's Square, was rebuilt in 1872,
and is a neat and even elegant edifice. Its single interesting associa
tion is with the well-remembered actress Mrs. Jordan, who, on her
way to France in 1816, made her last public appearance upon its
miniature stage.
12. Eyde is well supplied with Places of Worship ; both Cliurch-
man and Nonconformist will find ample accommodation. Belonging
to the Church of England ai-e —
All Saints', Queen Road, a handsome structure, designed by Sir
G. G. Scott, and erected in 1869-72. Its altar, reredos, and pulpit
are of excellent workmanship. Its organ is one of the finest in
Southern England, and cost £1650. A spire, with a peal of bells,
and other additions, is in course of erection at an estimated outlay of
£6500. Holy Trinity, Dover Street, occupies a good position, and is not
without architectural merit.
St. James's, Lind Street, is a plain building, with a spacious and
convenient interior.
St. Thomas's, St. Thomas Street, is a proprietary church. Early
English in character, built of stone, in 1827.
St. John's, Oakfield, is a disti-ict church in the parish of St. Helen's,
situated at the top of St. John's Hill.
St. Michael and all Angels, Swanmore, is a cruciform building in
thirteenth-century style, with a lofty central tower. The services
here are " Ritualistic."
The Denominational Places of Worship include — Indepetident
Chapd, George Street, a building of some pretensions ; Baptist,
George Street, built from Mr. F. Ne-wman's designs, by Sir Morton
Peto ; Baptist, Park Road ; Wesleyan, Nelson Street ; Primitive
Methodist and Bible Christian, Ne-wport Street ; and Plymowth
Brethren, Albert Street. The Roman Catholic Chapel, in High Street,
is richly decorated.
The Cemetery, with a chapel dedicated to St. Paul, lies north of the
town ; consecrated in 1842 ; enlarged in 1862. Some of the monu
ments are exceptionally good : as, for instance, those to General Sir
J. CaldweU, Captain Wyatt, the Rev. J. Telford, and Miss Bellina
Lees. 13. Some Almshouses of picturesque design, in the Newport

EYDE. 155
Road, were erected by the late Mrs. Wilder as a memorial to her
husband. The town of Ryde can scarcely be said to have a history, its growth
is of such recent date. The old town. La Rye, or La Riche, was a
cluster of cottages upon the summit of the hill, with perhaps a few
fishermen's huts straggling along the shore. It was burned by the
Fi-ench in the reign of Edward II. ; was one of the places where a
watch and ward were maintained for the safety of the island ; and
one of the three ports to which all communication with the mainland
was restricted. About the close of the eighteenth century it began
to struggle out of its insignificance, and many pleasant seats were
erected in its neighbourhood. Its increase was such as speedily to
necessitate the accommodation of a church, and the lord of the
manor, in 1719, founded the chapel of St. Thomas.
Fielding, the inimitable creator of "Parson Adams" and "Joseph
Andrews," on his voyage to Lisbon in 1753, was detained here for
several days, and to his lively pen we are indebted for a picture of
singular force and humour. He was then a dying man, and in a con
dition of deplorable weakness ; but it was considered desirable that
he should leave the wind-bound vessel, and enjoy, while he could,
the repose and refreshment of a residence on shore. To leave the
ship and get on board a hoy was possible, but from the hoy to reach
the land was a task of surprising difficulty. For " between the sea
and the shore," he says, "there was at low water an impassable gulf,
if I may so call it, of deep mud, which could neither be traversed by
walking nor swimming ; so that, for one-half of the twenty-four
hours, Ryde was inaccessible by friend or foe." He was therefore
rowed in a small boat as near the shore as possible, and then " taken
up by two sailors, who waded with him through the mud, and placed
him in a chair on the land." At a later period, for this human
vehicle was substituted a more suitable conveyance ; " the wheri'ies
came in as far as they could, and were met by a horse and cart, which
took out the passengers, and carried them through the mud and
water to the hard ground" {Marryat, "Poor Jack").
In Fielding's time the to-wn could boast of only one butcher, but,
according to Fielding's landlady, " he was a very good one, and one
that killed all sorts of meat in season — beef two or three times a year,
and mutton the whole year round." When the great satirist wanted
a cup of tea, he discovered that " the whole town of Ryde could not
supply a single leaf ; for as to what Mrs. Humjjhreys [his landlady]

156

EYDE.

and the shopman called by that name, it was not of Chinese gi'owth,"
but " a tobacco of the mundungus species."
Notwithstanding these desagriments, the beauty of the place made
a great impression upon Fielding's fancy. " Its situation," he ex
claims, " is most delightful, and iu the most pleasant spot in the
whole island. It is true it wants the advantage of that beautiful
river which leads from Newport to Cowes ; but the prospect here
extending to the sea, and taking in Portsmouth, Spithead, and St.
Helen's, would be more than a recompense for the loss of the Thames
itself, even in the most deUghtful parts of Berkshire and Buckingham
shire, though another Denham and another Pope should unite in cele
brating it." Again: "This pleasant village is situated on a gentle
ascent from the water, whence it affords that charming prospect I
have above described. Its soil is a gravel, which, associated with its
declivity, preserves it always so dry that immediately after the most
violent rain a fine lady may walk without wetting her silken shoes.
The fertility of the place is apparent from its extraordinary verdure ;
and it is so shaded with large and fiourishing elms that its narrow
lanes are a natural grove or walk, which in the regularity of its
plantation -vies with the power of art, and in its wanton exuberancy
greatly exceeds it."
The later progress of the town may best be understood from a
brief chronological summary : —
1. The Pier built  1811
2. Steam Packets established  lS-25
3. St. Thomas's Church rebuilt  1827
4. St. James's Church built  1829
6. Town Hall and Market  1831
6. Gas introduced  1838
7. Holy Trinity Church, and the \ -^g^^
S. Eoman Catholic Church, J
9. Yacht Club established  IS46
10. Isle of -Wight Infirmary built  1847
11. New Local Act passed  1864
12. The Esplanade built  1866-6
13. The -Waterworks built  1855-6
14. Eailway to Ventnor opened  1866
15. All Saints' Church erected  1869-T2
10. New Eailway Pier  1880
[The manor of Eyde and Ashey belonged to the Abbey of Wherwell ; at the dissolu
tion of religious houses was sold to the -Worsley family ; next became the property of
the Dilllngtons ; and by Sir John DiUington was sold to Henry Player, Esq., whose
descendants still possess it.] DAY-JOURXEYS.
The neighbourhood of Ryde is peculiarly attractive to those who
love a calm and gentle beauty — the loveliness of broad meadows and

EYDE. 157
plashing runlets, of leafy copses and balmy lanes, of wooded slopes
washed by a sunny sea. There is nothing of loftiness, nothing of
gi-andeur, but all is picturesque and blooming, like the "garden
bowers " of Armida. The hedge-rows are prodigal of fragrance ; the
banks are loaded with primroses and cowslips, so as to justify the
exclamation of the poet Keats, " This island ought to be called Prim
rose Island — that is, if the nation of cowslips agree thereto." At one
time the traveUer finds himself in a pleasant reach of woodland
musical with the song of birds ; at another, —
" In a deU, 'mid lawny hills.
Which the -wild sea-murmur fills.
And the light and smell divine
Of all flowers that breathe and shine." Shelley.
In a word, the scenery in this " angle of the isle " has been faithfully
reflected in the language of a graphic writer : " It possesses much of
that kind of beauty which seldom sinks into tameness on the one
hand, or rises into sublimity on the other. It is almost always such
as to produce only placid and gentle emotions. Its charms arise from
the sight of verdure and fertility spread over an undulating and often
weU-wooded surface, many points commanding fine views of the sea,
and particularly of the strait which separates the island from the
coast of England " {Edinburgh Review).
In every direction the tourist may open up a score of pleasant
rambles ; but the short tours we are about to indicate will embrace
nearly everything which is worth seeing. Many of these may, of
course, be shortened by a judicious use of the railway facilities now
afforded to the public.
a. Leaving Ryde by the Spencer Road (notice Sir WiUiam Clif-
fOTds_gl£gan±_aeat_cif_TFes{^e?c?, and Ryde House, Mrs. Daly), by a
pretty lane to Binstead (1 mile), and its picturesque little church
(notice Binstead House, and the quaint old Parsonage, Rev. P.
Hewitt) ; then through Quarr Wood to the ruins of Quarr Abbey,
(2 mUes), and by a pathway through a small coppice to Wootton
Bridge (notice Kite HUl, D. HoUingsworth, Esq.). Return by the
turnpike road to Binstead (2 miles — notice Stone Pitts, n remarkably
pretty villa, lying in a hollow, left of the road, and Corstorphine Hill,
 ) and into Ryde; or, turning to the right at Kite Hill, go
through Firestone Coppice, across the meadows to Haven Street,
{\\ mile), and back to Ryde, via Pound Farm. h. From Ryde to
Wootton (4 mUes) ; and turning to the left, take the road to Arreton,
(3 mUes) ; and crossing the slopes of Arreton Do-wn, reach Newchurch,

158 EYDE.
(about 2^ miles). Then return vid Knighton (notice ruins of an
ancient manorial mansion), across Ashey Down (2 miles — notice the
Ryde Waterworks on the right) ; and over Ashey Common, into
Ryde (2 miles), c. From Ryde to Appley (notice Sturhridge House;
and Appley Tower, Sir W. Hutt), and keeping the sea-waU, to Spring-
vale. Pass the ancient salterns to Sea- View (3 miles) ; and by the
sands, which here are very fine, to Priory Bay, St. Helen's Bay
(notice portion of old St. Helen's Church, now used as a sea-mark),
and Brading Haven. Cross by ferry to Bembridge (2 miles), and
thence to White Cliff Bay and Culver CUff {%\ mUes). Climb Bem
bridge Do-wn (now surrounded -with mUitary works : Bembridge
Fort, on the summit ; Red Cliff Fort, near the cliff edge ; Yaverland
Fort, just below ; and Sando-svn Fort, on the beach), descend into
Yaverland (notice manor house and church), and by a "leafy lane''
to Yar Bridge (2 miles). Then by road to the right into Brading
(notice church, and, at a short distance north-west, Nunwell, the seat
of the Oglanders), and return by the main road to St. John's. Enter
Ryde by the Duver. [Duver, or Duyver, land once overflowed by the
sea. Here were buried the bodies of the ill-fated mariners of the
Royal George, which foundered off Spithead, August 29, 1782. A
line of handsome houses {the Strand) is now buUt upon this charnel-
ground.] d. From Ryde, via St. John's HUl, to Appley Tower ; then
by a picturesque road, with fine views of the Hampshire coast,
leaving St. Clare (1^ mile — formerly the residence of the late Colonel
F. Vernon Harcourt), and Puckpool (from Puck the fairy), with its
new fort (see post) ; on the left, to Westbrook (1 mUe — notice West-
ridge, a white, spacious-looking house embowered amidst magnificent
trees), and through Nettlestone, (1 mile^notice, to the left, on the
road to Sea-View, the beautiful seat of Fairy Hill, W. A. Glynn,
Esq.), passing St. Helen's Church (half a mile — notice the fine pros
pect on every side), and the Priory (Marquis of Cholmondeley), to
St. Helen's -village (half a mile). Return by the sea-shore to Ryde.
e. From Ryde by the usual coach-road to Sandown (6 miles— notice
new Sando-svn Fort), and vid Lake (1 mile), through Cheverton to
Apse (1 mile — notice here an ancient farm-house). From Apse, vid
Whiteley Bank, to Appuldurcombe (2i miles). From Appuldurcombe
and its Park, passing Park Farm, to Godshill (2 mUes), and return vid
Bottlebridge, and Stickworth (R. Bell, Esq.), through Horringford,
into Newchurch, or (leaving Newchurch to the south-east) to Hasely;
and by Knighton (6 miles), and Ashey (1 mile), to Ryde (4 miles).
/. As above, vid. Sandown (6 miles), to Shanklin (2i miles — notice

ElfVIEONS OP EYDE. 159
Shanklin Chine) ; and back by a delightful route to a sequestered
nook caUed America. Thence to Apse Farm, and crossing Apse
Heath, to Queen Bower (so called, it is said, because one of our
queens from this pleasant ascent was wont to view the chase — a
traditional allusion to Isabella de Fortibus, Lady of the Island), and
homeward, vid Newchurch, Knighton, and Ashey. g. As above, to
ShankUn, and crossing Shanklin Down to WroxaU Down ; thence,
by Span Farm to Stenbury (notice ancient house and moat), south
ward, to Whitwell (notice ruins of old church), and into the main
road at St. Lawrence village (notice small church. Well, St. Lawrence
Cottage, Mrs. Dudley Pelham ; and Marine Villa, Countess of Yar-
borough). By Steephill (S. A. Hambrough), to Ventnor (14 miles),
and by coach to Ryde ; or, if not fatigued, vid Bonchurch, keeping
the cliff-road, to Luccombe Chine, and through Shanklin and San
down into Ryde (12 miles), h. The usual and prescribed carriage-
routes to Ventnor and Bonchurch {vid Shanklin) ; to Blackgang and
Niton {vid God.shUl) ; to Newport and Carisbrooke {vid Arreton) ; to
East Cowes {vid Wootton) ; or to Brighstone {via Newport and Shor
weU), do not require particular indication, i. An excursion may be
made to the Roman viUa at Moreton, near Brading (see post). And
the routes we have already marked out may be diversified at the
pleasure of the tourist. For instance, there is a pleasant walk to be
found in this direction : Ryde to Springvale ; by road to the right,
passing Pondwell, to Barnsley ; crossing the Brading road, thro^igh
Whitefield Wood, to Ashey. Or, Ryde to Springvale ; by road to
the right, passing Barnsley to Westridge ; crossing the Brading road,
near St. John's ; then take the footpath over the fields to the suburb
of Ryde kno-wn as Canada, and enter Ryde by way of Monk's Meads
(so called, it is said, because an abbot of Quarr bestowed on the o-wner
or holder of the farm at Ninham, where he had been a constant
and welcome visitor, the right of taking the first crop of hay, in alter
nate years, from these very meadows, so long as a certain stone
image was there preserved. The tenure is still maintained).
ENVIRONS OF RYDE.
Binstead {Inn: The Fleming Arms) is a parish (and village), one
mile from Ryde, and separated from the parish of Ryde by a small
stream running into the Solent, at the base of the hill cro-wned by
Binstead Church. It contains 1475 acres. Population in 1881, 813.
The ground here is broken into deep hollows and grassy rifts, mark
ing the position of the once-famous Binstead quarries, which sup-

IGO ENVIRONS OF EYDE.
plied much of the stone — " composed of comminuted shells, held
together by a sparry calcareous cement" {Mantell) — employed by
WiUiam of Wykeham in building Winchester Cathedral. The
scenery is very pleasant, with water and woodland delightfully inter
mingled. In the neighbourhood of Denmark House, and on the New
port Road, some good viUas have recently been built.
The most noticeable thing in this pretty parish, and the chief
ecclesiastical antiquity of the island, is, —
Quarr Abbey. The scanty ruins of this once wealthy and splendid
abbey — the favoured of knights, and princes, and devout " ladies of
high degree " — lie in a sequestered valley, which, watered by a pleas
ant rivulet, and sheltered by leafy groves, opens out upon the Solent.
The monks of the olden time had a keen eye for the beautiful, and
generally cast their lot in pleasant places. And when the woods
spread, as once they did, for miles around, and the rivulet was full
of light and sparkle, and a stately abbey, rich in slender columns
and elaborate arches, towered among the luxuriant leafiness, a fairer
spot than this " deep-bowered " valley it would have been difiicult to
discover. Much is it to be regretted that the stately elms which
formerly added so greatly to its beauty have recently been swept
away. The Abbey of Quarr, or Quarrera, was founded in 1132-34, by
Baldwin de Redvers, Earl of Devon and Lord of the Isle of Wight,
who peopled it with some Benedictine monks from Savigni,-* in Nor
mandy, — whence it was sometimes caUed " The Daughter of Savigni,"
— and endowed it with the manor of Arreton. From the quarries in
its neighbourhood, which supplied the materials of his new buUding,
it derived its name — De Quarrera, or De Quarrariis. It was dedi
cated to St. Mary the Virgin by the earl, who upon his decease was
buried in its chapel ; and by his side were successively laid his wife
Adeliza, and Henry, his youngest son.
Other lords of the island, and many of its knights and gentlemen,
at different times bestowed upon it rich endowments, until a con
siderable portion of the fairest lands of the Wight belonged to the
wealthy abbey. Thus it held manors and lands at Luccombe, Shal
fleet, Compton, Shorwell, and Chale ; at Haseley, Combley, and
Niton ; at Whitfield, Wellow, and Binstead. Its abbots were often
joined in commission with the captains or wardens of the island to
A few years later (1148), Savigni was united to the Cistercian order, and conse
quently Quarr became a Cistercian house, the second established in England, the first
being that of Waverley in Surrey.
(712)

^y d. C' Jl o a <Z s.

On a Scale of One Inch to a Sfatiite Mile,

District IV.

Thi Figitres iftdicaie Height in Feet above Sea-lci'cl.

ENVIRONS OP EYDE. IGl
regulate its mUitary defences, and furnished four meu-at-arnis
towards its mUitia. In 1340 the abbey was strongly fortified, and
its demesne, covering- an area of forty acres, enclosed by strong walls,
with suitable loopholes, and portcullises at its gates.
WiUiam de Vernon was buried here, and a splendid monument —
for which he bequeathed £300, nearly £4500 at the present value of
money — was erected to his memory. In August 1507 Lady Cicely,
•one of the daughters of Edward IV., was interred within its pre
cincts. In the time of Cardinal Beaufort (a.d. 1404) a taxation was made
of the abbey lands, and a result obtained of £96, 13s. 4d., or, in the
money of to-day, about £1500. Its yearly income had augmented,
when Henry VIII. confiscated the jiroud abbeys and rich priories of
England, according to Speed, to £184, Is. lOd. ; according to Dug
dale, to £134, 3s. lid. — that is to say, upwards of £2000 per annum.
The monks of Quarr did not bear, we fancy, a high repute for
sanctity. Isabella de Fortibus, and afterwards Edward III., came
into collision with them ; and Lambard, in the early part of the six
teenth century, spoke of them somewhat sarcastically. " Although,"
he says, " Paulus Jovius wrote that the inhabitants of this island be
wont to boast merrily that they neyther had amongst them monks,
la-wyers, wolves, nor foxes, yet I find them all, save one (the la-wyers),
in one monastery, called Quarr, valued at 134 pounds of yearly
revenue, and founded in the year 1132, after the order of Sa-vigniac
in France." The manorial records of Ashey show that they were
persevering poachers, who were frequently fined for depredations
among the pheasants.
The abbots of Quarr are stated to have foUowed each other in the
foUo-wing order: Gervase; William; Peter de York, 1205; Henry,
1218 ; PhUip, elected 1234 ; Augustine ; Andrew, 1256 ; Adam de
-Arundel, 1279-1301 ; Walter, 1323; John Winchester, elected 1378;
Thomas Snell, elected 1396; Richard Bartholomew, elected 1399;
John Morton, elected 1466 ; Thomas of London ; Richard Tottenham,
1508; William Ripen, 1521.
A curious description of the abbey at the time of its dissolution is
.given in a Paper Survey, preserved in the "Augmentation Office."
It states the yearly revenue from all sources at £181, 15s. 2d., and
the expenditure in fees and certain annual payments at £54, 3s. lid.,
leaving a balance of £133, 7s. 3d. at the disposal of the abbot. It
¦then proceeds : —
" The name of the abbot is William Ripen, who hath no certain

162 ENVIEONS OP EYDE.
portion allowed unto him, but is charged with the -whole maintenance
and governance of the monastery, like as faithful administrator, to
minister, provide, and ordain everything vigilantly and honestly,
according to the religion, and the rest to keep after his discretion to
the use of that monastery.
" The president or superior's name is Dan. Richard Curlewe, who
hath nothing appointed unto him but as the convent hath, but only,
for his tender obedience, his abbot's reward.
" The second president's name is Dan. Richard WoodhUl, and he
doth serve the poor church of Binstead, and he hath by the year
four marks.
" The monk of the bakehouse's name is Dan. Robert Smythe, who
hath nothing but as others of the convent have, .save, for his diligence
and obedience, his abbot's reward.
" And every other religious man there being present, by the year,
in ready money, £1, 6s. 8d."
The common seal of the abbey was round, and small in size, repre
senting the Virgin seated, with the child Jesus in her lap. In the
impressions still extant only the commencement of the legend — ¦
MARIA VIRGO — Can be traced.
At the dissolution, Quarr was purchased by a rich Southampton
merchant, George Mills, who dismantled it of its splendours. His
son's widow, Mrs. Dowsabell Mills, became the mistress of Su*
Edward Horsey. On her death, the estate was purchased by Chief
Justice Sir Thomas Fleming, who completed the task of spoliation ;
so that little of the ancient building can now be traced. The refec
tory is said to have been converted into a barn, which may still be
examined. Some portions of the waU, and a sea-gate — an arched
window and a broken column — are aU else that remain of the once
magnificent pUe.
Several stone coffins have, at different times, been excavated at
Quarr ; a few coins and some other relics have also been discovered, but
not of a nature or in such abundance as to satisfy the antiquary, or
throw any vivid light upon the history of the abbey. In 1857 a
curious discovery was made by some labourers engaged in the con
struction of a new road through the old abbey grounds, of " three
small stone boxes or chests, each chest being- about two feet in length
and one foot wide. They were placed side by side, — two of them;
nearly close together, and the third a foot or two to the south.-
Upon removing the heavy stones of which the lids were composed,.
three human skeletons in a good state of preservation were found.

ENVIRONS OP EYDE. 163
The leg and arm bones -were on either side, the ribs and small bones
in the centre, and the skulls at the western end, the latter being in all
three cases turned upside down. It was evident that these remains
had been removed at some time or other from the place of their
original burial ; and that they were of persons of distinction was
beyond doubt, or such care would not have been bestowed upon
them " {Isle of Wight Observer). One of the skeletons was pronounced
to be that of an aged man, another that of an aged female, and the
third that of " a tall fine man about forty years of age," It has been
suggested, and there is an air of probability about the suggestion,
that they were the remains of Count Baldwin, his wife, and his son
Henry. They are now in the Museum at Ryde.
This is just the spot where " the violet of a legend " might be ex
pected to blossom ; and the traditions connected with the abbey are
of a fantastic character. One tells of a deep subterraneous passage,
closed by a golden gate, and is evidently the offspring of the awe and
wonder created in the minds of the vulgar by monastic wealth and
power. Another is not less wildly fabulous : — " At a short distance
south of the ruins of the abbey is a wood, formerly thickly timbered,
but now only consisting of a few decayed oaks and brushwood ; it is
called Eleanor's Grove, from a tradition that Eleanor of Guienne,
queen of Henry II., was imprisoned at Quarr, and frequented this
secluded spot, where, after death, it is related, she was interred in a
golden coffin, which is supposed stiU to be protected from sacrilegious
cupidity by magical speUs." About half a century ago a search was
made for this golden coffin, -with the result of discovering one of com
mon character, containing a female skeleton.
Wootton, or Wood-town {Inn: The Sloop), is about equidis
tant between Ryde and Newport. The parish is bounded east by
Binstead, south by Arreton, west by Whippingham, and north by
the Solent. Population in 1881, 104 ; acreage, 1360. The church is
a plain building, embosomed among trees. Near it stood the old
manor-house of the Lisles, where Henry VII. passed a night in 1499.
A farm-house now occupies its site.
Wootton Creek is formed by the junction of Wootton river — which
rises near Mersley Do-wn, and becomes tidal about two miles from
its source — with the Solent. It is sometimes called Fishhouse Creek,
from the smaU vUlage of Fishhouse (or Fishbourne), on the eastern
most of the two headlands between which it enters the Solent. There
was formerly a good ship-buUding yard at Fishhouse, where yachts
of 250 tons were laid down and launched. It is now only a smaU

164 ENVIRONS OP EYDE.
boat-builder's settlement and coast-guard station. The causeway
which carries the Newport road across the creek is 905 feet in
length. Wootton was originally the lordship of a branch of the De Insula
or Lisle family, the most famous of whom were Sir John Lisle,
the regicide, a stanch follower of Cromwell, assassinated at Lausanne,
after the Restoration, by three Irish bravos ; and his wife. Dame
Alice Lisle, who, having generously and unwittingly sheltered two of
Monmouth's unfortunate partisans after the fatal fight at Sedgemoor,
was tried for high treason, foully treated by Judge Jeffreys, and
cruelly beheaded, though an aged, giay-haired woman. The tragic
tale is told by Lord Macaulay -with power and pathos.
Sir WiUiam Lisle, a gaUant Cavalier, who faithfuUy followed
Charles II. in his exUe, is buried in Wootton Chm-ch. The family is
now represented in the female Une by F. White Popham, Esq., lord
of the manor.
Wootton Lodge, Mr. Popham's residence, was formerly the Par
sonage. It contains few relics of the old house, which was reputed
to be haunted by the ghost of a former rector, Dr. Thomas Lisle.
At midnight this restless priest, in go-wn and cassock, regularly as
cended the old oaken staircase. In the library here are preserved some
books bearing the autograph of Izaak Walton, a cousin and name
sake of whom once held the rectory, and is buried in the church.
Newchurch (population, 1356) was the largest parish but one
(Brading) in the island, and at one time the most thickly peopled.
It crossed the whole ishmd from north to south-east, and formerly
included the two most fashionable towns, Ryde and Ventnor. On
the east it touched the parishes of St. Helen's, Brading, Shanklin,
and Bonchurch; on the west Binstead, Axreton, Godshill, and St.
Lawrence. It presented, therefore, considerable varieties of soil and
scenery. But Ryde and Ventnor have of late years been constituted
separate parishes.
Newchui-ch includes the manor of Ashey, formerly belono-ino- to a
rich religious house, a branch of the Abbey of WhorweU. The con
vent stood on the site of the present farm-house, and has been
described as possessing ample revenues, and a goodly estate with a
stately hall, elegant chambers, a refectory, fish-ponds, and other
adjuncts of luxurious ease. But it has passed away with a startlino-
completeness — not a stone records its original splendour. The farm
house is worth examining. It is easily reached by a road from the
Ashey railway station.

ENVIEONS OP EYDE. 165
Here, as late as the reign of Elizabeth, a widow, named Agues
Porter, was burned at the stake for witchcraft.
Ashey Down (424 feet above the sea — Brading, 2 mUes ; Ryde,
4 ; Newport, 4i) raises its rounded and glittering crest just above
the farm-house, and is easily recognized at any distance by its
sea-mark, or beacon, a truncated pUIar of hewn stone, erected
in 1735.-* From this spot the tourist may enjoy one of the
finest, nay, the finest view in the Isle of Wight. " Southward it is
terminated by a long range of hills (Shanklin, Wroxall, and St.
Catherine's) at about 6 miles distant. They meet to the westward
another chain of hills, of which the one whereon he sits forms a link;
and the whole together nearly encompass a rich and fruitful valley,
fiUed with corn-fields and pastures. Through this vale winds a
smaU stream for many miles ; here and there lesser eminences arise
in the vaUey, some covered with wood, others with corn or grass,
and a few with heath or fern. One of these hills is distinguished
by a chm-ch (Newchurch) at the top, presenting a striking feature in
the landscape. VUlages, churches, country-seats, farm-houses, and
cottages are scattered over part of the southern valley. In this
direction also appears an ancient mansion (Knighton), embellished
with woods, groves, and gardens. South-eastward is a broad ex
panse of ocean, bounded only by the horizon. More to the east, in
continuation of the chain of hills (Ashey) on which he is sitting, rise
two do-wns (Brading and Bembridge), one beyond the other ; both
are covered with sheep, and the sea is just visible over the farther
hill, as a terminating boundary. In this point are seen ships, some
of which are sailing, and others lying at anchor. On the north, the
sea (the Solent) appears like a noble river, varying from 3 to 7 miles
in breadth between the banks of the opposite coast and those of the
island. Immediately underneath him is a fine woody district, diver
sified by many pleasing objects. Westward, the hills follow each
other, forming several intermediate and partial valleys, in undula
tions Uke the waves of the sea, and bending to the south, complete
the boundary of the larger valley we have described, to the south
ward of the hill on which the tourist sits. One hill alone (St.
Catherine's), the highest in elevation, and about 10 miles to the
south-westward, is enveloped iu a cloud, which just permits a dim
and hazy sight of a signal-post, a Ught-house, and an ancient chantry
on the summit " {Legh Richmond).
* The tourist, arriving by rail, should take the footpath which runs by the side of the
branch line, and at the chalk quarry strike into the Newchurch road.

166 ENVIEONS OP EYDE.
Descending the down, southward, we come, in a leafy gorge of
singular beauty, upon the scanty relics of a mansion, once the most
considerable in the island ; the ancient manor-house of Knighton
Gorges, built in the reign of James I. (on the site of a yet older build
ing, the residence of the De Gorges). In the early part of the reig-n
.of George III. it belonged to Mr. Fitzmaurice, who assembled here
the Georgian wits, Wilkes, Da-vid Garrick, Mrs. Garrick, and others.
" Like many other mansions, Knighton House," we are told, "was
reported to be haunted ; but the exact nature of the unearthly
visitant is not stated, though it was said to intimate its whereabouts
by a noise resembling- the clanking of heavy chains. In later times,
however, this noise was confined to one room, which was never
opened ; and above its entrance was inscribed a Latin legend of such
potency as to prevent the troubled spirit's egress. There is a strange
story current respecting the death of the last male of the DUIington
family, who for many years possessed the manor and house of Knigh
ton. The party alluded to. Sir Tristram DiUington, lost his wife
and all his children in rapid succession, and finally feU himself by
his own hand through despair — leaving two sisters, who afterwards
died single. To prevent the forfeiture of the estate by the felo de se
of his master, the steward, directly he became aware of the tragedy,
took the horse his master usually rode, and having reversed the
saddle, drove it into the miU-pond close to the house. This counte
nanced a report, which he immediately spread, that Sir Tristram,
returning home late at night, inadvertently rode into the pond ; and
tlu-ough the slackness of the saddle-girth fell from his horse, and
was drowned before assistance could be rendered. Tliis occurred at
least a century ago. It was easy to avoid an inquest, and the strata
gem succeeded " ( Walks Round Ryde).
Legh Richmond describes the old house as a large and venerable
mansion, standing in a beautiful valley at the foot of a high hUl, and
embowered in fine woods, which were interspersed in every direc
tion with rising, falling, and swelling grounds. " It had evidently
descended through a long line of ancestry from a distant period of
time. The Gothic character of its original architecture was still pre
served in the latticed windows, adorned with carved divisions and
pillars of stonework. Several pointed terminations also, in the con
struction of the roof, according to the custom of our forefathers, fully
corresponded with the general features of the building. One end of
the house was entirely clothed with the thick foliage of an immense
ivy, which climbed beyond customary limits, and embraced a lofty

EXVIEONS OP EYDE. 167
chimney "up to its very summit. Such a tree seemed congenial
to the walls that supported it, and conspired with the antique
fashion of the place to carry imagination back to the days of our
ancestors." It was here that Legh Richmond first made the acquaintance of
Elizabeth Wallbridge, the " Dairyman's Daughter," then a servant in
the establishment.
The only remains of the old house are some garden-walls, grass-
grown piles of masonry, and the entrance gates. In the immediate
-vicinity are a farm-house, a cottage, and a portion of the Ryde
Water-works. Of these, however, the principal section is situated in
the valley between Ashey and Brading Downs.
The village of Newchurch {Inn : The Pointers) is a long street of
thatched cottages, 6 miles from Ryde. The church, a plain cruci
form building, is finely situated on the bluff of an abrupt sandstone
rock. Beading {Inn : The Bugle) is the largest parish in the island,
and lies between the parish of St. Helen's and Brading Harbour, on
the east; the parish of Shanklin, south; Newchurch, west; and the
Solent, north. Contains 10,107 acres, mostly of excellent arable and
pasture land, kept in excellent cultivation ; and had, in 1881, a popu
lation of 7918, as against 5648 in 1871, and 3046 in 1851. It includes
the corporate to-wn of Brading, the villages or hamlets of Bembridge
and Sandown, and the hamlet of Alverstone.
The living of Brading is a -vicarage (Rev. J. Glover, 1846) in the
gift of Trinity College, Cambridge, and valued at £250. Dependent
upon it is Sandown (vicar. Rev. S. G. Kamey), presented to by the
Church Patronage Society ; as well as Bembridge (vicar, Rev. J. Le
Mesurier), valued at £100.
1. The Kyngs Towne of Brading (so named from its early Saxon
settlers, the Bradingas, or, as some say, from the Saxon brad, broad,
and ing, a meadow) is probably the oldest town in the island ; and
possesses a peculiar interest as the spot where St. Wilfrid, Bishop of
Selsea, landed in 704, on his apostolic mission of converting the men
of the Wight from heathenism. Here he erected a church, on the
site of a heathen temple. When recalled by the King of Northum-
bria to the bishopric of York, from which he had wrongfully been
expelled, he intrusted his mission work to his nephew Beornwin, and
his chaplain HUdila. The latter built a church at St. Helen's Spit,
and resided there ; the former ministered in his imcle's church at
Brading.

168 ENVIEONS OP EYDE,
The position of Brading, at the head of a broad and sheltered
estuary, early secured it considerable importance ; and it carried on
an active trade in the supply of provisions to the vessels that anchored
in the haven or the neighbouring roadstead. Its inhabitants, how
ever, can hardly have rejoiced in any extensive opulence. If we
may believe a very dubious tradition, they once returned members
to Parliament, but, finding the payment of fourpence a day, then
exacted, too heavy a burden, petitioned to be relieved of their parlia
mentary privileges ! That Brading was ever a parliamentary borough
may well be doubted ; what is more certain is, that it sent to Parlia
ment the first petition in favour of Parliamentary reform.
Brading is an old corporate town, and still retains its municipal
government by a senior and junior baiUff, a recorder, and thirteen
jurists. Of its various charters of incorporation the oldest extant is
that of Edward VI., dated 1548, which alludes to its predecessors.
The common seal is argent, a rose gules, barbed and seeded proper,
and bearing the inscription : " The Kynges Towne of Bradyng.'"
Near the church is the Town Hall, recently rebuilt ; inside it are
preserved the ancient stocks and whipping-post. Some of the old
houses — and they are very old, with timber joists and quaint
diamonded casements — stUl show the iron rings used on festival days
to support the tapestry decorations. And in a small open space, on
the right hand of the principal street, may be seen the bull-ring, to
which, when the cruel sport of bull-baiting was in vogue, the unfor
tunate animal was fastened to be goaded by the dogs. Another
ancient relic, the town gun, was presented about eleven years ago to>
the late Sir Henry Oglander, who removed it to Nunwell. It was
one of the pieces of ordnance provided by the parishes of the islaml
in the reign of Edward VI., when alarms of French invasion were
very frequent, and bore the inscription, — " John and Robert Owine,
brethren, made this Pese, 1549, Bradynd." When the Reform BUI
passed in 1832, the enthusiastic townsmen dragged it to the top of
the Down aud fired a salute : unfortunately, it burst. In a lane,
also to the right, at the bottom of the hill, stands the rustic dwelling
of Legh Richmond's " Young Cottager," whose modest grave is at
the south-east angle of the old church-yard.
2. The church is a famous structure, ancient, spacious, and stately,
principally of Transition-Norman date. Its interior has recently
been restored with great care.
3. The village lies at the base of green and lofty Brading Down,,
surrounded by the woods of Nunwell, and stretching down the slope-

ENVIEONS OP EYDE. 169
to the head of Brading Haven, a pleasant sea-water lake, with an
area of about 840 acres, which opens into the Solent between the
headlands of Bembridge and St. Helen's. At low water the haven
is mostly an expanse of mud, with a narrow channel, through which
the Yar meanders to the sea. Many attempts have been made to
reclaim this considerable tract. A part was taken in by Sir William
Russel of Yaverland, temp>. Edward I., and Yar Bridge erected.
In 1562, the North Marsh, and adjacent lands, were recovered ;
and MiU Marsh, and other meadows, in 1594. The chief attempt,
however, was made by Sir Hugh Middleton (the projector of the
New River), in connection with Sir Bevis Thelwall, who gave
one Henry Gibbs £2000 for the grant he had obtained from James I.
The embankment across the mouth was commenced, December 10,
1620, and occupied two years. For eight years longer the en
closure answered the expectations of the ingenious adventurers, and
then, on the 8th March 1630, the sea again burst over it, sweeping
away houses, barns, and mUls. A singular discovery was made, dur
ing the progress of the works, of a well, cased with stone, near the
middle of the haven, — sufficiently demonstrating that it had once
been dry land, and that the sea had overflowed it within the
historical period. Thus an old tradition receives some support, that
the basin now filled -with shining waters was once a .stretch of broad
green pasture, occupied by grazing herds. Tradition adds that its
submersion was due to the rapacity of adventurers, who, in seizing
upon a vast treasure concealed in a well, and discovered in its hiding-
place by the agency of magic, violated certain conditions imposed
upon its discoverers.
Another attempt to shut out the sea, and reclaim the land, has
recently been made, and seems to have been successful. But though
the skill and perseverance of the engineer, Mr. Saunders, merit
recognition, one cannot but regret that a delightful picture has been
marred. Nor is it easy to conjecture how the company, which for
some years has carried on the work of embankment, will be repaid
for its outlay. The risk of destruction is very great. On one occa
sion (in February 1882) a spring-tide rose to within four inches of
the sluice, and had a gale been blowing at the time, the sea would
probably have once more fiUed the basin of the haven.
The Ryde and Ventnor RaUway strikes across the head of the
haven, and a branch line has been carried round the north side,
which will be continued over the new causeway, so as to open up
railway communication with Bembridge.

170 ENVIRONS OP EYDE.
It is reputed that the mouth of the Haven was formerly near the
old Church of St. Helen's ; and, in confirmation of this, we may state
that the sandy waste known as St. Helen's Dover is, as well as
Bembridge, in the parish of Brading, and was part of the peninsula
of Bembridge. Lands there are at Bembridge which entitle their
o-wner to a right of common of pasturage for cows on St. Helen's
Dover; but he is now excluded from it by the new course of the
estuary. Near the mouth, on the southern side, stands a small inn {The
Ferry Inn), close to the point from which the ferry-boat plies for
Bembridge. In this neighbourhood, on the Spit and among the marshes, may be
found the English scurvy grass, yeUow horse-poppy, knotted spuiTy,
smooth chickweed, marsh mallow, round-headed clover, suffocated
clover, bird's-foot trefoil, slender hare's-ear, sea wormwood, small-
flowered centaury, sea bindweed, creeping glasswort, shrubby orache,
sea-knot grass, marsh sedge, bulbous pasture grass, tuberous fox-tail
grass, Borrer's sea-grass, sea fescue-grass, and (on the sandhills) Le
Gall's sea-fescue, which is found nowhere else in England.
The upper part of Brading, kno-wn as the Mall, contains some
handsome villas of recent erection, which enjoy a healthy air and a
fine prospect. Thence, the higher road leads along the Do-wns to New
port; and the lower to Alverstone, Knighton, Ashey, and New
church. Half-a-mile from Brading, on the Sando-wn road, lies the little
hamlet of Yarbridge {Inn: The Angler's Arms). We can remember
when this was a well-loved haunt with Izaak Walton's disciples ; bnt
the fishing is not what it was, and the beauty of the place has been
destroyed by the railway. The Yar still contains, however, some
trout, carp, dace, and eels.
A bridge, built by Sir William Russel, in the time of Edwai-d I.,
was broken do-mi, in 1545, by a body of the natives in order to im
pede the advance of a French force. (See pp. 42, 43.)
Bembridge {Imis: Pilot Boat, Prince of Wales, ]\Iarine, Com
mercial) is situated on the north-east side of a peninsula, formed
by the river Yar and its estuary to the north. White Cliff Bay to
the south, and the Solent to the e:xst. Among green trees its church
and white houses form a pleasant group, extending down to the
water's side, and commanding a variety of charming prospects.
Now that it is being connected with Ryde by railway, it will pro
bably grow into a prosperous watering-place, but at the same time

ENVIEONS OP EYDK 171
lose that charm of seclusion which has hitherto endeared it to the
artist and the botanist.
It is said to derive its name from a bridge or causeway thro-wn
across a portion of the haven by Sir William Russel ; thus, " Within
Bridge," "Binbridge," " Bembridge " {Sir John Oglander's MSS.).
A French invading force landed here in 1340, but were driven
back to their boats by the inhabitants, under Sir Theobald Russel
of Yaverland, who unfortunately fell in the hour of victory.
About three-quarters of a mile on the Brading road is Centurion's
Copse, a favourite haunt with botanists, which retains in its name
the memory of a chapel of St. Urian, built by the lords of Woolverton
(Wulfhere's To-wn), of which some traces are said to exist among the
brushwood. On the other side of the peninsula, close to the Foreland, is Lane
End, a smaU fishers' viUage, with a life-boat station. To the south
is Bembridge Ledge, a dangerous reef of limestone, projecting a
nule and a half into the sea, and bare at low water. At the Fore
land we find a smaU colony of coast-guardsmen, with a few fisher
folk's huts, and the Crab and Lobster Inn.
Bembridge Down (355 feet) is cro-wned by an obelisk of solid
granite, 75 feet high, raised in 1849, by the Royal Yacht Club, in
memory of their commodore, the Earl of Yarborough, and recently
removed to its present position. The views from the summit of
this Down are of extraordinary splendour. " Looking back over
Brading Haven, and inland, they are as diversified as they are exten
sive ; forward, the unbroken view over the sea extends to an amazing
distance ; eastward, the Sussex coast lies like a faint cloud on the
distant horizon ; whUe westward, Sandown Bay, with its reddish
clay banks circling the light green waves, and softly sweUing hills
above, may be looked on from day to day with ever new pleasure."
On the seaward side the Do-wn ends in a steep chalk cliff, 259 feet,
known as the Culver, from cofa, a cave or cove ; or, as some pedant
etymologists will have it, from culfre (Saxon), a pigeon — aUuding to
" the abundance of those birds which made it their haunt." It was
also famous for a valuable breed of hawks, on which Queen Eliza
beth set such store, that in 1564 she issued her warrant to the
captain of the island, to make diligent search after some that had
been stolen, and also " for the persons faultie of this stealth and pre
sumptuous attempt."
A cavern in the side of the cliff, about 30 feet beneath the brink,
kno-svn as The Hermit's Hole, commands a very fine effect of sea-

172 ENVIEONS OP EYDE.
prospect. A large hexagonal fort was erected in 1864 on the sum
mit of the Do-wn. It is surrounded by a deep fosse, and armed with
six 110-pounders. Its barracks wUl accommodate 400 men. Yaver
land Battery, on the right, lower do-wn, mounts eight 7-inch guns;
and Redcliff Battery, on the left, near the cliff-edge, four 7-inch,
Taken in connection with the new works at Sando-wn, these defences
seem of great strength, and completely command the approach to
Spithead. The Culver Cliffs form the southern extremity of Whitediff Bay —
the northern being named Bembridge Foreland. This is the point
of junction of the fresh-water and marine series of the Isle of Wight
eocene deposits, which abound with organic remains and fossils.
Originally, the strata were horizontal ; but by some amazing move
ment of elevation they have been raised to a nearly vertical position
— lying, in fact, at an angle of 70°. So enormous has been the
pressure, that the flints have been actuaUy shivered, without, how
ever, in the least altering their outward appearance; so that what
seems a perfect flint splits into fragments at the sUghtest pressure.
Whitecliff Bay is thus described by Legh Richmond : — " A small
cove, the shore of which consists of fine hard sand. It is surrounded
by fragments of rock, chalk cliffs, and steep banks of broken earth.
Shut out from human intercourse and dwellings, it seems formed for
retirement and contemplation  I descended a steep bank, winding
by a kind of rude staircase, formed by fishermen and shepherds' boys
in the side of the cliff, down to the shore  The air was calm and
serene. The sun shone, but we were sheltered from its rays by the
cliffs. One of these was stupendously lofty and large. It was white
as snow ; its summit being du-ectly over our heads. The sea-fowls
were fiying around it. Its whiteness was occasionally chequered
with dark-gTeen masses of samphire which grew there. On the
other side, and behind us, was a more gradual declivity of many-
coloured earths, interspersed with green patches of grass and bushes,
and little streams of water trickling do-wn the bank, and mingling
with the sea at the bottom. At our feet the waves were advancing
over shelves of rocks covered -ndth a great variety of seaweeds 
Ships of war and commerce were seen at different distances. The
noise of the flowing tide, combined with the voices of the sea-guUs
over our heads, and now and then a distant gun fired from the ships
as they passed along, added much to the peculiar sensations to -which
the scene gave birth."
Yaverland (or the Upper or Over Land) has an old Norman
(712)

ENVIRONS OP RYDE. 173
church, an old Jacobean manof-house, and a dozen small cottages, on
the brink of a steep escarpment of chalk, with an abundance of
leafiness all about, and some good prospects inland and over the sea.
The manor-house, now converted into a farm-house, dates from
the reign of James I. It contains some curious carved woodwork,
such as two figures -vulgarly called Nero and Cleopatra, and some
men's heads with wings (cherub-like), — used either as brackets to
support the staircase-ceiling, or as ornaments, with musical instru
ments appended to them. Acreage, 1834. Population, 153. The
living is a rectory (Rev. W. M. Lee), in the patronage of Sir G. E,
Grseme Hammond-Grteme, Bart., and valued at £230 per annum.
" The church is pleasantly situated on a rising bank at the foot of
a bold chalk hiU, and being surrounded by trees, has a rural and
retired appearance. In every direction the roads that lead to this
sacred edifice possess distinct but interesting features. One of them
ascends between several rural cottages from the sea-shore, which
adjoins the lower part of the -village street ; another winds round the
side of the adjacent hUl ; and a third leads to the church by a gently
rising approach between high banks covered with young trees, bushes,
ivy, hedge-plants, and wild flowers " {Legh Richmond).
St. Helen's. — The parish occupies an area of 3676 acres, and
contains a population of 3412. It includes the hamlets of Sea View,
Nettlestone, Spring Vale, and Oakfield, and lies between the parishes
of Brading and Ryde, with the Solent for its northern boundary.
The -viUage occupies the extreme northern bank of Brading Haven,
lying upon the slope, and terminating in a spit of sand at its mouth ;
and is buUt, rather picturesquely^ round an ample viUage green,
being the only -vUlage so laid out in the Isle of Wight.
Here, on the site of the present Priory (the Marquis of Cholmon
deley), anciently stood a foundation of Cluniac monks, established
before 1150, but by whom is unknown. During the wars of Ed
ward II. and IIL, as an alien priory it was seized by the Crown,
and its revenues sequestered; but Henry IV. restored it to the
abbey of Cluny. When the alien priories were finally suppressed,
Henry VL bestowed its rental on Eton College, and Edward IV.
gave the priory itseff to that foundation. The present mansion and
estate are still held from Eton College.
The old Church of St. Helen's stood on St. Helen's Point, about 150
yards from the sea ; but the ever-encroaching waves graduaUy under
mined the sacred buUding, and in 1719 it was found necessary to
raise a new structure in a securer position. The new church stands
(712) 14

174 ENVIRONS OP EYDE.
about half-way between St. Helen's and Sea View. A new chancel,
of good design, has recently been erected, and the traveller -wiU hope
that the remainder of the mean edifice may before long be replaced
by something better.
St, John's, Oakfield, is an elegant little church, situated upon St.
John's Hill, at the angle formed by the junction of the road from
Brading with that from Nettlestone to Ryde. The -vicarage,
valued at £100 yearly, is in the appointment of the incumbent of
St. Helen's.
Sea View {Inns: Cro-wn and Oak), 3 miles from Ryde, is pictu
resquely situated on a somewhat steep declivity that terminates on
the north-western side of Sea Grove or Priory Bay. The sands
here are excellent, and stretch away to Spring Vale on the one
hand and Brading Haven on the other. Bathing faciUties are
abundant ; lodgings good, and not extravagantly rated. The head
land here, Nettlestone Point, or Old Fort, was the scene of a descent
by the French under D'Annebault in 1545, when the block-house
that guarded it was destroyed.
A suspension pier, 1000 feet long, with a strongly-built head,
convenient landing-stages, and ample depth of water for steam-
packets at lowest spring tides, has recently been erected. This head
is joined to the shore by a pier 15 feet -wide, consisting of two end
spans, each about 140 feet long, and three spans of 200 feet each.
It is proposed to run a tramway, 2 miles long, to the nearest railway
station, and to open up a steamboat service with Portsmouth.
Sea View has a neat new church, and Wesleyan and Baptist
chapels. The shore-path to Ryde leads through Spring Vale, a group
of houses fronting a noble breadth of sands, in the -vicinity of the
old Salterns.
At Puckpool (Battery Hotel), \\ mile, a mortar-battery, ai-med
-with five 11-inch guns and thirty 11-inch mortars, was erected in
1864, in conjunction with the outer defences of Portsmouth Har
bour (the St. Helen's Noman, Horseshoe, and Spit Forts).
seats of the GENTRY.
In our confined space we can glance only at the priiicipal seats in
this favoured district of the island, where Fashion has especially
chosen to take up her residence. There are few houses, however of
any pretensions without a certain picturesqueness of aspect which
will attract the traveller's admiring gaze.
Westfield, the seat of Sir W. J. C. Clifford, stands in the Spencer

ENVIEONS OP RYDE, 175
Road, a short distance from the Club House, and, through the
beauty of its grounds and the elegance of its appurtenances, is em-
phaticaUy one of "the lions" of Ryde. The rooms are decorated
-with great taste and effect ; and contain a choice collection of paint
ings by good masters, marbles, and other articles of vei-tu. In the
drawing-room is a head of Lady William Bentinck, by Sir T. Law
rence; the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire, by Romney; and
Domenichino's Sibyl. In the music-room : a Madonna, by Guido ;
specimens of Angelica Kaufmann ; and marbles by Canova, TadoUni,
and Burgoni. In the dining-room are portraits by PhUlips, and
specimens of Herring and Cook. The picture-gallery is an elegant
room, arranged with a nice attention to harmony of colouring.
The gardens are in the Italian fashion, with terraces leading down
to the sea-shore, from which a fine panorama of Spithead and the
whole reach of the Solent is unfolded. The late Sir Augustus Clif
ford, to whom the beauty of Westfield is mainly due, was a K.C.B.,
Usher of the Black Rod, and an Admiral. He entered the navy in
1800; served at the reduction of St. Lucia and Tobago; and, in
1807, in the expedition to Egypt ; distinguished himself at the cap
ture of a convoy in the Bay of Rosas, 1809 ; and served on the coast
of Italy in 1811. Was appointed Usher of the Black Rod in July
1832. Died in 1879.
Ryde House (Mrs. Daly), a large white mansion seated in its own
extensive grounds, between Ryde and Binstead, was the seat of the
Player famUy, founded in the Isle of Wight by Henry Player, Esq.,
who purchased the manors of Ryde and Ashey from the last of the
DUlingtons. On the death of the late Miss Player, her estates passed
into the hands of various descendants.
Binstead House is a pretty semi-villa, semi-mansion, combining the
pleasantest characteristics of both, and seated in grounds of the most
deUghtful order, sloping, with many a change of knoU, coppice, and
la-wn, to the very marge of the Solent. The estate has been long
enjoyed by the Fleming famUy, and was deirised by the late J.
WiUis Fleming, Esq., to his widow for her life. Mrs. Fleming was
married again, 6th August 1846, to the late General Lord Do-wnes,
K.C.B., a distinguished Peninsular hero.
Quarr Abbey House (Lady Cochrane), on an elevated ground,
sheltered by Quarr Wood, and commanding a fine sweep of inland
and marine scenery, was the seat of the late Admiral Sir T. Coch
rane, a gallant officer, who served in the expeditions against BeUe
Isle, Ferrol, Cadiz, and in Egypt, during the great revolutionary

176 ENVIRONS OP EYDi:.
war; was Governor of Newfoundland from 1825 to 1834, and Com
mander-in-chief on the East India Station, 1842-46.
Beachlands, at the bottom of Dover Street, Ryde, is a handsome
mansion, the residence of Sir John and Lady Lees.
Appley, a spacious and well-looking mansion, stands upon a gentle
ascent overlooking the town of Ryde, skirted by a leafy wood, and
contiguous to the sea. There are few spots in the Wight richer
in a soft and tranquil beauty. The estate formerly belonged -to a
Dr. Walker, and then passed to the Hutt famUy : the last proprietor
of that name was Governor of West Australia; and the Captain
James Hutt who commanded the Queen in Lord Howe's victory of
the 1st June, and was slain in action, belonged to the same stock.
Mr. Bennet was the next proprietor, and on his death, in 1839, it
was purchased by a gentleman of the name of Hyde. The house
was built by David Bryce, a notorious smuggler, a relation of Rich
the actor, who used to conceal his stores in its cellars, and in the
caves of the adjoining cliff. His nefarious trade was at length dis
covered, and he died in extreme distress in 1740.
Appley Tower, an elegant and picturesque Elizabethan mansion,
in grounds contiguous to those just described, is the seat of Sir W.
Hutt. The gardens are laid out with great effect, and the mansion
is most elegantly decorated. It formerly contained a fine collection
of the chefs-d'oeuvre of English artists — now, unfortunately, dispersed
by auction — which included Turner's " Plagues of Egypt ; " "A
Group of Bacchanals,'' by Sir David Wilkie ; " A Landscape," by
Nasmyth ; " A Sea-piece," by Sir Augustus Callcott ; two companion
pictures, " A Calm Sea," and "An Agitated Sea," by Stanfield; "A
Landscape," by Creswick ; one of Webster's characteristic sketches ;
and a sea-piece, " At Ventnor," painted expressly for Mr. Young by
W. CoUins.-*
St. Clare (the residence of the late Colonel F. V. Harcourt, a younger
son of the late Archbishop of York, and formerly M.P. for the island)
was originally buUt about 1823, by the late E. V. Utterson, Esq., but
purchased by Lord Vernon in 1826, and greatly modified from the
original design. It is a casteUated mansion in the Tudor style of
Gothic. Her Majesty and the late Prince Consort repeatedly honoured
St. Clare with their presence ; and the orphan princess Garumna
Coorg resided here under the guardianship of the Lady Catherine
• Collins resided at Ventnor in 1844, and visited Bembridge August 1846, sketching
the romantic beauties of the coast with great fervour and enthusiasm.— ii/e of W.
Collvns, by Wilkie Collins.

ENVIEONS OP EYDE. 177
Harcourt. The much-lamented Princess Alice and Prince Louis of
Hesse passed their honeymoon here in July 1862.
St. John's, a neat, plain mansion, on the hill above Ryde, eastward,
was originally buUt for General Lord Amherst, who named it in
commemoration of his victory at St. John's, New Brunswick, a.d.
1758. The grounds were laid out by Repton, the eminent landscape
gardener. The Priory (Marquis of Cholmondeley), in the parish of St. Helen's,
about 3 mUes from Ryde, " stands at the head of a spacious lawn
that gently declines from the house to the brink of a high ridge, the
steep bank of which is covered with wood down to the water's edge :
through this wood various pleasant walks have been cut, of irregular
breadths, according to the steepness of the declivity. In the southern
part of the wood are the remains of an ancient watch-tower, supposed
to have belonged to the Priory. The whole of the demesne is formed
of a narrow strip of ground, about a mile in length, extending along
the shore." Was formerly the residence of Sir Nash Grose, Justice
of the Queen's Bench, of whom Erskine said pleasantly —
" Grose Justice, with his lantern jaws.
Throws light upon the English laws."
The Marquis of Cholmondeley is a member of the sect of Plymouth
Brethren, and for the convenience of his co-religionists has built a
small iron chapel near his mansion, where he generally preaches on
Sundays when at home. The public are freely admitted.
Nunwdl,* anciently Nounwell, has been the residence of the
Oglander famUy for many centuries. At the base of a lofty down,
embowered in venerable woods, and with a noble breadth of groves,
hills, meadows, and seas spread out before it, certainly its position
befits the mansion of the only one of the knightly families of the
island under WUliam Fitz-Osbert which has survived " the lapses of
time." The house is a plain brick building, seated "on a rising
ground at the end of a park -like lawn, and backed by a solemn grove
of lofty ashes and limes." The park is about 2 miles in circumference,
and contains some oaks of extraordinary size. The Oglander family
have held lands in the island since the Conquest, when Roger de
Okelandes accompanied William Fitz-Osbert. They came from the
chateau d'Orglandes, in La Manche, which was afterwards held by
Prince Henry (Henry I.) against his brothers, Duke Robert and
* So named, we are told, because the nuns of Ashey were wont to resort for water to
tho spring stiU rising in its ground:..

1 78 ENVIRONS OP RYDE.
Prince WiUiam. In the reign of James I., John Oglander, lieutenant
of the island, was knighted. Died 1665. His son. Sir WilUam, was
created a baronet, 1665. Then followed Sir John, died 1685 ; Sir
William, died 1734; Sir John, died 1767; Sir WUliam, died 1806;
Sir WiUiam, died 1850 ; and Sir Henry Oglander, died 1874, whose
widow now resides at Nunwell. On her death, the estate passes to
J. Oglander Glynn, Esq., cousin of the late baronet.
Fairy Hill (W. A. Glynn, Esq.), on the uplands, above Sea View,
well deserves its poetical appellation.
Puckpool, a charming spot, near Spring Vale ; Woodlands Vale
(Colonel the Hon. Somerset Calthorpe) ; Westridge (J. Young, Esq.),
on the road to Nettlestone ; Westbrook (Pakenham Mahon, Esq.) ;
Pownell (General Whimper) ; St. John's Lodge, in St. John's Road,
Ryde ; St. Helenas Castle (J. Realey, Esq.) ; Sturhridge House ; aU are
mansions of a superior order, and agreeably situated.
PLACES TO BE VISITED BY THE PEDESTRIAN.
Queen's Bower, 7 miles from Ryde, a lovely spot, whither Isabella
de Fortibus, the Lady of the Island, was wont to resort for the
pleasures of the chase, the forest being then well stocked with " red
and fallow deer." In Henry VIII.'s reign trees were felled for the
building of Sandown Fort, some of which were 30 feet in length.
No such trees can be found now. Bordwood (or Borthwood), as it is
still called, was bestowed by Henry V. on PhUippa, Duchess of York,
A.D. 1417 ; Alverstone Mill, 6 miles from Ryde, a quiet nook, rich in
spoils for the botanist (at Alvei-stone village is a railway station) ;
Bloodstone Well, in a wooded vaUey, north-east of Ashey Down, where
the pebbles in the stream are covered with the crimson vegetable
incrustation of the byssus purpureus ; Haven Street, 3 miles from
Ryde via Aldermoor MiU, a pleasant village, with a small inn {The
White Hart), and a small but pretty church, dedicated to St. Peter.
It probably owes its name to its position at the head of the Fish
bourne Creek. To the south of it runs the Ryde and Newport Rail-
-way ; Aldermoor Mill, \\ mile south of Ryde, an elevation from which
a very fine view of Ryde and the outlying country may be obtained ;
Kem, at the foot of Ashey Down, anciently Lacherne, a manor of the
Knights Templars ; and Ninham, 2 miles south-west of Ryde where
a curious stone image is let into the wall of the old farm-house (see
ante, p. 159).

VENTNOR. 179
DISTRICT v.— SOUTH-EAST.
VENTNOR AND ITS ENVIRONS.
VENTNOR.
Hotels— The Eoyal (west end of the town); Marine; Esplanade (near the Pier);
Queen's (Esplanade) ; Crab and Lobster ; Crown ; Globe ; Prince of -Wales ; Commercial ;
Terminus ; and Eayner's Temperance.
Batiks — Hampshire Banking Company, and Capital and Counties Bank.
Post-Office— High Street, corner of Spring Hill (deliveries at 7 a.m. and 2.30 p.m.;
post goes cut 11.30 A.M. and 6.45 p.m.).
Li&raries— Messrs. Knight and Sons', High Street; and Lemare's, Medley's, and
Logan's. Literary and Scientijic Institutes— 'Bigh Street and Albert Street.
Skating-Rink — Hamburgh Street.
Newspapers— Isle of Wight Mercury, Id., Thursday; Isle of -Wight Express, Id.,
Saturday; Isle of Wight Advertiser, 2d., Saturday.
Carriages, 2s. 6d. per hour ; saddle-horses, 2s. 6d. per hour.
Boats— Sailing-boats, 2s. 6d. per hour ; rowing-boats. Is. per hour (or with boatman,
Is. 6d.).
The Pier — Admission, 2d
Ventnor, a town on the south-east coast of the island, and the "capital"
of the Undercliff, lies about 12 miles from Ryde, and 10 miles from
Newport, being connected with both to-wns by raUway. Few of our
English watering-places enjoy a greater popularity, and few are rnore
deserving of it. Its position is singularly beautiful : it occupies a
series of picturesque terraces which rise for some 300 or 400 feet from
the shore of a shining sea to the lower declivities of a lofty chalk
do-wn rising 400 feet higher, and these terraces are amply clothed
with glossy foliage. Its air is bland -without being relaxing.
In its immediate neighbourhood extend a series of charming land
scapes, which attract by their variety of character and richness of
colour, and in front of it spread the rippling waters of a sheltered bay.
The origin of the name " Ventnor" is a puzzle for antiquaries, who
have sought to trace it to the Celtic Gwent and nor, words which are sup
posed to describe its situation on a chalky coast ; but a more probable,
if less imposing etymology, connects it with an old inn. The Crab
and Lobster, which, with an adjacent mill, was held by one Barton,
popularly called "the Vintner." Hence came Vintner's Mill and
Vintner's Cove, easily corrupted into Ventnor. At all events, the
to-wn is of very recent growth. Wyndham, -writing in 1793, has
nothing more to say about it than this : — " The little cove of Ventnor
is very well known for its romantic scenery and for a considerable
cascade of fine water, which, after turning a corn-mill, falls upon the
beach, as well as for its crab and lobster fishery, all of which are
destined for the London markets." At first a mere cluster of fisher-

180 VENTNOR.
men's huts, grouped on the shore of the cove, it rose into sudden
repute about 1830, when the public attention was first directed to its
climatic advantages, and it began to attract patronage as a " health-
resort," with the significant title of the " English Madeira." Sir James
Clark, enlarging, in his book on " The Sanative Infiuence of Climate
on Disease," on the relative merits of the watering-places of the
South, expressed his surprise that the special advantages enjoyed by
Ventnor, in point of shelter and position, should so long have been
overlooked in a country like England, whose inhabitants for half a
century had been traversing the globe in search of a climate. " From
the variety," he wrote, " which the Isle of Wight presents, in point of
elevation, soil, and aspect, and from the configuration of its hUls and
shores, it possesses several peculiarities of climate and position that
render it a highly favourable residence for invalids tlu-oughout the
year. The part most recommended is that denominated the Under
cliff, on the south-east coast, about six miles in length, and from a
quarter to half a mUe in breadth. The whole tract is singularly well
protected from the cold, and it would be difficult to find in any
northern country a district of equal extent and variety of surface,
and, it may be added, of equal beauty in point of scenery, so com
pletely screened from the cutting north-east winds of the spring on
the one hand, and from the boisterous southerly gales of the autumn
and winter on the other  The physical structure of this singular
district has been carefully investigated and described by the geologist,
and the beauties of its scenery have been often dwelt upon by the
tourist ; but its far more important qualities as a -winter residence for
the delicate invalid seem scarcely to have attracted attention, even
from the medical philosopher. Nothing along the south coast wiU
bear a com23arison with it, and Torquay is the only place on the south
west coast which wUl do so. With a temperature nearly the same,
the climate of Torquay will be softer, more humid, and relaxing ;
while that of the Undercliff will prove drier, somewhat shai-per, and
more bracing."
This eulogistic statement from an authority of so much competence
and distinction set the whole world of invalids in motion, and Ventnor
soon acquired an extensive and a permanent celebrity. The author
of "The Land we Live in" wrote :— "UntU the pubUcation of Sir
James Clark's work, its few inhabitants were nearly all fishermen.
It was the most picturesque spot along the coast, The platform was
broken into several uneven terraces. Tlie huge hills towered far up
aloft. Down to the broad smooth beach the ground ran in rouo-h

VENTNOR. 181
slopes, mingled with abrupt banks of rock, along which a brawling
rivulet careered gaily towards the sea ; and the few fishermen's huts
gave a piquant rastic liveliness to all besides. The climate seemed
most favourable. In the open gardens of the cottagers myrtle and
other tender plants flourished abundantly, and without need of protec
tion even in winter ; snow hardly ever lay on the ground ; sunny and
sheltered walks abounded ; and the beach was excellent for bathing.
Ventnor at once caught the attention of the crowd of visitors ; and
it was one of the first places to provide them suitable accommodation.
In the tiny fishing hamlet soon sprang up hotels, and boarding-houses,
and shops, and a church. Invalids came here for a winter retreat,
as weU as a summer visit. Speculation was stimulated. And then,
as FuUer has it, ' the plague of building lighted upon it,' and it spread
untU every possible spot was planted with some staring building or
row of buildings."
1. From 1844 to 1866 the affau-s of this rising to-wn were managed
by a Board of Commissioners, elected under the provisions of a local
Act. Under their auspices some considerable improvements were
effected ; one of the most important being the erection of a substantial
sea-wall in 1848, and the conversion of a long stretch of beach into an
agreeable esplanade, which is now skirted by a range of villas of
quaint and various architecture, -with spacious and comfortable hotels.
In 1866 the Local Government Act of 1858 was adopted ; and the
Board now consists of eighteen members, of whom six retire annually.
To the spirited exertions of this body Ventnor is indebted for the
completion of a really admirable system of drainage, and for great
improvements in the construction and broadening of the principal
thoroughfares ; though, from the sudden growth of the town, which
enabled proprietors and builders to indulge their individual vagaries
ad libitum, a startling amount of irregularity has resulted. " The
houses are scattered without any order or method ; they appear to
have just issued fresh from the mason's yard, and to have been set
on one side when finished, ready to be fixed in more appropriate
situations as opportunities might occur. The to-wn consists of a
medley of every possible known and unknown order of architecture,
strewn broadcast and without design on the rocky slope of the
amphitheatre formed in front of St. Boniface Down, and looking
towards the sea. Breakneck precipices and zigzag roads, at every
alarming angle of declivity, intercept the labyrinth of houses, which
stand, to all appearance, on each other's heads, peep over each other's
shoulders, and settle down on rocky ledges, out of which are scooped

182 VENTNOE.
baby gardens of more than baby loveliness, where fuchsias and
geraniums grow into trees, and myrtles and heliotropes brave the
'ethereal mildness' which characterizes the fiercest winters" {Cuthbert
Bede). Had the erection of Ventnor proceeded on a well-considered
plan, its natural advantages might have been greatly aided by art ;
yet, with all its architectural defects, it wUl always remain one
of the most charming and favoured " health-resorts " in the south
of England.
2. It is but just to state that, next to Sir James Clark, Ventnor
has been largely indebted to the late Mr. Hambrough of Steephill
Castle, who displayed much public spirit, good taste, and munificence.
To his liberality it owes the elegant church dedicated to St. Catherine,
which, with the adjacent parsonage, was erected in 1836-7. He also
rebuilt the National Schools in Albert Street.
A new and very graceful church, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, was
erected in 1861-2 for the accommodation of the eastern districts of
the town. The design (Early Decorated) was furnished by Mr. Giles
of Taunton. The spire is 160 feet in height.
The Congregational Church, in the High Street, is a building of
considerable architectural pretensions. It stands on the site of a
small chapel, which was the first place for public worship erected in
Ventnor, and dated from 1835. This was rebuUt in 1854, from plans
by Mr. Raffles Bro-wii of Liverpool, and enlarged by the addition of
transepts and the extension of the nave. It cost between £4000 and
£5000, and accommodates 650 persons.
New Congregational Sunday Schools are now (1881) in course of
erection, the memorial stone having been laid on Wednesday, May
25th, by Mrs. Huish of Coombe Woods, Bonchurch, and E. Crossley,
Esq., ex-mayor of Halifax. The buildings comprise a main hall
57 feet by 37 feet, and 40 feet from floor to ridges ; a small hall, 38
feet by 19 feet ; an infant schoolroom, 20 feet square ; and eight class
rooms. Accommodation for 500 children ; cost, £2200.
A Wesleyan Chapel will be found in High Street, and a Baptist
Chapel in Mill Street ; Primitive Methodist in Albert Street, and
Bible Christian in St. Catherine's Street. St. Wilfrid's, Roman
Catholic Church, is a neat substantial building in Trinity Road,
and was erected in 1871.
In the High Street is situated the Literary and Scientific Institute,
containing a library, reading-room, and lecture-haU. There is a
smaller Literary Institute in Albert Street.
3. Ventnor offers the visitor an abundant choice of good hotels.

VENTNOE. 183
The Royal (Johnson), at the west end of the town, is situated in
ample and pleasant garden-grounds. The Marine (Bush and Judd),
recently enlarged, occupies a fine position about 100 feet above the
sea. The Queen's (Vickers) and the Esplanade (Lambert), also
recently enlarged, are close to both the beach and the Pier. The
Crab and Lobster (Cass), lately rebuilt, retains by its side the original
low, vine-trellised inn which -witnessed the " beginnings " of Ventnor,
and, in a town where all is so new, may claim the respect due to an
ancient memorial. We may name also the Commercial, the Terminus,
and the Prince of Wales hotels. The inns it is needless to specify.
Two or three excellent boarding-houses or private hotels are well
patronized, and their situation is all that could be desired as regards
the " view " and the " shelter." Lodging-houses abound ; and the
terms, it is only fair to say, are, on the whole, exceedingly moderate
— much more so, in proportion to the accommodation afforded, than
at Ramsgate, Brighton, or Scarborough. The visitor may make his
selection according to his tastes and circumstances. Many new viUas
of a very superior kind have lately been erected ; and these will be
found in situations adapted either to invalids who require the
mildest and sunniest air, or to more robust constitutions, who en
joy the fresh -vigorous air on the higher levels.
4. A new Pier, about 600 feet in length, is the latest addition to
the attractions of Ventnor. A light, graceful, almost airy structure,
it is chiefly built of iron, with ornamental screens of glass and
timber that effectually shelter the promenade from strong winds or
glaring suns, while in no way interfering -with the glorious panorama
of clifl', and wooded terrace, and golden sands, green hUls, and shining
sea. On three evenings in the week the town band plays at the head of
the Pier.
A new landing-place has been constructed, and it is proposed to
establish a direct steamboat service with Portsmouth, so as to place
Ventnor within a three hours' journey of London. But at present,
steamers seem unable to Ue at the pier when anything like a strong
wind is blowing.
5. To the west of the to-wn, lying between the Steephill road and
the sea cliff, lie the Public Gardens and Recreation Ground, recently
secured to the town, and comprising about sixteen acres of terrace
land, from which some very lovely seascapes and landscapes may be
enjoyed. Though not much as yet has been done to add to their
natural beauty, the plans of the local authorities have been well con-

184 VENTNOE.
sidered, and in a few years these gardens will undoubtedly become
one of the greatest attractions of this attractive locality.
6. The Undercliff Assembly Rooms, in Albert Street, recently
erected by a limited liability company, comprise a suite of rooms for
the Local Board, a spacious room for public entertainments, baUs, and
concerts, with the necessary ante-rooms and offices.
7. Ventnor is well lighted with gas. Its water supply is copious
aud pure, being derived from springs in the chalk downs, several
hundred feet above the town. As the terminus of the Isle of Wight
Railway, it has ready access to all parts of the island. Coaches run
daily, throughout the year, along the beautiful district of the Under
cliff, affording ready communication with St. Lawrence, Niton, and
Blackgang ; and, in the summer season, five or six four-horse coaches
and chars-d-bancs make daily trips to Blackgang, Freshwater Gate,
Alum Bay, Carisbrooke, and other places of interest.
8. We must not leave Ventnor without paying a visit to the National
Cottage Hospital for Consumption. The site, about three-quarters of
a mile westward, is admirably adapted for the object in -view. It
commands the brightest prospects imaginable of both land and sea,
of vale and down, of grove and garden ; indeed, we may venture to
say that no hospital in Great Britain is situated in a spot so beautiful
in itself, and so favoured by climatic and other advantages. To the
inmates of the cottages we may address, though happily with a
different meaning, the words of the song in Cymheline, —
"Fear no more the heat o' the sun.
Nor the furious winter's rages."
They are protected from both. The plan of the Hospital includes,
in the centre, a prettily-buUt church, dedicated to St. Luke, with
four pairs of houses on each side ; in all, 16 houses, accommodating
100 patients. There is also a large hall, suitable for concerts, lectures,
social entertainments, and the like. It is intended, so soon as funds
will admit, to erect two subsidiary hospitals, one for men, and one
for women, while waiting their turn for admission into the Hospital
proper; also a laundry, a bakery, a dairy, with sea-baths, and an
easy access to the shore.
The Hospital was begun in 1868, and the foundation-stone of the
second block was laid, on behalf of the Queen, by Her Royal High
ness the Princess Louise. To Dr. Arthur Hill Hassall must be
ascribed the honour of originating this noble institution, and its rapid
and increasing success is mainly due to his philanthropic exertions.

On a Scale of One Inch to a Statute Mile.

District V.

VN^^OSE
'anlv Jiei/

VE NTNOR

AND ITS

ENVIRONS.

The Figures i?idicate Height i}i Feet above Sea-level.

THE UNDEECLIPP. 185
9. On the elevated terrace, near the Railway Terminus, is situated
the London City Mission Seaside Home, 350 feet above the sea-level.
It forms a handsome block of buildings, and was erected by the
liberality of Mr. Huish of Bonchurch, in order that the London city
missionaries, with their wives and families, may, in rotation, annually
enjoy a three weeks' holiday at the coast, free of all expense. It is
not often that munificence is so wisely and thoughtfully directed.
10. Bathing-machines are numerous, and can be hired at moderate
rates. The bather should be careful how he indulges in his daily
" dip," for the back draught is strong, and sometimes endangers the
safety of the imprudent. The shore consists of a fine shingle, among
which are found those pieces of transparent quartz known as Ventnor
diamonds, which, polished and wrought into all kinds of shapes,
command a considerable sale.
THE UNDERCLIFF: AND THE COAST FEOM SANDOWN TO
ST. CATHERINE'S POINT.
THE UNDERCLIFF.
The Undercliff is a region of such singular beauty and romantic
interest, that we may admit it deserves aU the praise which has been
lavished upon it. Its interchange of rock and dell, of la-wny slopes
and leafy bowers, of rugged masses of cliff, of bare, precipitous ram
parts of glittering chalk, of rippling brooks and sleepy pools, of lanes
-winding in and about thick clusters of blossomy copses — with
everywhere "the murmurous noise of waves " — renders it an enchanted
land, where fresh charms are continually being unfolded before our
admiring eyes. " A murmur from the violet vales !
A glory in the goblin dell ;
There Beauty all her breast unveils.
And Music pours out all her shell. "
Owen Meredith.
The Rev. James White speaks of it as a region too well known to
require description. Consisting of a platform varying from half a
mile to a quarter of a mile in width — bounded on the south by the
undulating bays and promontories of the Channel, and on the north
by a perpendicular wall of gray rocks, which form the buttress to a
range of downs of almost mountainous elevation — it unites two of the
principal constituents of a noble landscape. " But when, besides its
guardian hills and ever-varying ocean, we remember the richness of
its vegetation, the clearness of its air, and the wild seclusion of its
innumerable dells, the glo-wing expressions of enthusiastic tourists
(712) 15

186 THE UNDEECLIPP.
would seem not much, if at all, beyond the truth  In addition to
its beauty, the district has acquired within a few years another and
a better claim to admiration. The peculiarity of its position, guarded
from the east and north by its barrier of rock, the mildness of its air,
and the extraordinary dryness of its soil, have made it a chosen spot
for the invalid, and a refuge from the attacks of the English destroyer,
or, at least, a soother of the English disease — consumption." Equally
warm is the eulogy of Jeffrey, the " Edinburgh Reviewer." " The
chief beauty of the island," he says, "lies on the south, where it
opens to the wide ocean, and meets a warmer sun than shines upon
any- other spot of our kingdom. On this side it is, for the most part,
bounded by lofty chalk cliffs, which rise, in the most dazzling white
ness, out of the blue sea into the blue sky, and make a composition
something like Wedgwood's enamel. The cliffs are in some places
enormously high — from 600 to 700 feet. Tlie beautiful places are either
where they sink deep into bays and vaUeys, opening like a theatre to
the sun and the sea, or where there has been a terrace of low land
formed at their feet, which stretches under the shelter of that enor
mous wall, like a rich garden plot, all roughened over with masses of
rock, fallen in distant ages, and overshadowed with thickets of
myrtle, and roses, and geraniums, which all grow wild here in great
luxuriance and profusion. These spots are occupied, for the most
part, by beautiful ornamented cottages, designed and executed, for
the most part, in the most correct taste. Indeed, it could not be easy
to make anything ugly in a climate so delicious, where all sorts of
flowers, and shrubs, and foliage multiply and maintain themselves
with such vigour and rai^idity. The myrtles fill all the hedges, ,iud
grapes grow in festoons from tree to tree, without the assistance of a
wall " {Lord Cockhurn's Life of Lord Jeffrey).* Mrs. Radcliffe, the
once famous authoress of " The JMysteries of Udolpho," must be added
to the Ust of panegyrists : — " The Undercliff," she says, " is a tract of
shore formed by the fallen cliffs, and closely barricaded by a wall of
rock of vast height. We entered upon it about a mile from Niton,
and found ourselves in such a Druid scene of wildness and ruin as we
never saw before. The road is, for the most part, close to the wall of
rock, which seems to threaten the traveller with destruction, as he
passes frequently beneath enormous masses that lean forward. On
the other side of the road is an extremely rugged descent of about
half a mile to the sea, where sometimes are amphitheatres of rocks,
* This was written by Lord Jeffrey during his stay at Ventnor In 1806, at the outset
of his brilliant career.

THE UNDERCLIFF. 187
then- theatres filled with ruins, and frequently covered with verdure
and underwood that stretch up the hill-side with the wildest pomp,
sheltering here a cottage and there a villa among the rocky hillocks.
We afterwards ascended, by a steep, rugged road, to the summit of the
down, from which the views are astonishing and grand in a high
degree ; we seemed perched on an extreme point of the world, look
ing down on hills and cliffs of various height and form, tumbled into
confusion as if by an earthquake, and- stretching into the sea, which
spreads its vast circumference beyond. The look down on the shore
is indeed tremendous." " They drove," says another, " underneath
the tall and crumbling- precipices, with wood-pigeons suddenly shoot
ing out from the clefts and jackdaws wheeling about far up in the
blue. They passed by sheltered woods, bestarred with anemones and
primroses, and showing here and there the purple of the as yet half-
opened hyacinth ; they passed by lush meadows all ablaze with the
golden yellow of the celandine and the purple of the ground ivy ;
they passed by the broken, picturesque banks, where the tender
blue of the speedwell was visible from time to time, with the white
glimmer of the starwort. And then all this time they had on their
left a gleaming and wind-driven sea, full of motion and light and
colour, and showing the hurrying shadows of the fiying clouds"
( William Black).
This wUd and wonderful tract of scenery extends from Luccombe
to Blackgang Chine, is about seven miles in length, and varies
in breadth from a quarter of a mile to nearly a mile. Briefly speak
ing, it consists of an irregular table-land, — or rather, a succession of
terraces, backed by a chalk wall of unequal height, and raised 50, 60,
and even 100 feet above the sea-level. Certain internal agencies —
land springs and hidden waters — at work since the dawn of life and
light upon the world, have resulted in the separation of this strip of
land from the hills of which it was formerly a part, and the removal
of it bodily to a considerable way below them — between them, in fact,
and the sea. To understand the cause of this subsidence, it is neces
sary to be acquainted with the geological nature of the rocks, and the
influences to which they have been subjected. The strata, reckoning
from the bottom, are, first red ferruginous sand; then blue marl;
next green sandstone ; and at the top, chalk and chalk marl. " The
stratum of blue marl is soft and easily acted upon by land springs,
when it becomes mud, and oozes out ; and the sandstone and chalk
being deprived of their support, must of necessity sink do-wn. The
subsidence, if thus brought about, might be gradual and scarcely per-

188 ENVIRONS OP VENTNOE.
ceptible, except in its ultimate results ; but the sea was at the same
time beating with violence against the lower strata, and washing out
the sand and marl, which were already loosened by the springs. This
double process would go on till the superincumbent mass became
unable to sustain itself by mere adhesion to the parent rock, when it
must necessarily break away and fall forward. That this was the
way in which the Undercliff was produced, is evident from an exami
nation of the phenomena it presents, and what may be observed still
going on, though on a lesser scale. The great change in the level
must have occurred at a very distant period ; churches and houses of
ancient date, which stand in different parts of the Undercliff, show
that no very considerable alteration can have taken place for cen
turies" {Thor7ie). At East End, in 1810, a landslip destroyed 30
acres of ground; a second, in 1818, upwards of 50; and a large mass
of rock fell in 1847. But the most considerable of these convulsions
occurred in February 1799, near Niton, when a farm-house named
Pitlands, and 100 acres of land, were hurled in wild confusion towards
the shore. These, however, are local changes ; and "no great further
movement at all is to be dreaded within this district."
Here, in this Eden-nook the heliotrope, the myrtle, the fuchsia,
the petunia, and the verbena, bloom in the open air throughout the
winter. "I have counted," says the late Dr. G. A. Martin, "nearly
fifty species of garden flowers blooming in the borders in December ;
and sweet peas blossom on Christmas day ! " The bee is on the wing
when, in less favoured districts of the island, a bitter frost parches all
the meadows. The mean annual temperature is placed by observers
at not less than 51° 72' ; and as the result of eight years' calcula
tions. Dr. Martin shows that the warmer and more genial winds blow
here for the gi-eater portion of the year. Thus: S.W., 96.97 days;
K, 60.,34 days; N.E., 54.61; W., 52.54; N.W., 30.95; S., 26.72;
N., 24.46 ; and S.B., 18.85. BONCH-[JRCH.
(Hotel: Eibbands'.)
Bonchurch, anciently Bonecerce (one mile to the east of Ventnor,
with which it is now connected by rows of vUlas), is one of the oldest
villages in the Wight, and is truly " hallowed ground," if the popular
tradition that it was the scene of the early labours of St. Boniface
{bonumfacerc, to do good) has aught of truth in it. A little cove
among its rocks still bears the name of Jlonk's Bay, and is reputed to
have been the landing-place of the adventurous priests of the Abbey

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE. 189
of Lire, who brought the good tidings of Christianity to the untaught
islanders. This, it is said, took place in a.d. 755, when they raised
here a vUlage church. Sir John Oglander makes it the scene of a
descent of the French, under M. de Thais, in 1545.
But the present old church of Bonchurch cannot claim so remote an
antiquity. Most probably it was founded by one of the De Lisles
not earlier than the commencement of the fourteenth century. The
new church, a graceful structure, built in 1847, was enlarged in 1874.
In the graveyard a plain cross marks the last resting-place of the Rev.
James White.
The parish of Bonchurch-* contains 618 acres, and, in 1881, 170
inhabitants. Its boundaries are: — east, Shanklin; west, Ventnor;
north, GodshiU; and south, the Channel. Within its limits lie
scenes of greater beauty than perhaps exist anywhere else in so con
fined a space. The sea-shore is continually presenting new features
of interest ; new surprises occur at every point. Inland is an
unequalled combination of the sublime and the picturesque ; of
towering walls of glittering chalk ; of glades odorous with fiowers ; of
gardens rich in the rarest plants and most exquisite blossoms. The
entrance to the village is eminently lovely. The road is bordered
by a calm, sweet pool, on the bosom of which sleep the broad leaves
of the water-lUy, and, running under a perfect arch of elm boughs,
it winds in and out of jutting masses of rock covered with prodigal
vegetation. The huge wall of St. Boniface Down towers above the
traveller to the height of 757 feet, and from its sides leap out little
runnels in mimic cascades, filling- the air with their musical chime
and pleasant freshness.t
It is difficidt, in our narrow limits, to note down all that the tourist
ought to see in this agreeable neighbourhood. But he will ascend,
of course, the steep sides of St. Boniface Down, to enjoy the surpass
ingly beautiful panorama which spreads beneath and around it. He
wiU visit the Well — St. Bonny's or The Wishing Well — which once
bubbled brightly out of the chalky bosom of the hill, but is now
* Bonchurch was the birth-place of the gallant old seaman Admiral Hopson (see
post). -f The copiousness of waters is one of the characteristics of this charming nook,
which does, indeed, seem like a bit of the "Garden of Armida" transported hither,
between the cliffs and the sea, to show how fair nature is and can be. The scenery
may be on a somewhat miniature scale, but it is perfect of its kind, and marked by a
certain harmony of colour. WeU might Dr. Arnold describe it as "the most beautiful
place on the sea-coast on this side of Genoa." Well might John Sterling speak of it
as " the best possible earthly fairyland, combining all the varied and fanciful beauty of
enchantment with the highest degree of domestic, comfortable reality."

190 ENVIEONS OF VENTNOE.
reduced to a sandy pool. It was first discovered, says the legend,
by a certain bishop, who, riding across the hill on a misty night, lost
his way, and found his steed, to his horror, slowly sliding down the
precipitous side, until at length he suddenly drew up with his hoofs
fixed in the hollow of this weU. The bishop thereupon vowed to St.
Boniface that if he reached the bottom securely he would dedicate
to his honour an acre of land. The saint closed with the bargain;
the bishop reached home without further let or mishap; and the
land, known as The Bishop's Acre, still belongs to the glebe of Bon
church. It lies at the foot of the hill, and is marked out by a ridge
of tui-f.
In the old times, on the feast-day of St. Boniface, the village
maidens were wont to ascend the do-wn and place garlands of flowers
about the well, in honour of the patron saint. A superstition attached
to it, that a wish breathed inwardly by the stranger who for the
first time drank of its water, would assuredly be fulfiUed, — a pleas
ant enough fancy, which the lads and lasses of Bonchurch doubt
lessly, in their love-making days, turned to good account.
Standing on the brink of this magnificent precipice, "we must admit
that the picture beneath us is perfect. " The cliff is exquisitely
chiselled into horizontal blocks, richly mossed and ivied ; and there
the chough resorts and the jackdaw builds ; and here and there a
dove will -wing its way, like a snow-fiake among- the gi-ay and sable
daws " {Bendy). And spreading afar, like a sheet of molten silver,
ever flashes and gleams the apparently motionless sea.
St. Boniface Down is the general appellation of the mass or knot
of chalk-hills rising between Bonchurch and Ventnor, but its different
points have different local appellations. The hill immediately above
Ventnor is called Little Tower Down (158 feet); the hollow behind
it, with the rifle-target, is Combe Bottom ; beyond is Ventnor Down,
and to the north, Wroxall Down (764 feet). Above Bonchurch im
pends Bonchurch Down (784 feet), which thrusts a chalky arm into
the sea at Dunnose Point. Luccombe Down (760 feet) ri'fes eastward,
above Luccombe Bottom and Luccombe Chine; over Shanklin faUs
the shadow of Shanklin Down (772 feet); and St. Martin's Down
(686 feet), crested by Cook's Castle, forms the northern termination.
To reach the summit, take the path which starts from Trinity
Church, and passes the Wishing Well ; or, from the railway station,
climb the Little Tower Down, by way of the reservoir. The view
from the summit is grandly extensive, — embracing the coast-line and
Undercliff; Ventnor and Bonchurch ; St. Catherine's Down, with its

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE. 191
Ughthouse and hermitage ; the Worsley obelisk and Appuldurcombe
Down ; Brighstone and Chillerton Downs ; the white range of Fresh
water Cliffs ; and the Needles.
A cart-road, entering Wroxall Down at the Ventnor cemetery,
crosses the highlands from Ventnor to Shanklin, and opens up a
series of striking and brilliant changes. Passing through a gate, the
traveller sees before him the villages of Wroxall and Godshill, with
the rounded summit of Appuldurcombe Down; and, beyond, the
flashing lights of the Freshwater Clifi's. A little further, and his
gaze embraces, as in a picture framed between sea and sky, the
sweep of Sandown Bay, the white wall of the Culvers, the Ashey,
Brading, and Bembridge Downs, the silver sheen of the Solent, and
the long blue Une of the Hampshire coast. At the point where the
road bifurcates, one fork leading to Shanklin, the other to Cook's
Castle and Wroxall, another wide, rich, and novel prospect is pre
sented : — " To the north is a full view of the vale of Newchurch ;
and in the distance, over the summits of Arreton and Ashey Downs,
is seen the northern jjart of the island, richly clothed with wood.
The fleets at Spithead and Portsmouth are distinguished ; and the
horizon on this side is bounded by the long line of the Hampshire
and Sussex hills, extending to Beachy Head. Towards the west
appear St. Catherine's Hill with its tower, and Appuldurcombe with
its fine woods. To the north-west are the Medina, the Solent, and
the coast of Hampshire. Below, to the east, is expanded the beauti
ful Bay of Sandown, sheltered by the chalky promontory of the Culver,
which stretches far out into the sea; aud nearer is the village of
Shanklin, embosomed in trees; an extensive view of the Channel,
with its numerous sparkling vessels, completing this magnificent
prospect." The tourist may descend either into Wroxall, Shanklin, or Bon
church (on the east).
A flight of steps near the pond conducts the tourist to the Pulpit
Rock (400 feet above the sea), a bold and rugged mass of cliff (in the
grounds of The Maples), now surmounted with a wooden cross in a
wooden enclosure, — from which it derives its name,— but formerly
bearing a flagstaff, and christened " Shakespeare Rock." The rustic
wooden cross was erected, some sixty years ago, by Sir William
Heathcote (long M.P. for Oxford University) and the Hon. and Rev.
Arthur Perceval. In the beautiful grounds of Undermount (Lady
Elizabeth Pringle) rises another and similar mass of crag, called the
Flagstaff Rock, or Hadfield's Look-out, Jacob's Ladder is an ascent

192 ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE.
of 101 steps, leading to the upper part of the vUlage by way of
Balaam's Path.
The drinking-fountain near the pond was erected by subscription
as a memorial to the late Captain Huish, to whose liberality Bon
church owes its Public Rooms.
Numerous pretty villas in pretty garden grounds are scattered
about this singular district. Most noticeable are. East Dene (J.
Henry Snowdon, Esq.), designed by Mr. Beazley (the architect of
the Lyceum Theatre), with a picturesque Elizabethan interior, and
an organ which, it is said, has been touched by Queen Bess's fingers ;
Wood Lynch, the seat of the late Rev. J. White ; Winterhourne, the
residence of the late Rev. William Adams, the author of many
exquisite sacred allegories, to which we shaU more particularly allude
hereafter; Westfield, Cliff dene (J. W. Mitchell, Esq.), Orchard Leigh,
Combe Wood, The Maples, Ashcliff (the residence of Miss SeweU), and
Hillside, Ventnor, where John Sterling — Carlyle's .John Sterling — ¦
spent the last few months of his life, and died Sep)tember 18, 1844.
Bonchurch occupies an honoured place in our literary annals. It
is associated, as we have seen, with the memories of the Rev. Will
iam Adams and John Sterling ; and was long the well-loved residence
of the Rev. James White, a litterateur and dramatist of no mean
order, who is remembered as the " Fat Contributor " of Punch, and
the author of " The Eighteen Christian Centuries," and of several
plays, in one of which. The King of the Commons, Macready plaj^ed
the principal character. At his pleasant house here Tennyson was
a frequent visitor, and Charles Dickens, Thackeray, John Leech, and
Ricliard Doyle. At Underrock resided Mr. Edmund Peel, the
author of an agreeable rhetorical poem on " The Fair Island." And
at Ashcliff sliU lives and labours Miss Elizabeth SeweU, the novelist,
whose " Amy Herbert," " Laneton Parsonage," " Ivors," and " Ur
sula," ai-e household words in so many English families. She is the
daughter of a Ne-wport solicitor, and sister of Dr. SeweU, the Warden
of New College, Oxford.
Near Monk's Bay, which lies to the south of Dunnose, still remain
a few traces of a Roman encampment ; and in the vicinity have been
exhumed, at different times, urns, calcined bones, ashes, and other
significant relics of the Roman occupants of the Undercliff.
Such is a brief, cold outline of the attractions of this fairyland,
which includes within its enchanted limits a thousand varieties —
a thousand charms of scenery. " Take barren rocks," exclaims an
enthusiastic writer, " prolific soils, broken masses, elevated cliffs, and

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOR. 193
precipitous descents, an expanded sea, a -winding ri-vulet, and tranquil
lake, the wild-fiower dell and the rich pasture, the peasant's hut, the
farmer's yard, and the admired villa ; employ the colours of the bow of
heaven ; let the motions of animated nature be within observation ;
cover the whole -with an expanded arch; light it with a summer's
sun, and call it — Bonchurch." SHANKLIN.
Hotels: — Hollier's; Daish's, High Street; Eoyal Spa. Esplanade; Clarendon, and
Madeira, North Eo'ad ; Palcon, Station Eoad ; and Marine, near railway station.
Bank : — Capital and Counties, High Street.
Cricket and Lawn Tennis Clith : — Secretary, Mr. G. Tizard, Daish's Hotel.
Literary and Scientific Institution, Prospect Eoad; reading-room open every evening.
Public Reading-Boom, 2 High Street.
Post 0//(i-'!, High Street : — Deliveries, 7 a.m. and 2.15 p.m. Box closes, 9.10 a.m.,
12.40 p.m., and 7.30 p.m. On Sundays, one despatch at 6.30 p.m.
Pillar Boxes: — Station Eoad, Esplanade, and Queen's Eoad.
Shanklin, one of the leafiest of leafy villages, if now, indeed, it
may not aspire to the denomination and prerogatives of a town, — whose
" romantic glades " attracted the attention of Tom Ingoldsby ; whose
beautiful scenery has been the admiration of artist aud poet; whose
dells are prodigal of blossoms ; whose hills look out upon " the sound
ing sea," — is about 2 miles from Sandown, 4 from Ventnor, 85 from
Ryde, and occupies a table-land 300 feet above the sea, at the base of
the eastern extremity of the great chalk range of downs which forms
"the backbone" of the island. The entrance into Shanklin from
Ventnor is one of the fairest scenes in this fair country-side. The
beach is very fine, and the views seaward are endless in variety and
interest, so that the tourist, however hurried, will do well to spend
at least a day or two in the neighbourhood, and examine its chief
attractions. " Shanklin," says Keats, " is a most beautiful place ; sloping- wood
and meadow ground reach round the chine, which is a cleft between
the cliffs of the depth of nearly 300 feet at least. This cleft is filled
with trees and bushes in the narrow part, and as it widens becomes
bare, if it were not for primroses on one side, which spread to the
very verge of the sea, and some fishermen's huts on the other, perched
midway in the balustrade of beautiful green hedges along the steps
do-wn to the sand" {Life and Letters). Here is a picture from
another hand, not less graphic: — "This viUage is very small and
scattery, all mixed up with trees, and lying among sweet airy falls
and swells of ground, which finally rise up behind to breezy downs
800 feet high, and sink down in front to the edge of the varying

194 ENVIRONS OP VENTNOE.
cliffs, which overhang a pretty beach of fine sand, and are approach
able by a very striking wooded ravine which they call the Chine "
{Lord Jeffrey, in Life by Cockburn).
" The corner to my mind in the Isle of Wight. There is no spot
like Shanklin. There is no cool green corner in the island like
Shanklin. Its wonderful variety, its woods, and streams, and brool<s,
and picturesque houses, give it the prize unquestionably for beauty.
The great drawback to all sea-side places is the glare of the sun.
The Isle of Thanet and the South Sussex coast are charming enough,
but the white blaze from the chalk is often terrible. There is no
need of blue spectacles at Shanklin. It is all green and soothing.
You enter the village from the sea, through a tunnel of green, and
the famous chine is all shady nook and bubbling brook. Nor need it
be said that Shanklin is dull or uninteresting  There is archery on
the sands, and boat-building, and bathing, and horses to ride, and
croquet in the villa gardens, and all over the village cool corners for
reading or working " {Clement Scott). A writer of agreeable vers de
^ociVde sings : — " When I am weary and alone.
Quite broken down or sadly undone ;
When constitution lacks ozone.
And pores are stopped by dirty London —
The doctor recommends a nag
For change or cares in bosom ranklin' ;
But I pack up a carpet-bag.
And take an early train to Shanklin."
Shanklm would be scarcely recognized by any person visiting it
after an interval of ten or fifteen years. The " everlasting hills " are
the same ; and the smooth sands, and the dark cliffs, and the broad
sweep of blue waves are the same ; and in the neighbourhood many
a pleasant nook and leafy haunt happily remain unaltered ; but the
little village, which lay embosomed in " a wealth of greenery,'' has
developed into a watering-place of considerable proportions. The
cluster of pretty cottages has grown into a town, with its Local
Board, its gas-works, its water-works, and all those comforts and
conveniences which are so hostile to the picturesque. Still it is
"beautiful exceedingly," and if the speculative buUder will stay his
hand, may long continue so. In illustration of its rapid growth, we
may state that its population, only 477 in 1861, was 2035 in 1871,
and is now estimated at 3000.
It has three churches. St. Saviour's, on the cliff, consecrated in
1869, but with tower and spire not yet complete; — a graceful Early
English building, designed by Mr. Hellyer. The parish church,

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE. 195
dedicated to St. John the Baptist (but anciently to St. Blaize), is finely
sifraated in the heart of a noble grove of elms. It has been consider
ably enlarged of late, and is now a cruciform structure of consider
able proportions. St. Paul's, Gatten, near the railway station, is in
the Early English style, and of handsome design. At present it is
not completed.
The Congregationalists, Wesleyans, and Bible Christians have each
a meeting-house. The Literary and Scientific Institute is situated iu
Prospect Eoad. It is in the Grecian style, with a spacious hall.
We commend Shanklin to the tourist as a convenient and very
agreeable resting-place, from which he may explore some of the most
characteristic scenery of the island. The wanderer in search of
health will find it sheltered from cold winds, and gifted with an
in-vigorating air; while the sea-side visitor will be able to boat,
bathe, swim, drive, ride, walk, or saunter, under eminently favour
able conditions.
A pleasant walk (IJ mile) along the firm, broad sands, leads to
Luccombe Chine, one of the most noticeable of these depressions. It
forms a deep ra-vine or cleft in the bare, precipitous cliffs, about 100
yards wide at its mouth, but rapidly narrowing ,as it penetrates some
500 or 600 feet inland. It has been formed by the action of a small
rill on the strata of ferruginous sand, which descends in one or two
mimic cascades. At the foot, on a ledge or platform of whitish sand
mixed with shale, clusters a group of fishermen's huts, -with their
picturesque adjuncts of nets and lobster-pots, boats and capstans.
A path on the west side of the Chine ascends to the summit
of the cliff, and returns to Shanklin at a point near Hollier's
Hotel. Or the tourist, passing Bowlwood (the fishermen's settlement
already described), may keep along the terrace to Steel Bay,
where the Underley was wrecked in October 1872, and thence climb
up into the scene of the landslip of 1818. Here the rocks displaced
by the great convulsion have been piled upon the shore in wild and
even grotesque confusion. " A considerable portion of the cliff has
fallen down, strewing the whole ground between it and the sea with
its ruins; huge masses of solid rock started up amidst heaps of
smaller fragments." Lying amid a thick growth of luxuriant vege
tation, they might be taken for the playthings of the Titans, which
they have flung away in scorn. " The lover of nature will not be
content to keep to the beaten path, but will wander at will by the
rough tracks which lead over the rifted rocks aud through the tangled

196 ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE.
hazel thickets, discovering fresh beauties at every step. He should
by all means make his way to the base of the cliffs (which are about
150 feet high), where only the size of the huge masses of rock which
have been rent bodily from the parent hill can be appreciated, and an
estimate formed of the enormous force which hurled them from their
height." This is one of the botanist's " happy hunting-grounds." He will
find here the rock sandwort, musk mallow, mountain St. John's wort,
wood vetch, wild everlasting pea, milk thistle, common gromweU,
ivy-rape, and Italian wake-robin.
A stroll by the road to Bonchurch and the Undercliff is also full of
interest aud variety. The road winds through open groves and green
pastures up the fiank of the hiU of Dunnose, affording at every point
the most delightful views. The village, with its leafy gardens,
occupies the foreground ; then, in succession, the eye surveys the fine
sweep of Sandown Bay, terminated by the white walls of the Culver,
the low marsh-land stretching away to Brading, and even, across the
Solent, the shipping in the noble anchorage at Spithead. From the
top of the ascent may be observed the chalky heights of Yaverland
and the blue seas beyond, the distant hills of Hampshire and Sussex
running from west to east in a long clean line, until they melt into
the horizon; and the glittering cliffs from Brighton to Beachy Head
are sometimes plainly visible.
We shall briefly indicate a few enjoyable excursions : —
1. To the Landslip by the Cliff. — Through Chine Hollow and across
the Popham Road, entering the open breezy fields near the Hermi
tage : from this point the view is very fine in the boldness of its
details and the depth of its colouring. Passing along the Thems, we
catch a glimpse of Luccombe beach, and enter a gate close to the
grounds of Chine Cottage. At Rose Cliff we strike into the Coppice,
aud emerge ui^on the Landslip.
2. To Wroxall. — From the old parish church we cross the fields to
the top of Low Pitt Cliff, the northern section of Shanklin Down, and
along the edge of the precipice proceed until the Woi-sley Obelisk
looms in sight, when we cross a stile and enter a wood, which takes
us to the belvedere, or turreted two-storied tower, of Cook's Castle,
erected, it is said, to improve the view from Appuldurcombe. It is
now used as a restaurant, where tea and hot water are supplied to
picnic parties. The two small guns here belonged to the late Earl of
Yarborough's yacht. From the "castle-roof" we command one of
those glorious pictures which, once seen, are never after to be for-

ENVIRONS OP VENTNOE. 197
gotten as long as " memory holds its seat." Included in it are the
fertUe valley of Newchurch, the downs of Ashey and Arreton, the
gray tower of Godshill church, the towns of Shanklin and Sandown,
and the expanse of Brading Haven, the long- crest of the chalk downs
extending to the west point of the island, Appuldurcombe nestling
among luxuriant woods, and the ruined battlements of historic
Carisbrooke. We now descend to Wroxall {Railway Hotel), where we can take
the rail, or return by the hamlet of Apse Reach and Cliff Farm.
3. To Languard (or Landguard). — Passing the Hide Farm, we
enter the umbrageous seclusion of Tinker's Lane, and through the
leafy woods of America, make our way to the old gabled manor-house
now known as Apse Farm. Here in April and May the profusion of
wUd flowers makes it one of the most charming nooks in the neigh
bourhood of Shanklin and Ventnor. Primroses, blue hyacinths,
-riolets, frail wood-anemones, purple orchis, wood-sponge, wake-robin,
and other sweet spring flowers, edged in by ferny banks and numer
ous thickets, combine to enhance the attractions of a bower which
the olden poets would have made the haunt of Oreades.
From Apse we proceed to Ninham (see p. 178), which is most pleas
antly situated, and thence across the fields to Languard Manor House
(erected by Colonel Atherley on the site of the old manor-house).
Some fine yews are worthy of notice. At Merrygarden (from merise,
a cherry) we enter the main road, and return through Lake to
Shanklin. 4. To Godshill. — By Grange Road, up West HiU Lane, to Mount
Pleasant; enter the fields, and keep straight on to Cliff Farm.
Thence a footpath across the fields leads to the railway. Cross to
Apse; keep to the left; pass into Apse GuUey and under the
railway ; cross some fields and the raUway once again ; and a straight
footpath conducts you into the Ventnor Road at Whiteley Bank
comer. AVe keep to the road past French Mill (so called from the
French monks who held Appuldurcombe Priory), Sandford village,
and Sandford House (M. Sportali ; the grounds of which are open to
the public), and arrive at GodshiU {^eepost). " Hollow lanes burrow
ing in the red soil, overhung with banks bright in the spring with a
profusion of daffodils, wind steeply to the church,'' the view from
which will deeply gratify the lover of the picturesque.
Return through Appuldurcombe Park to Wroxall.
5. To Newchurch. — Take the road to Languard and Merrygarden ;
at the latter point turn to the left, and again to the right, which will

198 ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE.
conduct us to Borthwood (Borwood or Bordwood), the leafy shades
of which appeal irresistibly to the tired wayfarer. A diversion may
be made to the knoll of Queen's Bower, where IsabeUa de Fortibus,
" Lady of the Island," was wont to post herself to watch the chase in
the neighbouring glades. Thence to Newchurch ; returning by train
from Sandown, or by road, through Winford, across Apse Heath to
Cheverton, and by Whitecross and Languard.
6. To Sandown and Bembridge. — Along the edge of the cliff a
footpath leads to Sandown, where, at the Battery, we enter the high
road, and continue along to the Fort ; after which we ascend to the
Culver Cliff (213 feet). Beneath us, to the northward, lies the woody
dell once consecrated by the chapel of Woolverton ; " if we take tradi
tion for our guide, we shaU believe that once, on yon green plain,
stood a considerable city." Further on, the charming village of
Bembridge nestles among the profuse verdui-e ; and the rocky ledge
of Bembridge Point extends its giant arm for more than a mile into
the sea. The Hermits Hole is on the south side of the cliff, about 30
feet below the brink. On the down the Yarborough jDillar forms a
conspicuous landmark; whence we may descend into the village, and
return through Yaverland ; or we may go on into Bembridge, and
take the road along the side of Brading Haven to Yarbridge, where
we re-enter the Sandown road.
7. To the Cemetery. — By the Languard road, past Languard Manor
House, to Whitecross Cottage ; and thence, by a leafy lane, to the
cemetery. As Shelley says in the preface to his Adonais: " It might
make one in love with death to think that one should be buried in so
sweet a place." " Here pause. These graves are all too young as ret
To have outgrown the sorrow which consigned
Its charge to each."
Here lie interred the rernains of some of the Eurydice crew whose
bodies were washed ashore at Shanklin.
Shanklin, then, is not only an agreeable residence for invalids, but
a capital centre for the hale and heart}' pedestrian, who may " walk
hither and thither for many a long day " before he finds a spot more
delicious. It dates its popularity as far back as the reign of Charles
II., when its chalybeate spring* drew to the place the butterflies of
fashion. The Jacobites of the Isle of Wight resorted to it in the
early days of the House of Hanover; and it is said that an old
' This spring is situated in a ferny grotto at the back of the Eoyal Spa Hotel. It
was prescribed by Dr. Fraser, phs'sician to Charles II., with much success.

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOR. 199
summer pavilion in the Manor House Garden-* was their favourite
rendezvous, where, with the then Squire of Shanklin at their head,
they pledged the health of " Charlie over the water " upon bended
knee. Nor is it without its literary associations. Bishops Hind
(of Norwich) and Hampden (of Hereford) were here in their under
graduate days, in the summer of 1812 ; and devoted themselves to
their books, with the refreshment of an occasional walk along the
sea-shore. Archbishop Whately is another of its "celebrities."
Keats was here with his friend Brown in the early part of 1819,
writing the play of " Otho the Great " (of which Brown invented the
plot) and his fine poem of " Lamia.'' And in 1846, the year before
his death. Lord Jeffrey -was a visitor. "We enjoyed," he says,
"three weeks' very -sweet, tranquil, and innocent seclusion, which
we left with much affection and some regret " {Life, by Lord
Cockburn). Among the "objects of interest" at Shanklin will probably be con
sidered the house known as "Rose Bank," where for some time
resided the clever but unscrupulous " Count " Yonge or Benson,
notoi-ious as the hero of the great Turf Conspiracy. The thatched
cottages about the Crab Inn are representative of Old Shanklin.
Close to the inn, at the entrance to Chine Hollow, stands a rustic
fountain, ornamented with the British and American flags on a smaU
shield, and bearing the following lines, written by the poet Long-
feUow while sojourning at Hollier's Hotel in 1868 : —
" O traveller, stay thy weary feet ;
Drink of this fountain, pure and sweet ;
It flows for rich and poor the same.
Then go thy way, remembering StiU
The wayside well beneath the hill,
The cup of water in His name.-'
The Esplanade is a noble drive and promenade, extending to the
Coastguard Station. The northern section, beyond the Royal Spa
Hotel, was built about ten years ago ; the southern section in 1880.
A new pier (to measure 1000 feet in length by 26 feet in width) is
in course of construction.
' The Manor House will be well known to the reader of Holme Lee's " Wind and
Tide." " Holme Lee," Miss Harriet Parr, resides at Whitwell Mead.

200 ENVIRONS OP VENTNOE.

SANDOWN.
Hotels : Sandown, King's Head, Esplanade, York, Station, Eoyal Pier.
Post Office, High Street ; Deliveries at 7 a.m. and 2 p.m. ; box closes, 9.20 a.m.,
12.45, and 7.50 p.m.
Bank : Capital and Counties.
Skating Pink, on the Esplanade.
Railway : The Eyde and Ventnor lino is here joined by the Newport Junction,
which has stations at Ulverstone, Newchurch, Horringford, Merston, Black-
water, and Shide.
Sandown is a town and ecclesiastical district in the parish of
Brading, skirting a bay of the same name, and lying in the lowlands
between the heights of Bembridge on the one hand, and the huge
bulk of Shanklin Down on the other. It is about six miles distant
from Ryde and ten miles from Newport. In' 1861 it contained a
population of 1743 souls; but this, in 1881, had increased to 3500, so
rapid has been the gro-wth of the place through the exertions of some
public-spirited residents, as well as its eminent advantages of position.
Its semi-circular sweep of bay is very fine ; the sands are firm and
broad, and offer great facilities to bathers. Agates and other stones
fit for polishing are found on the shore. To the east extend the
grand chalk cliffs of the Culvers ; on the west rises the dark sand
stone headland of Dunnose Point ; and between these extremes
stretches a range of cliffs of sand and clay, interrupted only by the
gap in which the to-wn has been planted. The air is bland without
being relaxing ; good water is abundant ; the drainage is arranged
on an exceUent system ; the surrounding country is full of beauty
and variety. What more need be said in its praise 1 It has, like
other watering-places, its bathing-machines and baths ; its pleasure
boats and pleasure vehicles ; its lodging-houses, churches, and
chapels ; a reading-room and croquet-grounds, attached to the new
and spacious Town Hall ; an Esplanade ; and a Pier (350 feet long)
of light and elegant construction. It has also a station on the
Isle of Wight Railway (from Ryde to Ventnor), at its junction with
the Newport line. And to some visitors it may be a recommendation
that it was the residence for two months, in the summer of 1874, of
the Prince and Princess Imperial of Germany (our Princess-Royal).
Sandown (anciently Sandham) Fort was a link in the chain of
island defences erected by Henry VIII. The encroachments of the
sea compelled the removal of this early block-house, in the reign of
Charles I., to a site farther inland. But the development of the
science of military engineering having rendered it useless, it was
taken down in 1864, and a new and stronger "place of arms"

ENVIRONS OP VENTNOR. 201
erected, nearer to the Bembridge Down. This new fort at first was
faced with granite, but is now armour-plated ; will accommodate
250 men ; and is armed with ten 10-inch guns. At Yaverland is an
earthen battery, with eight 7-inch guns, flanking the beach and also
firing seaward. Farther on lies Red Cliff, another western battery,
with four 7-inch guns, of which one is directed seaward, while the
others command the bay. Then to the west of Sandown Ues San
down Barrack Battery, with five 7-inch guns, which meet the fire of
Red Cliff, and completely sweep the beach.
Sandown contains two churches. Christ Church, in Upper San
down, a graceful building in the Early English style, dating from
1847. It has been twice enlarged, and now comprises nave, aisles,
chancel, with low tower and spire. Accommodates about 700. In
the churchyard lie buried some of the unfortunate crew of the
Eurydice, whose bodies were washed ashore. St. John the Evangelist,
in Lower Sandown, was completed in the spring of 1881, from the
designs of Mr. Lack, of London, at a cost of £7000. The Congre
gational and Wesleyan Chapels are both handsome buildings.
Many of the best sketches of WUliam Collins the artist — the
father of the novelist — were made in this neighbourhood and in that
of Shanklin.
Here the notorious John Wilkes had a cottage, or, as in his corre
spondence he loved to term it, " a viUakui." In May 1788 he obtained
a lease of it from General Barker of Stickworth, and immediately
fitted it up to suit his own fantastic ideas. From a floorcloth manu
factory at Knightsbridge he brought various strange "pavUions,"
which he placed in prominent positions in his garden, and converted
into aviaries and dovecots. To birds he was specially partial, and he
found a constant source of amusement in watching their habits.
Here he reared semi-classical tombs and piUars, and wrote inscrip
tions upon them in a stilted style. In the shrubbery a Doric
column, raised on a model of Virgil's tomb (the interior of which
was used as a -wine-ceUar), bore the foUowing legend : " Carolo
Churchill, Divino Poetce, Amioo Jucundo, Civi optime de Patria
merito" (To Charles Churchill, the divine poet, the pleasant friend,
the citizen who has deserved the best of his country) ; on a tablet in
a " Tuscan " room were these words : " Fortunoe Reduci et Civitati
Londinensi, P. Johannes Wilkes, Insolce, 1789"; and in his sitting-
room : " To Filial Piety and Mary Wilkes. Erected by John Wilkes,
1789." In this pleasant countryside he spent his later years, visiting and
(712) 16

202 ENVIRONS OP VENTNOE.
being visited by the island gentry — the Oglanders, the Bassetts, the
Fitzmaurices, the Hills, and the Worsleys — and occasionally return
ing to the "strepitus fumusque"of London. Here he wrote his
"Memoirs" and cultivated his little four-acre demesne. With his
powdered queue neatly tied in a bag, his suit of gold and scai-let, his
ample frills and ruffs, and his long boots dra-wn above his knees, he
stalked about the neighbourhood of Shanklin and Sandown "the
observed of all observers," and the deus major of the simple vUlage
folks. His " -viUakin " has been pulled down, and a draper's shop now
occupies its site. A library chair which belonged to him is preserved
at the residence of Mr. Riddicks, the deputy-steward of Brading,
who is also the possessor of a lock of hair shorn from the head of
Elizabeth Wallbridge, the " Dairyman's Daughter."
Sandown Bay, on Sunday March 24, 1878, was the scene of a
grievous calamity. The Eurydice, a training-ship, with upwards of
300 men and boys on board, homeward bound from the West Indies,
was caught by a sudden squall, after doubling Dunnose Point, and
before her canvas could be furled, heeled over, and -went down in
fourteen fathoms of water. Only two of her crew were saved.
The Roman Villa. — A fresh evidence of the Roman occupation of
the island was discovered in April 1880, when, under the super
vision of Captain Thorpe and Mr. W. Munns of Brading, portions
of a Roman vUla were excavated at Morton, near Brading. Other
portions have since been revealed to the light of day, under the
skiKul direction of Messrs. J. E. and F. G. H. Price, with the result
of showing that the -viUa was built on an extensive scale, and
originaUy decorated -with much taste and effect. Its situation was
well chosen. Standing on the lower slope of a chalk hUl, which runs
from east to west, it overlooked the shining expanse of the creek now
known as Brading Harbour, where perhaps the Roman galleys often
lay at anchor. It is probable that the Yar was then navigable as far
up as Street End. Thick woods clustered on the declivity of Bem
bridge peninsula, and spread away beyond the marshes in the
direction of Ryde. There would seem to have been a direct com
munication between the villa and the Roman military station at
Carisbrooke ; and Mr. Nicholson ¦* claims to have traced its route by
means of place-names and disjointed bits of a bridle road which is
stUl called " the old road." It began south-east of the viUa at Street
* Mr. C. Nicholson, in The Aiiti.quanj, -vol. iii. p. 7. See also his " Descriptive
.'Vccount of the Eoman Villa at Brading " (pub. by Mr. Elliot Stock).

ENVIRONS OP VENTNOR. 203
End, on the Yar, and under the slope of the rolling downs struck
inland by Adgestone (Agger-stone), Arreton Street, Standen (or
Stone-den), and Gatcombe (the gate or opening through the valley).
At Standen some tumuli have been discovered by the Ordnance
Surveyors. These may be either of British or of Saxon origin : if
British, they prove that the Romans adopted an old British way ; if
Saxon, they show that the Saxons made use of the road traced out
by their great predecessors.
As to the date at which the villa was built, the fact that coins of
the Emperor Gallienus have been found both here and among the
ruins of the -villa at Carisbrooke may be held to demonstrate that
they were contemporaneous in their erection, and belong- to the reign
of GalUenus (about a.d. 250-260).
The whole of the villa has not yet been uncovered. The principal
apartments, however, are thrown open ; what is now wanted is the
porta, or entrance, which would afford a key to their arrangement.
In one suite of the building are a dozen reception-rooms, one of
which, apparently a corridor or colonnade, measures 60 feet in
length. Then there is a grand double room, with richly-decorated
floor, measuring 40 feet by 18. This one suite is 52 feet in breadth,
from east to west ; while from south to north continuous walls extend
200 feet to the hypocaust and furnace. Several outer and inferior
chambers, at a distance from the principal rooms, have been un
covered. Some of these, as their walls are stuccoed and painted,
belonged perhaps to the gynceceiim, or women's quarter. Beyond
these again, to the east, stand the broken walls of several apartments
in which were accommodated the numerous servants, slaves, and
dependants of the proud patrician owner of the villa.
In the opinion of competent authorities, the mosaic pavements, in
number and beauty, are unequalled by any in England. " What we
may call the state apartment, 40 feet long by 18 feet wide, presents,
from end to end, the features of a horizontal picture-gallery — a
tesselated pinacotheca. It is a double room, divided by an inlet of
soUd masonry, constructed apparently for the support of an archi
trave from which a curtain or screen depended. Broken pieces of
stucco, painted in imitation of veined marble, show that clusters of
fresco ran round this and other chambers."
In the centre of the room which we have caUed a corridor, or
colonnade, is a circular medallion, 4 feet in diameter, which repre
sents Orpheus seated. He holds in his hand the magic lyre which
has brought to his side, by the beauty of its strains, a monkey, a

204 ENVIRONS OP VENTNOE.
fox, a peacock, and a chough. In the state apartment, or atrium, at
the east end, may be observed a square of striking groups of figures.
A circular medallion, forming the centre, represents a fine head of
Medusa, with its tresses of snakes. Around it are arranged four
smaller medallions, each containing a male and a female figure : —
1. Ceres, the goddess of harvest, offers some seeds or corns of wheat
to Triptolemus, who holds in his left hand the single-shared plough
which he is said to have invented.
2. Arethusa flees from the river-god Alpheus, as in the myth
which Shelley has so beautifully rendered : —
"Like a gloomy stain
On the emerald main,
Alpheus rushed behind, —
As an eagle pursuing
A dove to its ruin
Do-wn the streams of the cloudy wind."
It is quite possible, however, that the two figures may represent the
pursuit of Daphne by Apollo.
3. Apparently intended for Hercules and the Lydian queen
Omphale, who is receiving from him the double-headed axe, which
he had taken from the Amazons.
4. In this group the male figure is supposed to be Daphnis, with
his Phrygian cap on. He holds in one hand the Pandean pipe which
Pan taught him to play, and in the other the shepherd's crook, which
symbolizes his pastoral avocations. The female figure may represent
Terpsichore, or, as she is not connected with the Daphnis myth, his
mistress Piplsea ; she is dancing vigorously, and fiourishes a tympanum
or tambourine.
Placed opposite to each other in this square are four heads of
Mercury, each with his -winged cap ; two are blowing a straight
trumpet, and two a buccina or conch.
Midway between the quadrangles of figure-groups, on an oblong
panel, is the seated figure of a bearded astronomer ; probably
Hipparchus, the father of astronomy and trigonometry. Placed by
his side are the astronomical instruments to which he owed his fame ;
namely, a sun-dial raised on a tall pillar ; a terrestrial sphere, to
which he points with a wand in his right hand ; and a basin-shaped
instrument on the left, with a staff, pike, or finger in the middle,
supposed to be a planisphere, gnomon, or horologium {Nicholson).
" The pictorial square of the western half of this state apartment is
less perfect than the eastern portion, but the hand and skill of the

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE, 205
same artist are here, both in design and execution. Four heads are
placed at the four angles of this square, appropriately adorned,
representing the seasons of the year ; and what is noticeable, as
showing the nice observation of the designer, is the fact that winter
is placed, as near as may be, to the north, summer to the south,
spring to the east, and autumn to the west. Here, also, is a group
of two figures, male and female, Perseus and Andromeda — Perseus
holding at arm's-length his trophy of the head of Medusa, and
Andromeda by his side chained to the rock." There are two corre
sponding ornamented margins at the eastern and western extremities
of this state apartment ; one filled up with tritons and mermaids ;
the other with a decorative arrangement of inch cones, in white,
which it is impossible to believe exhibits "the Swashtika of the
Buddhists, or Greek archaic cro.ss."
In a smaUer room, near the hypocaust, is a semi-circular bath, with
stuccoed sides, nearly 8 feet long and 4 feet broad. The hypocaust,
or heating chamber, contains fifty-four upright pillars of flat tiles, 8
inches square and 2^ feet high ; these supported the floor, of which
not a vestige is extant.
In a square apartment, one of the reception-rooms, and the first
discovered, are five medallions of great interest. There were origi
nally nine, but four were destroyed, it is conjectured, by the Saxon
occupants of the vUla. These five represent —
1. The head and face of a Bacchante, with flowing curls hanging
down to the neck.
2. The fable of the fox and the grapes.
3. The figure of a god, which, from the sceptre or staff in the right
hand, may be meant for Jupiter.
4. A gladiator {retiarius), armed with "the trident and net, triumph
ing over his crouching adversary.
5. A composite creature, part man, part cock ; it has a man's body,
draped in a tunic, with a man's arms, hands, and legs, but the crested
head of a cock, and cock's claws, armed with two long straight spurs.
In explanation of this last-named figure two hypotheses have been
put forward : — " Classical histories, legends, and heathen mythology,
faU to furnish us with a satisfactory interpretation ; the key must
therefore be sought in symbolism, to which the Roman artists fre
quently reverted. The pagans openly ridiculed and insulted, by
pen and pencil, the Christian religion after its introduction into
Italy." There is extant a satirical caricature " on the plastered face
of a wall in a military guard-house on the Palatine Hill. It repre-

206 ENVIEONS OF VENTNOE.
sents the figure of a man with the head of an ass fastened to a cross,
there being no doubt that it is designed for Christ and the cross of
Calvary ; whilst a person stands before it in the act of adoration — the
inscription, ' Alexamenos worships God,' clearly describing the scene.''
Therefore, " this incongruous human cock may have been intended as
a symbol of Christianity, the ' new doctrine,' as the heathens called
it at the time " ( !) ; or, " may have been designed to represent St.
Peter, personally .symbolizing the ' new doctrine,' the spurs being
intended to show antagonism to the pagan worship, while paganism
is represented by the elevated temple alongside." We need hardly
comment on the fantastic character of these interpretations. Not
only would the symbol have been unintelligible as such to the
Romans of the third century, but it is improbable that a Roman
soldier or patrician in the remote Isle of Wight would care to work
into the decorations of his villa a permanent caricature of a creed of
which he probably did not know the name.
A third suggestion has been offered : that the proprietor of this
villa may have been a discontented Roman, or auxiliar of Rome,
who chose to caricature the then reigning emperor, Gallienus, at a
safe distance, by a pictorial pun and emblem of his name. Here again
we may point to the improbability that he would resort to a carica
ture of so permanent nature ; nor does there seem any very close
connection between gallus (a cock) and Gallienus. A more reason
able theory has been put forward by Miss Frances Power Cobbe,
that the figure is neither more nor less than a pictorial representation
of Alectryon, who was tr.insformed into a cock. With this explana
tion we think the tourist will do well to rest content.
" What strikes almost all observers, now that a vista of the sub
structure of such extensive apartments lies before them, is the circum
stance that these remains should have lain concealed 'under the ribs
of death ' for sixteen centuries, within two inches of the top soil,
without being discovered. The ploughshare has gone over them
thousands of times without disturbing their repose. And the
probability is, that there are other similar remains in the neighbour
hood, and possibly in other parts of the island, which would yield to
the axe and spade a rich archaeological harvest. What is revealed,
however, is an encouragement to future investigators ; and it is only
by such efforts that we can find how the proud conquerors of the world
lived in the distant provinces subject to their .-^way " {Nicholson).

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE. ' 207

EXCURSIONS.
1. To Red Cliff. — A pleasant walk of a mile and a half along the
sands or cliffs, ascending or descending at the Cuckoo Road, or,
beyond, at the Limpet Road, where the sandstone ends and the
chalk begins.
2. To Shanklin, by the sands, about two miles. This walk should
be taken when the tide is on the ebb ; at high water the headland of
Little Stairs Point is impassable. The cliffs are almost perpendicular,
and range from 100 to 150 feet in height, exposing sections of the
lower beds of the green-sand, which are arranged with remarkable
regularity of position. Occasionally the bare face of the precipice is
relieved by broken ledges, on which a rank verdure clusters. The
distinctness of the different beds will be noted by the most careless
observer. The clay and the sand alternate ; sometimes they rise in
" mural cUffs," the loamy surface of which is continually falling away
in large patches ; sometimes they project in irregular shelves, covered
with coarse vegetation, and bright in the early summer with the
yellow golden lotus, or stained with ochreous tints by the streams of
water, which, filtering through the sandy strata, ooze forth from the
more retentive clay and trickle down the declivities.
3. To Shanklin, by the Cliff. — We start from a point at the west end
of the to-wn, near the Battery — observe that the Barracks are used at
present as a convalescent hospital for soldiers — and come out near
Shanklin Chine. It is said that this path, which commands inde
scribably beautiful views of the green downs and the shining waters,
was a favourite resort of the late Bishop Wilberforce.
4. To Bembridge Down and Whitecliff Bay. — Passing the Sandown
Hotel, the coast-guard station, and the new Fort, we take the foot
way along the edge of the cliffs, leaving- Red Cliff Battery on our
right, and Yaverland Battery on our left. The path then bifurcates :
one fork proceeding to Bembridge Do-wn and the Yarborough monu
ment ; the other ascending to the Fort on the summit of the hill.
From the Fort we enjoy a panorama as beautiful as it is extensive.
The sea shimmers with a magical glow; and the broad sweep of
Sando-wn Bay is grandly terminated by the romantic outlines of
Dunnose. The towns of Sandown and Shanklin are included in the
picture, -with a lofty background of chalk hills, Shanklin, and Appul
durcombe Downs ; and noting the Worsley obelisk and Hoy's pillar,
the eye ranges over the fair and fertile vaUey which is closed up by
the acclivities of ChUlerton. At one end of what was Brading

208 ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE.
Haven lie the houses of St. Helen's and St. Helen's Fort; at the
other, Brading village and its ancient church, with the mansion and
woods of Nunwell. Nearer to us are the church and viUas of Bem
bridge, rising out of a bower of foliage ; and the pretty hamlets of
Yaverland and Yarbridge. The picture is completed by a distant
view of Upper Ryde, Swanmore Church, and Aldermoor Mill, with,
across the Solent, the Hampshire coast to Southsea and Portsmouth.
Seen in the freshness of a summer morning, this wide landscape has
a thousand shifting lights and shadows which gift it with the charm
of a constant variety of character. We have gazed upon it tUl from
our heart has sprung the spontaneous exclamation — " Great are thy
works, O Father of good ! great, and glorious, and most beautiful to
behold!" The view from the Yarborough Monument, which formerly stood
where now stands the Fort, is very similar in extent and details to
the one just described.
A path winding through brake and bramble descends to White
cliff Bay, a charming nook, sheltered by the Culver Cliffs and the
Bembridge Foreland. The vari-coloured strata of sand, limestone,
and marl produce an effect scarcely inferior to that which gives
celebrity to Alum Bay.
5. To Yaverland and Bembridge. — The road passes the site of the
old Sandown Fort, and strikes the new Fort, before it turns to the
left, and rises gently to the picturesque hamlet of Yaverland, with
its old manor-house, and older church, and leafy elms. Beyond
the church it divides — the right hand branch striking away to Bem
bridge, the left abruptly descending to Yarbridge. Following the
former, which commands a succession of attractive views, we con
tinue to Knowles Farm (116 feet), and then descend into Bembridge.
The return journey may be made by the cliffs, or, at low water, by
the shore ; p;issing Earl Fitzwilliara's secluded seat, then Lane End
village, the Foreland, the Crab and Lobster Inn, Black Rock Point,
Whitecliff Bay, the Culvers (200 feet) ; the semi-detached rock of
the White Horse, the shallow caverns of the Nosters, and the Shag
Rock. At Limpet Road, we ascend to the top of the cliffs, and by
way of Red Cliff, Yaverland, and Sandown Fort, make our way back
to our starting-point at Sandown.
6. To Newchurch. — Newchurch can be reached by rail, but the
beauties of the country can be appreciated only by the pedestrian.
We take the road to Lake ; at the Stag Inn turn sharp to the right,
;vnd by Merry Garden proceed to Cheverton and Apse Heath. A

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE. 209
passing visit is made to the Dairyman's Cottage (nearly a mUe from
Horringford Station, opposite a Methodist chapel), with its low
thatched roof and white-washed walls ; then we retrace our steps to
Winford, and follow the highroad into the viUage of Newchurch,
" where all things always seem the same," such is the monotonous tran-
quUlity of the place. The return journey may be arranged to include
Knighton and Alverstone ; or we may proceed northward, cross the
Yar at Lang Bridge; keep eastward to Alverstone; turn to the
left for Grove Farm ; thence to Adgeton or Adgestone ; at Morton
we may inspect the remains of the recently-discovered Roman villa ;
and along a pleasant lane proceed to Yarbridge, where we strike
the main road from Ryde to Sandown, Shanklin, and Ventnor.
7. To Cook-'s Castle and Appuldurco?nbe. — Through Lake to Merry
Garden, Cheverton, and Apse Heath. Turn to the left, and past
Princelet Farm and Batchelor's Farm, continue to Whitely Bank.
Thence to Appuldurcombe. At Wroxall we may take the rail, or
ascend the down to Cook's Castle, and return by way of Hatchet
Close Cliff, descending to Upper Hide, America, and Ninham, where
we turn to the right, pass Languard Manor House, and strike the
main road, about 1-| mile below Sandown.
8. To Brading and Arreton. — This road is accessible to " carriage
folk." But the pedestrian will proceed to Brading Mall, and by the
road opposite the Congregational chapel will gradually ascend to the
summit of Brading Down (437 feet), constantly opening up fresh
vistas of delightful scenery, which, southward, extend to Shanklin,
Appuldurcombe, and Chillerton Downs; northward, across the So
lent, to the coast of Hampshire. In due time he gains the landmark
on Ashey Down (429 feet), the view from which we have already
described (p. 165), and continues his indefatigable course to Messly
Do-wn, distinguished by two ancient " barrows " or tumuli ; thence,
along the south side of Arreton Do-wn, passing two more barrows, to
the Hare and Hounds Inn. Here he may descend to Arreton, and
after inspecting its " lions,'' go on to Horringford Station, and take the
railway back to Sandown. Here are several easy descents from the
do-wns : — from Ashey to Kern and Alverstone, or to Knighton ; from
Messly to Lang Bridge and Newchurch ; and from Arreton, through
Shepherd's Lane, to Haseley (where Sir Edward Horsey died of
the plague in 1582). ENVIRONS OF VENTNOR.
1. St. Lawrence. — The parish of St. Lawrence lies between the
parishes of Ventnor, east ; GodshUl, north ; and Whitwell, west ;

210 ENVIRONS OP VENTNOE.
the Channel forms its southern boundary. Acreage, 332; popula
tion, in 1881, 249 (an increase of 114 upon that of 1871).
St. Lawrence is the first village in the district of the Undercliff,
and lies about one mile from Ventnor. Leaving the town behind
us, we skirt the grounds of SteephUl Castle, and arrive at the cot
tages which form the National Consumption Hospital. The first
block of these was opened in November 1869. The Princess Louise
laid the foundation-stone of the second block in July 1869; Bishop
Wilberforce, in December 1871, that of the chapel The Hospital
demesne includes six acres.
The St. Lawrence Well, a little Gothic shrine, surmounted by a
cross, is now, unfortunately, waUed in within the grounds of St.
Lawrence Cottage. At a point beyond the road divides, and brings
us to the little church of St. La-wrence, one of the smallest — but not
the smaUest — in England. On the left hand side of the lower road
a new church is in course of erection, for the accommodation of the
inhabitants of the new colony of villas rapidly extending at Wool
verton. Near the sea-shore lie the ivied ruins of the ancient manor-
house of Woolverton; a gabled two-storied building, with lancet-
windows, probably erected by John de Woolverton, in the reign
of Edward I.
2. Whitwell. — This parish lies next to that of St. Lawrence,
-with the Channel as its southern boundary, Chale and Niton on the
west, and Godshill on the north. Acreage, 1963; population, in
1881, 706.
The highest ground in the parish is Greenlid Hill, 522 feet.
From St. Lawrence Church a road ascends Whitwell Street, across
Yarbury HiU, to Whitwell village, an old-world bit, which seems to
defy as yet the e-vil influence of innovation. The church is an inter
esting edifice, -which originally consisted of two chapels, one belonging
to Whitwell, the other to Gatcombe. On the south waU of the interior
have recently been discovered some frescoes, which represent, it is
said, " the disembowelling of Erasmus.''
Stenbury, about Ih mile north, is a sequestered Jacobean manor-
house, once the seat of the De Heymos. Afterwards it belonged to
a branch of the Worsleys.
3. Niton. — The parish of Niton is bounded on the north and east
by that of Whitwell, west by Chale, and south by the waters of the
Channel. In its limits are included the wildest and rudest portion
of the Undercliff', the dangerous coast from Old Park to Rocken
End, Niton Do-wn, and many a footprint of the Celt and the ancient

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE. 211
Roman. Acreage, 1397; population in 1881, 801. The living is a
rectory, the patronage of which was bestowed by Charles I. on
Queen's College, Oxford.
Niton {Inn: the White Lion) is a considerable village, lying at
the foot of Niton Down, and in the shadow of St. Catherine's Hill
(which may be ascended by a pathway from the village near the
church), about 5 miles from Ventnor and 8J from Newport. The
church is a lai-ge and picturesque edifice of great antiquity, and was
one of the six bestowed by Fitz-Osbert upon his favourite Abbey of
Lu-e. There is (or was) a Literary Institute in the village. Several
new houses have recently been erected ; and tourists will find it a
convenient spot from which to direct their explorations of the
Undercliff. Its well-to-do air may result from the number of " seats "
in its vicinity, and the constant employment thus provided for its
mhabitants. Dr. Thomas Pittis, an eminent divine (see post), was a native, and
for many years a rector of Niton.
A curious camp, or perhaps tin-mart, will be found in a field on
the Beauchamp Farm, near the church, of which the regularity of
plan and massiveness of construction -will be interesting to the anti
quary. Through this parish, by a road stiU traceable, was conducted
the tin traffic of the island, and probably the metal was shipped on
board the vessels of the Phoenician merchants at Puckaster Cove.
Near the northern boundary of the parish, at a place still caUed
Bury (by rig, a waUed or fortified settlement), may be observed an
artificial mound of earth, now reduced to very small dimensions, but
once occupying a base of 30 yards diameter. Near the village
another mound of similar character is called Old Castle, and both
are undoubtedly reUcs of the Celtic earthworks.
Niton is so pleasantly situated, and so much of interest abounds
in its neighbourhood, — the cottages orne'es of the Undercliff, Mir-
ables, Beauchamp, Verlands, The Orchard, Old Park, Mount Cleeves,
Mount Ida; the Royal Sandrock Hotel, with its cliff gardens ; Puck-
a'fter Cove, where the Roman fleet used to ride securely, and Charles
II. was once driven ashore by stress of weather; St. Catherine's
Point, and its brilliant lighthouse; St. Catherine's Hill, and its
panoramic prospects, — that it ought to be more generally frequented
by those who travel with open eyes and ears to heai-. It is some
times called Crab Niton, to distinguish it from Knighton, near
Ashey, and in reference to the Crustacea so abundant on the adjacent
coast. Hassell, who wrote in 1790, records that the term was by no

212 ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE.
means acceptable to the inhabitants, who regarded it as implying
that they were of a " crabbed disposition."
4. Godshill {Inn: the Griffin) is a delightfully picturesque ham
let, clustered round a steep knoU or hill, on which is built its stately
and antique church. Like all the island villages, it consists of one
long street of shops, cottages, and the better sort of houses strangely
intermixed. It is distant from Newport about 5j miles, from Vent
nor 6, and from Ryde 11, and lies in a fertile country, divided into
excellent farms, of which Wroxall, Rew, Span, Week, Park, Apple-
ford, Moor, and Stenbury are the principal. The parish includes
6535 acres, chiefly of good arable land, and had, in 1881, a population
of 1302 (an increase of 105 on that of 1871). The tithings of Sten
bury, Roude, Sandford, and Rookley, with Week, as well as the
manor of Appuldurcombe, are in this parish. The living is a vicar
age. The village formerly boasted of a good grammar school
(founded in 1595 by one Richard Andrews), whither resorted the
sons of the leading gentry of the island, and where Sir Thomas
Fleming was educated ; but it is now of no account.
The church is one of the handsomest in the Wight. Erected upon
the steep, lofty knoll already spoken of, and having a stately tower,
it is conspicuously visible from every part of the wide and extensive
vale. The interior is divided by a long range of rich Early English
arches, and contains some superb memorials to the Worsley family.
About 2 miles south-east of the village lies Appuldurcombe Pari;
the ancient seat of the Worsleys, and once the great glory of the
island, but now " a school for young gentlemen " (Rev. R. Pound,
M. A., piincipal). It claims the tourist's admiration, from the beauty
of its extensive gi-ounds and the stateliness of the large Corinthian
pile, with its projecting wings, which crowns the head of the green
and ample lawny slope. " The park is very famous, and it deserves
its celebrity. It is very extensive for the island; the ground is
considerably diversified, and there are noble views over the wide
glades. Oak, elm, and beech trees of stately size abound, and the
plantations are well arranged. The park and the house are, in
short, on a con-esponding style of grandeur " {Knight). The man
sion occupies the site of an Elizabethan building — the remains of
the ancient Priory of Appuldurcombe — pulled down by Sir Robert
Worsley about 1710; was begun by him immediately afterwards,
and completed by his successor. Sir Richard Worsley, who made it
the receptacle of a fine collection of ancient marbles, figured in his
Museum Worsleanum, and an excellent gallery of pictures. " It is

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE. 213
situated at some distance from the road, within the park, and being
buUt from the quarries of Portland, and unencumbered with adjoin
ing offices, offers a magnificent object to the highroad and to the
hiUs above it, particularly when the rays of the sun are reflected
from its beautiful .stone " ( Wyndliam).
Appuldurcombe is usually derived from the British Ypul dur y
cum, — " the lake in the hollow " — but the correct etymology is evi
dently Apvldre-coiribe, "the valley of apple-trees."
On the highest point of this down are the remains of an obelisk
of Cornish granite, erected in 1744 by Sir Richard Worsley, to the
memory of Sir Robert Worsley, Bart., as " an emblem of the con
spicuous character he maintained during a long and exemplary life."
It was originally 70 feet high, but was shattered by lightning in
1831. From this point, 685 feet above the sea, the prospect is emi
nently beautiful, embracing almost the whole extent of the " Fair
Island." On the eastern brink, bowered amidst trees, is the artificial
ruin of " Cook's Castle."
The house and estate, as well as the furniture and a large portion
of the rich collection made by Sir Richard Worsley, were disposed of
by auction in 1855, by order of the second Earl of Yarborough.
The best pictures, however, were removed to his lordship's mansion
in London and his seat in Lincolnshire.
A brief account of the Worsley family, so long the principal one
in the Isle of Wight, may be of interest to the reader.
1. Sir James Worsley, a scion of the Lancashire Worsleys, and a
favourite page of Henry VII., was appointed captain of the island
in 1517. By his marriage with Anne, the heiress of Sir John Leigh
(Lady Anne Worsley, according to Sir John Oglander, was one of
the last of the English female pUgrims to the shrine of St. lago at
Compostella), he obtained considerable estates in the island, to which
his son succeeded in 1538.
2. Richard Worsley was also captain of the island, and lord of
Appuldurcombe, where he entertained Henry VIII. in 1539. Died
1565. His two sons were kiUed " in the lodge or gate-house at Ap
puldurcombe," by an accidental explosion of gunpowder.
3. John Worsley, brother of Richard, married into the Meux
family, and further increased the wealth and weight of the Wors
leys. Died in 1581.
4. Thomas Worsley succeeded: "a brave scholar, a plain but
worthy gentleman, and a most plentiful housekeeper." Died about
1604-5, lea-ving two sons, Richard and John.

214 ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE.
5. Sir Richard Worsley was knighted at Whitehall, Feb. 8, 1611,
by James I., and created a baronet, June the 29th, in the same year.
He was probably well esteemed by the retentive Stuart, for when
Prince Henry and the king were entertained at Oxford in 1601, and
splendid gifts were offered by the students to the accomplished
prince, the young Worsley presented him with " a book of verses,
in foreign languages, beautifully written" {State Papers, Domestic
Series). He lived in the island in great repute, and is spoken of by
his contemporary and friend in most eulogistic language : — " A man
of learning, patron of virtue, friend of good fellows, and credit both
of his house and island," — " whose good fame and virtue shall out
live all tombs," " both for natural and artificial gifts, he had not his
fellow in the county " {Sir J. Oglander). He married Frances, a
fair daughter of Sir Henry Neville, whose beauty was much
applauded, even in those days of beautifiU women ; was Sheriff of
Hampshire in 1616, and died of smallpox in 1631-33.
6. Sir Henry Worsley married Bridget, a daughter of Sir Henry
Wallop, afterwards Lord Lymington, and had two sons, Robert and
James. The latter was knighted by Charles II. Sir Henry died
in 1666.
7. Sir Robert Worsley began the splendid mansion of Appuldur
combe in 1710; married Mai-y, a grand-daughter of the Earl of
Pembroke ; and had two children, Robert and Henry, the elder of
whom left no surviving issue.
8. Sir James Worsley, younger son of Sir Henry, succeeded to the
estates. He had several children, of whom only one, Thomas, sur
vived him.
9. Sir Thomas Worsley married the eldest daughter of the Earl of
Cork, by whom he had two children, Richard and Henrietta
Frances. Died in 1768.
10. Sir Richard Worsley comisleted the house at Appuldurcombe,
begun by Sir Robert in 1710. Ha-ving travelled through Italy,
Greece, Turkey, and Egypt, he amassed a fine collection of specimens
of ancient art, of which he published an illustrated description,
entitled Museum Worsleanum. He also wrote and compiled a " His
tory of the Island," from deeds and MSS. partly collected by his
grandfather. Sir James. Was comptroller of the king's household,
a privy councillor. Sheriff of Hampshire, and Governor of the Isle
of Wight from 1780 to 1782. Married, in 1775, Miss Seymour
Fleming, daughter of a Sir John Fleming, and had one son, Robert
Edwin, who died before him. Sir Richard died in 1805, leaving his

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE. 215
large estates to his sister, Henrietta Frances, who had married the
Hon. John Bridgman Simpson. Their daughter and heiress, Anne
Maria Charlotte, mai-ried —
11. Charles Anderson Pelham, created Earl of Yarborough in 1837.
This liberal-minded nobleman kept up a splendid hospitality at
Appuldurcombe, and interested himself zealously in all that apper
tained to the weal of the island. He founded the Royal Yacht
Club, of which he was commodore for many years, and he ardently
supported it by his example and influence. Died somewhat sud
denly on board his yacht Kestril, off Vigo, 5th September 1846,
aged 55.
12. Charles Anderson, second Earl of Yarborough, died 1862.
The Priory of Appuldurcombe was bestowed by IsabeUa de Forti
bus, towards the close of Henry the Third's reign, on the Abbey of
St. Mary of Montebourg. According to Speed, one Nicholas Spen
cer and Margaret his wife were the founders; but no mention is
made of them in any document until the reign of Henry IV., when
one of the priory granted them a lease. The Norman Abbey main
tained here a prior and two monks, who had supervision of all its
demesnes at Sandford and Week. During the wars with France, it
was seized by the cro-wn as an alien priory, and in the 2iid of Henry
V. was dissolved. Then it was granted — 20 Henry VI. — to the
nuns in " the minories -without Aldgate," who leased it to the family
of Fry. Agnes Fry, an heiress, married Sir John Leigh, of the Isle
of Wight, and their daughter Joan conveyed the manor of Appul
durcombe, by marriage, to Sir James Worsley, as already stated.

GENERAL SURVEY OF THE UNDERCLIFF.
FROM EAST END TO ST. CATHERINE'S POINT.
Coaches from Ventnor, every day but Sunday, to Blackgang, 2s. and 3s. ; Freshwater,
5s. and 8s. 6d. ; and Alum Bay, 5s. 6d. and 9s. 6d.
Having thus described the parishes included in our south-eastern
section, we proceed, for the convenience of the tourist, to accompany
him along the entire range of the Undercliff, and to note down its
objects of interest and things of beauty, from its beginning at East
End to its termination at St. Catherine's Point.
The East End Landslip begins close to old Bonchurch Church, and
forms a tract of land, about eight hundred yards long and six hun
dred yards broad, between the base of a rocky precipice and the

216 ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE.
edge of the sea-cUff. It presents us with the result of a series of
landslips, of which one in 1810 carried away thirty acres, and an
other in 1818 fifty acres. A tourist, in 1811, describes the scene of
devastation visible after the former landslip : — " A considerable por
tion of the cliff had fallen down, strewing the whole ground between
it and the sea with its ruins : huge masses of solid rock started up
amidst heaps of smaUer fragments, whilst immense quantities of loose
mai-1, mixed with stones, and even the soil above with the wheat
still growing on it, filled up the spaces between, and formed hUls of
rubbish which are scarcely accessible. Nothing had resisted the
force of the falling rocks. Trees were leveUed with the ground, and
many lay half buried in the ruins. The streams were choked up,
and pools of water were found in many places.'' Nature, however,
soon brought her vi-vifying influence to bear upon the waste, and
clothed it with a beauty of its own, until every rift and rock bloomed
with shrub and fern and flower. The Rev. William Adams, in his
beautiful allegory of "The Old Man's Home,'' published in 1847,
adopts this scenery, and describes it with all the eloquence of li-ving
admiration. " Nature," he says, " has only suffered the convulsion
to take place in order that afterwards she might bestow her gifts
upon this favoured spot with a more unsparing hand. The wild and
picturesque character of the landscape is now almost lost sight of in
its richness and repose. The new soil is protected from the storms
of winter by the cliff from which it has fallen, and, sloping towards
the south, is open to the full warmth and radiance of the sun. In
consequence of this, the landslip has, as it were, a cUmate of its own ;
and often, when the more exposed parts of the country still look
dreary and desolate, is in the enjoyment of the blessings of an early
spring. Such was the season at which I first visited it. The gray
fragments of rock which lay scattered on the ground were almost
hid by the luxuriance of the underwood, and countless wild flowers
were growing beneath their shade. Below, the eye rested upon a
little bay, formed by the gradual advance of the sea ; and all was so
calm and peaceful that, as I watched the gentle undulation of the
waters, I could fancy them to be moving to and fro with a stealthy
step, lest they should disturb the tranquillity of the scene."
Through Bonchurch and Ventnor we pass on to Steephill Castle
(D. Hambrough, Esq.), the Gothic tower of which is the great land
mark of the country as it rises out of a green sea of foliage. It was
erected, for the late Mr. J. A. Hambrough, ou the site of a marine
cottage, built by Hans Stanley whUe governor of the island ; and

ENVIEONS OP VENTNOE. 217
was designed by Sanderson, the architect who " restored " Henry the
Seventh's chapel in Westminster Abbey. The entrance hall is con
sidered " a happy effort." The pecuUar charm of Steephill, however,
lies in the variety and loveliness of its terraced grounds, which were
laid out by Page of Southampton, and embrace the most delightful
diversities of landscape scenery. Here are fig-trees of gigantic size ;
exotic plants blooming vigorously in the open air ; lawns, bowers,
fountains, and luxuriant foliage. Referring to the westward pros
pect from the drawing-room terrace, the late Sir John Paxton ex
claimed, " I have -visited nearly every place of note from Stockholm
to Constantinople, but never have I seen anything more beautiful
than this."
Near the edge of Guy's Cliff, just above Steephill, some Roman
remains (pottery and coins) were discovered in February 1882.
Passing the National Cottage Hospital (p. 184), St. Lawrence Cot
tage (Hon. E. C. Anderson Pelham), erected in 1781 by Sir Richard
Worsley, — who planted a -vineyard here, and removed from Hampton
Court an entrance gateway, designed by Inigo Jones, — we reach, on
the right or upper road, old St. Lawrence's Church. It is almost
-within sight of the cliff, which all along this shore is honeycombed
by caves and hollows, once the resort of the freetraders of the sea.
Not so many years since the population of St. Lawrence were actively
engaged in " illicit commerce ; " and it is told that, one Sunday
morning, a congregation could not be collected in the church, because
aU the -villagers were busily employed in removing from a Dutch
dogger, then lying off the shore, a contraband cargo.
To the left of the road, in a sequestered glen, lies Woolverton Farm,
with the ivy-ahrouded ruins of Woolverton's ancient manor-house.
Passing the WhitweU road, we descry below us, embosomed in thick
foliage. Old Park (Miss Cheape), with its beautiful gardens ; and, at
a short distance from it, the villa of Mirables, which really deserves
its name, if it be derived, as some authorities assert, from mirahel — a
beautiful prospect. " The broken foreground on the right, covered
-with its velvet herbage, its bold masses of rock, and miniature dells
and brakes, backed by the towering cliffs, renders it a scene replete
with beauty ; whilst on the left, the bright foliage of its wooded
glens, extending to the very strand, with a deep blue sea beyond
them, form a prospect of surpassing loveliness" {Dr. G. A. Martin).
On the right a footpath leads to Cripple Path, a way cut by steps
in the side of the cliff, with seats about half-way down, composed of
projecting ledges of the rock, which, though fashioned by Nature,
(712) 17

218 ENVIEONS OF VENTNOE.
have a curious artificial aspect. We now arrive at Orchard Cottage,
a villa of stone and brick, irregular but picturesque, with terraced
gardens of prodigal beauty ; and at Beauchamp, originally named
from the Beauchamps of Ancaster. Near this spot, in the summer
of 1831, was blown from the cliff a young girl, Kerenhappuch Ne-wn-
ham, who fortunately fell upon the terrace below without other
injury than the momentary fright. Thenceforward she was known
by the sobriquet of " Happy Ninham."
The road now narrows considerably, and carries the traveller up
to elevated ground, with the inland cliff on the right, and below him,
on the left, a broad reach of shining waters. At Undercliff Niton,
4-j miles, it di-vides : one branch leading, by way of Puckaster Cottage,
to Niton, and the villas of St. Catherine's Terrace ; the other, passing
West Cliff, skirts the grounds of Verlands (Mrs. Velmet), and again
divides — the right arm striking off to Niton and Godshill, and the
left to the Royal Sandrock Hotel. Nearer to the sea lie some lodg
ing houses, and below these, on the sands of Ruth Bay, stands the
Victoria Hotel. Close at hand is Puckaster Cove, in the old times a
station of the Roman fleet. Here, after experiencing a terrible
storm at sea, landed Charles II., on the 1st of July 1675.
The Royal Sandrock Hotel is an elegant and commodious villa,
shrouded in profuse ivy, and situated in an out-of-the-world Eden,
bright with blossom. It was visited by Dr. Arnold in July 1836,
who pronounced it most beautiful. The popular author of " Madcap
Violet" brings his hel-oine to this well-known hostelry, and intro
duces it in one of his happy bits of description as " a quaint little
inn, placed high over the sea, and surrounded by sheltering woods
and hedges  A picturesque little house, with its long veranda half
smothered in ivy and rose-bushes ; with its tangled garden about,
green with young hawthorn and sweetened by the perfume of the
lilacs ; with its patches of uncut grass, where the yellow cowslips
drooped. There is an air of dreamy repose about the place ; even
that whirling and silvery gray sea produces no sound ; here the
winds are stilled, and the black shadows of the trees on that smooth
green lawn only move with the imperceptible moving of the sun "
( William Black). We have visited many places, and sought ac
commodation at many hotels and inns, but we do not think that
we have ever fallen in with one more happily situated. Not the
least of its charms is, that it does not look like an hotel ; there is an
air of home-privacy and sweet seclusion about it which contrasts
delightfully with the ostentatious publicity of those huge barracks,

ENVIEONS OF VENTNOE. 219
those " grand hotels," now so unfortunately numerous in our larger
watering-places. The Sandrock Spring, between Gore Cliff and the sea, is a power
ful chalybeate, discovered by Mr. Waterworth, a Newport surgeon,
in 1808. Dr. Martin praises it very warmly for its medicinal prop
erties ; and asserts that if they were more generally known,
Blackgang and its neighbourhood would be "much more resorted
to " in the summer.
Passing Mount Cleeve, we ascend to the locality of the great land
slip of 1799, which involved the desti-uction of Pitlands Farm and
one hundred acres. Miss SeweU, in her "Ursula,'' describes the
character of the wild region in which this occurred : — " A broad tract
of land, tossed up and down in little hills and vaUeys. It is scattered
all over -with huge rocks, which look as though giants had thrown
them about in their play, and it slopes down in a steep descent to
wards the sea. A dreary-looking country it is ; but it has a charm
even for that very reason. As a child I only saw it occasionally,
and always thought of it as connected with haunts of smugglers and
wild storms ; roaring waves and shipwrecks, and heavy sea-mists,
gathering over the hiUs and shutting- out the light, which was the
only hope of the seaman's safety. It must have been a fierce time
on earth when the land sank away from the upper cliffs, and the
rocks were hurled do-wn, and the streams, -which have now worked
their way through the lower cliffs, and formed deep chasms, first
began to flow. But those days are not within the memory of man
that I ever heard ; yet even now it is solemn to stand and think of
what once has been. When I first remember that part of the
country, it was, so to say, unkno-wn and untraversed. There was no
road through it. Persons had to go by the road over the hill ; only
foot-passengers went over the cliffs, and with them it was a difficult
task to find their way, especially on a dark night. They might
stumble among the rocks or wander to the edge of the cliffs, and be
over before they were aware of it. Some people at that time thought
it an unsafe country to live in, and said that the rocks would
faU again ; but there was little enough really to fear, though cer
tainly things did seem terrible to those who were unaccustomed to
them." On the right of the road, near the viUa of Southlands (where Dr.
Pusey at one time resided), stands a small votive shrine, or miniature
temple, containing a bust of Shakespeare, erected by Mr. Letts, the
well-known London stationer. It bears the following inscription : —

220 ENVIEONS OF VENTNOR.
" He sits 'mongst men like a descended god;
He hath a kind of honour sets him off.
More than mortal seeming."
Below is a spring of crystal water, with the foUowing inscription
on a stone : — " The water nectar, and the rocks pure gold."
We now retrace our steps to Buddie Farm and Inn, and passing the
ancient farm of Knowle, we descend to the southernmost part of the
island, Rocken End. Turning to the left — that is, towards Ventnor
— we enter Watershoot Bay, and come upon St. Catherine's Light
house, occupying the summit of the chalk and green-sand rocks which
form St. Catherine's Point.
This lighthouse was erected by the Trinity Corporation, on ground
granted by G. P. HoKord, Esq., in 1838-40, from the designs of
Messrs. Walker and Burgess. On the 25th of March 1840, it was
lighted for the first time; and its warning rays were visible at a
distance of 22 mUes. At that time, its height, from water-mark to
level of terrace, was 81 feet ; from the terrace to the top of the
column of masonry, 70 feet; lantern and pedestal, l-h foot; extension
of glass frame, 10 feet; roof, ball, vane, and lightning-conductor, ll-j
feet ; — total height, 174 feet. But as its powerful light was often
obscured by the sea-fogs, and the structure showed some signs of
instability', it was reduced 38 feet in 1875. Its interior diameter is
14 feet ; and the staircase to the lantern-room numbers 100 stepa
The lighting apparatus consists of a lamp 3|- inches diameter, with
four concentric wicks, reflected through a lens surmounted by 250
glass mirrors. Sperm and i-ape oU have been used in the burners ;
but since December 1875 a new lamp with six-wick burner and
paraffine oil has been in use ; and unpleasant smell and excessive
heat are prevented by the employment of bell-mounted funnels. A
fog-horn is kept in the detached building to the east.
-VENTNOR TO BLACKGANG : BY THE CLIFFS.
Passing Hodnish Bank, we reach Grasspool Cove, where the Empress
of Austria was wont to indulge in sea-bathing during her residence
at Steephill Castle in 1874 ; and shortly afterwards come to Steep
hiU Cove, where some pretty cottages cluster along the picturesque
shore. From Orchard Bay we pass on into Pelham Bay, easily
recognized by its toy batteries, one of eight and the other of three
guns, and thence to Hoody Head (observe St. Lawrence Church), a
convenient point for resting while we survey the romantic sweep of

ENVIEONS OF VENTNOE. 221
the Undercliff, " varied," as it is, " by a constant succession of glens,
crags, and gullies, gently swelling elevations and broken valleys."
We descend into Hoody Bay, — observe the fine artistic effect of the
ruined manor-house of Woolverton, — and double the Ross Rock into
Ten-acres Bay, a name which records the encroachment of the waters
upon a ten-acre field. It is separated by Binnel Point from Mirables
Bay, where the cliff sinks almost to the level of the shore. Puck
aster Cove is next reached, and Reeth or Castle Bay, from which a
road leads to the village of Undercliff Niton. After passing the
headland of St. Catherine's, with its lighthouse, we see before us
the gi-and stretch of the vari-coloured cliffs right away to Freshwater ;
while cloud-like on the horizon looms the Dorsetshire coast in the
neighbourhood of Purbeck Isle and St. .Aldhelm's Head. "The
coast westward," says Miss SeweU, " forms part of a great bay in
dented by smaller ones. The shore is closed in with red sand cliffs,
rather low, broken, and jagged ; but away to the west the red sand
changes into chalk, and the cliffs become very steep, and rise to a
great height ; standing out against the sky when the sun shines on
them, untU they almost dazzle the eye ; and at other times covering
themselves, as it were, -with a bluish veil of mist, and looking out
proudly from belund it. I always liked the white cliffs very much ;
yet my eye never rested upon them long, but wandered still further,
to a distant stretch of gray land looking like a cloud, which could be
seen just where the sea and sky met."
Across the wUd broken promontory of Rocken End we pass into
Watershoot Cove, a hollow -within the wider hoUow of Chale Bay,
and arrive at Blackgang Chine (see p. 140).

EXCURSIONS FROM VENTNOR.
1. To Freshwater. — It will be sufficient to indicate the different
villages through which the traveUer makes his way, as they are all
described in their proper places : — St. Lawrence, Ii mile ; Undercliff
Niton, 4J miles ; Blackgang Chine, 6 miles ; Chale, %\ miles ; Brigh
stone or Brixton, 13 mUes ; Mottistone, 15 miles ; Brook, 16 miles ;
and Freshwater, 20 miles. Thence on to Alum Bay, 24 miles.
Coaches and chars-a-banc leave Ventnor for Alum Bay daily during
the summer months. Fares : — Blackgang, 2s. single, 3s. return ;
Freshwater, 5s. single, and 8s. 6d. return ; Alum Bay, 5s. 6d. single,
and 9s. 6d. return. The return tickets to Freshwater and Alum
Bay are avaUable for two days. The coach route is somewhat

222 ENVIRONS OP VENTNOE.
different from the above, passing the Royal Sandrock Hotel, and
including Kingston and Shorwell.
2. To Newport {coach route). — We have already described the road
to Blackgang, 6 miles. There we turn inland, and through Chale and
across Chale Green, pass Billingham House on the right (formerly a
seat of the Worsleys), and descend into the scattered hamlet of
Chillerton. Next we reach Sheat, a Jacobean manor-house, which
contains some good carved wood- work ; and Gatcombe Park, with a
fine background of high green downs and clustering foliage. The
demesne was long in the possession of the Worsley family, one of
whom erected the mansion in 1750.
Through Gatcombe village, which offers a charming and "truly
English " picture of rural tranquillity and beauty, we pass on to Whit-
combe House, where the noble ruins of Carisbrooke on their isolated
height rise before us. Tui-ning to the right, beyond Little Whit-
combe, we pass the Cemetery, descend into the busy village of
Carisbrooke, and along a pleasant leafy road enter Newport.
3. To Newport, by Godshill. — The traveller will proceed by Steep
hill Castle to St. Lawrence, and ascend WhitweU Shute to the quiet
village of Whitwell ; thence to Godshill. From Godshill the road
runs northward, crossing the railway to Merston, and so on to Arreton.
From Arreton we may take the Shide or Stapler's Heath road to New
port. The former passes East Standen, crosses St. George's Down, skirts
Pan Down, and descends into Shide, where there is a railway station.
4. To Godshill, by Appuldurcombe. — Take the road (or rail) to
Wroxall, and thence thi-ough Appuldurcombe Park to Godshill ;
returning by Sandford, Whiteley Bank, Wroxall Farm ; cross the
Down ; descend into Bonchurch ; and back to Ventnor.
5. To Shorwell. — By Steephill and St. Lawrence to Whitwell Shute ;
ascend to Whitwell, and keep on until the road divides. Turn to the
left, and by way of the Hermitage and Gotten strike into the Chale
road. At Chale Green turn to the left, and soon afterwards to the
right, proceeding to Kingston, where the road passes Presford and
Stone Place into Shorwell. The return route may include Ather
field, Chale, and Niton ; or from Chale to Southlands, and through
Rocken End.
6. To Appuldurcombe, across the Downs. — At the Cemetery the
tourist ascends the verdant slope of Steephill Down, and through
a gate enters upon Rew Down, whence may be seen the Rew and
Span Farms, and a wide expanse of bold and undulating landscape.
Crossing on the left to Week Down, we observe the villages of Whit-

YAEMOUTH. 223
weU and Niton beneath us, and the hill of St. Catherine's, with its
double beacon. Near the telegraph wires, a gate opens upon Span
Down, and we come to a footpath which, on the right, leads to Wrox
all, and, on the left, to Whitwell. We keep on, however, to Sten
bury Farm, and thence across Appuldurcombe Down, -with the obelisk
in front of us as our landmark and goal. It is unnecessary to describe
the prospect, as the various details are so clear and definite that
a reference to the map will easily distinguish them. We descend to
Appuldurcombe House, and return by rail from Wroxall, or by Span
and Rew Farms, to the Cemetery, and so into Ventnor.
7. To Newchurch. — This is a delightful journey, through a fair and
fertUe country, constantly opening up new points of interest, and
-views which seem each to surpass the other in fulness of attraction.
The first stage is Wroxall ; thence we strike northward to Whiteley
Bank, and on to Percelet. Leaving Branstone on our left, we enter
Newchurch by way of Winford. The return journey may be made
by way of Ninham and Languard to Shanklin.

DISTRICT VL— NORTH-WEST.
YARMOUTH.
Yarmouth is seated, as its name implies, at the mouth of the western
Ere, or Yar, on a low sandy shore opposite the Lymington coast, 104
mUes from London, 4 from Lymington, lOj from Newport, and 125-
from Cowes. A weekly market is held on Friday, and on the 25th
July an annual fair. Trade has increased since the opening of com
munication with London vid Lymington ; but the town is still a quiet
old-world place, which seems to have been left behind in the general
march of progress. The parish includes 143 acres, and a population,
in 1881, of 779.
In its ancient charters (the first of which was granted by Baldwin
de Redvers, 1135) it is styled Eremuth, and its present name does not
occur untU the charter conferred by James I., wherein it is alluded
to as "Eremue alias Yarmouth." The provisions of this charter
were not disturbed by the Municipal Reform Act, and the town
annually elects its mayor and eleven chief burgesses. Up to the
great reform of 1832, it was a close borough returning two represent
atives to Parliament, this privilege being -virtually vested in the hands
of the two principal landowners, who each elected his member. The
number of electors seldom exceeded nine.

224 Y^AEMOUTH.
Yarmouth was originally of considerable extent, and its port was
much frequented by coasting-vessels. King John landed here in
April 1206, and again in 1214. It was burned by the French in 1277,
and again in 1524, and has never recovered these serious disasters,
especially since Cowes has risen into a more important position.
After its losses in 1524, Henry VIII. erected at the eastern extremity
of the harbour one of his favourite round forts, and called it Yar
mouth Castle. A little to the west Sir James Worsley raised a fort,
which he named Worsley's Tower; and a third in the reign of
Elizabeth was erected still nearer to Yarmouth, at Sconce Point, by Sh-
George Carey.
When Sir Robert Holmes became governor of the island, he fixed
his residence at Yarmouth, and built a large and stately mansion,
now the George Inn, where, in 1661 and 1675, he splendidly enter
tained Charles II.-* He embanked the marshes, which previously
the sea had overfiowed so as nearly to surround the to-wn (a.d. 1664),
and enlarged and improved its fortifications. At the eastern entrance
the approach was secured by a drawbridge. Near Thorley Wood a
redoubt for small arms was thrown up ; three pieces of cannon placed
on the common facing the sea, long afterwards caUed the Bulwarks;
and some guns were also stationed at the landing-place near the
castle. In the reigns of the Georges the principal occupation of the Yar
mouth burgesses seems to have been "free trade.'' Recently, in
puUing down some old houses, it was discovered that each had its
secret recesses, subterranean passages, and hearth-stones arranged to
serve as trap-doors. "Some of the hiding-places still contained
spirits, tobacco, and lace ; but of course all was ' muddy for lack of
use!'" The defences of the peninsula may here be particularized. At
Freshwater Gate is the Freshwater Redoubt, buUt in 1856, and com
manding Freshwater Bay, with its ten 7-inch guns, ten 68-pounders,
and three 8-inch howitzers. It can accommodate two hundred men.
Inland, about Zh miles, stands Golden Hill Fort, "the Malakoff
of the island," and the key of, the western system of fortifications. It
is a regular hexagonal, armed with sis guns, and will hold five
hundred men. At the Needles Point stands the Needles Battery,
* Some interesting traditions of the royal visit are extant. In the mayor's possession
is a handsome mace, which the king gave to a former holder of the office. At the
back of the George Hotel are some iron railings ; these were originally in the front and
over them the king stretched his hands to be kissed by his loyal subjects.

YAEMOUTH. 225
armed with sis 9 and 10 inch guns ; then comes the Heatherwood
earthwork, with six guns. A battery at Warden Point, built in 1863,
has eight 9 and 10 inch guns. Cliff End Battery, opposite Hurst
Castle, was buUt in 1875, and is armed with nine heavy guns (three
10-inch and six 12i-incli). Beyond these are CUff End Fort, built
out in the sea, and armed with twenty -eight guns ; and Victoria
Fort, with three 7-inch, eight 10-inch, ten 68-pounders, and ten 32-
pounders. A new pier has been erected for the convenience of passengers to
and from Lymington. The King of Sweden landed here in May
1881. The ancient church occupied the site of the castle. It was
destroyed by the French in 1524; and it is said that three of its bells
are stiU preserved at Cherbourg, bearing the inscription — Eremue,
I. of W.
A church was then erected at the eastern extremity of the town ;
but this was pulled do-wn at the request of the mayor, burgesses, and
minister, by a faculty granted by the Bishop of Winchester, January
11, 1635, because it had fallen into decay, and was unfitted for public
worship (" ruinosam, nuUo que usui divino accommodatam "). The
faculty is issued to James Gray, mayor ; John Burley, soldier ; and
Richard Faulkner, vicar. The present church was then erected in
the High Street, opposite the Town Hall
The Toion Hall is the only public building in Yarmouth^ — a plain,
neat brick house, with this inscription over the entrance: "a.d., 1764.
In the fourth year of the reign of his present Majesty, King George
IIL, this Hall was rebuilt by Thomas, Lord Holmes, Governor of the
Isle of Wight. Benjamin Lee, Esq., Mayor." The National Schools
occupy an elegant Elizabethan building, erected in 1856.
There has long existed in the to-wn a New Year custom of the
children patroUing the streets singing the foUowing carol : —
"Wassail, wassail to our town !
The cup is white and the ale is brown ;
The cup is made of the ashen tree,
And so is the ale of good barley.
Little maid, little maid, turn the pin.
Open the door, and let me come in.
Joy be there and joy be here.
We wish you all a happy New Year ! "
Daily communication -with Lymington by steam-boat ; and, during
the summer, with Cowes, Ryde, and Portsmouth. A branch of the
London and South- Western connects Lymington with London. The

226 ENVIEONS OF YAEMOUTH.
boatmen of Yarmouth are skilful, and their charges moderate.
Lodgings at Yarmouth, if not numerous, are reasonable. The George
Inn is a commodious building, and at the Bugle the accommodation
is also excellent. At the former is a curious coat-of-arms, the
" winged griffons," which formerly belonged to the castle, and is the
only coat-of-arms of the period existing in England. The latter
boasts of a good collection of the birds of the island, made by the
landlord, Mr. Butler, well known as a skilful taxidermist.
From Yarmouth, the western district of the island may be visited
with the greatest facility. The main routes are — 1. Through Shal
fleet to Calbourne, and thence through Brook to Freshwater Gate ;
and 2. Through Freshwater viUage to Alum Bay, the Needles, and
the adjacent coast. We proceed to indicate a few of the more
attractive excursions. DAT-journeys.
a. From Yarmouth, eastward, vid Thorley, 1 mile (notice its curious
barn-like church), through Welmingham, 1 mile, lea-ving Afton House
to the right, and crossing the Yar at Blackbridge, via Easton, to
Freshwater Gate, 2 miles (notice arched rock, caves, new fort, and
other objects specified hereafter in our " coast route "). Ascend the
High Down, passing the beacon, and examine the Needles Fort,
mounting six thirty-ton guns, 3 miles ; return and take the footpath
to Royal Needles Hotel, and descend by the chine into Alum Bay,
^ mile (notice the Warren and its population of rabbits. There is a
fine view of the Hampshire coast, Yarmouth, and the west of the
island, from the topmost ridge of the Warren, near the coastguard
station). Back to Yarmouth, about Ah miles, through Middleton
Green (notice Faringford House, Tennyson's residence). Freshwater
village, keeping the northern road, past Freshwater House to the
hamlet of Norton (notice Norton Lodge, Dowager Lady Hamond's
seat). Cross the river by the New Bridge, and by its pleasantly
shaded banks through Freshwater, 2i miles, to Freshwater Gate, 1
mile. Ascend Afton Down (notice obelisk on the brink of the cliff
to the memory of a little girl who fell over and was killed), and keep
along the hills — a beautiful route — to Shalcombe and Chessel, 4 miles
(notice the numerous tumuli, or barrows, on these heights). The
road from Chessel passes some small farms to Ningwood, 2 miles,
and by road to the right reaches Shalfleet, 1 mile (notice Norman
tower of Shalfleet church. Newtown lies to the north-east about Ii
mile). Return by the main road, vid Ningwood Green, Nino-wood
Common, and Bouldner, into Yarmouth, 4 miles, c. From Yarmouth,

ENVIEONS OP YAEMOUTH. 227
via Thorley, to Wellow (supposed to be the Wealtham mentioned in
the Saxon Chronicle as destroyed by the Dauos, a.d. 1001), and
through StoneweU to Calbourne, 5|- mUes (notice church, and West-
over, the seat of the Earl of Heytesbury). Then, vid Stvainston, the
seat of Sir Barrington Simeon, Bart., passing the slopes of Apse Down
to Park Cross, and vid Carisbrooke to Newport, 6 miles. Return vid
Parkhurst Forest to Vittle Field, and through WatchingweU into
Shalfleet, 6 miles ; vid Ningwood and Bouldner to Yarmouth, 4 miles.
d. To Freshwater, 2| miles, vid Freshwater Gate, 1 mile, along the
shore to Brook, 3 miles. By the road, and through Brook Green to
Mottistone, Ii mile (notice church and Longstone), and onward to
Brighstone. The tourist may then adopt any suitable day-journey
laid down in District III. From Brighstone he should, however,
return across the do-wns to Afton, regaining Yarmouth vid Welming
ham aud Thorley. [It is proposed to connect Freshwater with New
port by a raUway, running through Shalfleet and Calbourne.]
ENVIRONS OF YARMOUTH.
Thorley (perhaps Tor, the beacon, and ley, a pasture), a village,
pleasantly surrounded with trees, about one mile south-east of Yar
mouth. We find nothing to notice here but a curious church without
spire or tower, a considerable farm, and a pretty vicarage. The
manor successively passed through the hands of the Montacutes,
Edward, Duke of York, and " George of Clarence."
Thorley parish contains 1574 acres, chiefiy arable land and pasture,
and a population in 1881 of 189. The living is a vicarage, in the gift
of C. R. ColvUe, Esq., valued at £110 per annum. The parish has
Yarmouth on the north, Shalfieet east, the Yar on the west, and
Brook to the south.
Shalfleet is about 4 miles east of Yarmouth, and contains the
manors of Shalfleet, Ningwood, and Wellow. Chessel, Hulverston,
East and West Hampstead, and WatchingweU also lie within its
boundaries. Shalfleet was probably derived from shaw, a woody
glen, &Tiii fleet, a running stream. The village lies in a weU-wooded
and weU-watered hollow. The church is ancient, with a square and
massive Norman tower, surmounted by a wooden spire, the cost of
which was defrayed by the sale of the bells and gun belonging to
the church. " The Shalfleet people, poor and simple, sold the bells to
build the steeple." Tradition ascribes its origin to William Fitz-
Osbert. WatchingweU, or Watchingwood, claims to have possessed
the first royal park formed in England. About 60 acres were enclosed

228 ENVIRONS OF YAEMOUTH.
by WiUiam the Conqueror. It lies close to the manor of Swainston.
Within the manor is a farm named Warlands, corrupted from
Walleran, the name of its original Norman proprietor — Walleran
Trenchard. Ningwood is a leafy little hamlet, with a good manor-
house, the residence of the Vicar of Shalfleet. Ningwood Creek flows
into the Newtown estuary. It has some attractions for the trout-
fisher. The parish of Shalfleet is bounded east by that of Carisbrooke ;
west by Yarmouth ; south by Calbourne ; and north by the Solent.
Its acreage is 6623 ; and its population in 1881 numbered 1050. The
living is a -vicarage, value £200 per annum, in the patronage of the
Lord Chancellor.
Calbourne was anciently a Hundred in itself, and was some
times called Sweyneston, or Swainstcm. It was one of the demesnes
of the Bishop and Convent of Winchester, and included Brighstone
within its limits. " Calbourne " signifies the caul, or cold, bourne, or
stream ; and " Swainston " has been fancifuUy derived from suanes,
or foreigners, — supposing it to be a settlement of the Danes, after
destroying Ne-wtown in 1001. It is obviously, however, from swain,
a shepherd. The manor was surrendered to the Crown by .John de
Pontissera, Bishop of Winchester, in the 12th of Edward I.; passed
through the hands of the Montacutes, Earls of Salisbury, the Earl of
Warwick, the Duke of Clarence, the Countess of Salisbury beheaded
by Henry VIIL, and her grand-daughter, who bestowed it, with her
hand, upon Sir Thomas Barrington. It afterwards came by marriage
into the Simeon family.
The church is an interesting building, in the Early English style of
architecture, with a recently-erected porch, and north transept, used
as a mausoleum for the Simeon family.
The village {Inn : The Sun) is one of the prettiest in the island, and
is situated in a weU-wooded and well- watered valley. A fine walk
may be taken to Brighstone, vid Lynch Lane.
Calbourne parish contains (including the hamlet and chapelry of
Newtown) 6397 acres, and a population in 1881 of 693. The living
is a rectory, valued at £464 per annum, in the patronage of the
Bishop of Winchester.
Of Newtown, 3| mUes north (1 mUe from Shalfleet), 5 mUes from
Newport, and about 4i miles from Yarmouth, it is enough to say
that it is a small, curious-looking, and scattered village, seated on the
bank of a wide estuary or haven, of depth sufficient to accommodate
vessels of 500 tons. This harbour is in fact an inlet of the Solent

YARMOUTH
AND ITS ENVIRONS,

On a Scale of One hich to a Statute Mile.

District VI.

The Figures indicate Height in Feet above Sea-level.

ENVIEONS OP YAEMOUTH. 229
swelled by two or three small streams which rise in the Downs of
Afton, Shalcombe, and Chessel, and water the intermediate plains.
It is now rented by a company, which utilize it for the breeding of
oysters. The salterns on the east bank are no longer worked. New
to-wn anciently bore the name of Francheville (or the free town), and
had a charter granted to it by Aymer, Bishop of Winchester. It was
then and afterwards a considerable corporate town, — with its mayor,
burgesses, and common seal, — and consisted of two long streets (High
Street and Gold Street) running from east to west, and connected by
numerous shorter streets running from north to south. By a charter
of Edward II. it had an ancient fair of three days, beginning on St. Mary
Magdalene's, July 22nd, which was known far and wide as " New
town Bandy," and drew to it a great concourse of people from all parts
of the island. It had also a weekly market. Until the Reform Bill
it returned two representatives to Parliament, the most distinguished
of whom have been John Churchill, Duke of Marlborough (1678),
Admiral Sir Thomas Hopson (1705), and George Canning (1793).
It was destroyed, it is supposed, by the Danes in 1001, and by the
French in 1377. The name of Nevitown usm-ped the place of
Franeheville after the latter event.
The Toion Hall is still in existence, and stands upon an eminence
overlooking the Harbour. The upper room is now occupied by a day-
school It formerly contained some Elizabethan chairs, which, with
the silver mace of Edward IV.'s time, and the corporation seal, are
now at Swainston.
The Church was rebuilt some years ago from the designs of Mr.
Livesay. Near Calbourne are Swainston (Sir B. Simeon) and Westover (Earl
of Heytesbury), which we shall describe hereafter.
Freshwater parish includes the tithings of Easton, Middle-
ton, Norton, and Weston. It is in effect a peninsula, joined to the
body of the island by a narrow neck of land at Freshwater Gate,
where the Yar rises, and, flowing northward into the Solent, forms
throughout its whole course the eastern boundary of the parish. The
source of this pleasant stream is "within a few yards of the sea,
which in stormy weather has been seen to break over the narrow
ridge of separation, and mingle its salt waves with the fresh waters
of the river-head " {Thome). The river is tidal as high as Fresh
water Mills, 2 miles from its mouth.
Within this limited area — 5242 acres — is contained a wonder
ful .variety of natural beauties : lofty ramparts of chalk, white, bare,
(712) 18

230 ENVIRONS OP YAEMOUTH.
and precipitous ; green slopes of undulating downs ; broad meadows,
fenced in with hawthorn hedges, and dotted with clumps of venerable
elms ; meandering rills, wandering through depths of shadow ; quiet
farm-steads, hidden away in the recesses of silent hills ; ya-wning
caverns in the cliffs, where the -wild sea ever beats with a restless
anger ; garden-bowers, odorous with blossoms ! The river and the
ocean fence in this magical land —
" A narrow compass, and yet there
Dwells all that's good and all that's fair ! " — Wallep..
Freshwater village lies a mile inland, on the pleasant stream of the
Yar. It has a good inn, and an ancient church, of noticeable
architecture, with two or three good monuments, which has recently
been restored. Freshwater Gate, so named from its position at the
only gate or gap in the chalk do-wns between Brighton and the
Needles, consisted, only a few years ago, of a cluster of small cot
tages ; but it is now a thriving and picturesque watering-place, with
two first-class hotels {Lamheris and the Albion), and several well-built,
convenient, and handsome -villa residences. About half a mile east lies
Faringford, Tennyson's island-home. During the summer, communi
cation with Ne-wport and Ventnor is maintained by daily coaches.
About sixty years ago, the favourite resort of the bold smugglers
and hardy fishermen of this neighbourhood, was a small inn named
The Cabin, which, in 1799, was frequented by no less a celebrity
than George Morland the artist. He much enjoyed its rough, rude
company, and introduced them into many of his best sketches. His
picture of The Taproom is a faithful representation of the interior
of this hostelry. From its romantic neighbourhood he derived the
subjects of his "View near the Isle of Wight," "View of the
Needles," "Fishermen," "The Smugglers," "View over the Com
mon," "The Castle," "Sea- view from the Isle of Wight," "A Storm-
piece,'' and " Freshwater Cave at Moonlight, with a Group of Smug
glers." On one occasion, while he was sketching- at Yarmouth with
two friends, they were arrested as spies, and a report of their capture
forwarded to General Don, then commandant of the military forces
of the island. By his direction they were removed, well guarded, to
Newport, where, after undergoing an examination before the magis
trates, they were duly released {Hassell's Life; Collins's Memoirs).
Morland often recounted his island adventures with the most bois
terous glee.
The beautiful and wondrous objects in this locality can best be

ENVIEONS OP YAEMOUTH. 231
visited by water. We defer their description, therefore, for our
" Coast Route."
The Seats in this part of the island are very numerous, and their
localities agreeable. Afton Manor, Weston, Faringford Hill, Marina,
Norton Cottage, Middleton, Brooklands, and West Hill are the most
important. At Alum Bay are two good hotels (the Needles and the Royal), and
in various localities are comfortable and agreeably situated lodging-
houses. The parish includes 5242 acres. Its population in 1881 was 2754.
The U-ving is a rectory, valued at £710 per annum, in the patronage
of St. John's CoUege, Cambridge.
At Freshwater was born the famous phUosophical experimentalist,
Robert Hooke, whose father occupied this rich benefice for several
years. Dr. Wood, the mathematician, died here as rector.
THE COAST ROUTE.
(From Freshwater Gate to Yarmouth.)
The tourist we will suppose to hire a boat and a couple of steady
watermen at Freshwater Gate (charge, 10s.), taking care to begin his
voyage round the peninsula at a suitable hour for the tide.
1. He notices, at the outset, on the eastern side of the small bay
formed here by the curvature of the cliffs, The Arched Rock, a huge
mass, originaUy part of the cliff, but now insulated from it at a
distance of some 600 feet. The constant seas have not only effected
this separation, but have beaten a way through it in the shape of a
quaint Gothic-like arch. Another rude mass towers above the water
close at hand ; it is called The Deer Pond. And in the face of the
cliffs, below Afton Do-wn, are several caverns of unequal depth, pro
duced by the same unceasing agency.
2. Freshwater Cave will no longer attract the tourist's attention.
In the lower beds of chalk the sea had worn away a considerable
excavation, whose roof was supported by perpendicular masses of the
harder rock hewn into irregular columns. Its depth was 120 feet, its
height about 30. But the constant action of the water undermined
its rocky bulwarks ; the larger part of the roof fell in some fifteen
years since ; and what remained was built up to support the fort
erected on the cliff above. Many smaller caves are in the vicinity.
3. The tourist wiU now observe the glittering wall of the Fresh
water Cliffs, three miles in length, " a succession of mural precipices of

232 environs op yaemouth.
chalk from 400 to upwards of 600 feet in height. The face of these
cliffs when seen from the sea at a short distance has a remarkable
ajjpearauce, from the rows of flints which score the surface of the
white rock with fine dark parallel lines, running in an oblique direc
tion from the top to the bottom of the section " {Mantell). A
sudden curvature in this immense and surprising sea-wall bears the
name of )Vatcombe Bay. It contains four caverns. At its farther
extremity rises a singularly-shap)ed rock, hollowed into two or three
rude arches.
4. The western portion of these cliffs is the loftiest, and is known
as the Main Bench, 617 feet in height. Their base is all along worn
into fantastic caverns, and ledges, and arches, and piUars — all with
fantastic names, and occurring in the following order : — Neptun^s
Caves, the larger 200 feet deep, the smaller 90 ; Bar Cave, 90 feet deep ;
Frenchman's Hole, of the same depth, where a fugitive French prisoner
concealed himself, and was starved to death ; Lord Holmes's Parlour,
where it is said that nobleman, when governor of the island, enter
tained his friends ; Lord Holmeis Cellar, where, perhaps, he cooled
and preserved his wines ; Roe Hall, 600 feet in height ; The Wedge
Rock, a singular mass of chalk fixed between a detached pyramid and
the cliff ; and another curious mass called Old Pepper Rock. These
cliffs are the habitat, during- the summer months, of a world of birds
— gulls and guillemots, razor-bills, puffins, and cormorants. Fire a
pistol, or sound a bugle, and they rise suddenly from a thousand
ledges and hollows, and make the air dark with wings. " Their eggs
and feathers were the plunder of the country people, who resorted to
a well-known but daring feat of enterprise in order to obtain them.
First driving a strong stake, or iron bar, into the top of the cliff near
its edge, the adventurer secured one end of a rope to it, and the
other to a piece of wood placed crosswise so as to resemble a rude
seat. By means of this simple apparatus he descended the front of
the precipice " {Barber).
5. Rounding Sun Corner, the voj'ager finds himself in Sa-atcheWs
Bay, a deep hollow curve of extreme magnificence, terminated north
ward by the high masses of glittering rock so widely celebrated as
The Needles. " In the face of the cliff, from the destruction of the
lower beds of the bent strata, a magnificent arch 300 feet high has
been produced, and forms an alcove that overhangs the beach 150
feet " {Mantell). The tourist should land on the adjacent strip of
shingle, and go forward to the extremity of the great arch, looking
out from which he will be astonished at the sublime aspect of the

ENVIEONS OP YAEMOUTH. 233
bay; the surrounding rocks and the vast overhanging arch assume
almost a terrible majesty, especiaUy if a stormy sky be gathering its
forces over the distant horizon. Near the Needles, the N'eedles Cave
penetrates 300 feet into the cliff.
6. Upon Needles Point, the westernmost extremity of the island,
at an elevation of 474 feet, formerly stood a Lighthouse; but from
its great height, it was found to be useless in foggy and hazy
weather, when it was of course most needed. It had ten argand
lamps, and the same number of plated refiectors ; and in clear nights
its radiance was visible at a distance of eleven miles. But generally
it was wrapped about in mists, through which, as the present writer can
testify, not a ray could be discei-ned. The Trinity House, therefore,
in 1858-9, caused a new one to be erected on the outer part of the
westei-nmost of the Needles, which was previously cut down close to
the water's edge. The present " Pharos " measures about one hun
dred feet high from the base to the top of the ball, and has only one
light with three concentrated wicks, but its brilliancy is so great
that it can be seen ten miles at sea. The shades are alternately
white and red. A fog-bell during unseasonable weather rings by
mechanical agency ; its sounds may be heard at a distance of five
miles. The base of the building is thirty-eight feet in diameter.
Viewed from the sea, its position is very striking.
7. The Needle Rocks (ingeniously derived by one authority from
the German nieder fels, or under cliff) are five in number, but only
three are conspicuously visible. Originally, they formed a portion
of the western point of the island, and their present isolated condition
is owing to the decomposition and wearing away of the rock in the
direction of the joints or fissures with which the strata are traversed.
" Their angular or wedge-shaped form has resulted from the highly
inclined northward dip of the beds of which they are composed."
There was formerly another rock — Lot's Wife, the sailors called it —
which stood out alone, rising from the waves, like a spire, to the
height of 120 feet. It is said to have given its name to the group.
It feU in 1764.
" Nothing can be more interesting," says a good authority, " par
ticularly to those who take pleasure in aquatic excursions, than to
sail between and round the Needles. The wonderfuUy-coloured
chffs of Alum Bay ; the lofty and towering chalk precipices of
Scratchell's Bay, of the most dazzling whiteness and the most ele
gant forms; the magnitude and singularity of the spiry, insulated
masses which seem at every instant to be shifting their situations,

234 ENVIEONS OP YAEMOUTH.
and give a mazy perplexity to the place ; the screaming noise of the
aquatic birds, the agitation of the sea, and the rapidity of the tide,
occasioning not unfrequently a sUght degree of danger; — all these
circumstances combine to raise in the mind unusual emotions, and
to give to the scene a character highly singular, and even romantic "
{Sir II. Eiiglefield).
The dangers of the Needles' passage have long been felt by
mariners ; but that it is the grandest and most fitting approach to
England foreigners unanimously acknowledge. Mr. Rush, the
American Minister, writes of it enthusiastically : — " In due time we
approached the Needles. The spectacle was grand. Our officers gazed
in admiration. The very men, who swarmed upon the deck, made a
pause to look upon the giddy height. The most exact steerage seemed
necessary to save the ship from the sharp rocks that compress the
waters into the narrow straits below. But she passed easily through.
There is something imposing in entering England by this access. I
afterwards entered at Dover in a packet from Calais, my eye fixed
upon the sentinels as they slowly paced the heights. But those
cliffs, bold as they are, and immortalized by Shakespeare, did not
equal the passage through the Needles " {Journal of a Residence).
An association connected with Scratchell's Bay savours somewhat
of the ludicrous. One John Baldwin of Lymington, having heard
his wife threaten " to dance over his grave," gave directions in his
will that he should be buried out at sea ; and accordingly his body
was submerged in Scratchell's Bay, saiu cMmonie.
8. The voyager, having passed the Needles, finds himself suddenly
thrown, as it were, into a world of enchantment, especially if the
rays of the setting sun are just falling upon his path, and the cliffs
are resplendent with Hhevc purpureum lumen. This is Alum Bay (5
mUes) ; one side of it a wall of glo-wing chalk, and the other a barrier
of rainbows ! The contrast is very beautiful — the solidity of the
chalky cliffs with these masses of many-coloured earth piled uj) in
picturesque confusion. "The scenery of this bay is, indeed, very
superior in magnificence to that of any other part of the island. The
chalk forms an unbroken face everj^where nearly perpendicular, and
in some parts formidably projecting, and the tenderest stains of
ochreous yellow and greenish moist vegetation vary without breaking-
its sublime uniformity. This vast wall extends nearly a quarter of
a mile, and is more than 400 feet in height ; it terminates by a thin
projection of a bold, broken outline, and the wedge-shaped Needle
rocks, rising out of the blue waters, continue the cliff in idea beyond

ENVIEONS OF YAEMOUTH. 235
its present boundary, and give an awful impression of the stormy
ages which have gradually devoured its enormous mass. The
pearly hue of the chalk under certain conditions of the atmosphere
and light is beyond description by words, and probably out of the
power even of the pencil to portray. The magical repose of this side
of the bay is wonderfuUy contrasted by the torn forms and vivid
colom-uig of the clay cliffs on the opposite side. These do not, as at
Whitecliff, present rounded headlands clothed with turf and shrubs,
but offer a series of points of a scalloped form, and which are often
sharp and pinnacled. Deep, rugged chasms divide the strata in
many places, and not a trace of vegetation appears in any part. All
is wild ruin ! The tints of the cliffs are so bright and so varied that
they have not the aspect of anything natural. Deep purplish red,
dusky blue, bright ochreous yellow, gray nearly approaching to
white, and absolute black, succeed each other as sharply defined as
the stripes in silk ; and after rains, the sun, -n-hich, from about noon
tUl his setting, in summer iUuminates them more and more, gives a
briUiancy to some of these nearly as resplendent as the bright lights
on real silk. SmaU vessels ofteil lie in this bay for the purpose of
loading chalk and sand;* and they serve admirably to show the
majestic size of the cliffs under whose shade they lie diminished
almost to nothing " {Sir II. Englefield).
9. The northern extremity of the bay is Headon Hill, 400 feet in
height. The geologist will observe that its geological character is
precisely similar to that of WhitecUff Bay, at the eastern end of the
island. The chalk joins the London clay and freshwater deposits at
both places, though the dislocated strata of Headon Hill give the
landscape so different an aspect. At both places the lacustrine and
fluviatUe deposits are the uppermost series ; the London clay, occupy
ing a vertical position, forms the middle; and is followed by the
Bognor strata, and the mottled clays ; and these abut against a bed
of sandy loam, with pebbles and sUghtly roUed flints, that is in
immediate contact with the chalk. The thickness of the eocene
strata, from the chalk to the uppermost bed in Headon Hill, is
stated by Mr. Prest-wick to be 1660 feet, which is 300 feet less than
the series at Whitecliff.
" The variegated and deeply -tinted sands, marls, and clays, which
impart so remarkable and brilliant an aspect to the cliff, are the
-* Mr. Wedgwood tried to use the fine white sand in his porcelain manufacture, but
the experiment was unsuccessful. Glasses, bottles, paper-weights, etc., filled with these
sands in various designs, are sold all over the island.

236 ENVIEONS OP Y'AEMOUTH.
next in order, and form a total thickness of between 700 and 800
feet. The alternations and variety of the vertical seams or layers
are almost innumerable." These strata belong to the London clay
series, and are foUowed by a layer of pure white sand, which is
exported for the glass manufactories of London and Bristol, at the
rate of 3000 tons yearly.
From the summit of Headon Hill, which is cro-wned by a battery,
a fine view may be obtained of the various windings of this wonder
ful coast, of the inland island scenery, of the green trees and misty
hills of Hampshire. Yarmouth and the groves of Freshwater lie
beneath, and the chalk downs rise iq) against the distant horizon.
10. The tourist now reaches Totland, or TollandJs Bay, where the
cliffs entirely change their character, and exhibit alternations of
marine and fresh- water strata. Here are bathing-machines, a small
pier (450 feet in length), some lodging-houses, a bathing establish
ment with library and reading-room, and an exceUent hotel. Christ
Church, erected in 1875, is a neat buUding in the Early English
style, with seats for 400 worshippers. The cUffs gradually decrease
in height as the boat passes Colwell Bay, where, in Bramble Chine,
" a thick bed of oyster-sheUs is exposed, apparently in its original
state, the valves being in contact with each other as when Uving."
Many beautiful fossU shells may be collected in this locality.
11. The extremity of ColweU Bay is caUed Cliff End, where the
Albert Fort and Cliff End Battery guard the jjassages. This is the
nearest point of contact with the mainland — the passage to Hurst
Point not exceeding 1460 yards. Next comes Sconce Point, cro-wned
by the heavy mass of the Victoria Fort, and then the voyager finds
himself abreast of Yarmouth. Viewed from the sea, the island here
assumes a very interesting appearance. The gradual rise of the
northern side above the sea, the coloured strata of Alum Bay, those
singular masses of rock the Needles, -n-ith the majestic chalk cliffs
behind them of the most dazzling whiteness, and the precipitous
face of the southern side of the do-wns above Freshwater, compose
altogether a picture of the most romantic character.
SEATS OF the GENTRY.
Sioainston, about 1-^ mile east from Calbourne, is the seat of the
Simeon family. It is a large and handsome mansion of stone, in the
Italian style, occupying the site of an ancient palace of the Bishops
of Winchester — once visited by Edwai-d II. — of the chapel of which
some Early Decorated rem.ains are still extant. The grounds are

ENVIRONS OP YAEMOUTH. 237
very beautiful — agreeably alternated with hill and dale, and rejoicing
in the most luxuriant foliage. The views, in every direction, are
full of interest. The late Sir John Simeon was the eldest son of
Sir R. Godin Simeon, by the eldest daughter and heiress of the late
Sir Fitzwilliam Barrington, who brought the Calbourne estate
into the Simeon family. Sir John was born at St. John's, near
Ryde, in 1815; educated at Christchurch, Oxon., and graduated
M.A. in 1840; married, in the same year, the only daughter of Sir
F. F. Baker of Loventer, in Devonshire ; represented the island in
Parliament from 1847 to 1851 in the Liberal interest, resigning on
becoming a convert to the Roman Catholic religion ; and succeeded
to the baronetcy in 1854. He, in his turn, was succeeded by his
eldest son. Sir Barrington Simeon, at present (1882) private secre
tary to the Right Hon. John Bright, Chancellor of the Duchy of
Lancaster. Westover lies south of Calbourne, in an agreeable situation. The
house is commodious, though not of spacious dimensions ; its south
front ornamented with a Doric colonnade in the centre, verandas
above, and upon each side of it. To the east and north well sheltered
by thick masses of ancient trees. The manor, formerly a possession
of the DUlingtons, was sold by one of the Urry family to Lord
Holmes, and so descended to Su- Leonard Worsley Holmes, whose
daughter and heiress married, in 1833, the Hon. William Ashe
A'Court, eldest son of the Earl of Heytesbury, and the present pro
prietor of Westover. This gentleman thereupon assumed the name
and arms of Holmes. He was born in London in 1809 ; educated at
St. John's CoUege, Cambridge, where he graduated as M.A. in 1831 ;
married in 1833; represented the Isle of Wight from 1837 to 1847
on Conservative principles ; and succeeded to the Earldom of Hey
tesbury on his father's death, 1859.
Afion Manor, the seat of B. Cotton, Esq., is a large mansion in a
noble and weU-wooded park, on the east bank of the Yar, about 2
miles from Yarmouth. Mr. Cotton was for some years the master
of the Isle of Wight hounds.
Norton Lodge (the seat of Sir Grseme Hamond-Grseme), on the
northern shore of the island, and the extreme western bank of the
Yar, is a picturesque -villa in very pleasant and agreeably diversified
grounds. It commands a fine -view of Yarmouth and the course of
the river, — of the Hampshire coast, and the singular promontory
terminated by Hurst Castle. The late Admiral Sir Graham Hamond,
Bart., G.C.B., was bom in 1779; served as midshipman on board the

238 ENVIEONS OF YAEMOUTH.
Queen Charlotte in Lord Howe's action— "the glorious First of
June;" distinguished himself at the blockade of Malta, and siege of
Valetta; in the sanguinary action off Copenhagen, 1801; and at
Flushing, in 1809. Promoted to be Admiral of the White, 1849.
Faringford, 1^- mile west of Freshwater Gate, a fine viUa almost
hidden amidst leafy trees, is the residence of AHred Tennyson, Esq.
In his "Maud, and other Poems," the poet-laureate pleasantly
alludes to his island-home when addressing his friend, the Rev. F.
D. Maurice : — " Where, far from smoke and noise of town,
I watch the twilight falling brown
All round a careless ordered garden.
Close to the ridge of a noble down.
" You'U have no scandal while you dine.
But honest talk and wholesome -wine.
And only hear the magpie gossip
Garrulous under a roof of pine.
" For groves of pine on either hand.
To break the blast of winter, stand ;
And farther on, the hoary Channel
Tumbles a breaker on chalk and sand."
The poet took up his quarters here in 1853, and it was here he wrote
the lyrical monologue of " Maud." Many passages were obviously
suggested by the sights, scenes, and sounds of his island residence ;
as, for instance, the foUowing : —
" AU by myself in my own dark garden-ground.
Listening now to the tide, in its broad-flung shipwrecking roar.
Now to the scream of a maddened beast dragged down by the wave."

And again : —
Yet as;ain : —

' The voice of the long sea-wave as it swelled
Now and then in the dim-gray dawn."
" Is that enchanted moan only the swell
Of the long waves that roU in yonder bay I

At Faringford the poet was accustomed to receive his intimate
friends and a few distinguished strangers from " over the sea."
Sydney Dobell, who was at Shanklin in 1857, writes: — "I hardly
think Tennyson has done weU, as a poet, in fixing his house in such
exceptional conditions. He lives, you know, about twenty-five miles
from us along the same coast. The country people are much amazed
at his bad hat and unusual ways, and believe devoutly that he
writes his poetry while mowing his lawn. However, they hold him
in great respect, from a perception of the honour in which he is held

ENVIEONS OP YAEMOUTH. 239
by their ' betters.' Our housewife here is a friend of his servant,
and she entertained us with an account of how said servant had been
lately awed. Opening to a ring at the door, when the Tennysons
were out, she saw a ' tall, handsome gentleman ' standing there, who,
on learning they were not at home, turned to go. ' What message
shall I give ?' quoth the maid. ' Merely say. Prince Albert called.'"
A few years later, Mr. Dobell writes to describe an evening which
he had enjoyed under the poet's roof : — " We found the glorious old
god as god-like as ever. Nothing could be kinder than both Mr. and
Mrs. Tennyson — he in his great, blind, superhuman manner, lUce a
colossal chUd ; and his often-repeated disappointment that we could
not stay longer near them was as unfeigned and straight-spoken
as everything, large and little, that comes out of that mouth, with
which he seems rather to think aloud than, in the ordinary accepta
tion, to speak."
In his " At Home and Abroad," Bayard Taylor, the American
litterateur, narrates very pleasantly his experiences of Faringford : —
" I had so long known," he says, " the greatest of English living
poets, Alfred Tennyson, not only through his works, but from the
talk of mutual friends, that I gladly embraced an opportunity to
know him personally, which happened to me in June 1857. He was
then li-ving at his house, the estate of Faringford, near Freshwater,
in the Isle of Wight. I should have hesitated to intrude upon his
retirement, had I not been kindly assured beforehand that my visit
would not be unwelcome. The drive across the heart of the island
from Ne-wport to Freshwater was alone worth the journey from
London. The softly undulating hills, the deep green valleys, the
blue waters of the Solent, and the purple glimpses of the New Forest
beyond, formed a fit vestibule of landscape through which to ap
proach a poet's house.
" As we drew near Freshwater, my coachman pointed out Faring
ford, a cheerful gray country mansion, with a small thick-grassed
park before it, a grove behind, and beyond all, the deep shoulder of
the chalk downs, a gap in which, at Freshwater, showed the dark blue
horizon of the CJhannel. Leaving my luggage at one of the two
little inns, I walked to the house with lines from ' Maud ' chiming
in my mind. ' The dry-tongued laurel ' shone glossUy in the sun,
the cedar ' sighed for Lebanon ' on the lawn, and ' the liquid azure
bloom of a crescent of sea glimmered afar.'
" I had not been two minutes in the drawing-room before Tenny
son walked in. So unlike are the published portraits of him that I

240 ENVIEONS OP YAEMOUTH.
was almost in doubt as to his identity. The engraved head suggests
a moderate stature, but he is tall and broad-shouldered as a son of
Anak, with hair, beard, and eyes of southern darkness. Something
in the lofty brow and aquiline nose suggests Dante ; but such a deep,
mellow chest-voice never could have come from Italian lungs.
" He proposed a walk, as the day was wonderfully clear and beau
tiful. We climbed the steep combe of the chalk cliff, and slowly
wandered westward untU we reached the Needles, at the extremity
of the island, and some three or four miles distant from his residence.
During the conversation with which we beguUed the way I was
struck with the variety of his knowledge. Not a little flower on the
downs, which the sheep had spared, escaped his notice ; and the
geology of the coast, both terrestrial and submarine, were perfectly
familiar to him. I thought of a remark which I once heard from the
lips of a distinguished English author [Thackeray], that Tennyson
was the wisest man he knew, and could -well believe that he wag
sincere in making it.
" I shall respect the sanctity of the deUghtful family circle to which
I was admitted, and from which I parted the next afternoon with
true regret. Suffice it to say, that the poet is not only fortunate and
happy in his famUy relations, but that, with his large and liberal
nature, his sympathies for what is true and noble in humanity, and
his depth and tenderness of feeling, he deserves to be so."
The vulgar pertinacity of the curious, -n'ho invaded the solitude he
prized so highly, untU he could hardly venture to move from the
door of his house, induced Mr. Tennyson, in 1869, to remove to a
new summer residence at Haslemere in Surrey. He is still, however,
an occasional visitor at Faringford. We have hinted at the traces
of island scenery in " Maud ; " in his later works they are even more
abundant, showing how well he loves the rounded downs, the bold
cliffs of chalk, arid the broad expanse of shining waters. Who will not
regret that his intercoui-se with them was sundered by such a cause 1
Alfred Tennyson was born at Somersly Rectory, in Lincolnshire,
on the 5th of August 1809. His father was the Rev. Dr. G. C.
Tennyson, his mother a daughter of the Rev. Stephen Fytche, vicar
of Louth. At Louth he received his early education. "To complete
it he was sent to Cambridge, where his poem of " Timbuctoo " won
the chancellor's gold medal ; and he formed an intimate friendship
with Arthur Henry Hallam, the son of the historian. In his
eighteenth year he published, in conjunction with his brother Charles
a volume of poetry (240 pages duodecimo), under the title of " Poems

ENVIEONS OP YAEMOUTH. 241
by Two Brothers." In 1830 he gave to the world his "Poems,
chiefly Lyrical," containing many pieces which are now familiar to the
heart of every lover of poetry, though at first they attracted but little
attention. Some discriminating -writers, however, such as John
Stuart MiU and Leigh Hunt, discovered their rich promise of future
excellence. In 1842, the publication of his "Poems," in two volumes,
including many old pieces, revised and rewritten (the labor limce
Tennyson has never spared himself), and many previously unpub
lished, convinced the world that a new and genuine poet had arisen.
"Locksley Hall," "The Two Voices," "The Dream of Fair Women,"
" The Talking Oak," " (Enone," and other exquisite compositions,
became the delight of the critic, the love-sick maiden, the thoughtful
student, and the reading public generally ; there was a charm in
them for all. Tennyson's fame was confirmed and broadened, in 1850,
by his grand elegiac poem, " In Memoriam," a tribute to the beloved
memory of his friend Arthur Henry HaUam, who had been cut off,
in 1832, in the very flush and vigour of his young manhood. On the
death of Wordsworth, in 1851, everybody felt that to him, and him
alone, must be given " the laurel greener from the brows of him who
uttered nothing base," and his appointment as poet-laureate was
ratified by the applause of the public. In 1852 he issued his " Ode
on the Death of the Duke of Wellington ; " in 1852, a revised edition
of " The Princess : a Medley," the first rude sketch of which had ap
peared in 1847; in 1855, "Maud, and other Poems;" in 1858, "The
Idylls of the King," founded on the old Arthurian legends. " Enoch
Arden " was the product of 1864 ; " Lucretius," 1868 ; " The Holy
Grail," 1869. In 1875, Mr. Tennyson essayed dramatic poetry, and
displayed the wide range of his powers in " Queen Mary," followed
m 1877 by " Harold ; " in 1879, by the one-act romance of " The
Falcon," produced at the Haymarket ; and in 1880-81, by the
two-act tragic drama of "The Cup," produced at the Lyceum. A
volume of fine baUads appeared in 1880. That the poet can still
achieve a noble strain, though somewhat inferior to his ripest work,
is shown by his Tyrttean Ijrric, " The Charge of the Heavy Brigade,"
published in Mai-ch 1882.
PLACES TO BE VISITED BY THE PEDESTRIAN.
Headon Hill, or The Warren, on the north side of Alum Bay —
here is a smaU fort armed with six guns — prospect from the summit
very lovely ; Walcombe Bay, immediately beneath Freshwater Fort ;
Easton, 1 mile south of Freshwater ; Compton, nestling in a hollow

242 ENVIEONS OP YAEMOUTH.
of the do-wns, near Brook, and 3 mUes south-east from Freshwater ;
the Needles Lighthouse, and examine Alum Bay, The Warren, Col
weU Bay, and other places by a route along the cliff; Middleton, a
small hamlet, near Freshwater ; Cliff End, and Sconce Point ;
Hampstead, and its farm-house, designed by Nash the architect,
2 miles north-west of Shalfleet, and 3J west of Yarmouth ; Elms-
worth, and its salterns, half a mUe north of Newtown ; and Bould-
ner-on-the-Sea, east of Yarmouth, where a limited liability company
is endeavouring to force into existence a new watering-place.
DAY-JOURNEYS.
1. From Alum Bay to Jarj/JOM^/*, by the sea-shore. — Round Hather-
wood Point we pass into Totland or ToUand Bay. This is a good place
for fossil-hunting. " The lowermost stratum visible on the beach is a
pure white sand, largely exported for the glass manufactories : this is
covered by a bed of yellowish clay. A series of variously coloured
sands, marls, and clays, with layers of friable Umestone, succeed. The
predominating fossils are species of fresh- water genera ; but in some of
the beds are a few marine and estuary shells, and a layer of oyster-shells
similar to one in Colwell Bay. Within fifty feet of the top of the hill
is a stratum of reddish-bro-wn and mottled clay with seams of lignite ;
and on this is superimposed whitish sand and marl, with interstratified
layers of concretionary limestone, full of fresh- water shells. A thick
bed of gravel forms the alluvial covering on the summit of the hill."
Totland Bay is growing into some repute as a fashionable resort
for bathing. Passing the sea-wall which protects the site of Warden
Battery, we enter Colwell Bay, at the other end of which are the
Cliff End Battery and Albert Fort. The scenery here is of the most
delightful character ; the sands are firm and strong ; and inland the
country is very enjoyable. At Colwell is a small inn. The Nelson
Arms. Thence a short walk leads to Golden Hill Fort.
We come to Clifi' End, where, on the site of the present battery,
James Worsley, the captain of the island, erected a clock-house
(" Worsley's Tower ") in the reign of Henry VIII. At Sconce Point
is placed the Victoria Fort, close to which is the landing-place of the
telegraph cable. On the site of Victoria Fort stood the battery raised
by Sir George Carey, to replace Worsley's Tower, which had fallen
into ruin. Passing Norton, we arrive on the bank of the Yar, and
cross the wooden bridge to Yarmouth.
2. Across the Downs to Alum Bay. — From the N'eedles Hotel a
path leads us up the green acclivity of the High Down, the summit

ENVIRONS OP YARMOUTH. 243
of which is 490 feet high, whUe its perpendicular chalk cliffs are 400
feet. It is needless to say that at every step of the ascent the
traveller commands a prospect which enables him to realize the fuU
meaning of the beauty and grandeur of nature. The peninsula of
Freshwater lies beneath him like a map, and on either side the sea
shines with a glow that is truly magical. The loftiest point of the
down is marked by an old beacon ; and thence the prospect includes,
in one direction, the southern coast of the island, from Rocken End
to Freshwater Gate ; the surf -fringed Dorsetshire coast ; the rolling
backbone of chalk hills that stretches through the island ; the pastures
and marshes of the north-east, from Yarmouth to the mouth of the
Medina ; the glittering Solent; and the green passes of the New Forest.
On the north side of Scratchell's Bay, the headland is occupied by
a fort, and just beyond rise the wedge-shaped chalky masses of the
Needles. From the fort a picturesque road runs to the A lum Bay
Hotel; and a -winding path leads thence to the geological wonders of
Alum Bay, with its pier, boats, bathing-machines, and other adjuncts.
3. From Yarmouth to Shalfleet. — By the side of the sea the road runs
on to Bouldner, and thence across Ningwood Common to Hampstead.
At Lower Hampstead he wUl cross Ningwood Creek, and keep south
ward through the valley to Shalfleet. Or, by a more direct route,
he may cross Ningwood Common, and keep straight on for Shalfleet.
From Shalfleet he may visit Newtown, one mile north ; or he may
strike southward, past Elm Farm and Stoney Cross, to Calbourne.
4. From Yarmouth to Newport. — Two routes present themselves :
the first is to Shalfieet, as above, then by the Calbourne road to Elm
Copse, where we turn to the left, and cross a country which still
retains some traces of its old leafiness when included in Parkhurst
Forest.-* We pass Lower WatchingweU and Little Field Farm, and
skirt the southern border of the forest, which opens up many agreeable
vistas, to Hedge Comer. There we turn to the right and enter Newport;
or keep on to the Cowes and Newjiort road, and enter Ne-wport by
Honey Hill, where King James I. " saw a muster " in August 1609.
The alternative route is by Calbourne. Passing Thorley Church
Farm, we keep to the south-east, over an undulating country, with
green hUls on either hand, and afar to the south the rolling crest of
the Afton, Shalcombe, Chessel, and Mottistone Downs, by way of
Thorley Street and Wellow to Newbridge, where we cross Shalfieet
Chreek. The road to the left makes for Swainston ; we take that to
* This forest extended of old from the Medina to Newtown river, covered three thou
sand acres, and was well stocked with deer. Most of it was enclosed in 1815.

244 ENVIRONS OP YARMOUTH.
the right, and descend into Calbourne. After visiting its interest
ing church, we resume our journey, cross the woody grounds of
Swainston ; round the slope of Apse Down by a road which runs
almost parallel with a Roman road (to the south) ; and descend
Alvington Down into Carisbrooke village ; thence to Ne-wport.
5. From Freshioater to Calbourne. — This road runs past Afton
House and Afton Farm, and by Chessel Down, into Calbourne.
6. From Freshwater Gate, across the Downs, to Carisbrooke. — From
the hotel we climb a gradual ascent of verdurous greensward to the
summit of Afton Down. Thence to East Afton, where we note
two large and several smaller Celtic tumuli or barrows. Leaving be
hind us the lonely farms of Compton and Dunsbury, and crossing
Compton and Tapnel Downs, we gain the crest of Dunsbury Down,
with its six barrows. As five of these are seen from Brook, the
viUagers call it Five Barrow Down. To the north is Shalcombe
Down. Crossing the road from Brook to Yarmouth, we ascend Brook
Down (689 feet), marked out for us by its two large barrows ; through
a gate emerge upon Mottistone Down (with the Longstone on the
right) ; cross the Brighstone and Calbourne road ; climb up Brigh
stone Down, and, where the path divides, taking the right hand
branch, leave the Rowborough and Westcourt Bottoms, with their
Pictish pit-villages on the left, come upon Lemerston Down and
Cheverton Down, with the Idlecombe vaUey beneath ; cross the
Sliorwell and Carisbrooke road ; pass Cheverton and Rowborough
Farms on the left ; emerge upon Newbarn Down, near Newbarn
Farm ; turn to the left, and over Ganson Do-wn descend abruptly to
Ganson Farm, and by Love Lane make our way to Carisbrooke. We
have not attempted to describe the views along this magnificent
route, because at every point they undergo a change. The tourist
should have a good map as his comjDanion, and he will have no diffi
culty in identifying the various objects that meet his gaze. The
greater part of the island is included in the richly-coloured and pro
fusely varied panorama.
On Brighstone Down, if the tourist take the left hand road or track,
he will cross the upper part of Calbourne Bottom, and pass the
Pictish villages of Rowborough and Gallibury on the right, and New
barn on the left. Thence he will follow up the Une of a supposed
Roman road across Bowcombe Down, which was ascended by Prince
Charles, afterwards Charles I., in 1618, for the sake of the prospect,
and descend to Clatterford, where remains of a Roman villa have been
discovered, into Carisbrooke.

THE CHUECHES OF THE ISLAND,

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF ITS WORTHIES.

Arreton. — St. George's — one of the churches given by William
Fitz-Osbert to his Abbey of Lire ; valued in Cardinal Beaufort's
roll at 50 marks, and the tithes of the vicarage at 8 ; value of super
fluous plate and fittings sold by Edward VI.'s Commissioners,
£34, 3s. 4d. — consists of an Early English double-gabled chancel, with
Norman -window in north wall, and traces of three similar windows
in west gable, with south aisle, and dwarfed embattled tower. It is
said to have been built in 1141. The oak ceiling in the chancel, and
the stone pulpit, are recent additions. The chancel was restored
ui 1863.
Brasses. — In the south aisle is a brass, date 1430, with the effigy of
a man in plate-armour, his feet upon a lion. • Inscription, —
" Here is y . buried under this grave
Harry Hawles . his soule God save.
Long tyme steward . of the Yle of Wyght,
Have m'cy on hym . God ful of myght."
On a brass plate on one of the pUlars is graven the foUowing
quaintest of quaint rhymes : —
" Loe here under this tomb incoutcht
Is William Serle by name,
-Who, for his deedes of charetie
Deserveth worthy fame.
" A man within this Parish borne.
And in the house called Stone,
A glass for to behold a work
Hath left to every one.
(712) 19

246 THE CHUECHES OP THE ISLAND.
" For that unto the people poor
Of Arreton, he gave
An hundred pownds in redie coyne.
He will'd that they should have.
" To be ymployed in fittest sorte,
As man coulde best invent.
For yearely relief to the Poore,
That was his good intent.
" Thus did this man, a Batchelor
Of years full fifty nyne ;
And doeing good to many a one,
Soe did he spend his tyme.
" Untill the day he did decease.
The first of Februarey,
And in the year of One 'Thousand
Five hundred neyntie five."
The bequest here described " was laid out in the purchase of a farm
called Garots, on St. George's Down, from the profits of which a
supply of bread is given to the poor of the parish in the winter
season" {Walks round Ryde).
On the exterior wall is another brass : —
"The bewarde of Sinne is Death. Everlas
TINGE Life is the Gifte of God throvgh ovb
Lord and Saviovr Jesvs Chbiste. AVherefob
all ye that love the lord doe this - hate
all things that are evell fob he dothe
Kepe the sovles of his FBOM SUCH AS
wovLD THEM SPILL." George Serle.
Another metal plate records the death of William Colnett, 1594 ;
and a brass in north aisle, David Wavil, 1629.
Monuments. — To Richard Fleming Worsley, dro-wned in the river
Hamble (astat. 22), bas-relief by Westmacott. To Sir Leonard Worsley
Holmes, Bart, (setat. 38, in 1825), executed by a native ai-tist, named
HaskoU. The Bells. — There are five bells, but only four can be used. On
one, in raised letters, is graven — " William . Grif . fin . vioor . Geo .
Oglander . Henry Bvll . chvrchwardens . Clement . tosiear cast .
MEE . in . the . YEAR . OF . 1699." On another, "God is my hope . 1691."
On the smallest, — Jibits : niftoliuis : sarlc : t : rtliciit : uxx : rjiis : ifbit :
inc." Jesus ! Nicholas Serle and his wife Alicia gave me.
Epitaphs. — In the church-yard are numerous epitaphs.
On James Un-y of Combley, setat. 33, 1815 : —
" Death is most certain you may see
For suddenly it came to me.

THE CHURCHES OF THE ISLAND. 247

In perfect Health to me 'twas sent,
By Accident most violent."

On James Barton.^ setat. 66, 1V68 : —

' My Sickness was Great I under Went
God gave me Time for to Repent;
My Change I Hope is for the best,
To dwell with Christ and be at rest."

On Daniel Barton^ aetat. 32, 1778 : —

" My parents Dear Grieve not for Me,
I hope in heaven you Both to See ;
It was God's will he thought it best.
To take me to A place of rest. "
On John Barton, setat. 40, 1781 : —
" In love I lived, in peace I died,
My Life Desir'd but God deny'd ;
Now on my Children pity take,
And love them for there fathers Sake."
On Elizahethj wife of the above, setat. 64, 1804 : —
" Calm was her Death, pious was her life,
A careful mother, and a virtuous wife:
Dutiful to her Children and a friend,
Possessing those bright duties to her End."
On Hamiah and William Rapier: —
" Skill'd in the mystery of the pleasing Peal,
"Which few can know, and fewer still reveal ;
"Whether with little Bells or Bell sublime,
To split a Moment to the truth of Time ;
Time so oft truly beat, at length o'ercame,
Yet shall this Tribute long preserve his Name."
On Elizabeth Wallbrtd^ej the heroine of Legh Richmond's popular
narrative, "The Dairyman's Daughter.'' This epitaph was written
by Mrs. W. C. Bousfield :—
*' stranger ! if e'er by chance or feeling led.
Upon this haUow'd turf thy footsteps tread,
Turn from the contemplation of the sod.
And think on her whose spirit rests with God.
Lowly her lot on earth,— but He who bore
Tidings of grace and blessing to the poor.
Gave her his truth and faithfulness to prove,
The choicest treasures of his boundless love, —
(Faith, that dispell'd AlHiction's darkest gloom;
Hope, that could cheer the passage to the tomb ;
Peace, that not hell's dark legions could destroy;
And Love that flll'd the soul with heavenly joy).

248 THE churches OP THE ISLAND.
Death of its sting disarm'd, she knew no fear.
But tasted heaven e'en while she linger'd here.
Oh, happy Saint ! may we like thee be blest ;
In life be faithful, and in death find rest!"
A desk here supports a copy of Foxe's " Book of Martyrs," sixth
edition, 1631.
Arreton is a vicarage in the patronage of Mrs. Graham, valued at
£220 pel' annum.
Bembridge. — The church here was first erected in 1826, at a cost of
£1300, and endowed with £5 annually by the late Edward Wise,
Esq. Consecrated in 1827. The foundations proving unsafe, it be
came necessary in 1845 to erect a new edifice, which is small, but
commodious, and Early English in character.
Bembridge was formerly dependent on the parish of Brading,
but is now a vicarage valued at £100 per annum.
Binstead. — St. Peters — architect, T. Hellyer, Esq., of Eyde (Early
English) — stands on the site of the ancient church, which was probably
erected and supplied by the monks of Quarr, and on account of its
poverty was not included in Cardinal Beaufort's roll, 1404. For
some years after the dissolution of the abbey the abbot's privileges of
proving wills, marrying without Ucense, and the like, were enjoyed
by the rector, who was popularly styled " Bishop of Binstead."
Over the outer gate of the church notice a curious ancient key
stone, or corbel, representing a human demi-figure which terminates
in a ram's head. This is popularly called the Idol; and by some
writers is regarded as of Saxon origin. Some singular emblems in
stone of Eternity, Sin, the Holy Dove, etc., from the old church, are
preserved in the walls of the new, which consists of a nave and
chancel, divided by Early English arch. The octagonal font is re
markable for its workmanship, representing Eve's Temptation, the
Expulsion from Eden, the Doom of Labour, Death, Christ's Baptism,
Crucifixion, Ascension, and the Last Judgment. The reading-desk
is supported by a figure of Moses with arms upheld by Aaron and
Hur (Ex. xvii. 8-13). The communion table is finely carved.
Epitaplis. — In the grave-yard are some old tombstones, but mostly
uninteresting. One records the death of James Goodlad, a former
"minister" of Binstead, and Sarah his wife, setat. 66, a.d. 1620; and
another, Thomas Sivell, "cruelly shot on board his sloop by some
officers of the customs at the port of Fortsmouth, June 15, 1786, at
the age of 61 years."

the churches of the island. 249
Bonchurch.— There are here two churches, the Old and the N'ew.
The Old, seated on the wave-worn cliff, was dedicated to St. Boniface,
Archbishop of Mentz, and " the apostle of Central Germany ; " hence
Bonifacechurch, corrupted into Bonchurch. Architecture, Norman ;
chancel aud doorway without ornament. Consists of a body and
chancel, compass-roofed, and ceiled circular, and chancel separated
from body by a square stone partition. Was probably founded about
1070-80, on the site, perhaps, of an older building.
Notice, in the interior, remains of mural paiiitings, representing
the Last Judgment, discovered by Mr. Saxby of Ventnor ; and cross,
carved in black oak, on the altar, brought, it is said, from a Norman
abbey {Lire?) thirty-five or forty years ago.
Tombs. — In the church-yard, which is surrounded with trees, and
within hearing of " the murmurous waves,'' stands the tomb of the
Rev. W. Adams; a plain stone, coffin-shape, with a cross of iron
placed over it horizontaUy, so as to cast a continual shadow (in allusion
to his book, " The Shadow of the Cross "). Inscription : —
eauiiitm JVbams, ^t.gl., Iitte Xlicar at §t. f rfcr in tlw: fliast, anb
JyclloSti of tfttcrtmi QTolUgr, (Qxiaxti ; iMc.tscli Jantt-.trj) xliii., mliccc.xlbiii.
"^-jtifrtt in trUral-atioit, taniinxwx^ instant in prajia."
[Eev. WUliam Adams, second son of late Sergeant Adams, born
1815 ; educated at Eton and Merton College, Oxon, of which he was
elected fellow and tutor, 1836. Afterwards presented to the vicarage
of St. Feter's in the East, Oxford, where he delivered the lectures
published under the title of " Warnings of the Holy Week." Ee-
moved to Bonchurch in a consumptive state in 1842, and during his
brief residence endeared himself to all its inhabitants, who still speak
of him as the " Good Gentleman." Wrote his " Shadow of the Cross,"
1842; "The Distant Hills," 1846; "FaU of Croesus," 1846; "The
Old Man's Home," 1847 ; and " The King's Messengers," 1847. Died,
retat. 33, January 17, 1848.]
A plain slab marks the grave of John Sterling, the friend of Hare
and Carlyle, who died at HiUside, Ventnor, September 18, 1844,
aged 38. "The most perfectly transparent soul I have ever known...
A man of infinite susceptibility, who caught everywhere, more than
others, the colour of the element he lived in, the infection of all
that was or appeared honourable, beautiful, and manful in the ten
dencies of his time. ..He sleeps now in the little burying-ground of
Bonchurch ; bright, ever young in the memory of others that must

250 THE churches op the island.
grow old; and was honourably released from his toils before the
hottest of the day " {Carlyle).
The New Church was erected 1847-8, the foundation stone being
laid by the Eev. W. Adams, June 24, 1847. A simple but elegant
edifice, Norman in character, from the desig-ns of B. Ferrey ; consists
of a nave, transepts, chancel, south porch, and bell-gable at the west
end. " The west and transept windows contain some good, ancient
stained-glass." Notice the Font, inscribed — " Domine ! agimus tibi
gratias pro Gulielmo Adams Imjus ecclesite benefactore rogantes ut
nos unS, cum illo ad rosurrectionis gloriam immortalem perducamur
per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen." [We give thee thanks,
O God, for William Adams, the benefactor of this church, beseeching
thee that, together with him, we may arrive at the deathless glory of
the resurrection, through Christ our Lord. Amen.]
The site of the church was given by the Eev. James White, and
that of the schools and parsonage by Eear- Admiral and Lady Jane
Swinburne. The painted windows in the transept and at the west end were the
gift of the Eev. W. SeweU, D.D., vicar of St. Nicholas-in-Castro, and
a brother of Miss SeweU the novelist.
Brading. — -S?. Mary's. A spacious, ancient structure, chiefly
Trans. Norman in style ; consists of a nave and chancel, separated by
Norman arch; tower; north and south aisles separated from the
nave by Early English arches, aud each with a small chapel at the
eastern end. The picturesque interior, recently restored with great
care, and the Oglander chapel, claim the visitor's admiration. The
clock was presented in 1869 by Sir Walter Stirling, Bart. The
advowson was bestowed by Charles I. on Trinity College, Cambridge.
Brasses, etc. — Within the altar-rails (notice altar-table of the date
of Queen Elizabeth) is a curious and elaborately engraved slab, with
effigy of knight in armour, his feet supported by two dogs, and deli
cate ornamental work, representing a recess, and, apparently, the
twelve apostles in side-niches — a very fine specimen, originally inlaid
with silver. Inscribed —
f)tc jacct nobilts toir Jloliannfs (Eltcroiuin anntgiir, Sam biliciat, Con-
ncstalmlarius Castri ii; ^Jovftstri:, qai rrhtit . anno iomtni milksimo
tiuabringts""" ttuairag'' . vrimo Jic nltima nunsi; ®ctobvis . aniina rjns
rcctntcsrat in paar. ^inca.
[Here lies the renowned John Cherowin, knight, while he lived Con-

tiie churches OF tiie island. 251
stable of the Castle of Porchester, who died a.d. 1441, on the last
day of the month of October. May his soul rest in peace ! Amen.]
At the extreme end of north aisle are two altar-tombs, decorated
with a rose gules. On one —
Jhtt Itatu; ntcrm on Etljiljiam gijotolgs soSril. ^xam. mcccct.xx.
And on the other — gjclt=abctk hgs iDgf.
In the beautiful Oglander chapel, south aisle, are the altar-tombs
of Sir William Oglander, and his son. Sir John Oglander, Lieutenant
of the Wight and Lieutenant-Governor of Portsmouth, died, eetat. 70,
in 1655. The effigies are of wood, and represent the knights in com
plete armour, extended at full length. Also a memorial of George
Oglandei; Esq., eldest son of Sir John, a loyal cavaliei-, who died " at
Cawne (Caen) in Normandy, July 11th 1652; of his adge 23d." On
a monument near the altar —
^astfr dDlgtpw . ©glatonbcc — Ixkz 2= SOtIt iajif of ^tcmnhrr . g° ^xx
of our lorb ©ob m'rccr.x.v.x . anb for j" tojif of...cSir...0glatoni,cr.
Epitaphs. — The churchyard is peculiarly rich in noticeable inscrip
tions, some of them of more than average excellence.
On Mrs. Anne Berry (adapted with a very slight alteration from
Mrs. Steele's " Lines on the death of the Eev. James Harvey " — see
her "Poems by Eudoxia," 1760, vol. ii., p. 50 — though generally
ascribed to the Eev. W. Gill, a former curate of Newchurch. These
verses were arranged by Dr. Calcott to a beautiful and well-known
glee, composed by him "at St. John's, near Eyde, in the Isle of
Wight, Thursday, September 24th, 1794")—
" Forgive, blest shade, the tributary tear
That mourns thy exit from a world like this ;
Forgive the wish that would have kept thee here,
And stayed thy progress to the seats of bliss.
No more confined to grov'lling scenes of night,
No more a tenant pent in mortal clay, —
We rather now should hail thy glorious flight,
And trace thy journey to the realms of day."
On an adjoining stone is this inscription —
" It must be so — our father Adam's fall
And disobedience brought this lot on all.
All die in him ; but hopeless should we be.
Blest revelation ! were it not for thee.

252 THE CHUECHES OF THE ISLAND.
" Hail, glorious gospel, heavenly light ! whereby
-We live with comfort, and with comfort die ;
And view beyond this gloomy scene, the tomb,
A'life of endless happiness to come."
On Jane, the subject of Legh Eichmond's tract, "The Young
Cottager " (written by Legh Eichmond, or, as some say, by the wife
of a clergyman of Cowes) —
" Ye who the power of God delight to trace.
And mark with joy each monument of graco
Tread lightly o'er this grave as ye explore
The short and simple annals of the poor.
" A child reposes underneath this sod,
A child to memory dear, and dear to God ;
Rejoice, but shed the sympathetic tear —
Jane, the Young Cottager, lies buried here."
Here is an absurd, and therefore inappropriate, verse on a person
whose name it is not necessary to record : —
" -WTien she afflicted was full sore,
StiU with patience it she bore,
And oft to the Lord did say.
The Lord have mercy on me, I pray ;
And when her glass -n-as fully run.
She closed her eyes without a groan."
An inscription near the entrance porch commemorates one Robert
Stacie, 20th September 1649; and another near the chancel waU,
Peter Bryers, butler, and Mr. Tohye Kemp, clerk, to Sir John Oglander
of NunweU, knight, 1637.
Bells. — There are four bells of excellent tone, with inscriptions re
sembling those of Arreton. On one — " tt beniamin sALTERtRiCHARD
DAWtCHVRCH-WARDENS tt CLEMENT t TOSIEAR t CAST tt MEE IN THE
YEAR t l709t." And on the second — " God be ovr G-srro. 1694."
The parish registers date from the year 1547. Here is a curious
entry: — "Burials, Novemb. y^ 20th, 1677. Jowler (alias) John
Knight, of Merton, whoe, rather than he would be charitable to him
selfe (when he was capacitated), li-v'd like a miserable wretch on y'=
publick charity. He liv'd in a p'petuall slavery through feare and
suspicion, and punish'd both his back and belly to fill y" purse. He
soe excessively idolized his poore heap of dung yt it was death to him
to think of p'ting. He was allwaies soe afraid of want, or y' he
should dy as he had allwaies li-v'd, a beggar, y' he dar'd not use wh't
he had for his oune wellbeing, but li-v'd and died with his beloved
bagg in his nearest embraces ; and at length, y' he might pay his
utmost homage both by life and death to his greate god Mammon, he

THE CHUECHES OF THE ISLAND. 253
voluntarily sacrificed himself, and even dyed to save charges. Left
{which was found) £06, I7s.''
The living is a vicarage in the gift of Trinity College, Cambridge.
Brighstone (or Brixton) was anciently included in the parish of
Calbourne, but was separated ante 1305. The church may have been
built by one of the bishops of Winchester, to whose see it has always
belonged. Value of plate sold by Edward VI.'s commissioners, £5,
9s. 6d.
The church was carefully restored in 1852 by the late rector, and is
now a fine specimen of the old village church. It consists of an Early
English chancel, Norman north aisle. Perpendicular side chapel, and
low tower. Notice the Decorated arches which separate the south aisle.
" Against the westward pier is a shelf for a book, surmounted by a
small canopy ; this marks out the original position of the font." The
tower is low, with a square turret, terminating in a rather singular
conical roof, which may at one time have been surmounted by a
stone cross. In the progress of the restorations the arcade of Norman
columns and arches on the left was found immured in the wall,
showing that there had formerly existed a north aisle, now therefore
rebuilt. It was also discovered that the floor line of the church had
been raised about two feet above its original level. " The chancel floor
is laid out in panels formed by the ancient tombstones and encaustic
tUes. The tUes within the rails are the gift of Winchester College,
in commemoration of Bishop Ken having formerly been rector of
this place. The windows are all restored, and filled with stained
glass. That in the tower is the gift of the Bishop of Oxford [Wilber
force, afterwards Bishop of Winchester], in remembrance of his ten
years' connection with the parish as its rector" {Rev. E. M'All).
The church is dedicated to St. Mary. The registers date from
1566. In 1568 occurs a notice of a Sance Bell, or Saint's Bell, rung
in the belfry when the priest intoned the Sanctus. In 1570 there is
an entry for "The Paraphrase of Erasmus upon the whole New
Testament, di-vided into two volumes." In October 1692, three
shiUings are paid to the ringers for ringing on " the Thanksgi-ving
Day for the reducing of Ireland."
Incumbents. — Among those who have held this pleasant cure have
been Hopton Sydenham, D.D., ejected for his lack of Puritanical
principles in 1653 ; Eobert Dingley, who died just before the Eestora-
tion, 1659; Thomas Ken, afterwards Bishop of Bath and Wells,
-whose Morning and Evening Hymns will keep his memory ever

254 THE CHUECHES OF THE ISLAND.
green, 1667-69; Noel Digby, who was rector for fifty years, 1780-
1830; Samuel Wilberforce, late Bishop of Winchester, 1830-40; and
Dr. Moberly, Bishop of Salisbury.
Tombs, etc. — Neither in the churchyard, nor in the church itself,
is there any memorial of interest, except a grave-slab, set into
the pavement in front of the altar, — " Here lyeth y" body of Mr.
Eobert Dingley, Minister of this place, 2nd son of Sir John
Dingley, Kt., who dyed in y'* 40th year of his age, on y" 12th of
January 1659."
The living is a rectory (Eev. W. E. Heygate, M.A., favourably
known by several works in prose and verse), valued at £696.
Brook. — St. Mary's, on rising ground near the .shore. The old
church was destroyed by fire in 1863, and the present one erected in
1864. It retains the ancient tower ; consists of nave and chancel ;
and has stained-glass windows, and fine marble pulpit (presented by
the Misses Bowerman) and handsome font. One of the Bowermans,
who for centuries were lords of the manor, probably founded the old
church, a7ite 1305, when it is named by the Dean of the Island
" a chapel." " When it obtained parochial privUeges is uncertain ;
but within the last hundred years the patronage was claimed by St.
John's College, Cambridge, on the ground that it was a chapelry
belonging to Freshwater. The dispute, however, terminated in
favour of the lord of the manor.'' There was nothing of interest in
the interior of the ancient building. A plain marble tablet recorded
the deaths of the Rev. T. Bowerman, his wife, and his daughter; and a
handsome tablet, with scutcheon, etc., those of W. Bowerman, 1745,
his loife, 1749, and dauglUer Margaret, 1734.
The living is a rectory (Eev. J. Pellew Gaze), valued at £250, aud,
according to the Clergy List, is ill the patronage of Mrs. Gaze.
Calbourne. — All Saints'. A church existed here at the time of the
Domesday survey, for it is spoken of as " held by Malger," a Saxon,
of the Bishop and Convent of Winchester ; but the present building
does not date farther back than the middle of the thirteenth century.
In style it is chiefly Early English, but much modernized in many
parts. The transept and porch were erected, and the arrangement
of the arches of the nave altered, by Sir E. Simeon, in 1836. The
lancet windows of the chancel are good, and copied from the e;ist
window in the south aisle. The tower is low (built about 1752), with
a wooden spire.

THE CHURCHES OP THE ISLAND. 255
The north transept, rebuUt by Sir E. Simeon, is used as the mor
tuary chapel of the Simeon famUy. Architect, Mr. A. F. Livesay.
Tombs, etc. — A brass of a knight in armour, with folded hands, and
feet resting on a dog, lies in the floor of the south aisle. It was once
inlaid in a slab of marble, and formed part of a stately tomb, with
columns of Purbeck marble, which ornamented the north aisle. The
columns are now inserted in the windows of the Simeon chapel. The
elBgy is supposed to be that of one of the Montacutes, Earls of Salis
bury, to whom the manor belonged, and the date to be about 1360-80.
On a brass plate, set in the wall of the chancel north, is the follow
ing inscription : — " Blest is the just man's memory
Both here and to eternity.
Being dead he yet spe.aketh. — Heb. xi. 4.
In Memory
or THE
Eevered, Eeligious, and Learned Preacher,
Daniel Evance,
Who was bom at London, March 2, 1613,
And died at Calbourne, December 27, 1G52.
This monument was erected by Hannah, his mournful relict.
"Who is sufficient for this thinge,
-Wisely to harpe on every stringe,
Eightiy di-vide the word of truth
To babes and men, to age and youth.
One of a thousand where he's found
So learned, pious, and profound —
Earth has but few — there is in heaven
One who answers, ' 1 can deal even.'
Daniel France. (Anagram), I can- deal even."
Incumbents, etc. — The parish registers date from 1599, and open
with a memorandum by " Christopher Hamton, Doctor of Divinitie."
Since 1616, the date of his decease, there have been sixteen rectors of
Calbourne. The living, valued in the Clergy List at £668, is in the
gift of the Bishop of Winchester.
Carisbrooke. — St. Mary's, one of the oldest, and certainly the
handsomest, of the island churches, consists of a nave, south aisle,
porch, and western tower. The Norman chapel and transept, "both
in a state of decay," were pulled do-wn by Sir Francis Walsingham,

256 THE CHURCHES OP THE ISLAND.
when lord of the manor, temp. Elizabeth, and 100 marks were given
to the inhabitants by way of compensation. "The tower, of very
bold and good PerjDendicular, is built in stages, embattled with an
octagonal turret." A doorway. Early English, is plainly discernible
in the north wall. A new east window has been lately inserted. The
pulpit, date 1658, belongs to the period of Puritan ascendency.
" The church of the manor " (then called Beaucombe, or Bowcombe)
is mentioned in Domesday Book, and the present structure may have
been founded by WiUiam Fitz-Osbert. It formerly belonged to the
Cistercian priory which he raised in its immediate neighbourhood,
and underwent the same mutations of proprietorship. Its plate was
returned by Edward VI.'s commissioners as worth £55, nearly £600
according to the present value of money. Its " two bells " are men
tioned as weighing 16 cwt. By Charles I. Carisbrooke was granted
to Queen's College, Oxon.
Northwood, Kingston, Newport, and Chale were formei'ly included
in its parochial jurisdiction. Northwood rectory is still presented to
by the vicar of Carisbrooke, and Newport has attained independence.
Kingston and Chale were long ago severed from it.
Monuments and Epitaphs. — Most of the noticeable tombs and in
scriptions in Carisbrooke Church are recorded in a MS. in the British
Museum, -written in 1719 by one William Pavey, aud entitled
" Church Notes in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight " {Addit. MSS.,
1410). The portion relating to Carisbi-ooke runs as follows : —
" It has a fine old steeple, octagonal and embattled, with two
round turrets on the front. The body of the church is divided like
two ridged houses closed — a cross on the west end. Nothing more
remarkable on the outside, but, on a buttress at the west end, this
date (a.d. 1710). On the steeple, cast on the old lead, this date —
1064. The sacristan told me there had been an old bell in the
steeple, with a Saxon inscription, and every letter crowned.
" What is remarkable in the church is as follows : —
" Against the piUar in the middle aisle is a board, on the top of
which is painted a ship, with this inscription — on the anchor Spes
(Hope); the card was a book open with this inscription — Verhxmi
Dei (God's Word) ; Death sitting on the bowsprit blowing a trumpet,
and behind him a banner flying, with post mortem (after death) ; in
the maintop, X- B- s. ; on the foremast. Fides (Faith) ; on the mizzen-
mast, Fama loquitur (Fame speaks). This is the epitaph : —
" ' Here lyeth the body of the right worthy WUliam Keeling, Esq.,
groom of the chamber to our Sovereign Lord King James, General

THE CHURCHES OP THE ISLAND. 257
for the Hon. East India Adventurers, where he was thrice by them
employed, and dying in this Isle, at the age of 42, Anno 1619, Sept.
12, hath this remembrance here fixed by his loving and sorrowful
wife, Ann Keeling. 'Fortie and two years in this vessel frail,
On the rough seas of life did Keeling saile ;
A merchant fortunate, a captaine bould,
A courtier gracious, yet, alas ! not old.
Such wealth, experience, honour, and high praise.
Few winne in twice so many yeares or dales.
But what the world admired, he deemed but dross.
For Christ ; without Christ, all his gains but losse ;
For him, and his dear love, with verrie cheere,
To the holy land his last course he did steere :
Faith served for sails, the sacred word for card,
Hope was his anchor, glorie his reward ;
And thus with gales of grace, by happy venter,
Through straits of death, heaven's harbour he did enter.'
" Under the door that goes to the communion table lies the one
half of the effigy down to the waist of a monk or prior of the Con
vent of Black Monks, called St. Mary of Carisbrooke (made a cell
first to Lyra in Normandy, and afterwards to the abbey of Mont-
grace in Yorkshire, and last of all to the Cistercians of Sheen), in his
habit, and with a pastoral staff in his hand. By the largeness of the
stroke on the stone, I guess it had been inlaid with brass. The
lower half lies before the priory door, which is now a farm-house on
the north side of the church. It had about six -windows in front,
low, and a large porch. Near at hand were their barns and brew-
house. [The two portions have recently been joined.]
" Within a niche in the north waU kneels (as the sacristan told me)
the Lady Wadham, a small figure, — whether very beautifully out
cannot be discovered, for it is white-washed over ; aud on each side
of her tliree poor cripples, as u. remembrancer of her — she having
founded an hospital for poor old impotent people. [She was the wife
of Sir Nicholas Wadham, governor of the island, and aunt of Queen
Jane Seymour.]
" Over the niche is a cherub holding a book open, with these
letters raised — ilir.
" On the south side of the church is a handsome mural monument,
the chief part whereof is gray, but where the inscription is it is black
marble, on which is engraven this epitaph :" — [To the memory of Sir
W. Stephens, Kt., some years Lieut.-Gov. of the island, d. Oct. 26,
1697 — also his wife, his brother Henry, and four children.]
In addition to " the remarkable things " recorded by Mr. Pavey,

258 THE CIIURCriES OP THE ISLAND.
the traveUer will notice tablets to the memory of Mary, daughter of
Sir Richard Newdegate ; to Caroline Kilderbee, a descendant of Sir
WUliam de Horsey, warden of the island, temp. Henry II. (a lapi
dary's fiction?); and Lieutenant-Colonel W. II. Dennie, C.B., who
served at Ghuznee and Bamian, and fell at Jelalabad.
In the chiirch-yard notice the punning epitaph on Charles Dixon,
ii faiTier and blacksmith. (It also occurs in Felpham Church,
Sussex ; at BothweU, in Lanarkshire ; and is said to be the composi
tion of the poet Hayley) : —
" My sledge and hammer lie reclined.
My bellows too have lost their wind;
My fire's extinct, my forge decayed.
My vice all in the dust is laid ;
My coal is spent, my iron gone.
My last nail's driven, my work is done."
Incumbents, Registers, etc. — The parish registers date from 1578.
Some of the entries are curious. We quote three : " King James
landed at y" Cows, and saw a muster at Hony Hill, and dined at the
Castle, and saw in the afternoon most of the Iland, with Prince
Charles his sonne, and the West Medeane, and hunted in the park,
kiUed a bocke, and so departed again to Bowly [Beaulieu], the 2 of
August, Ann. Dom. 1609, being Wednesday." — " Prince diaries
landed at the Cows, and came into the forest, and saw a skirmish
there, and went from thence to Alvington Down, and looked over
the Iland, and came to the castle, and so thence to Newport, where
he dined at Mr. James' house, and so his grace departed to Cows,
and tooke ship, and went to Portsmouth, in the year 1618, the 27th
of August, being Thursday." — " The 6 day of September, King
Chailes went from the Castell to treat, and the least day of Novem
ber he went from Newport to Hurste Castell to prison, carried away
by to [two] troopes of horse."
Alexander Ross was vicar of Carisbrooke from 1634 to 1650. He
was a native of Aberdeen, a Doctor of Divinity, Chaplain in Ordinary
to Charles I. prior to the commencement of the civil war, aud after
wards master of the Free School at Southampton {Wood, Athems
Oxon.). He wrote Pa-nsebeiu, a continuation of Sir Walter Ealeigh's
"History of the World;" Virgilius Evangelizans, and other devo
tional works. Butler, in his Hudihras, alludes to him sarcastically —
" There was an ancient sage philosopher
Who had read Alexander Eoss over."
He died, setat. 64, in 1654.

THE CHURCHES OF THE ISLAND. 259
Carisbrooke is famous for its fine peal of bells, the sweet chimes of
which are welcome sounds to all the country side. They have been
commemorated in graceful verse by Miss Bessie Eayner Parkes
(Madame Belloc).
The li-ving is a vicarage, valued at £900. It is held by the Eev.
E. B. James, who has introduced into his parish a very complete
organization. Chale. — St. Andrew's was built by Hugh de Vernun, in the reign
of Henry I. It consists of a nave, chancel, and south aisle, divided
by four Trans. Norman arches, with a chapel at the east end. The
tower is a good specimen of Perpendicular, resembling in many
respects that of Carisbrooke, and apparently designed by the same
builder. Monuments, Eptitaphs, etc. — In the west waU of the chancel is a,
tablet -with the following inscription : — " Patri suo charissimo et
matri dilectissimre Gulielmo et Annce Legg de Atherfield in liac
insula parentibus optimis possimis meritissimis qui obdormiverunt in
Domino: ille Anno Dom. 1688, ilia Anno Dom. 1681. Gulielmus
Legg filius natu maximus rector de Gretham prope Petersfield in
comitatu Southton mserens posuit: Aamo Dom. 1704.
" Pro magnis meritis, et dulci munere viti^ :
Vobis cum lacrymis sola sepulcra loco."
[To his very dear father and beloved mother, William and Anne
Legg, of Atherfield, in this island, his most excellent parents, who
have long slept in the Lord ; he in 1688, she in 1681. WiUiam
Legg, their eldest son, rector of Gretham, near Petersfield, in the
county of Southampton, lamenting, placed this stone, a.d. 1704. For
your great deserts and sweet gift of life, to ye with tears I place
these solitary tombs.]
Also a memorial to Ricliard Burleigh, rector of Chale, 1734, and
his wife Lydia, 1717 ; another, a handsome and massive monument
ill marble, surmounted with an escutcheon supported by two soldiers,
to Major-Genercd Sir Henry Worsley, G.C.B., of the Bengal army,
setat. 73, 17th January 1841.
The churchyard is bare, bleak, and melancholy, with many sad
witnesses to the fatal power of the sea which it lies so near. The
unfortunate men, women, and children who perished in the -wi-eck
of the Clarendon, in the neighbouring bay, are, most of them, here
interred. One tombstone preserves the names of Walter Maynard

260 THE CHURCHES OF THE ISLAND.
Pemberton, setat. 48, and his daughter Anne, setat. 11, " who perished
together in the -wreck of the ship Clarendon, in Chale Bay, on 11th
October 1836." Another is sacred to the memory of Captain Samud
Walker, »tat. 34, wrecked on the same occasion, " with twelve of the
crew, and all the passengers, eleven in number ;'' and a third Ed
mund Cosens, setat. 17. There are other memorials of deaths at sea.
A fragment of an old stone cofiin, and some remains of a mural
painting over the vestry door, with the words, " And Jacob awaked
out of his sleep," are all else that is noticeable at Chale.
The parish registers date from 1588. The living is a rectory,
valued at £334.
CowES, West. — St. Mary's was built in 1653, but not consecrated
until 1662. Enlarged and improved in 1811 by G. Ward, Esq., of
Northwood Park ; and the west tower, used as the Ward mortuary
chapel, was then erected from the designs of Nash the architect.
Eebuilt in 1867-8, and now consists of a nave, aisles, chancel, and
porch. The exterior is boldly planned ; the details belong to Deco
rated Gothic. The interior is enriched with red and white birch
lining. Four well-proportioned arches, on piUars of Portland stone,
divide the nave from either aisle. The chancel is apsidal, with
organ-chamber on one side, and vestries on the other. The west end
of the church is connected with the Ward Tower by a handsome
arch. The stained-glass windows are of superior design and execution.
There are seats for nearly 1000 persons. Cost £6000.
The Church of the Holy Trinity was buUt in 1831-2, and con
secrated June 21st in the latter year. Mrs. Goodwin of West
Cowes defrayed the cost, provided the site, and endowed it with
£1000 in the 3j per cent, consols. The white brick exterior, with
stone muUions and window-cases, the long pointed windows, and
general Early English character, render it an attractive edifice. The
architect was Mr. Bramble of Portsmouth. A new chancel has since
been erected.
West Cowes Chapel is a vicarage, valued at £165. Holy Trinity is
also a vicarage, valued at £250, in the gift of Lieutenant-Colonel
Lloyd. Freshwater Church, dedicated to All Saints, consists of a nave,
chancel, north and south aisles (each with chapels), and square em
battled tower. In the latter there is a lofty jDointed arch, with a
window which lights the west end of the church. The general char-

THE CHUEOHEB OF THE ISLAND, 261
iicter of the architecture is Trans, Norman, The whole has recently
been restored at a cost of £3000,
The living of Freshwater was one of the six bestowed on the
Abbey of Lire by William Fitz-Osbert. Its patronage in due course
fell to the Crown, and James L bestowed it upon William, Bishop of
Lincoln, his Keeper of the Great Seal. The bishop, in 1623, pre
sented the advowson to " the master, fellows, and scholars of St.
John's CoUege, Cambridge."
Monuments and Epitaphs. — A richly-decorated Norman arch in
the north chapel enshrines a slab on which there has been a brass
effigy. " This is supposed to have been the tomb of the founder of
the church. There is a tradition that towards the end of the last
century, upon opening this tomb, the skull of the person buried was
found placed between his legs, from whence it is inferred that he had
been beheaded ; and it is also said that the brass, which is now
missing, described the person to have been one of the lords of the
manor of Afton" {Tomkins).
The rood-screen is of poor design ; it is the only one in the
island. In the chancel, north side, close to the altar, is a curious me
morial : — " Memorise Sacrum.
The most vertuous Mrs. Anne Toppe, Daughter of Mr. Thomas
Cardell, sometime of the Privy Chamber to Queen Elizabeth, and
Wife to Mr. John Toppe of Wiltshire. In her widdowhood by a
memorable pro-vidence preserved out of the flames of the Ii'ish re-
belUon. On the 11th of September 1648, and 71st year of her age,
expired under the roof of her nearest kinsman, then Eector of this
place, to his unspeakable loss and grief. "  repente
Sublatam ex oculis, prosequitur laerimis
Nepos moestiasimus, Cardellxjs Goodman.
" If Beauty, Grace, or Vertue's Store
' Might have discharged Nature's Score ;
If Wit and Language, finely spent.
Or Musick, could the Fates have bent.
Her soul and body had been one
, Until the Eesurrection,
And then to Heaven (if any might)
Without a Change have taken flight.
The Prophet 'twixt his wheel of fire
Might faster mount, but not get higher
Than she was wont, who, righteous soule.
In Flames of Zeal did upwards rowle,
(712) 20

262 THE CHURCHES OP THE ISLAND.
As Enoch then in Sacred Story
Made but a Step from Earth to Glory,
She needed only a remove
Whose conversation was above.
Scribendi certus, Dolcndi vix terminus."
On the south side of the chancel are tablets to the Rev. Benjamin
Holmes, B.D., and Robert Hicks of Afton. Also to William Michdl,
Esq., of Norton, and his two daughters.
The living, a rectory, one of the richest in the island, is valued at
£710 per annum; in the patronage of St. John's College, Cambridge.
It has been held by Dr. Hooke, the father of the well-kno-wn natural
jihilosopher, and by Dr. Wood (afterwards Dean of Ely), the eminent
mathematician. Gatcombe. — St. Olave consists of a nave and chancel, separated by
an Early English arch, and a square embattled tower in the Perpen
dicular style. A new chancel was added in 1865. The church may
have been founded by one of the De Lisles, lords of the manor.
A recess in the west wall of the chancel contains an effigy in oak
of a knight clothed in chain mail, his feet resting on a heraldic
animal, a cherub with outstretched -wings at his head. The vil
lagers were wont to call it " the saint," but it probably commemo
rates a member of the Estur or De Lisle families, perhaps the founder
of the church.
A small annual pension, in lieu of personal ser-vice, is paid by the
rector of Gatcombe in support of the chapelry of St. Eadigund at
WhitweU, formerly a chapelry in connection with the manor of Gat
combe {Cantuaria Manerii de Gatcombe).
The living, a rectory, is valued at £646.
Godshill. — All Saints', " a spacious cruciform edifice, with a singu
lar bell-turret on the south gable," consists of a chancel, nave, cross
aisles, and tower. From its architecture it is obviously of ancient
foundation, and a portion of the present edifice may have stood upon
the sacred hill when Fitz-Osbert gave it to the Abbey of Lire. Most
of the building, however, is Trans. Norman. Its wealth was con
siderable, from the extent of the adjacent demesnes, and we read
that in 1404 it was assessed at 100 marks yearly. When Edward
VI.'s commissioners sold the superfluous plate, it realized not less
than £54, 2s. 7d. The advowson was ]ii-esented, in 1623, to Queen's
College, Oxon, by Charles I,

THE CHUECHES OF TIIE ISLAND. 263
Monuments. — The picturesque interior of this fine church is adorned
by several stately memorials of the dead. Most noticeable is the
altar-tomb, beneath an elaborately decorated arch-canopy of the
latest Gothic, of Sir John Leigh, and his wife Mary, who died temp.
Henry VIII. The tomb bears no inscription, but is richly adorned
with rosettes and scutcheons. Observe, also, the monument of Sir
James Worsley and his wife Joan, daughter of the said Sir John Leigh,
legendless, but bearing the shields of the families of Worsley, Leigh,
Hacket, and Standish. Note, too, the fine monument to their son,
Richard Worsley, Esq., with the foUowing laboured inscription in
Latin : — •
" Eichardo Worsley armigero nuper Insulfe Vectis prsefecto, unico
fratri suo, filio primogenito Jacobi Worsley de Worsley Hall in pro-
vincia Lancastrise oriundi, equitis aurati, ejusdem item insulse olim
prsefecti, ex Auna filia Johannis Ley, equitis aurati, apud Appleder-
combe in eadem insula nata, Johannis Worsley armiger posuit.
" En pia Worselei lapis hic tegit ossa Eichardi,
Vectis prsefectum quem gemit ora suum.
Et patriae charus dum -vixit, et utilis idem,
Mortuus in patria nunc tumulatur humo.
\ Quem pater adversa materq. aspectat in urna,
Matris et in medio spectat uterq. parens.
Ad latus hic nati pueri duo, sorte perempti
Preepropera, infesti pulveris igne jacent.
Felices omnes, vel quos sors dira coegit,
Tristia funestes claudere fata rogis.
Appledercombus genuit rapuitq. sepulcrum
Ossa habet : Hiuc animas vexit ad astra Deus.
"Obiit idem Eichardus 12 die Mali A. Dm. 1565. Johannes et
Georgius filii dicti Eichardi, obiemnt 6 die Septembris A. Dm. 1567."
[Englished: —
This sacred stone covers the dust of Eichard Worsley, whom
Captain of the Wight his shores lament. WhUe he lived he was
both beloved by and useful to his country ; now in death he is in
terred in her bosom. His father and his mother regard him from
confronting urns, and between them look forth both parents of his
mother. Here at his side lie his two children, snatched away by an
untimely fate, by the fire of the fatal dust. But happy aU, though
a dread destiny has constrained them to shut up the gloomy lots
in the mournful funeral urns! Appuldurcombe begat them, and
snatched them away, — the tomb holds their ashes. Hence God has
carried their souls to the stars.

264 THE CHUECHES OF THE ISLAND.
The said Eichard died 12th May 1565. John and George, his
sons, 6th Sept. 1567.
To Eichard Worsley, gentleman, formerly Captain of the Isle of
Wight, his only brother, eldest son of James Worsley, of Worsley
Hall, in the county of Lancashire, knight, also formerly Captain of
this island, by Anne, daughter of John Leigh, knight, born at Ap
puldurcombe in the same island, John Worsley, gentleman, has
raised this stone.]
A handsome monument was erected in 1822 to the memory of Sir
Richard Worsley: —
" The Eight Hon. Sir Eichard Worsley, Bart., who was comptroller
of the household, a privy councUlor, and governor of the Isle of
Wight, and who had been for some time the minister plenipotentiary
at Venice, died August 8, 1805, aged 54, without issue, leaving his
niece, Henrietta Anna Maria Charlotte, daughter of the Hon.
Jonathan Bridgeman Simpson, of Babeworthy, in the county of
Nottingham, his heiress. He had traveUed a good deal abroad,
particularly in the Levant ; and the Museum Worsleianum, as weU
as his collection of paintings and sculptures at Appuldurcombe Park,
affords a striking proof of his taste for the fine arts. The above-
named Henrietta, his niece, married the Hon. Charles Anderson
Pelham, of Brocklesby, in the county of Lincoln, who considered it
as a duty to erect this monument to his memory."
Numerous other brasses, tablets, and tombs wiU arrest the atten
tion of the stranger. The figures and inscriptions, in most instances,
have been ruthlessly stripped off or effaced; but the foUowing
detailed account from Sir John Oglander's MSS. (a.d. 1635), affords
some clue to their identity : —
" In the south aisle, next below the chancel, are two fair stones,
under whom are buried the bodies of the Frys ; in the stones are
pictures of brass, but the inscriptions are stolen away.
" In the south chancel, on a fair stone, is this inscription : — ' Hic
jacet Johes Frye, fiUus Eic. Frye et Mai-gai-it» uxoris suae, qui
obiit 11 die January, Anno Dom. 1512, cujus animse propitietur
Deus. Amen.'
"Those Frys were an ancient family, and farmers of Appleder-
combe, after it was taken away from the abbey of Montes Burgy in
France. " In the south cross is buried one of the Hacketts, with this in
scription : — ' Pray for the soul of WiUiam Hackett, Esq., on whose
soul Jesus have mercy. Amen.'

THE CHURCHES OF THE ISLAND. 26£
" In this aisle the owners of Appledercombe were buried, as being
partly founded by the priors thereof. Where one prior is buried, his
portraiture on brass is on a stone.
" Between the two chancels there is a very fair tomb, in which is
buried Sir John Leigh and Mary his -wife, the daughter and heir of
John Hackett, Esq. It is the fairest tomb in our island ; in which
tomb the said Mary, wife of Sir John Leigh, lieth in her coat of
armour, embellished with Hackett's arms, her father, and Leigh's,
her husband.
" In the north chancel, in the north side of the wall, is the tomb
of Sir James Worsley, without any inscription, only he is there
pictured kneeling ; erected by his wife.
" Under a fair stone a little below in the same aisle, lieth buried
the Lady Worsley, the widow of Sir James, who died a very old
woman. There were her arms and an inscription in brass on her
tomb, but now defaced.
" In the south wall of the south chancel is the tomb of Eichard
Worsley, son and heir of Sir James.
" In the noi-th chancel are many fair stones that heretofore have
had both portraitures and inscriptions on them in brass; under
whom are interred the bodies of the De Hegnoes, who were Lords of
Stenbury and Whitwell, an ancient family; many of them were
knights of good account : for all Whitwell buried in GodshUl Church
tiU Queen Elizabeth's reig-n, at what time they had liberty to bury
there. "Also in this church Ueth buried many of the De Awlas, or
HaUs, men of good rank and quality, many of them knights ; but
of them, and many more that have been buried, there now appeareth
no mark of antiquity.
" In the south chancel, about the midst, lieth the body of John
Worsley, coffined in lead, who died in London ; next to him lieth
the body of his son, Mr. Thomas Worsley, a brave scholar, and a
plain but worthy gentleman, and a most plentiful housekeeper.
" Next to him in the same chancel lieth the body of his son and
heir, Sir Eichard Worsley, knight and baronet, a man of worth,
learning, and judgment. He died of the smaU-pox in the 32nd year
of his age, 1620, or thereabouts.
" Next to him, just by the side of Sir John Leigh's tomb, Ueth the
body of Ann Worsley, daughter of Sir Eichard Worsley, and wife
to one Sir John Leigh. She was one of the handsomest women that
-ever the island bred.

266 THE CHURCHES OP THE ISLAND.
" Nearer to Mr. Eichard Worsley's tomb lieth the body of Mr:
Thomas Worsley's wife, who was married to one Sir Eichard White,
a soldier and foUower of Henry, Earl of Southampton. She was
Mr. St. John's daughter, of Ffarley in Hampshire.
" In the church porch there is on one side a half-obliterated tablet
with a Latin inscription, which is translated upon a tablet fixed to
the opposite wall : —
* Ecce cumbat Gardi corpus mortale Eichardi
Hoc tumulo, verum spiritus Astra tenet.
Cujus dona scholis largita et mimera egenis
Annua, perpetuo non peritura manent.
Inclyta si pareret multos hsec insula tales,
Qualem jam tandem protulit nuncce virum
Tunc bene pauperibus, meliusq. scholaribus esset.
Sub pede quos presses quisq. jacere sinit.
'Dictus Eichardus Gard, sepultus fuit 5 die Februarii 1617.'"
[Trai islation : —
Here lies the mortal part of Eichard Gard,
While his freed spirit meets with heaven's reward;
His gifts endowed the schools, the needy raised.
And by the latest memory will be praised.
And may our isle be filled with such a name.
And be like him whom virtue clothed with fame ;
Blest with the poor, the scholar too was blest.
Through such a donor that is gone to rest.]
This Eichard Gard appears to have been an unscrupulous Frenchi
refugee, by no means deserving of so warm an eulogium.
The parish registers date from 1558. Dr. Cole, Dean of St..
Paul's, was born at GodshUl. (See post.)
The large painting of " Daniel in the Den of Lions " is a copy of
the famous picture by Eubens. It came from Sir Eichard Worsley's
collection at Appuldurcombe.
The li-ving is a vicarage, valued at £250 per annum, and in the
gift of Queen's CoUege, Oxon.
St. Helen's church, dedicated to the saint whose name it bears, iS'
comparatively a new erection, having first been built in 1718-19, and-
consecrated by Sir Jonathan Trelawney on the 27th of June 1719,.
the same day that St. Thomas's, Ryde, was consecrated ; and rebuilt,^
all but the chancel, in 1830.
The old church of St. Helen's stood upon St. Helen's Spit, the-
northeru extremity of Brading Haven, until the encroachments of
the sea compelled its removal. The tower, however, having been'

TIIE CHUECHES OF THE ISLAND. 267
found useful as a sea-mark, was faced with brick, repaired, and
strengthened, and stiU occupies its original position. The monks of
the neighbouring priory built the ancient church, and supplied its
pulpit untU the canon law compeUed vicars to be resident. But
even then, so small and poor was the parish, the bishop permitted
mass to be celebrated and the sacraments administered by the Prior
of St. Helen's. At the dissolution of religious houses the advowson
of the vicarage, as well as the priory, was bestowed upon Eton
CoUege. The new church is a small, uninteresting building, with chancel,
transept, and low tower. There are sittings for 297 persons, 129 of
which are free. " Over the altar is a well-executed painting of a
cross surrounded by a glory " {Barber). The transept windows are
rather handsome.
Monuments. — The only noticeable things in the interior are the
memorials to the Grose famUy : one to Sir Nash Grose, lint., a Judge
of the Court of Queen's Bench, of whom Lord CampbeU says, he
always showed his wisdom by being right when everybody else was
in the wrong — died, 1814 ; and another to his son. Captain Edward
Grose, of the Guards, killed at Waterloo, 1815.
Incumbents, Registers, etc. — The registers date from 1653. Several
entries relate to the burials of seamen " washed on shore," arising
from the fact that during the French convulsions of 1798-1815,
when Spithead was crowded with men-of-war, those who died on
board were sewn up in their hammocks, and incontinently committed
to the deep. We quote one or two passages :—'¦' Mem. The bishop
of this diocese. Sir Jonathan Trelawney, came over from Gosport
early on y'= 27th of June 1719, and the same morning consecrated
the church of St. Helen's (which was built on new ground, the church
as it stood before was too much expos'd to y" wash of the sea) ; and
presently after it, on y« same day, he consecrated alsoe y'' chappel of
Ride in this parish, buUt by Mr. Player, at whose house in Eide he
din'd, and went over again the same day." — " The remains of a per
son, found on the shore in a hammock, were deposited in y" old church
yard, Feb. 17, 1810." — " Ten persons were unfortunately drowned in
going from Portsmouth to H.M.S. Leviathan, Feb. 18, 1804."
The li-ving is a vicarage, in the gift of Eton College, valued at £121.
Kingston. — St. PauVs, a small and totally uninteresting edifice,
consisting of nave and chancel. Early English, was probably founded
by one of the De Kingstons, lords of the manor. Observe, on the

268 THE CHUECHES OF THE ISLAND.
south wall, inserted in a stone slab, a brass, date 1436 : — " Mr.
Eychard Mewys, whych decessd the iu. day of March, in the yere
of o"^ Lord God, Wcttf, anb xxxb." The effigies represent a knight
armed, three children, and a shield.
The living is a rectory, valued at £265,
St. Lawrence Church, dedicated to the saint of that name, is one of
the smallest of our English churches — 25 feet 4f inches long, 11 feet
J inch broad, and 11 feet 4^ inches in height. The grave-yard is 90
feet long by 42 feet wide. It was probably founded by one of the
De Aulas, lords of the manor, about the reign of Henry I., and
appears to have been caUed " The Church of the Wath " (or Cliff).
From the De Aulas, the manor and the advowson of the rectory
passed to the Eussells; then the Hacketts; next the Leighs; and
afterwards into the Worsley famUy. The church originally was
only 20 feet long, 11 wide, and 6 in height, but was enlarged by the
late Earl of Yarborough, who added the chancel. The bell formerly
belonged to the priory at Appuldurcombe, where it did duty as the
dinner-bell. The New Church, in the Early English style, was designed by
the late Sir G. G. Scott, and built in 1876-8. The foundation-
stone was laid in May 1876 by Mi-s. Spencer Smith.
The living is a rectory, valued at £106 per annum.
Mottistone. — St. Peter and St. Paul is a quaint little church, of
the Decorated period, consisting of a nave, tower, chancel, and aisle.
"The two former appear the oldest portions, and were probably
erected before the reign of Edward IV., in whose time the aisle was
perhaps built as a chancel. This supposition is derived from the
form of the pointed window at the east end of that aisle, as well as
from the carved rose that decorates one of the terminations of its
label. The present chancel seems to have been added about the
time of Henry VIII. ; the window at its east end being square-
headed, as are aU the other windows in the building, -with the
exception of one which is very obtusely pointed. The arches in the
body are tolerably high-pointed, and supported by polygonal columns ;
those between the chancel and aisle are obtuse, the columns clustered
and fluted, and were probably substituted, at the erection of this part
of the structure, for the original south wall of the aisle, or first chancel"
{Barbe?). Observe in the interior a Very massive old altar-tomb, the name

THE CHUECHES OP THE ISLAND. 269
and date entirely obliterated, but probably for one of the Chyke or
Cheke family, formerly lords of the manor. Also, tablets to Sir
Richard Bassett, James White Bassett, and Richard Bassett, his son.
Close to the north gate is a time-defaced and weather-beaten pair
of stocks — obsolete long years ago.
The church was restored in 1864, at the expense of Mr. Seely of
Brook House. The chancel roof is of cedar-wood.
Newchurch. — All Saints', one of the plainest churches in the Isle
of Wight, consists of nave, chancel, north and south aisles, and tower,
• — erected about the beginning of the thirteenth century, on the site
of an older buUding, granted to the Abbey of Lu-e by William Fitz-
Osbert. It afterwards came into the possession of the Abbey of
Beaulieu, and on the dissolution of that religious house, was bestowed
by Henry VIII. on the Bishop of Bristol (now Gloucester and
Bristol). Monuments, etc. — A good tablet to Lieut.-Gen. Maurice Bocland,
twice M.P. for Yarmouth, died 1765; a memorial to W. Thatcher,
died 1776; another to W. Bowles, died 1748; and in the chapel in
the north aisle, eight inscriptions for different members of the
DUIington family (1674-1749).
Registers and Incumbents. — The registers date from 1582. We
quote a few entries: "May 29, 1687. — Eeceived of Sir Eob' DiUing
ton, Bartt., the sume of fifty shillings, being one moyety of five
pounds for Sir Eobert his father, not buryd in woollen, — the other
503. p'l to Mr. David Urry, informer." — " Paid William Callaway
for ringing beer, when King George came to England, and when he
was crowned, Sept. and Oct. 1714." — " At 20 m. before 3, on the
morning of the 30th day of November 1811, was felt at Portsmouth,
in Eyde, and other parts of the Isle of Wight, and in many other
places on the Hampshire and Sussex coast, a very smart shock of an
earthquake." " "When these my records I reflecting read,
I find what numerous ills these births succeed.
What powerful griefs the nuptial ties attend.
With what regrets these painful journeys end ;
"Wlien from the cradle to the grave I look,
Tkis I conceive to be a melancholy book."
Newchurch formerly included the chapelries of Eyde and Vent
nor, and the district churches of Holy Trinity and St. James,
Eyde, and St. Peter, Haven Street. The Uving is a vicarage, valued
at £328.

270 THE CHUECHES OP THE ISLAND.
Newport. — St. Thomas d Becket. This ancient church was
founded about 1180 (between 1173 and 1184) by Eichard do
Eedvers, who covenanted with the priory of Carisbrooke that two
monks should officiate there daily on payment to the priory of two
marks per annum, and with the proviso that on high festivals the
townsmen should continue to worship in the mother-church of Caris
brooke. The men of Newport laboured zealously on the sacred
edifice, each guild, or trade, contributing according to its handicraft ;
and their distinguishing signs were accordingly wrought in stone
upon the walls. It remained a chapelry of Carisbrooke until the
late -vicar consented to its separation. The to-wnsmen, however,
claimed the right of appointing their own minister, who at first was
supported by voluntary contributions, and at a later period by a
town-rate. During the latter part of Charles L's reign, and the
Commonwealth, they were engaged in constant endeavours to render
the church parochial, and the Journals of the Houses of Parliament,
from 1640 to 1660, contain numerous proofs of their energetic exer
tions. Their proceedings are also detaUed with curious minuteness
in the books of the corporation, which record the frequent presenta
tion of petitions, couched in Puritanic phrase, to the House of
Commons. We must content ourselves -with a single illustration
(February 1, 1640) :—
" The humble petition of the Maior and Burgesses, and other the chief e
inhabitants of the Burrough of Newport, in the Isle of Wight.
"Sheweth,
" 1. That the said Burrough is a Corporation, a port Towne, and
auntient Markett Towne, w"='' serveth the whole Isle of Wight.
Seated in the hart of the Island, consisting of about three thousand
soules there in habitant, adourned w"" a very convenient Church
lately enlarged, and well-fitted, and bewtified by the greate expense
of the Inhabitants.
" 2. That the said Church being called St. Thomas Chappell is but
a Chappell of Ease unto the p'ish of Carisbrooke, •w"'^ ii a greater
p'ish, the viccarage thereof, w* the other profitts thereto belonging,
being reputed to be worth twoe hundred pounds at the least, and the
obventions, oblations, and proffitts due to the Vicar, out of Newport,
xx" pound, or thereabouts, whereof Mr. Alexander Eosse, the nowe
Incumbent (Uveing out of the Island), aUoweth but ten pounds p'
annum to the nowe curate, namely, Mr. William Harby, Master of
Arts, an able and laborious preacher, and a man of honest conversa-

THE CHUECHES OP TIIE ISLAND. 271
tion, whoe for the time of his abode in Newport, being about twelve
yeares, hath not omitted preaching there on any Saboth day (unless
by sickness or other necessity he hath been p'vented).
"3. That the cure of soules in Newport hath been but meanly
served in times past, and like enough would be soe nowe, did not
the Inhabitants, by a voluntary benevolence to the said Mr. Harby,
make an addition to his meanes to keepe him w"' them. And it is
greatly feared that in time to come the Inhabitants may suffer much
want of spirituall foode for their soules — if their preachers needes be
not augmented.
" Y"- Pet" therefore most humbly pray that the p'misses may be
taken into y' ho*''"= and pious consideration. And that y' may be
enacted and settled by Parliam', if that high and ho''''* house think
it convenient, that the said Burrough of Newport may be a distinct
p'ish of ytself. And that y"'^ Pet" and their successors may have the
p'sentation of the parson thereof for ever, w"='', if it may be obteyned,
y"^ Pet" (albeit the Towne is very jDoore, and they have ben at ex-
traordinarie charge abeady unto the Church), yet for the advancem'
of preaching the word of God in the said Burrough, they are very will
ing that it be also enacted that twelve pence of every pound of the
yearly rents of the houses and lands w"'in the said Burrough (w<='' it
is considered wiU amount to a competency) shall be raysed for an
addition of means to the parson of the said Burrough for perpetuity,
w* y™ Pet" conceive will be a greate worke of piety, and must tend
to the glory of Almighty God, the greate comfort of the soules of his
people in the said Burrough inhabiting and thither resorting, ffor
w* y"' Pet" shall ever be bound to thankfulness."
The legislature duly considered these petitions, appointed com
mittees, introduced bUls to accomijlish the wishes of the inhabitants,
And finally, on the 30th March 1657, we meet with the foUowing
record : " A bill for raising maintenance for the minister of Newport,
in the Isle of Wight, was this day read the third time, and, upon the
¦question, passed. Ordered, that the Lord Protector's consent be
•desired to this bUl."
The Lord Protector's consent was given June 9, 1657, but Newport
nevertheless remained dependent upon Carisbrooke for two centuries
later. The church, it is said, when Newport was burned by the French in
1377, suffered considerably. When pulled down in 1854, signs of fire
"were visible on many stones.. The plague broke out in Newport in

272 THE CHUECHES OF THE ISLAND,
1580 with such severity that the grave-yard at Carisbrooke was
unable to contain the dead. License, therefore, was granted to
the townsmen to form a cemetery in connection with their own
church. A new and singularly carved pulpit of oak was bestowed on the
church by Stephen March, a wealthy burgess of Newport, in 1631.
It was the work of an artist named Caper (whose symbol, a goat, is
upon it), and now adorns the new church.
A graphic description of the ancient edifice is given in a MS. in
the British Museum, from which we have already quoted — " Church
Notes in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight," by one WilUam Pavey,
March 1718-19. (See Carisbrooke.) As it fully records the monu
ments it contained, most of which are now preserved in the new
church, the reader may not be displeased to have it placed before
him in extenso : —
"The church is like, at first view, three ridged houses joined,
embattled on the top. On the upper part are five windows between
six leaden spouts, and underneath four large windows, with a large
porch, which is the grand entrance, in the middle of the south side.
The tower is pretty lofty, and embattled with four pinnacles.
" Within the church is one of the most curious carved pulpits that
I ever saw, the work of one Thomas Caper (who now lies buried in
Salisbury), Aii°. Dm. 1630, in which year the seats likewise were
erected. It was a donation of one (Stephen) March, whose crest is
against the back of the pulpit.-* As for the carving, round the
sounding-board of it is this inscription in neat, -wrought, and gilded
letters : ' Cry aloud and spare not ; lift up thy voice like a trumpet'
The pulpit is divided into two rows of bas-relief carved images. On
the uppermost row are curiously described the four Cardinal Virtues^
and the three Graces, with their types ; and on the lower rank the
seven liberal sciences — namely, Grammatica, Dialectica, Ehetorica,.
Musica, Arithmetica, Geometria, and Astronomia, with the several
symbols and characteristics of each science. 'Tis a true church
militant, for there is a cannon placed to defend the church now it is-
iu danger.t Nothing more remarkable in it, but a neat, light gray
marble font. [This is now in the new building, and bears an inscrip
tion — ' The givet of Anne Keith, Widow, 1637.']
" Underneath the step that goes up to the altar is the vault wherein
¦» This is an error. The goat is evidently a symbol of the artist's name (.Caper).
t Every parish in the island was originally bound to provide and maintain a small
cannon.

THE CHUECHES OP THE ISLAND. 273
is interred the Lady Elizabeth, daughter to King Charles I. ; and
this is the inscription, as Mr. John Gilbert, jun., told me : —
'the LADY ELIZABETH, DAUGHTER TO KING CHAELES THE 1st,
SEPT. 8, MDCL.'
" Against the south wall is the famed tomb of Sir Edward Horsey,
Knt., who was often sent thither in Henry VIII.'s time, to defend
it from any sudden inviision from France. It is a curious marble
monument, on which lies his effigy at length, armed at all points
complete, with his hands held up, and joined in a praying manner,
and on an oval piece of black marble this epitaph : —
" ' Edvardus qvi miles erat fortissimvs Horsey,
Vectis erat prseses, constans terraq. naariq.
Magnanimvs placidse sub pacts nomine fortis
Jvstitiae Cvltor quam fidvs amicvs amico
Favtor Evangelii delectvs Principe -vixit
Mvnificvs Popvlo mvltvm delectvs ab omni
Vixit et -pt sancte sic stamina sancte peregit.
Qvi ob 23 die Marcii,
Anno Domini 1582.'
[Edward Horsey, who was a most gallant knight, was governor of
the Wight, — firm and magnanimous both at sea and on land, — and
brave, though with the appearance of great gentleness ; a lover of
justice, and a faithful friend. A confessor of the gospel, he lived
beloved by his prince ; and, liberal-handed, was much affected by
the people. Died, 23rd March 1582.]
" This is all that is worth notice in the church.
" In the churchyard, which is about a quarter of a mile west of the
church, neatly walled in, are the following remarkable inscriptions : —
" ' Here lyeth the body of Mast' George Shergold, late minister of
Ne-svport, who, during sixteen years in discharge of his office, strictly
observed the true discipline of the Church of England, disliking that
dead bodies should be buried in God's house, appointed to be interred
in this place. He dyed universally lamented and esteemed, January
23, 1707.'
[This tablet was afterwards removed, and on its reverse was en
graved a simple inscription'* relative to the burial-place of the
Princess Elizabeth (Oct. 1793). It was then placed on the stone
which covered her vault. See ante, p. 83.]
* "Underneath, in a lead coffin, rest y'^ remains of Elizabeth, second daughter of
King Charles y" First. Obiit Sept. 8, 1650, astat. 14."

274 THE CHURCHES OP THE ISLAND.
" On a head-stone on the south side of the churchyard, this : —
" ' Here lyeth y'= body of John Smith, who departed this life y^
12th day of August, in y« year of our Lord 1712, in y" 24tli year of
his age. Stay, gentle reader, spend a tear
Upon ye dust yt sleepeth here ;
And whilst thou read'st ye state of me.
Think on ye glass yt runs for thee.'
"On a brass plate on a fine raised tomb near y° middle of y^
church-yard : —
" ' Here is laid y" body of Mr. John Stanner, who departed this
life y** 26th of March 1713, in y" 65th year of his age : a man
exemplary for piety, and forward in works of charity, especially
worthy of a good and lasting {sic) for an act of gTatitude more than
common, as in return for a seasonable (tho' noe great) benefaction,
he bequeathed y"* greatest share of his estate (gotten by an honest
industry) to come to y" great-grand-children of that his benefactor.
" ' See by this how y" bread that a man may have cast upon y^
waves, Cometh to be again found after many days.'
" On another stone in the north part of the church-yard, exactly
transcribed : —
" ' Johes Gilbert, de Pan, Geii. : repentina morte, xxx. Julii,
m.d.c.xc.vl
' EYnOTMOTEPOS AIA TOYTO KAI KAKON
AHEirATOS ETEAEYTHEEN.
* Subita morte modo non improvisa,
PeUcius transitur ad portum.'
[By a sudden death, not unprepared for, he is borne more happily
to the haven.]
" This is aU I could gather during my short stay here " {Addit.
JISS., 14,296).
While on the subject of epitaphs and monuments, we may add
that in the old churchyard is a tombstone to the memory of Lieu
tenant Shore and his children, drowned in the wreck of the
Clarendon, in Chale Bay.
The complete decay of the old church rendering necessary its
demolition or thorough repair, it was resolved, in 1853-4, to erect
on its site a new and more elegant edifice, which should be worthy
of the metropolis of the island, and a graceful specimen of modern
ecclesiastical architecture. Fuuds were readily provided by the
townsmen, by the gentry of the island, largely assisted by the (^ueen

THE CHURCHES OF THE ISLAND. 275
and the Prince Consort, and the new buUding was begun under the
most cheering auspices. Mr. Daukes was selected as the architect ;
the builders were Messrs. Dashwood of Eyde ; and the carvings
were intrusted to Mr. Baker of Kennington. The foundation-stone
was laid by Prince Albert, August 24, 1854, in the presence of the
Queen, the bishop of the diocese, and a large gathering of spectators.
The new building was opened for di-vine worship, December 1856.
The total cost was little under £12,000.
It consists of a nave with clerestory, side aisles, north and south
porches and chapels, chancel, sacristy, gi-and west entrance arch and
tower, in the architectural style known as Decorated Early English.
It is, emphatically, a beautiful building, and reflects no little honour
on the architect, who has displayed considerable fertility of invention,
as weU as skUl in adaptation. The west entrance, a richly-decorated
and elaborately-wrought arch of more than ordinary height, claims
hearty admiration.
The interior is light and elegant, with timbered roof, corbels
beautifully moulded, richly ornamented windows, and columned
aisles of fine proportion.
The tower, to the top of the turret, is 132 feet high ; the height of
the roof of the nave, 65 feet ; of that of the chancel, 56 ; of the side
aisles, 48 ; of the chapels, 38 feet.
Observe, in the interior, the monuments from the old building
grouped together at the west entrance. Notice also the font, already
described ; the pulpit ; Sir Edward Horsey's monument ; and that of
the Princess Elizabeth.
The latter was erected at the sole expense of the Queen. It repre
sents the princess reclining at full length on her side, her cheek rest
ing on an open Bible, — open at the text, " Come unto me, all ye that
labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest," — the position
in which, it is said, she died. The likeness is from a portrait in
her Majest/s possession. The figure is of pure Carrara marble, and
reposes in a gracefuUy ornamented niche or shrine. Altogether, this
beautiful monument must be regarded as one of the late Baron
Marochetti's happier efforts. The inscription on the facia runs as
follows : " To the memory of the Princess Elizabeth, daughter of
Charles I., who died at Carisbrooke Castle on Sunday, Sept. 8th,
1650, and is interred beneath the chancel of this church, this monu
ment is erected as a token of respect for her virtues, and of sympathy
for her misfortunes, by Victoria E., 1856."
Of the three memorial windows dedicated to the Lady Elizabeth,

276 THE CHUECHES OF THE ISLAND.
one was presented by the Queen, another by the late Prince Con
sort, and the third (" the Maidens' Window ") by the young ladies
of the congregation.
A white marble medallion portrait, in memory of Prince Albert,
affixed to the wall between the two side windows, testifies to the
loyalty of the inhabitants of Newport.
The living is in the appointment of the Bishop of Winchester.
St. John's is a district church of no architectural pretensions, ac
commodating about 800 persons, — one-third free sittings. It contains
absolutely nothing to attract the tourist's attention.
St. Paul's, or St. PauFs, Barton — a district church, supplying a
populous suburb of Newport, though ecclesiastically included in
the parish of Whippingham — is a pretty edifice, Norman in style,
consisting of a nave, north and south aisles, apse, and tower, and
spire at the west end of the south aisle. Was erected from the
designs of Mr. J. W. Wild, the cost being defrayed by voluntary
subscriptions and a grant from the Church Aid Society. The
living is valued at £190. Accommodation provided for 400 (in
cluding 200 free seats).
Niton.-* — St. John the Baptist consists of a nave and chancel,
separated by an arch, Norman, a south aisle separated by four
obtuse arches, south porch and west tower. In the north wall are
some remains of Early Norman arches, but the present north aisle
was erected in 1864. Observe the piscina. " In the chancel is a
square opening, formerly the entrance into the rood-loft. The south
porch is rather remarkable, being barrel-roofed, with stone ribs.
The tower is low and battlemented, but surmounted by a small
spire. On the north side of the tower is a buUding formerly a
charnel-house. In front of the south entrance is the square base of
a large cross, somewhat peculiarly placed — the angles, and not the
sides, being opposite the cardinal points " {Davis).
A monument to Mr. Ai-nold of Mirables has a medallion executed
by Flaxman and bas-relief by Eiou.
The church was one of the six with which WUHam Fitz-Osbert
endowed his Abbey of Lire. Afterwards passing into the possession of
the crown, Charles I., at the intercession of Queen Henrietta, sup
ported by Lords Coventry, Carlisle, and others, gave it, with Gods
hiU, Carisbrooke, Newport, and Northwood, to Queen's CoUeo-e
Oxon, November 12, 1656 (J/,S'. Ashmol. 2[useum, F 28, fol. 95).
^ At Niton was born Dr. Thomas Pittis (see x>ost).

THE CHUECHES OP THE ISLAND. 277
The registers date from 1560. The foUowing entry is of historical
value: — "July the 1st, Anno Domini 1675, Charles II., King of
Great Britain, France, and Ireland, etc., came safely ashore at
Puckaster, after he had endured a great and dangerous storm at sea.
JJt regnet diu etfelieiter
Vovit et exoptat Thomas Collinson,
Rector de Nighton."
[That he may reign long and happily, Thomas Collinson prays and
ardently desires.]
In the churchyard are the remains of the steps and base of an
ancient cross, on which was erected, in 1873, a cross of Celtic design,
by J. Clark, F.S.A.
The living is a rectory, valued at £500, and in the gift of Queen's
CoUege, Oxon.
Northwood. — St. John the Baptist is built of stone, in some parts
plastered ; consists of a nave, north and south aisles, chancel, porch,
and singular wooden turret. Was a chapelry to Carisbrooke until
1545, when parochial privileges were granted to it ; but it is still in
cluded in the presentation to the vicarage of Carisbrooke. The two
hvings are in the patronage of Queen's CoUege, Oxon, and are
together valued at £1123 per annum.
The burying-place was consecrated in 1486. Previously the in
habitants of Northwood were compeUed to bury their dead at
Carisbrooke. Observe monument to Rev. Thomas Smith, formerly minister of
Northwood (died 1681) ; formed of one piece of chalk, 3 feet long and
4 feet wide, curiously carved with hieroglyphic characters. The late
Dean Hook was once curate of this church.
Eyde. — St. Thomas'. The inhabitants of Eyde, in consequence of
the insignificance of the vUlage, originaUy worshipped at the parish
church of Newchurch, six miles distant; but in 1719 Henry Player,
Esq., lord of the manor, built, and endowed with a yearly stipend of
£10, "the chapel of St. Thomas," a plain and inelegant structure.
In 1827 this was pulled down, and on its -site George Player, Esq.,
erected a more graceful building. Early English in character, with
nave, chancel, west and south aisles, and a west tower with spire — the
whole of Binstead stone, with coignes of white brick. The interior is
inoffensive and unpretending. At the east end are three large lancet
(712) 21

278 THE CHUECHES OF THE ISLAND.
windows of stained glass. Against the wall, under the west gallery,
is a marble tablet, inscribed : " Thomas Player, Aj-miger, Domus
Dei magis quam suse, elegantia et nitoris studiosus hoc sacellum, tam
advenis quam incolis, diu multumq. desideratum condidit (anno
1719). ^mulationis Opus non Invidias " [Thomas Player, gentle
man, more solicitous for the splendour and elegance of God's house
than his own, built in 1719 this sanctuary, by visitors as well as resi
dents long and eagerly desired. A work for imitation, not for envy.]
Epitaphs, etc. — In the south aisle is a memorial to Mrs. Margaret
Collier, died 1791, aetat. 77, commemorated by Fielding, in his "Jour
nal of a Voyage to Lisbon," for her liberal hospitality. In the grave
yard is buried the Rev. Edioard Cannon, the "Godfrey Moss" of
Theodore Hook's Maxwell, and the friend of the Eev. E. C. Baxham
{Thomas Ingoldsby). The Eev. E. Cannon was one of the king's
chaplains, and always a welcome guest at Carlton House ; but, his
ambitious hopes receiving no fulfilment, he became a som-ed and
disappointed man, and in his conduct grew so disdainful of social
courtesies that he was at length dismissed from the chapel royal. He
then retired to Eyde, where, after some years of painful seclusion
and comparative poverty, he died, " almost forgotten and alone."
In the "Life of Barham," prefixed to the comiDlete edition of the
" Ingoldsby Legends," are recorded many amusing anecdotes of this
clever and eccentric man.
All Saints' is now the parish church. It was designed by Sir G.
G. Scott; the foundation-stone laid by H.E.H. the Princess Chris
tian in 1869 ; and the church consecrated by the late Bishop of
Winchester in 1873. Consists of nave, aisles, transept, chancel,
and tower, in the Decorated style, and from its handsome design is
worthy of the town. The building is one of its able architect's suc
cesses. The na.ve is divided into six bays, and is separated from the
chancel by a noble and well-proportioned arch. Accommodation is
provided for about 1140, and the total cost (exclusive of tower and
spire) was £15,000. The spire and other additions, in course of
erection (1881), wUl cost upwards of £6000. The pulpit, of alabaster
and marble, is an artistic work.
St. James's, a district church, erected in 1827, by W. Hughes
Hughes, Esq., an alderman of the city of London, and immediately
licensed by the Bishop of Winchester. The exterior is stuccoed,
and its style of architecture builders' Gothic. The interior, however,
is handsome and convenient, with accommodation for 800 (360 free

THE CHURCHES OF THE ISLAND. 279
Holy Trinity — a district and proprietary church, of elegant appear
ance, designed by Mr. T. Hellyer of Eyde ; style. Early English —
consists of a nave, north and south aisles, divided by an arcade into
seven bays, and a west tower and spii-e, 146 feet in height. This
graceful edifice was erected iu 1845-6, the cost being defrayed by vol
untary contributions. The site and endowment were provided by Mrs.
Lind of Westmont. Accommodates 1000 persons (500 in free seats).
St. John's, Oakfidd (Eev. H. Ewbank), a district church, included
in the parish of St. Helens, was designed by Hellyer, and consists
of nave, aisle, transept, porches, and west end double bell-gable, in
the Early English style. Erected in 1843 ; enlarged in 1870. Ac
commodates 300 persons.
St. Peter's, Haven Street (Eev. F. Stookdale), is a neat Early English
building, from the desig-ns of Hellyer, and comprises nave, chancel,
south porch, and bell-gable at west end.
St. Michael and All Angels, Swanmore (Eev. H. E. Wis, M.A.),
is a cruciform building in the thirteenth century style, with lancet
windows, and in the interior an open timbered roof, picked out in
colour. The lofty central tower is a conspicuous landmark for miles
around. Schools and parsonage, in the same style, adjoin the church,
which is celebrated for the " advanced " character of its services.
Sandown. — Christ Church. Style, Early Decorated English, from
the designs of Mr. .J. Woodman ; was built in 1845-6, and consists of
a nave, chancel, aisle, and tower with spire ; is an elegant building,
-with a commodious and weU-arranged interior. The adjacent school-
house and parsonage are worth notice. The site was presented by
Sir W. Oglander, Bart., and the expenses (£2600) made up by vol
untary contributions and £400 from the Church Aid Society.
Sandown, Lq-wer. — St. John the Evangelist. This new chm-ch was
opened on Thursday, June 2, 1881. It is in the Early English
style of architecture, and is substantially built of local stone from
the St. Boniface quarries at Ventnor. The nave roof is an open
structure of pitch pine covered "with the best Fareham tiles, is sup
ported by eight massive Portland stone columns, with moulded caps,
from which spring five graceful and well-proportioned arches, with
clerestory above. The aisles are lighted by three-light windows
with tracery heads, and the clerestory with double lancet window.
The church will accommodate 600 persons — 373 in the nave, 70 in
the chancel, and 157 in the side aisles. Its length is 112 feet, width
58 feet, height from fioor to plate 37 feet, and 60 feet to the ridge of

280 THE CHURCHES OP THE ISLAND.
the roof. Surmounting the whole is a bell-turret, covered with oak
shingle, and terminating with finial 100 feet from the ground. There
is a porch on the south side, and a vestry, heating chamber, and
organ chamber on the north side, of the chancel. The font is of
stone, and good design ; the pulpit of wood, with stone steps and
foundation ; and there are stalls for the clergy. On the marble
tablet on the west wall is the following inscription : " This tablet
records that the sum of £1200, contributed by 250 of the inhabi
tants of Sandown and other friends of the Eev. Gilbert Karney, M.A.,
in appreciation of his faithful and self-sacrificing labours as Vicar of
Sandown from the years 1871 to 1881, was by his wish devoted to the
completion of this church, which was the special object of his exer
tions and interest during the later years of his incumbency. W. A.
Davidson, M.D., and James Dora, church-wardens ; Beauvoir Brock,
treasurer. March 1881."
Sea View. — St. Peter's. A neat Early English church, for the con
venience of residents and visitors, was built in 1859, from the plans
of Mr. T. Hellyer.
Shalfleet. — The church here is a pecuUar and in many respects
an interesting structure ; the tower and north doorway Norman, the
rest of the building Early English. "The windows of the south
aisle are singularly beautiful, the heads being pierced with ovals,
inclining towards the apex, surmounted by a circular aperture. The
nave is divided from the aisle by Early English arches upon very
beautiful Purbeck columns, which have -recently been purified. The
chancel arch is remarkable for a peculiarity of treatment at the im
post, the increased width of the arch being terminated by a partial
foliation. The church is lit, north and south, with lancet windows
of good style. The entrance to the church, from the north, is by a
Norman doorway, in the tympanum of which is a representation
of David with the lion and bear (?) rather rudely and grotesquely
carved on one stone. With the exception of this work, the doorway
is nearly plain. The tower is Norman, with shallow buttresses ; but
the original windows h.ave been foliated at a later period. It is
now surmounted by a wooden spire, erected with money raised by
the sale of the bells and the gun belonging to the church ;-* but from
* Whence the local rhyme : —
" The Shalfleet people, poor and simple.
Sold the bells to build the steeple."

THE CHURCHES OP THE ISLAND. 281
the very large area of the tower, and the extreme thickness of the
walls, the spire or tower has probably been of considerably greater
elevation " {Davis).
This ancient and noteworthy edifice, according to tradition, was
erected by WilUam Fitz-Osbert. It was carefully restored, and
reseated with low, open seats in 1866.
Monuments. — In the chancel observe a stone to the memory of
Robert Harvey, died 1730 ; two shields, enclosed in a stone moulding,
date 1630, in the south aisle ; and a curious monumental slab, broken
in two, with a shield and spear crosswise upon it, supposed to be of
the date of the eleventh or early in the twelfth century, was dug up
some years ago in the churchyard, where it probably marked the
resting-place of one of the knightly Treuchards.
Eemark the fragments of stained glass on the north side of the
church blazoned with the arms of Montacute, Earl of Salisbury, and
(on the south) of IsabeUa de Fortibus.
The living is a vicarage, valued at £210, and in the patronage of
the Lord ChanceUor.
Shanklin. — St. John Baptists, originaUy founded by one of the
De Insula or De Lisle family, retains no trace of antiquity. It was
restored in 1859, and again in 1864 ; and now consists of nave,
chancel, transept, and shingled spire, and is picturesquely situated.
Its interesting objects are : an ancient piscina; and an oaken chest,
elaborately wrought with the initials T. S., and round the lid, in
bold characters, Dominus Thomas Silksted, Prior [last Prior of Win
chester], An. Dm. 1512.
St. Saviour's on the Cliff, consecrated in 1869, and designed by
Mr. T. Hellyer, consists at present of nave, aisles, chancel, and
porch. A handsome vicarage-house stands near at hand, on the
summit of the cliff.
St. Paul's, not yet complete, is a handsome building, consisting of
nave, aisles, and apsidal chancel, to which a massive west tower
wiU shortly be added.
St. PauVs, Gatton, was consecrated in July 1876. It is built of brick,
from the designs of Mr. C. L. Luck ; and is at present unfinished.
Shorwell. — St. Peter's consists of a nave, side aisles, tower, and
south porch. It faces the main road, and is enclosed in a trimly-kept
churchyard, with some good trees about it, occupying a kind of
sheltered hollow. With artists it is a favourite " bit." " It is almost

282 THE CHUECHES OF THE ISLAND.
entirely of the Perpendicular style, with the exception of a few
earlier fragments, and the Decorated base of the tower, which is
crowned by a low stone spire, divided into two stages by a small
band" {Davis).
Observe, in the interior, a stone pulpit (with the iron frame which
used to contain the hour-glass), entered by a flight of steps through a
segmental arch, piercing what would otherwise be a very massive
pier, in a central position of the north aisle.
The church was carefuUy restored in 1847 by the Eev. E. Eobert-
son, and is one of the most interesting edifices in the island. Over
the north doorway, inside, are the remains of some very character
istic mural paintings, descriptive of the legend of " St. Christopher
bearing the infant .Jesus upon his shoulders.'' The fresco measures
11 feet wide by 6i- high, and is very distinct and graphic. The saint
is depicted leaving his wicked companions (upper corner, to the left),
and grasping the tree with which he is to ford the stream before
him. A stone cross is by his side, surmounted with figure of Jesus
crucified. On the bank is a person fishing, and hauling ashore a
monster fish. Next, we see the saint, considerably increased in size,
fording the stream, with the infant Jesiis on his shoulder ; a ship and
a boat are shown upon the waters. From a hermitage in the dis
tance comes forth a monk, holding a lamp to guide the wayfarers.
Finally, we see the saint bound to a tree, and undergoing martyrdom.
He is already filled with arrows, but two archers are incontinently
shooting at him. The king who condemned him to death is at hand,
with the executioner by his side, and an arrow in his right eye — a
just punishment for his cruelty, as the well-known legend enforces.
Over the south door are the scanty remains of a mural painting of
" The Last Judgment."
At the west end of the south aisle a blocked-up archway indicates
the place where was kept the cannon which Shorwell (and everj
parish in the island) had to supply for defensive purposes in the
reign of Edward VI.
Monuments and Epitaphs. — A brass, near the altar steps, with a
curious effigy of a priest with his hands folded, bears the inscription, —
" Of yo"- charitie pray for the soule of S' Eicharde Bethell, late
vicar of this churche of Sherwell, y" which decessed the xxiii day of
Marche, the yer of Lord MDXLIII, on whose soule Jhu have
m'cy." The north aisle is thronged with interesting records of the knightly
family of Leigh. One is very singular, —

TIIE CHUECHES OP THE ISLAND. 283
" To the remembrance of y two most worthie and religious gentle
women. His late deare and loyall wives, Mrs. Elizabeth Bampfield
who died the viith March 1615, Having bin y" mother of 15 hopeful
children. And Mrs. Gartrude Parsevall who died childles, the xxii
of DecemV 1619, was this monument consecrated by their loving and
sorro-wful husband, Barnabas Leigh, Esq.
" Since neither penne nor penciU can set forth
Of these two matchles wives the matchles worth,
W' are forc't to cover in this silent tombe
The prayses of a chast and fruitful wombe.
And with Death's sable vaile in darknes hide
The ritch rare vertues of a barren bride.
Sweet saint-like paire of Soules in whom did shine
Such modells of perfection feminine.
Such pietie, love, zeale, that though we sinners
Their lives have lost, yet still themselves are winners ;
For they secure heaven's happiness inherit
Whilst we lament their losse, admire their merit."
This is accompanied with an illustration of the two wives, one with
her chUdren, and the legends, Sicut vitis frugifera, and Sicut plantulce
olivarum (Like to the fruitful vine, and Like unto the olive branches) ;
the other, with the legend. An non ego melior tibi quam decem filii?
(Am I not better to thee than ten sons 1) The third wife of the
composer of this cheerful allegory is symboUed by a hand (with
inscription, Vce Soli — Woe to the lone one) holding a ring which
encloses a heart.
Observe the monument, with two figures of children, to "the
religious and vertuous Elizabeth Leigh, daught. of .John Dingley,
Esq'., late wife of Sir John Leigh, Knt. Died y" 27 day of Oct"-.
Ano. Dm. 1619. And lieth here interred.
" Sixteene a maid, and fiftie yeares a wife.
Make ye sume totall of my passed life.
Long thred, so finelie spunne, so fairlie ended.
That few shall match this patteme, fewer mend it ;
What wealth I lately had, what parentage.
What friends, what children, what blest marriage.
Dead I f orgette ; living I liglit esteemed ;
For thy deare love (0 Christ), yt has redeemed
My soull from Hell, and shortly shall upraise
This mortail dust, in Heaven to singe thy praise."
A stone altar-tomb is raised on three steps, with the effigy of a
knight kneeling and praying before a desk, whereon an open book is
laid. Behind him kneels a child, also in the attitude of prayer. In
the compartments underneath are inscriptions to the memory of Sir

284 THE CHUECHES OP THE ISLAND.
John Leigh of Nortlicombe, died January 18, 1629, tetat. 83 ; and of
Barnabas Leigh, his great-grandson, died January 25, 1629, setat. nine
months, and " was laide in the tomb of his great-grandfather, who
saw his heir of the fourth generation." Then follows —
" Inmate in greive, he tooke his grandchllde heire,
Whose soul did haste to make to him repaire,
And so to heaven along as little page
With him did poast to wait upon his age."
A beautifully decorated marble records the death of John Leigh of
Northcombe, Feb. 22, 1688, jetat. 38 ; and Anna, his son's wife, died
Sept. 25, 1715, retat. 32. Her daughter Judith is also commemorated.
She died 1722.
A stone shield, with initials E. L., and date 1569, bears the foUow
ing :—
"Elizabeth Leigh, Davgbter of Francis Helton of Portsmouth,
Gent. Having bin ten years y= most loving and vertvovs wife of
Edward Leigh of Shorwell, Gent., dej)arted this life y= first of July
1621, and together with her two sonnes, John and Tho. Leigh,
lyeth here interred. " In Christ's faith and feare to live and die
Directlie leads to immortalitie.
Glads saints and angells, grieves or foes infernall.
Conquers the worlde, and wins a crown eternall.
Thy late experience (deare Elizabeth) —
When, dying, thou didst triumph over death—
And with sole faith and innocencie armed,
Nimblie escape his bloodie hands unharmed,
Proves this most true, — now liVst thou with the just,
And leav'st nought here imprisoned but thy dust."
Finally, we may note the eight tablets to different members of the
Bennet family, and one in the north aisle to General Sir James
Willoughby Gordon, Bt., died January 4, 1851, astat. 79, father of the
late owner of Northcourt and the manor of Shorwell.
The communion table (1661), the chalice (1569), and a curiously
wrought paten, are worth inspection.
A blocked-up archway at the west end of the south aisle indicates
the place where was kept the parish gun.
Thorley — St. Sxrithin's consists of a nave, chancel, and south
porch, without tower. Its erection is attributed to Amicia de Clare,
Countess of Devon, who bestowed it upon the jiriory of Christchurch.
One of its vicars was the Eev. William Petty, uncle of the celebrated

THE CHURCHES OP THE ISLAND. 285
Sir W. Pettj', and employed by the Earl of Arundel in the collection
of the Arundelian Marbles.
A new church was erected in 1871.
Totland Bay. — Christ Church. This neat Uttle edifice, in Early
English style, with west gable bell-turret, was erected in 1875.
Seated for 400.
Ventnor. — St. Catherine's is the parish church ; a handsome build
ing, designed by Mr. Eobert Ebbels ; consists of a nave, short
chancel, aisles, and tower with spire 110 feet high. It was erected
in 1837, at the sole expense (£3400) of J. Hambrough, Esq., of Steep
hUl Castle, who also provided an endowment of £1000, built a
parsonage at an outlay of £2500, and rebuilt the National Schools.
Length, 59 ft. ; width, 36 ft. 6 in. Enlarged in 1870.
Holy Trinity, near Bonchurch, a graceful structure, in Early Deco
rated style, was erected in 1861-2, at the cost of Mrs. Thompson,
Mrs. Tuttiett, and Miss Percy, on condition that a daily sei-vice was
performed. It consists of a nave, aisles, chancel, transept, and re
cessed entrance. The tower, with open belfry windows, is crowned
by a tall and shapely spire. Architect, Mr. Giles of Taunton.
Whippingham. — St. Mildred's was one of William Fitz-Osbert's
gifts to Lire Abbey. The present edifice (built on the site of an edifice
dedicated in the twelfth century to Mildred, a Saxon princess) consists
of nave, aisles, chancel, transepts, and central tower and spire, in Trans.
Norman style, and owes its present dimensions and appearance to the
liberality of her Majesty, who worships here during her residence at
Osborne. The plans were created by the late Prince Consort, and
the building was completed in 1861. All the windows are filled with
stained glass. A splendid marble memorial to the Prince, with me
dallion by Theed, was placed in the chancel by her Majesty in 1864.
The richly-carved font, in white marble, was designed by their
Royal Highnesses the Princesses Christian and Louise.
The late Dean Hook of Chichester, famed for his parochial labours
at Leeds, and for his "Lives of the Archbishops of Canterbury,"
entered the service of the Church of England as curate of Whipping
ham, of which his uncle. Dean Hook of Worcester, was the rector.
St. James's, East Cowes, was designed and the site presented by
the architect Nash, and the foundation-stone laid by the Queen (then
Princess Victoria) and the late Duchess of Kent, September 6, 1831.

286 THE CHUECHES OP TIIE ISLAND.
In 1869-70, at the cost of Lady Gort, the church was greatly altered
and enlarged from the plans of Mr. Hellyer, and it retains little, if
any, of its Nashian characteristics. A memorial to the Princess Alice,
Grand Duchess of Hesse-Darmstadt, has recently been erected.
Whitwell Church, formerly a chapelry to Niton, but with parochial
privileges, consists of two distinct chapels in one building, — that of
Our Lady of Whitwell and that of St. Radigund. The latter is now
the chancel, and was well restored in 1866 at a cost of £200. It
formerly belonged to Gatcombe, whose rector was bound to pay an
annual sum for its support. This payment dates from 1341. The
former was supplied by the rector of Niton. The building is Nor
man and Early English, and most of it would seem to have been
erected about the time of Henry III. The pulpit and reading-desk
cost 51s. in 1623-4. De Estur, Lord of Gatcombe, founded "the
chantry of Our Lady."
On the south wall may be seen a rude fresco representing the dis
embowelling of St. Erasmus.
The living has recently been separated from Niton, and Whitwell
now forms an independent parish.
Wootton. — St. Edmund's consists only of nave and chancel, and
is a small but ancient building, with little of interest in its architec
tural features. The doorway has a fine Norman arch.
Wootton was rendered independent of Whippingham by Walter de
Insula, in the reign of Henry IIL, who then built a small chapel in
connection with his manor-house, and endowed it -with certain glebe,
arable, and pasture lands. This edifice was destroyed by fire, and
rebuilt, temp. Edward IV.
The patronage remained with the De Lisle (or De Insula) family
for centuries, but, upon the extinction of the male line, passed into
other hands, and finally into the Popham family.
The living is a rectory, valued at £240, in the patronage of F. W.
Popham, Esq.
Wroxall. — St. John's, a plain stone building, in the Early Eng
lish style, consists of nave, chancel, and small organ chamber, with
seats for 170 persons.
Yarmouth. — St. James's. In our notice of the town we have
sketched the fortunes of its church, which was built, as we have there

THE CHUECHES OP THE ISLAND. 287
pointed out, in the reign of Charles I., and not, as is usually stated,
in 1543. The edifice then erected stood at the east end of the town,
and was pulled down on account of its ruinous condition. The
present building, consisting of a nave, chancel, aisles, and small chapel
near the chancel, was thoroughly repaired in 1831, chiefiy at the ex
pense of the late D. Alexander, Esq., who also raised the tower (30 feet)
to its present height. The gallery was built by the corporation.
The clepsydra, or water-glass, formerly attached to the old pulpit,
and reputed to be the only one in England, is now attached to a pillar
in the nave. The lectern is elaborately carved, and studded with
gems. Monuments, eic. — In the chapel is a very fine marble statue of Sir
Robert Holmes, in complete armour, placed in an arched recess, and
supported by a massive pedestal. A long Latin inscription (written
by Dr. Freind) records the deeds of this gallant admiral, once governor
and captain of the Wight, but no translation or repetition is necessary,
as these are set forth in full in the early pages of our volume. The
monument was erected by his son, Henry Holmes, lieutenant-governor
of the island.
Monumental tablets record the deaths of Henry, the son of Thomas
Lord Holmes, June 11, 1751, Ktat. 5 ; and of Thomas, Lord Holmes,
himself, July 7, 1764, setat. 65.
A tablet with urn, sculptured by NoUekens, purports to have been
erected by Vice-Admiral Biggs, in 1802, to a Captain John Urry ;
and in the pavement are various slabs to the memory of WiUiam
Hide, alderman of the town, died May 21, 1648 ; his wife, Mary Hide,
died 12th April 1660 ; and his son William, died 8th March 1679.
Also, to Peter Pryavlx, alderman of Southampton, died 11th June
1644. A painted window of good design was placed in the church by
the Rev. S. Blackburn, the late rector, as a memorial to two of his
children, representing the Saviour and the Virgin Mary encircled by
little children.
Yaverland Church, a picturesque edifice, was built by Sir William
Russell, lord of the manor, in the reign of Edward I., for the con
venience of his family and vassals, who had found much difficulty in
attending the church at Brading, owing to the frequent recurrence of
floods. In the first of Queen Mary, this manor was purchased by
German Richards, Esq., in whose family it continued for two
centuries. It was then bequeathed to a Eev. Mr. Wright, and con
tinued with his successors until the death of J. A. Wright, Esq., of

288 the worthies of the island.
Crowsley Park, Oxford, in 1822. The manor and advowson of the
church were subsequently purchased by Admiral Sir Graham Eden
Hamond, Bart., of Norton Lodge, near Freshwater, and is held by
his representative.
AU that is noticeable in this ancient church is the fine Nor
man south door, and equaUy fine Norman arch which separates
the nave from the chancel. Most of the ancient casements have been
blocked up, and hideous modem windows inserted by those demons
of misrule, the church-wardans of the last generation.
Legh Eichmond, who at one time held the cm-acy here, furnishes
a graphic description : — " It was pleasantly situated on a rising bank,
at the foot of a considerable hill. It was surrounded by trees, and
had a rural, retired appearance. Close to the churchyard stood a
large old mansion, which had formerly been the residence of an
opulent and titled family ; but it had long since been appropriated
to the use of the estate as a farm-house. Its outward aspect bore con
siderable remains of ancient grandeur, and gave a pleasing character
to the spot of ground on which the church stood. In every direction
the roads that led to this house of God possessed distinct but in
teresting features. One of them ascended between several rural
cottages from the sea-shore, which adjoined the lower part of the
village street. Another winded round the curved sides of the ad
jacent hill, and was adorned both above and below with numerous
sheep feeding on the herbage of the do-wn. A third road led to the
church by a gently rising approach between high banks covered
with young trees, bushes, i^'y, liedge-jilants, and wUd-flowers."
The living is a rectory, valued at £210 per annum, in the gift of
Sir Grseme Hamond-Grseme, Bart.

THE WORTHIES OF THE ISLAND.
DR. THOMAS PITTIS — ADMIRAL HOPSON — DR. ROBERT HOOKE —
DR. THOMAS JAMES — MR. RICHARD JAMES — SIR THOMAS FLEMING —
DR. THOMAS ARNOLD.
We propose to conclude our Handbook to the Isle of Wight with
brief biographical sketches of those of its worthies whose careei-s have
not been detailed in the preceding pages.
DR. THOMAS PITTIS.
Dr. Thomas Pittis, the son of Captain Thomas Pittis, w.as born at
Niton, about 1635. Where he was educated his biographei-s have not

the worthies OF the island. 289
recorded, but in 1652 we find him entered as a commoner at Trinity
College, Cambridge. After graduating as B.A., he removed to Lin
coln CoUege, where "he was esteemed by his contemporaries a
tolerable disputant." But the monarchical principles which he in
troduced into all his speeches were then held in disfavour by the
university authorities, and in 1658 he was expelled from his college.
After the Eestoration he was amply compensated for his losses by
being appointed to the rectory of Gatcombe. In 1665 he obtained
the degree of B.D., and in 1670, D.D., and chaplain in ordinary to
the king. Bishop Morley gave him the good living of Holyrood,
Southampton, and the king bestowed the rectory of Lutterworth, in
Leicestershire, which he exchanged for that of St. Botolph, Bishops-
gate. The latter he held in conjunction with' Holyrood and Gat
combe, and the lectureship of Christ Church, Newgate Street, until
his death, December 28th, 1687. He -was buried at Gatcombe, or,
according to some authorities, at Niton.
His works consist of Occasional Sermons, a Private Conference on
the ObUgation of Oaths, a Discourse on Prayer, and a Discourse con
cerning the Trial of the Spirit ( Wood's Atheme Oxon., and Chalmers'
Biographical Dictionary). ADMIRAL sir THOMAS HOPSON.
This gallant seaman was born at Lingfield, about 1648, of reputable
parents, from whom, it is said, at an early age, he ran away to sea.
A curious story is told of his early adventures. He was apprenticed
to a tailor at Niton, and one day, while sitting on his shopboard,
observing a squadron of men-of-war off the coast, he suddenly ran
down to the shore, sprang into a boat, and rowed to the admiral's
ship, where he was received as a volunteei-. His boat, which he cast
adrift, was afterwards picked up ; and his hat being found upon the
shore, his friends naturaUy concluded he was drowned. Meanwhile,
the squadron fell in with a French fleet, and an engagement took place.
Hobson, as he is sometimes erroneously called, or Hopson, grew impa
tient at its duration, and inquired of a comrade for what object the
two fleets contended. " Being told that the action must last till the
white rag at the enemy's masthead was struck, he exclaimed, ' Oh, if
that's aU, I'll see what / can do.' At this moment the ships of the
two admirals were engaged yard-arm to yard-arm, and both obscured
in smoke." Hopson, observing this circumstance, ascended the rigging,
and, unperceived, gained the main-yard of the French vessel. Mount
ing with the utmost celerity to the main-top-gaUant-masthead, he

290 THE worthies of the island.
seized the flag, and returned with it in triumph. " The disappearance
of the flag was soon noticed : " the British shouted " Victory, " the
French were dismayed, and the battle was won. Whereupon Hopson
was immediately promoted.
Notwithstanding- the circumstantiality of this wonderful story, we
are bound to jiroiiounce it a fiction. AU that is really known of
Hopson's early career is that he left his birth-place while a boy and
entered the navy. (He did not, by the way, return to his friends
until he was an admiral, when he suddenly surprised them with a
visit.) But -victories are not won by such accidents as that which the
compilers of the Isle of Wight guide-books have loved, for many
years, to repeat.
Hopson served in the Dutch war in 1672, and, by a steady dis
charge of his duties, gradually obtained promotion. James II., in
1688, gave him the command of the BonadvciUwe, but did not suc
ceed in binding him to his cause. Hopson cordially accepted the
revolution which placed William III. on the English throne, and
was rewarded with the command of a 60-gun ship, the York, which
he handled skilfully in the battle off Beachy Head, leading the rear
division of the red squadron under Sir George Eooke.
In 1693 he was jiromoted to be Eear- Admiral of the Blue, and in
due time became Vice-Admiral of that di-vision. He blockaded Dun
kirk, August 1694, and gradually grew in public estimation as a
trustworthy and gallant seaman.
Having been promoted in March 1702 to Vice-Admiral of the
Eed, he sailed as second in command to Sir George Rooke in the
expedition against Cadiz, and gallantly led the van in the hot fight
ofi' Vigo, breaking the boom which the enemy had stretched across
the harbour. For his services he was knighted (November 29, 1702),
and Queen Anne settled upon him a pension of £500 per amium,
with a reversion of £300 to his wife.
He represented Newtown in his native island in 1705, and after a
long cai-eer of, honour and service, died on the 12th October 1717,
aged about 69 {Charnock's Biographia Navalis ; CampbeWs Admirals).
DR. ROBERT HOOKE.
Eobert Hooke was born at Freshwater, where his father w;is
rector, on the 26tli July 1635. As a child he was of a very weakly
frame, but his temper was sprightly and his mind active, and he
gave such promise of future merit that his father determined to
bring him up for the Church. His natural appetite, however, was

the worthies op the island. 291
for mechanics. He invented curious toys; made a wooden clock
which marked the time ; and built a ship, a yard long, which fired
guns by machinery.
After his father's death, which happened in 1648, he was placed
with Sir Peter Lely, but the smell of the oils brought on intense
neuralgic pains, and incapacitated him for work. Dr. Busby, of
Westminster School, therefore, took charge of him, and supported
him while he attended on that foundation. His mental powers here
made a rapid development, and we are told that he taught himself
the organ, and invented thirty different modes of flying !
He removed in 1653 to Christ Church College, Oxon, and speedily
attracted the attention of the scientific notabilities of that learned
university. He made the acquaintance of the Hon. Eobert Boyle,
and Dr. Seth Ward, the Savilian Professor, and applying himself to
the improvement of the pendulum, invented in 1658 the pendulum
watch. He also completed the air-pump, and perfected several
astronomical instruments.
Such was his scientific reputation, that on the establishment of
the Eoyal Society in 1662, he was appointed the Curator of their
experiments. In the following year he graduated at Oxford as
M.A., and, in 1664, the Eoyal Society elected him Professor of
Mechanics. His Mierographia, a description of the results of experiments made
by magnifying glasses, appeared in 1665 ; his Lampas, on improve
ments in lamps, in 1667; and his Philosophical Collections, in 1681.
In the beginning of 1687 he lost his niece, Mrs. Grace Hooke, who
had Uved with him for many years, and his temper, always irritable,
now became insupportably harsh and cynical. He had already
quarreUed with Helvetius and Sir Isaac Newton, and for the re
mainder of his life was continually on the alert to attack a foe's error
or a friend's weakness.
Eobert Hooke died at his lodgings in Gresham's College, March 3,
1702, and was buried at St. Helen's, Bishopsgate {Walla's Life of
Hooke; Birch's Royal Society ; and Ward^s Lives of the Gresham
Professors). DR. THOMAS JAMES.
Dr. Thomas James was born in Newport, about 1570, of a repu
table family, which had been settled in the borough for many years.
He was the fifth son of John James and Jane Annemon of New
port. He received his education at Winchester, and afterwards removed

292 the worthies of the island.
to New CoUege, Oxon* — his fellow-student at both places being the
famous Dr. Cole. At Oxford he laboured with such zeal and assi
duity as speedily to distinguish himself among the learned, and
gained the degree of M.A. in 1599.
Sir Thomas Bodley was at that time completing the valuable
library which has worthily immortalized his name, and Mr. James,
to prove his fitness for the post of librarian, collated the MSS. of
the Philobihlion of Eichard of Durham, and published a corrected
text. In the following year (1600) he produced his Ecloga Oxonio-
Cantabrigiensis.\ These works, and his just repute for high scholastic
attainments, procured him the position he coveted, and in 1602 he
was appointed the First Keeper of the Bodleian Library, whereupon
he left his college. So extensive was his erudition that he received
the fiattering appellation of " the Living Library,'' and gained from
quaint old Fuller the foUowing eulogium : " On serious considera
tion, one will conclude the library made for him, and he for it; like
taUies, they so fitted one another. Some men live like moths in
libraries, not being better for the books, but the books the worse for
them, which they only soil with their fingers. Not so Dr. James,
who made use of books for his own and the publi-c good. He knew
the age of a manuscript by looking upon the face thereof, and by
the form of the character would conclude the time wherein it was
written.'' In 1614 he was honoured with the diploma of D.D., and shortly
afterwards received, unsolicited, the rectory of Mungeham in Kent
and the sub-deanery of Wells. In 1620 he was appointed a Justice
of the Peace, and resigned his post as librarian, after having held it
for eighteen years, with ever-increasing repute. In a letter to a
friend, in 1624, he speaks of the studies which now engrossed him :
" I have of late given myself to the reading only of MSS., and in
them I find so many and so pregnant testimonies, either fully for our
religion, or against the Papists, that it is to be wondered at." He
writes also to Archbishop Usher, with whom he often corresponded,
to acquaint him of his success in removing Papistical corruptions
* Ho removed to New College in 1593. The entry in the register runs as follows :—
"a.d. 1693. Thos. James, de Insula Vecta, in com. South. Theologian Primus Bodleianse
Librariffl pi-aspositus, et in eccle. Wellen. Sub-Decanus, etc. Sepult. iu choro Coll.
Nov." + This was a catalogue of the college libraries at Oxford and Cambridge. Wood says
that while employed in drawing it np, James, if he found any coUeges careless about
their MSS. , borrowed and took away what be pleased, and placed them in the public
library.

TIIE WOETHIES op TIIE ISLAND. 293
from the MSS. of the Fathers, and states that in thirty quires of
paper he had restored no fewer than three hundred citations.
He felt so deeply the benefits that Protestantism would derive
from a thorough purgation of the manuscripts of the early Christian
writers, that iu the Convocation held with the Parliament of Oxford,
in 1625, he moved that a commission might be appointed for the
purpose of examining the manuscript Fathers in all public and
private English libraries, that the perversions of Papistical com-
menta,tors might be detected and removed. To this design, it is
supposed, the great Camden alludes : " Thomas James Oxoniensis,
vir eruditus et vere (piXofSifiXos, qui se totum literis et libris invol-
vit, et jam publici boni studio in Anglire Bibliothecis excutiendis
(Deus opus secundet!) id molitur, quod Eeipublicoe literarise imprimis
erit usui" [Thomas James, of Oxford, an erudite man and an ar
dent lover of books, who gives himself up wholly to letters ; and is
now searching the libraries of England from a desire to benefit the
public, designs (may God prosper his labours !) that which will be of
notable assistance to the republic of letters.] He pointed out to the
members of Convocation, as he had previously done to Archbishop
Usher, the smaU expense at which his plan might be carried out, but
he failed to secure their co-operation.-*
This learned and enthusiastic Protestant, who well deserved the
character given him by Anthony Wood, of being " the most indus
trious and indefatigable writer against Pojiery that had been edu
cated at Oxford since the Eeformation,'' died at Oxford in 1629, and
was bm-ied towards the upper end of New College Chapel, Oxon.
His principal works are — an edition of the Philobiblioji, published
in 1599; Ecloga Oxonio-Cantabrigiensis, 1600; Cyprianus Redivivus,
and Spicilegium divi Augustini, published with the Ecloga; Cata-
logus Librorum in Bibliothecd Bodleiaiid, 1608, which Joseph Scaliger
praised; Apology for John Wickliffe, 1608; Treatise on the Corrup
tion of Scriptures, Councils, and Fathers, 1611; Jesuits' Downfall
threatened, 1612; Vindicice Gregoriance, 1625; Specimen Corruptel-
arum Pontifieiorum in Cypriano, Amhrosio, Gregorio Magno, etc.,
1626 {Berry's Genealogies; Woodls Athence Oxonienses ; Usher's Life
and Letters; Fuller's Worthies; Biog. Britannica, Suppl. to, etc.).
^ In a letter to Usher, January 28, 1623, he says that he has secured the help of
" the flower of the English divines," and needs only twelve more assistants, at £40 to
£50 yearly — four to transcribe orthodox writers; four to compare old reprints with
new; and four " to compare the Greek translations by the Papists." At his own cost
he attempted something, but his useful labours were cut short by death.
(712) 19

294 THE WOETHIES OF THE ISLAND.

MR. RICHARD JAMES.
Mr. Eichard James, nephew of the preceding, was the son of
Andrew James, third son of John James and Jane Annemon of
Newport, by Dorothy, daughter of Philip Poore of Derington, in
the county of WUts.
He was born in Ne-wport about 1592 ; was probably educated at
Winchester; was certainly admitted a scholar of Corpus Christi
College on the 23rd Sejjtember 1608. His progress was rapid, for in
February 1611, when he was scarcely nineteen years old, he obtained
his degree as Bachelor of Arts. In January 1615 he won the higher
honour of M.A. ; and, after no long interval, the greatest university
distinction which he ever obtained, a Bachelorship of Divinity. At
this time he was in the habit of preaching frequently.
He travelled much, though at whose cost it is impossible to dis
cover. He visited Wales, Scotland, Shetland, and even Greenland ;
and certainly extended his peregrinations to Eussia (1618-19).
According to one authority, he went to Newfoundland as "a
minister." On his return he resumed his pulpit duties, and, we are told,
preached three sermons concerning the observation of Lent — one of
them without a text, a second against the observance, a third " be
side it " ( Wood's Athence Oxon., ii.). His fame for scholarship rapidly
extended, and soon secured him the patronage and friendship of Sir
Eobert Cotton. Even the erudite Selden is constrained to speak of
him as " vir multijugi studiique indefatigabilis ;" and his greatest
detractor. Sir Simond d'Ewes, whUe accusing him of being " athe
istical and profane," admits that he was " witty and moderately
learned." Wood affirms that, had he obtained a sinecui-e or a pre
bend, " the labours of Hercules would have seemed to him a trifle."
" He was," Wood adds, " a very good Grecian poet, an excellent
critic, antiquary, divine, and admirably well skiUed in the Saxon
and Gothic languages."
He arranged and classified Sir Eobert Cotton's valuable library,
but is accused by Sir Simond d'Ewes of lending out Sir Eobert's
most precious MSS. for money, and of neglecting many important
works in his zeal for perasing the priceless volumes that passed
through his hands.
In 1629 he incurred the displeasure of the Privy Council, and
involved in his troubles the Earls of Bedford, Somerset, and Clare,
his benefactor Sir E. Cotton, James St. John, BurreU, and the

THE WORTHIES OP THE ISLAND. 295
erudite Selden. It is said that he lent a rai-e MS.— purporting to
show "how a prince might make himself an absolute tyrant" — to
young St. John, who, surprised at its contents, placed it in the hands
of his friends.-* At last it reached Sir Eobert Cotton himself, who,
we are told, was ignorant that the manuscript had ever had a place
in his library, and employed a young man resident in his house to
transcribe it. This " untrusty fellow " made several copies, and dis
posed of them for his own advantage. One got into the hands of
Wentworth, afterwards Earl of Strafford, who brought it to the
notice of the Privy Council. Sir Eobert Cotton's library was there
upon sealed up; the offenders were committed to the Tower; and
the terrors of the Star Chamber brought to bear upon them. After
a brief interval they were released ; but Sir Eobert's anxiety brought
on a fatal disease, of which he died on the 6th of May 1631.
The chief literary work in which James was engaged, but to the
successful prosecution of which his poverty proved an insuperable
obstacle, was a new " Life of Thomas a Becket ; " and his uncle, in a
letter to Archbishop Usher, eulogizes both the work and its author.
After stating that his nephew's design was to paint Becket as " an
arch-rebel," not " an arch-saint," he adds, — " He is of strength, aud
well both able and learned to effectuate somewhat in this kind, criti-
caUy seen both in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin, knowing weU the
languages both French, Spanish, and Italian, immense and beyond
aU other men in reading of the MSS., of an extraordinary style in
penning  such a one as I could wish your lordship had about you;
but paupertas inimica bonis est morihus, and both fatherless and
motherless, and almost (but for myself) I may say (the more is pity)
friendless." He died of a quartan ague, induced by intense and unremitting
study and great privations, at the house of Sir Thomas Cotton,t
Westminster, in 1638, bequeathing to posterity a considerable
number of valuable MSS., and a few published tractates, which
display unusual erudition.
His principal works are, — Poemata qucedam in mortem, clarissimi
viri Roberti Cottoni, et Thomce Allen, published in 1633 ; several Ser
mons in Latin and English ; and a translation of " Minutius Felix "
and " Octavius," published in 1636. His more important MSS. (of
* Letters of Mead to Sir Martin Stuteville, given in " Court and Times of Charles
I.," vol ii.
t A satisfactory proof that the Cotton family considered James innocent in the
unfortunate transaction whose worse result was Sir Eobert's death.

296 THE WOETHIES OP THE ISLAND.
which he left no less than forty -five) are, — Decanonizatio Thomm
Cantuariensis et suorum, in 760 pages, being the work alluded to by
Dr. James; Commentaria in Evangdium Sancti Johannis, in two
parts ; Notce in aliquot locas Biblice; Epistolm ad amicos suos doctos;
Epigrams in Latin and English ; Reasons Concerning the Attempts on
the Lives of Great Personages; Two Sermons; Iter Lancastrense, in
verse, published by the Camden Society; Glossarium Saxonicum
Anglicum; Russian Dictionary ; Observations made in his Travels
through some parts of Wales, Scotland, Shetland, Greenland, etc. ;
and Observations on Russland, — forming twenty-four volumes quarto,
and seven folio. The " Antiquitates Insulce Vectce," hitherto unpub
lished, is preserved among his MSS. in the Bodleian, and though
evidently the preliminary to a large and elaborate work, may be re
garded as a favourable specimen of his Latinity {Wood's Athence
Oxonienses; U slier' s Life and Letters ; Niclwlson's Historical Library ;
Sir Simond d'Ewes' Diary; Court and Times of Charles I; Gentle
men's Magazine, voL xxxvii., etc.).
SIR THOMAS FLEMING, L.C.J.
Thomas Fleming, Knight, and Lord Chief Justice of the King's
Bench, was born at Newport. His father was a mercer and general
trader, occupying " a house on the east side of the entrance to the
Corn Market from the High Street, on the site where the house now
occupied by Mr. Avery stands." The famUy was of respectable
extraction, and had long been connected -with the Isle of Wight.
One "John Fleming and Hawise his wife" were suitors against
" Thomas Blake, for lands in Horingford," in the 52nd of Henry III.
(1268). They had a son named Hugh. In 1497 (12 Henry VIL), a
John Fleming is recorded as bailiff of Newport — an office he agaui
filled twenty-three years later (1520). In the Hampshire Visitation
made by the heralds in this reign, his name occurs — a proof of the
excellence of his position. He died in 1531, leaving a son, by his
wife Isabell, also named John, who married Dorothy Harris in 1543,
and had a son, Thomas, born in April in the following year.
He received his education in the school at Godshill, then the prin
cipal resort of the sons of the opulent, and afterwards proceeded to
Oxford. In 1570 (Feb. 13) he was married at St. Thomas's, New
port, to Mary James,* his cousin, the daughter of Dr. Mark James,
physician-in-ordinai-y to Queen Elizabeth. He next entered upon
'- "Thomas Fleming & Marie James married y" 13 of Febrvary 1670" (from the
Registers).

THE WORTHIES OP THE ISLAND. 297
the study of the law ; and his rise in his profession was so rapid that,
in 1594, he was called to the degree of Sergeant ; shortly afterwards
made Eecorder of London ; and on the promotion of Sir Edward
Coke to the Attorney-Generalship, was preferred by Lord Treasurer
Burleigh to the dignity of Solicitor-General (1595). It has been con
jectured that his rapid preferment was partly owing to the infiuence
of the queen's cousin. Sir George Carey (afterwards Lord Hunsdon),
then captain of the island, and resident at the castle, while Mr. Flem
ing resided at the Priory of Carisbrooke. The lease of the Priory he
had purchased from Sir Francis Walsingham, the Secretary of State.
" That some powerful influence," it has been said,* " was exercised
[at this time] in favour of Ne-wport interests, may be inferred from
the fact that, at the same time that Fleming held the office of
Solicitor-General, his two cousins, Drs. Edest and James, were also
attached to the queen's household ; the former, the son of a clothier
who dwelt at the corner house in the Cattle Market, being chaplain-
in-ordinary in addition to his preferments of Eector of Freshwater
and Dean of Worcester ; and the other. Dr. James, whose father,
Mark James, was a merchant, and lived in the house in which Sir
Thomas Fleming was born, was physician-in-ordinary, and daily read
to the queen." It is worth noting- that Francis Bacon was a rival
candidate for the Solicitor-Generalship.
In 1601 he was returned to the House of Commons as the repre
sentative of a Cornish borough ; but broke down completely in his
maiden speech (November 20th), and was so dismayed by his failure
that he never again addressed the House. Nevertheless, he was
returned to several Parliaments as member for Southampton. On
the accession of James I. he was re-appointed Solicitor-General ; and
in the foUowing year (1604) was knighted, and elevated to the bench
as Chief Baron of the Exchequer. In this capacity he tried, in con
junction with the other judges, the notorious Guy Fawkes and his
feUow-plotters ; but " followed," says Lord CampbeU, " the useful
advice for subordinate judges on such an occasion — ' to look wise, and
say nothing.' "
As a lawyer, however great his talents, he was not free from the
prevaiUng vice of the great men of the age — a leaning towards the
exaltation of the Crown ; and his decision in the great " Case of Im-
¦' Tide a paper by J. Hearn, Esq., in the Isle of Wight Mercury, 1867.
t Laurence Edes married Alice, eldest daughter of Thomas James and Elizabeth
Collins. Dr. Mark James was a son of Thomas James by his second wife, Alice
Porter.

298 THE WOETHIES OF THE ISLAND.
positions" was an injustice to the subject. The particulars of the
case are briefly these : Shortly after the accession of King James,
Parliament had imposed an import duty upon currants of 2s. 6d.
per cwt. The king, of his own wUl, raised the duty to 10s. There
is always to be found in similar conjunctures a man determined
enough to assert the rights of the people. On this occasion, one
Bates, a Levant merchant, refused to pay the monarch's additional
7s. 6d., and accordingly was prosecuted by the law officers of the
Crown in the Court of Exchequer. The point at issue necessarily
was — Could the sovereign, of his own volition, raise a revenue by
the imposition either of taxes or import duties? Fleming decided
in favour of the Cro-wn — a decision legally con-ect, but opposed to
the spirit of the English constitution, and calculated to annihilate
English freedom.
In 1607, on the death of Sir John Popham, this able lawyer was
elevated to the post of Lord Chief Justice of England. He enjoyed
his high dignity, however, but six years, dying suddenly on the 7th
of August 1613. On his return from the Northern Circuit, he had
given to his servants and farm-labourers what is called in Hampshire
a " hearing day.'' After joining in the revels, he went to bed, appa
rently in sound health, but was taken suddenly Ul, and died before
morning. He was buried in the parish church of North Stoneham,
where a stately monument records the numerous successes of his
career. It is ornamented with recumbent whole-length figures of the
Chief Justice in his robes, with his official insignia ; and his wife,
with ruff and hood, and the singular waist favoured by ladies of the
Tudor era. Underneath is the following inscription, as truthful, per-
ha.ps, as most monumental legends : —
" In most Assvred Hope of a Blessed Eesvrection,
Here Lyeth Interred 'ye Bodie of Sir Thomas Flemyng, Knight, Lord Chief Jvstice of
England ; Great Was His Learning, Many Were His Virtves. He Always Feared God
& God Still Blessed Him & ye Love & Favour Both of God & Man Was
Daylie Upon Him. He Was In Especiall Grace & Favour With 2 Most Worthie &
VirtvDos Princes Q. Elizabeth & King James. Many Offices and Dygnities Were Con
ferred Upon Him. He Was First Sargeant At Law, Then Eecorder Of London ; Then
Solicitor Generall to Both ye Said Princes. Then Lo ; Chief Baron of ye Exchequer &
after Lo : Chief Justice of England. AU Which Places He Did E.-tecvte -ffith So Great
Integrity, Justice & Discretion that His Lyfe Was Of All Good Men Desired, His Death
Of All Lamented. He Was Borne at Newporte In ye Ille Of Wight, Brough Up In
Learning* ye Studio Of ye Lawe. In ye 2G Yeare Of His Age He Was coopled in ye
Blessed State of Matrimony To His Vutvovs Wife, ye La : Mary Fleming, With whom
He Lived & Continewed In that Blessed Estate By ye Space of 43 Yeares. Having By
Her In that Tyme 16 Children, 8 Sonnes and 7 Davghters, Of Wliom 2 Sonnes & 5
Davghters Died In His Life Time. And Afterwards In Eipeness of Age and Fulness
Of Happie Yeares yt Is to Saic ye 7th Day of Avgvst 1613 in ye 69 Yeare of His Age, He

THE WORTHIES OF THE ISLAND. 299
Left This Life For a Better, Leaving Also Behind Him Livinge Together With His Vir-
tvovs Wife 6 Soones & 2 Davghters.'"'
In 1608 Sir Thomas obtained from James I. a Charter of Incorpo
ration for his birth-town, which provided for the election of a
mayor instead of the ancient baUiff. Just before his death he had
assisted in the establishment of a free grammar school ; but the com
pletion of this project was reserved for his son. Sir Thomas.
It may be added that his liberality to his kin kept pace with the
growth of his fortunes. Thus, in 1573, while living at the "Priorie
of Carisbrooke," he transferred to his wife's father his corner tene
ment, with " the shoppes and loftes thereto belonging," which he held
of the bailiff and burgesses of Newport, "in the south side of the
High Streate at the west end of the Flesh Shambles," being the house
formerly occupied by his father.
Su- Thomas amassed considerable wealth, and purchased various
estates — the principal being Hyde Abbey, the Stoneham estate, and
the Priory of Carisbrooke, of the Earl of Southampton ; and the
Quarr lands of two Southampton merchants, named John and George
Mills {Hearn' s paper in Isle of Wight Mercury, Lord Campbell's Lives
of the Chief Justices, Burke's Landed Gentry, Eng. Histories, Life of
James /., Berry's Genealogies, etc.).
DR. THOMAS ARNOLD.
It would be out of place here to attempt any exposition of the
great educational services rendered by Dr. Arnold, or to consider his
merits as an historian. We must simply confine ourselves to a suc
cinct statement of the principal facts of his too brief career.
He was born at Slatwoods, near East Cowes, in the Isle of Wight,
on the 13th of June 1795, and named after Thomas, Lord Bolton,
then governor of the island. His father, of an old Suffolk family,
was collector of customs for the port of Cowes. After being educated
at Warminster and Winchester, he entered the University of Oxford
in 1811. He took a first class at the degree examination in 1814;
and in the following year was elected Fellow of Oriel College. While
at Oxford he became acquainted with many men who, in after life,
exercised a considerable influence on English thought ; with the late
* His children were— Sir Thomas ; Philip, Steward of the Isle of Wight ; Walter ;
John ; James ; Sir Francis, master of the horse to Oliver Cromwell ; and William ; and
Elizabeth, Mary, Jane, Eleanor, Dowsabell, Mary, and another (Berry's Genealogies,
Burke's Commoners, etc.).

300 THE WORTHIES OF THE ISLAND.
Sir John Coleridge, the lamented Keble, Copleston, Bishop of Llandaff'
and Archbishop Whately. He was noted at coUege for the freedom
and boldness of his political opinions, his erudition, his passionate
love of poetry, and his scarcely less passionate love of country walks
and bathing.
He remained at Oxford, studying hard, and taking pupils, till 1819,
when he settled at Laleham, near Staines, in Middlesex ; took unto
himself a wife, Mary, daughter of the Eev. John Penrose, a Notting
hamshire rector, and began to receive pupils to prepare for the
universities. He had been ordained deacon in the Church of Eng
land prior to his marriage, but delayed taking priest's orders until
1828, owing to the conscientious scruples he entertained in reference
to some portions of the Thirty-Nine Articles, and the Athanasian
Creed. He remained at Laleham for nine years, aud there six of his chil
dren were born. He was slowly acquiring a reputation as an able
tutor and an educational reformer of large and liberal \-iews ; and his
friend Dr. Whately, appreciating the resources of his intellect, and
anxious to see them employed in a broader field, prevailed upon him,
in 1828, to offer himself as a candidate for the head-mastership of
Eugby Grammar School. His influential testimonials and high
Christian character decided the trustees to appoint him to the
vacancy. He entered upon his duties in August 1828 ; and, until
his death in 1842, he continued in active superintendence of the school,
which he completely re-organized, and raised from a failing and in
significant position to one of brilUant infiuence. But he not only
reformed Eugby ; he reformed, by his example and teaching, the
public-school S3'stem of England ; wdiile, by his happy faculty of
securing the love and confidence of his pupils, his clear insight into
their character, and the force of his own personal purity and high-
mindedness, he accomplished an amount of good in individual cases
which it is impossible to over-estimate. His modus operandi, and
his singular power over the minds and hearts of those with whom he
came in contact, are very vividly illustrated in Mr. Hughes' popular
work of " Tom Brown's School-Days."
In 1841 Dr. Arnold was appointed, by Lord Melbourne, to the
Professorship of Modern History at Oxford. He delivered an
inaugural course of lectures in the foUowing year, which attracted
a large and enthusiastic audience of students.
His contributions to historical literature were of an important
character. They include a valuable edition of "Thucydides" and a

THE WORTHIES OP THE ISLAND. 301
" History of Eome," to the end of the Second Punic War, which is
remarkable for close reasoning, sagacious observations on men and
events, and judicious and always dispassionate criticism. Among his
miscellaneous works may be mentioned his " Sermons," his " Com
mentary on the New Testament" (unfinished), and the inaugural
lectures on " Modern History." But it was as a man rather than as
a writer that Dr. Arnold was great ; and he must be judged not so
much by his works as by liis infiuence for good on his generation.
He died very suddenly — of angina pectoris — on the 12th of June
1842, in the maturity of his powers, but only at the threshold, as it
appeared, of a long career of literary usefulness. His life has been
ably written by Dean Stanley ; and no one can read its interesting
pages without appreciating the good and manly character, the noble
truthfulness, the chivalrous generosity, and the earnest, unaffected
piety of their hero.

THE TOUEIST'S COMPAI^ION.

VOYAGE ROUND THE ISLAND.

[Steamers leave Southampton, Cowes, and
Ryde for this excursion two or three times
a week during the season ; but the tourist
will best enjoy it if he hire a stout wherry,
and make the voyage at his leisure. If
he sail from Eyde, eastward, he may
stop for the night at Niton or Black-
gang, landing in Ruth Bay; if he sail
westward, his best landing-place will be
Freshwater Gate. If he sail westward
from Ventnor, he may stop at Yar
mouth; if eastward, a,t Freshwater Gate.
If he start from Cowe.s, his resting-place
should be Sandown, or Ventnoi\ But
much must, of course, depend upon
"wind and tide."]
To describe the various places which the
voyager round the Isle of Wight willsuc-
ces^ively observe, would be to repeat, to a
considerable extent, the information al
ready given. We shall, therefore, content
ourselves with enumerating the objects of
interest on the island-coast in the order in
which they occur, referring the tomrist for
details to our preceding pages.
Starting from Eyde, westward, we pass —
Bucldvrfham Villa: H'r.-^fjiclr}, Sir Au
gustus Clifford's scat (p. 174); Eyde Hoiisc,
lying back from the shore in the centre of
deep, glossy foliage (p. 175); Binstead (p.
159), where bright and blooming garden-
grounds descend to the very margin of the
sea (p. 175); Quarr Ahhey, whose wild ruins
are clearly discernible (pp. 160-1G3); iro"t-
ton Crcii-, running inland through a wooded
country (p. 1C3); Kijig's Key, the small
inlet associated by tradition with tho
ynemorj-- of King John (p, 101); Barton, and

Oslyorne Woods (p. 100); Osborne, \^ith its
exquisite terraces and lawn (pp. 100, 101);
Norris Castle (p. 102); East Coices (p. 96);
conspicuous on the bluflf of the hiU, East
Cowes Castle (p. 102) ; and the broad estuaiy
of the Medina, with West Cowes on its
farther bank, — Messrs. White's dockyard
and the Eoyal Yacht Club House (West
Cowes Castle) principally attracting the at
tention (pp. 93, 94).
From West Cowes we pass on to —
Egypt, a picturesquely-situated mansion ;
Gurnard Bay (p. 98), and its low, uninterest
ing shore ; Beiv Street, the point where the
old Eomano-Celtic road across the island
terminated (p. 95). The cliffs here are com
posed of " alternating beds of clay and lime-
'stone, the latter abounding in fresh-water
shells and gyrogonitc^. In Thorney Bay
[which we next reach] similar strata are ex
posed, with layers of blue clay and sand,
containing marine shells." Nevston Eivtr,
and Hampstead ledge, consisting of cal
careous marlSj where fluviatile shells are
abundantly found, are next gained, and
sweeping along a low, wooded coast, we soon
arrive at Yarmovih, and the mouth of the
river Yar (p. 223).
From Yakmouth we proceed to —
The headland formerly crowned by Wors-
laj's Tower (p. 43) and Carey's Sconce (p. 47),
observing the new defences, which, in con
junction with Hurst Castle on the mainland,
command the passage of the Needles. Next
we enter Coln-cll Bay (p. 236), where marine
and fresh-water strata are alternated; and
"in the fissure called .Bj-a7?)6/e r/(Micathick
bed of oyster-shells is exposed, apparently
in its original state, the valves being in con-

THE TOURIST S COMPANION.

303

tact with each other as when living." Fossil
shells are here abundant, and the Cytherea
iTicrassata and Nereti}ia concava are some
times found. Doubling Hoiv Ledge, we enter
Totland Bay, characterized by the same
geological peculiarities (p. 236); round
Hatherwood Foint we pass into Alum Bay
(p. 234), whose brilliantly-coloured vertical
strata seem the phenomenon of a fairy
world; and land to examine its wonders at
our leisure. The heiglit which overhangs its
sandy shore is Headon Hill (p. 235), where
the visitor may obtain an abundant supply
of fossil shells. Dr. Mantell particularly
enumerates the following: — "Potomomya
gregaria, Potamides concavus, P. pUcatus,
P. ventricosus, Planorbis euomphalus, Lin
naeus fusiformis, L. longiscatus, Paludina
angulosa, Melanopsis fusiformis, M. brevis,
Psammobiasolida.andCythereaincrassata."
Round the Needles into Scratchell's Bay (p.
233), and doubling Sun Corner, we sail in
the shadow of the mighty cliffs known as
Main Bench and the Nodes (p. 232), until we
reach Freshwater Bay. The points of in
terest along this line of coast are fully de
scribed at pp. 231-236. At Freshwater Gate
(p. 230), or at the village, one mile inland
(p. 230), we pass the night, and resume our
voyage the next morning.
From Freshwatee Gate we proceed
to- Compton Bay (p. 137), looking across the
water to the lofty, undulating chalk range
of Afton, Chessel, and Shalcombe Downs; at
Brook Fohit we land (if the tide serve) to
examine its petrified forest (p. 138). Next
we pass Brook Chine, leading up to the vil
lage, and voyage along an interesting coast
to Chilton Chine, Grange Chin£, Ship Ledge,
Barnes Cliine, and Coioleaze Chine, reaching
the south-east boundary of Brixton Bay and
Atherfield Point (see pp. 139, 140). Entering
Cliale Bay (p. 141), we recognize its swarthy,
barren cliffs, so terribly ominoiLs to the

mariner, and notice Hliale, Walpan, and
Blackgang Cliines (pp. 139, 140) ; over the
last towers the lofty hill of St. Catherine's,
crowned by its pharos and ruined cell.
Passing Boclcen End, we observe St. Cath
erine's Lighthouse (p. 143), and the com
mencement of the wonderful region of the
Undercliff {-pp. 215-220); at Puckaster Cove
(p. 211), where King Charles II. landed in
1675, we moor our boat, and land for a few
minutes' stroll. [The tourist will do well
to walk from this point along the cliff to
Steephill Cove, where he may again embark
to continue his homeward voyage.]
From Ventnor we sail by tho cliffs of
jBo)ic/iwrc7i.(pp.l88~192),with Boniface Down
rising grandly against the sky ; Chine Head ;
Luccombe Cliine (p. 195) ; the cliff of green-
sand at Dunnose Point ; ShankUn CJiine (p.
194); the bold curve of Sandown Bay, with
the village, church, and fort of Sandown
(pp. 200, 201) ; the magnificent chalk cliffs
of the Culvers, which form the eastern ter
mination of Bembridge Down (p. 171), easily '
distinguishable by its obelisk; Whitecliff
Bay, and "its highly inclined chalk strata;"
the dangerous ledge of the Foreland ; Bern-
bridge Point and village (p. 170) ; the mouth
of Brading Haven, with the new embank
ment (p. 168) ; the old church tower of St.
Helen's (p. 266), now used as a sea-mark, on
its north-west bank ; Watch Rouse Point ;
the well-wooded shores and pleasant sands
of Priory Bay (p. 177), "a low bank or
cliff of the fresh-water eocene marls and
limestones being the only indication of its
geological structure;" the village of Sea
View (p. 174), on a declivity which descends
sharply to the sea-marge ; the low Salterns,
bounded inland by a range of well-wooded
hills ; the little hamlet of Spring Vale; St.
Cla.re (p. 176), formerly occupied by Colonel
Vernon Harcourt; Appley Wood (p. 176);
the long level of the Esplanade; and Eyde
Pier (p. 149).

GEOLOGICAL TOUR.

1st Day. — From Eyde or Ventnor to New
port. Examine the chalk cliffs of Mount
joy. Thence to Calbourne, and visit the
quarries of fresh- water limestone. Onward
to the hotels at Freshwater Gate or Alum
Bay, and pass the night.
2nd Day. — Examine the strata of Headon
Hill and Alum Bay : a good locality for fos
sils. Cross the Downs to Freshwater Gate,

and thence to Brook Point, where the fossil
forest should be closely investigated. Pro
ceed by Brixton, through Atherfield, to
Blackgang Chine. Stop at Blackgang or
Niton. 3rd Day. — Walk along the Undercliff, uuZ
St. Lawrence, Ventnor, Bonchurch, and
Luccombe, to Shanklin Chine. Numerous
fossils may be gathered in this vicinity,

304

THE TOUEIST S COMPANION.

and along the shore to Dunnose Point.
Stop at Shanklin.
hth Day. — Walk along the shore to San
down Bay; visit the Culvers and White

Cliff Bay. Continue as far as Eyde, and
examine the quarries at Binstead.
[See Dr. Mantell's "Geological Excm'-
sions round the Isle of Wight."]

ANTIQUARIAN TOUR.

1st Day. — From E.ydc to Ninham and
Quarr Abbey, and thence to Carisbrooke
Castle, Carisbrooke Church, and remains of
ancient palace at Swainstone; Shalfleet
Church; Yarmouth.
^nd Day, — Through Freshwater across
the Downs ; observe the numerous tmnnli ;
to Mottistone Church and the Longstone.
Thence to Brighstone. Cross to Eow
borough, Gallibury, and Newbarns (Celtic
relics), and visit Shorwell Church. On to
Newport.

3rd Day. — From Newport to Arreton
Church. Thence to Kingston Church, Chale
Church, and Ecclesiastical Relics in Chale
Abbey Farm. Traces of Celtico-Eoman
road and encampment at Niton. Visit
Kingston, and pass through Godshill
(Church) and Appuldurcombe to Ventnor.
Uih Day. — Visit St. Lav^rence Church.
Eeturn to Ventnor, and then, through Bon
church (Old Church), to Shanklin (Church)
and Brading (Church). Cross to Ashey
and Knighton. Back to Eyde.

POINTS OF VIEW.

Near Eyde. — Appley Wood. The road
near Brading, looking down upon Brading
Haven, Brading Down. Ashey Down, for
view of Eyde, the Solent, and surrounding
country. Newchurch. The hill near Bin
stead Church. The road above Wootton
Bridge. From Bembridge Down. From
Yaverland. Near West Cowes. — The hill above the
town. A point near Northwood Church.
The road to Osborne. The ascent above
King's Key. A point near Whippence
Farm, commanding views of Hampshire,
as well as of the island-scenery.
Near Newport.— Carisbrooke Castle.
The Keep. Bowcombe Down. The road
near Gatcombe. Arreton Down. Stapler's
Heath. Mountjoy, The road near North
Court. Shorwell. On the road to Brigh
stone, where, having ascended the hill, a

fine prospect of the Channel and the south
coast of the island is suddenly presented.
Near Brighstone. — Brighstone Down.
Mottistone Down. On the brink of the hill
over Calbourne. From St. Catherine's
Down. The ridge above Niton. Looking
out from Blackgang Chine.
Near Freshwater.— From almost any
point on the long and lofty chalk-range
known as Chessel, Shalcombe, and Afton
Downs. From summit of Needles Down.
From the Warren, looking down iipon
Yarmouth. Norton, at the mouth of the
Yar river.
Near Yentnor. — GodshiU Church. Ap
puldurcombe Down. At any point along
the Undercliff. Boniface Down. From
Bonchurch Old Church. The hill over
looking Luccombe. Shanklin Down. The
road near Sandown.

TRAVELLER'S ROUTES.

A Week's Excursion through the
Island.
[This is mapped out for the pedestrian,
who, of course, may vaiy it by making
use of the railways.]
1st Day. — Start from Eyde : To Binstead
(Church) 1 mile ; Quarr Abbey, ruins of, 2
m.; Fish-house Creek, 1 m. ; through the
coppice into the highroad, and by Woot
ton, 1 m. ; to Arreton (Church), 3 m.;

cross St. George's Down, and across Shide
Bridge, to Carisbrooke (Castle and Church),
4 m.; to Newport (St. Thomas's Church),
Im. Snd Day.— From Newport to Osborne,
passing Y'hippingham Church, right, 4 m.;
East Cowes (East Cowes Castle and Norris
Castle), 1 m. ; cross by ferry to West Cowes,'
and passing Northwood, right, to Parkhurst
(Barracks and Reformatory), 3 m. ; through
Parkhurst Forest to Newton (new Churcli

THE TOURIST S COMPANION.

305

and ancient TownhaU), 3^ m. ; Shalfleet
(Old Church), 1 m, ; and by Thorley (Church)
to Yarmouth (Church, Fort, and pleasant
"seats"), 4m.
3rd Daf/.— From Yarmouth to Freshwater
(Church), 2 m. ; and across the Downs to
Alum Bay (and the Needles), 3 m. ; to
Freshwater Gate (caverns, rocks, etc.), 2
m. ; over Afton Down to Brook (Church,
and petrified forest), 2J m. ; to Mottistone
(Church and ancient cairn), 1 m. ; across
Brixton Down to Calbourne and Westover
(two ancient "seats"), 2 m. ; cross Bow
combe Down, and by the Celtic remains at
Rowborough, to Shorwell (Church, and
Northcourt House), 4 m.; to Brighstone,
2 m. Uth Day. — From Brighstone, along the
cliffs, noticing the chines, to Chale (Church
and Blackgang Chine, and St. Catherine's
Hill), 5 m. ; to Niton, 1 m. ; back to Black-
gang, and by the cliffs, to Puckaster Cove,
2 ra. ; to St. Lawrence (Church), 2 m. ; to
Ventnor (Boniface Down), 2 m. ; and Bon
church (Church, Cliffs, Downs, etc.), 1 m.
5th Day. — Ventnor to Appuldurcombe
(House), 3 m.; to Godshill (Church), 2 m. ;
Newchurch (Church and fine views), ^l m. ;
to Apse (old farm), 3 m.; by Wroxall to
Ventnor, 5 m.
6th Day. — Through Luccombe (Cliine) to
Shanklin (Chine, Church, Sands, etc.), 4m.;
to Sandown (Bay, Fort, Church), 2 m. ; Bem
bridge Down, 2 m. ; Yaverland (Church and
old Manor House), 1 m. ; Brading (Church,
Down, and NunweU House), 2 m. ; St.
Helen's (Church and Village), 2 m. ; Sea
View, 1 m. ; Spring Vale, 1 m. ; Eyde,
2 m.

Four Days* Excursion from Eyde.
1st Day. — From Ryde to Brading, 4 m. ;
St. Helen's, 2 m. ; cross, by ferry, to Bem
bridge, and over the Downs to Yaverland,
3 m. ; Sandown, 2 m. ; Lake, 1 m. ; Shank
lin, 2 m. ; Luccombe, Ijj m. ; Bonchurch,
\h m. ; Ventnor, 1 m.
2nd Day. — Ventnor to SteephiU, and
National Cottage Hospital, 1 m. ; St. Law
rence, 1 m. ; Sandrock, 2 m. ; Niton, 1 m. ;
Blackgang, 2 m. ; Kingston, 3 m. ; ShorweU,
2 m. ; Brixton, 2 m. ; Mottistone, 2 m. ;
Brooke, 2 m. ; Freshwater Gate, 3 m.
3rd Day. — Alum Bay, 3 m. ; Freshwater,
3 m. ; Yarmouth (by coach-road), 4 m. ; or,
crossing by ferry, 3 m. ; Shalfleet. 4m.; New

town, 1 m. ; Parkhurst, 4 m. ; Carisbrooke,
1 m. ; Newport, 1 m. ; West Cowes, 4 m.
hth Day.— To East Cowes, by ferry, ^m. ;
or by coach-road, through Newport and
Whippingham, to Osborne, 7 ra. ; East
Cowes, for pedestrians, through Barton to
Wootton, 4 m. ; and thence to Arreton,
3 m. ; or, by coach-road, to Newport (Shide
Bridge), 6 m. ; Arreton 2 m. ; Godshill, 4
m. ; Appuldurcombe, 2 m. ; Newchurch, 4
m. ; Ashey Down, 2 m. ; Eyde, 4 ra.

Four Days' Excursion from Cowes.
1st Day. — Cowes, to East Cowes and Os
borne, 1 m. ; to Whippingham, 2 m. ; New
port, 3 m. ; Parkhurst, 1 m.; Carisbrooke,
2 m, ; Arreton, 3 m. ; GodshiU, 4 m. ; Ap
puldurcombe, 2 m. ; Ventnor, 3 m.
2nd Day. — Ventnor to Steephill, 1 m. ;
St, Lawrence, Im. ; Sandrock, 3 m. ; Niton,
1 m. ; Blackgang, 2 m. ; Chale, 1 m. ;
Brighstone, Bra.; INIottistone, 2 m.; Brooke,
2 m. ; Freshwater Gate, 3 m. ; Alum Bay,
3 m. 3rd Day. — Alum Bay to Yarmouth (by
bridge from Norton), 3 m. ; Thorley, 1 m. ;
Shalfleet, 3 m. ; Newton, 1 m. ; Parkhurst,
4 m. ; Carisbrooke, 1 m. ; Arreton, 3 m. ;
Ryde, 4 m.
Ath Day. — Ryde to Brading, 4 m. ; Yaver
land, 2m.; Sandown,2m.; Shanklin, 2m.;
Luccombe, 1^ m. ; Bonchurch, l^m.; Vent
nor, 1 m.; Newchurch, 4 m.; Ashey Down,
1 m. ; Newport, 4 m.; by coach to Cowes,
4 m.

Tliree Days' Excursion from Ryde.
1st Day. — Ryde to St. Helen's, 4 m. ; Bem
bridge, by ferry, 1 m.; Yaverland (Church
and Manor House), 3^ m.; Sandown, 2 m.;
Shanklin, 3 m.; Luccombe, 1^ m.; Bon
church, Ij m.; Ventnor, 1 m.; SteephiU, 1
m.; St. Lawrence, 1 m.; Niton, 3 m.
2nd Day. — Sandrock, 1 m.; Blackgang, 1
m.; Chale, ^ m.; Kingston, 2} m.; North-
court, 2 m.; Brighstone, 2 m.; Mottistone,
2 m.; Brooke, 2 m.; Freshwater Gate, 4 m.;
Needles Point, 3 m.; Alum Bay, 1 m.
Srd Day. — Alum Bay, by Freshwater and
Norton, to Yarmouth, 4 m.; Calbourne, 6
m.; Carisbrooke, 4j m.; Newport, 1 m.;
West Cowes, 4 m.; East Cowes and Os
borne, 1 m.; Whippingham, 1^ m.; Woot
ton, 3 m. ; Quarr Abbey, 1-^^ m.; Ryde,

306

THE TOURIST S COMPANION.

DISTANCE TABLES.

Afton 
Alum Bay 
Arreton 
Bembridge  <
Bonchurch 
Brading 
Brighstone 
Brooke 
Calbourne 
Carisbrooke 
Chale 
Cowes, East 
Cowes, West  <
Freshwater Gate 
Godshill 
Lake 
Luccombe 
Mottistone 
Newton 
Ne^^ort 
Needles Point 
Niton 
Osborne 
Puckaster Cove 
Quarr Abbey 
Eyde 
Sandown 
Shanklin 
St. Lawrence 
St. Helen's 
Thorley 
"Ventnor 
Whippingham 
Yarmouth 

Mia. 13;,13 4
1211 8 7
10 6i
1
10 65
11 69
12 96
14 Si
4i
lOi 47
10
10
1111 9
10 3
10

Mia. 17 21

16Hi10
14 10}

181214
17112 55
IS12V 1
14J- 47*
15
l.-i
1611 9
15 2
10

SIls. 2125 7
11

MIb. 2322

52
12
1616i10
121313}
20 014
IS151023Hi13V
11 9
6

Mis. 24 24 66

4
15
1918}
1310
191821 61¦2
10161025 9i
13i 9
11

6
10 7
lOi 7
1413
141310
19 9
11 9
10

12
1617i10 7
15
16 19 6 5Ii
14171122 6}
144 6
1411 6
3
1220 1
14
21

Mis. 4

13
23

10 66
11
1411
10 3
IS19'21'.

10 6
17111714172022
2121 1
20
121

Distances of Places fi-om Byde.

Appley  3
Barnsley  Ii
Bembridge (by ferry). . . 5
Binstead  1
Brading  4
Cowes, W  8

Mllca
Cowes, E  7V
Fairy Hill  4'
Qu.irr Abbey  o
Sandown  6
Sea "View  3

Slianklin 
Ventnor 
Whippingham .
Wootton 
Yaverland 

12 7
4
6

THE tourist's COMPANION.

307

Distances of Places from Newport.

Miles
Albany Ban-acks, Park
hurst  ^
Arreton  4
Calbourne  5i

Miles
Carisbrooke  1
Cowes, E  5
Cowes, W  5
Osborne  4

Miles
Ryde  7
ShorweU  5
Westover  6
Wootton  3

Distances of Places from Ventnor.

Miles
Appuldurcombe  2J
Arreton  7
Blackgang  7
Bonchurch  1

Miles
Brading  8
GodshiU  5
St. Lawrence  2
Niton  5i

Miles
, 12

Ryde 
Sandown  6
Shanklin  4
Yarmouth  20

Distances of Places from Freshwater Gate.

Miles
Afton Down  2
Alum Bay  3
Blackgang  13

Miles I
Needles  3
Newport  H I
Eyde  18 '

Milea
WUmington  1
Yarmouth (by bridge) .. 4
Ventnor  20

WALKS AND DRIVES FOR TOURISTS.

FROM BYDE.
1. From Eyde, by Spencer road, and across
the fields to Binstead (Church). Visit ruins
of Quarr Abbey. Strike through the copse
to Wootton Bridge, and return by the road.
For carriages or equestrians this route is
not available = 17 miles.
2. From Ryde, by route 1, or by turnpike
road to Wootton. Ascend the hiU, and at
the Old Eectory turn off to the right. Visit
Wootton Church, Keep across the flelds to
Palmer's Farm, and thence through Brock's
Coppice and Whippingham Street, to Bar
ton and Osborne. Descend through East
Cowes Park (East Cowes Castle on the right)
to the ferry, and cross to West Cowes. Ee
turn to East Cowes. Homeward by Whip
pingham Church, into the Newport road,
and return by Wootton = 17 miles. AvaU
able for equestrians.
3. From Eyde, along the shore to Spring
Vale, Sea View, and Brading Haven. Visit
Bembridge. Return by ferry, and ascend
the hiU to St. Helen's viUage. A turning
to the left leads to St. Helen's Church.
Thence by a by-road' to the Priory, and
passing Nettlestone Green and Fairy HiU,
cross the flelds to Spring Vale, Turn to
the right, and return to Eyde by way of
Puckpool, St. Clare, and St. John's. Avail
able for pedestrians only = 8 miles,
4. By road to Brading, visit the church,
BuUring, Nunwell, etc. Ascend the hiU,
turn to the left, and crossing Yarbridge,

proceed to Yaverland. Thence by the foot
of Bembridge Down to Bembridge. Here
the pedestrian may cross by the ferry, and
return by route 3. Carriages must return
by the road they came — 11 mUes.
5. A favourite day's j ourney (for carriages)
is through Sandown, ShankUn, and Eon-
church to Ventnor. The route homeward
should be by Wroxall, Appuldurcombe,
GodshiU, and Arreton, or by Wroxall, Ap
puldurcombe, Whiteley Bank, Apse Heath,
Newchurch and Ashey Down.
6. Another day's journey may be through
Nevpport and ShorweU to Brighstone, re
turning by way of Gatcombe and Arreton.
7. Another day's journey should be to
Blackgang Chine, through Arreton, Gods
hiU, and Chale, returning through Niton,
WhitweU, GodshiU, Sandown (where stop
to bait), and Brading.
8. Through Newport to Carisbrooke.
After visiting the Castle, etc, proceed
through Long Lane to Arreton. Thence,
by Knighton, to Ashey Down, and back to
Ryde by Aldermoor and SmaUbrook = 19
miles. 9. From Ryde by Play Street and Copt
HaU, into Haven Street. Eeturn by Crook's
Heath, pass the Aldermoor MiU and Small-
brook, cross the Brading Eoad, and keep
down the hiU, by Westridge and Westbrook,
to Sea View. Return by the shore ; or, for
carriages, by the road, passing Puckpool, St.
Clare, and Appley — 10 raUes.
10. Leave Ryde by St. John's, and keep

308

THE TOURIST S COMPANION.

along the Brading road to Whitfield Wood.
Turn to the right, through the wood, and
ascend Ashey Down. Eeturn by the high
road = 10. For pedestrians.
[For other routes see pp. 157-159.]

FROM EAST AND WEST COWES.
[These routes, by means of the steam
ferry, may be made available from
both places.]
11. From West Cowes to Egypt. Turn to
the left, and proceed by Debourn to Cockle-
ton. Thence, by way of Tinker's Lane, to
Great Thorness. Turn to the left, and skirt
Parkhurst Forest, as far as Vittlefield Farm.
Turn to the right, and keep along the wood
to Parkhurst Barracks. Eeturn by way of
Northwood = 14 miles.
12. The pedestrians may keep along the
"Shore to Gurnard Bay and Thorness. As
cend by Whippence Farm into the road, and
return by Tinker's Lane and Conkleton = 5
miles. 13. From East Cowes to Whippingham,
cross by Whippingham Street, through
Brock's Coppice, and by Palmer's Farm to
Wootton Church. Thence into the high
road, and keep (south-east) to Newport.
Visit Carisbrooke, and return by Parkhurst
and Northwood = 13 nules. For eques
trians and pedestrians.
14. From East Cowes to Newport. Ee
turn by the passage boat, if tide serves.
15. From East Cowes to Whippingham.
Descend to the river-side at the FoUy Inn,
and cross by boat to Werror Farm. Thence
to Northwood Church, and home by the
highroad ^ 7 miles. For pedestrians only.
16. By Tinker's Lane, Thorness, and
Porchfield, to Shalfleet. Thence, by way
of Ningwood, to Yarmouth. Return by
Thorley and Shalfleet. For carriages and
equestrians = 25 miles.
17. From East Cowes, by Wootton Bridge
and Quan- Abbey, through Binstead, to
Eyde. Eeturn the same way. For car
riages :^ 16 miles.
18. By route 11, to Vittlefield Farm.
Turn to the right through AVatching AVeU,
and by Swainstone to Calbourne. Thence,
by Stony Cross and Elm Copse, to Shal
fleet. Eeturn by Porchfleld, Thorness, and
Tinker's Lane. For cai-riages =^ IS miles.
[For other routes see pp. 95, 97, The
routes from Nevirport may also be
adopted, — the toui'ist, in that case.

riding to and from Newi^ort, to save
time and prevent fatig:ue.]
FROM NEWPORT.
19. To Carisbrooke, along the MaU, or,
leaving Newport by Node Hill, cross
Mountjoy, descend by the New Cemetery,
and climb the hill to the Castle. A whole
day should be devoted to the Castle,
Church, and Eoman ViUa.
20. From Newport to Nodgen. Climb
Bowcombe Down. Keep in the track of
the ancient Romano-British road (the tra-
ject of the tin trade) to Rowborough
Down. Examine the site of British vU
lage. Descend into the highroad by Eow
borough Farm. Keep towards Newport
for about a mUe, to Watergate. Turn to
the right, and proceed by Ganson's Barn
across the hiU to Y'Mtcombe. Cross
Mountjoy to Node HiU, and so into New
port = 11 miles. For pedestrians only.
21. From Newport, through Long Lane,
to Arreton. Cross Arreton and Beuly
Down to Knighton. Thence, by Ashey
and Brading Downs, to Brading. By the
highroad to Ryde. Return by Binstead,
Quarr, Wootton, and Stapler's Heath. A
day's journey for equestrians and carriages.
22. From Newport, through Parkhurst
and Northwood, to West Cowes. Cross by
Ferry, and return through AA'hippingham
^= 10 miles.
23. From Newport to Carisbrooke. Turn
to the right, and proceed by way of Park
Cross and Swainstone (on the left) to Cal
bourne. Carriages return by the same
route. Pedestrians may proceed south to
Calbourne Bottom. Cross Brighstone Down
into Brighstone, and retui'u through Shor
weU = 17 miles.
24. From Shide to Eookley. Turn to
the left, and proceed by Sheat Farm into
Gatcombe. Through Snowdrop Lane, and
by Ganson's Barn, into the Shorwell road.
Eeturn through Carisbrooke = 13 miles.
25. Carriage drive : Across Stapler's
Heath, and by Wootton Bridge into Eyde.
Eeturn through Haven Street to Arreton,
and by Long Lane into Newport.
26. Carriage drive : Through ShorweU to
Brighstone. Thence to Chale and Black-
gang. Eeturn through Kingston and Gat
combe. 27. Carriage drive: Through Eookley,
Godshill, and Appuldurcombe into Vent
nor. Eeturn through ShankUn to Lake,

THE TOUEIST S COMPANION.

309

and home by way of Apse Heath, Stick
worth, and Arreton.
28. Carriage drive : Through Shalfleet to
Yarmouth. Eeturn by way of Thorley and
Calbourne. 29. Through Calbourne, and across the
downs, to Freshwater Gate. Return across
the downs to Brook, Through Mottistone,
Brighstone, and ShorweU, into Newport.
[For additional routes see pp. 111-114.]
FROM BONCHURCH AND VENTNOR.
30. Ascend St. Boniface Down near the
railway-station, cross the summit by foot
path to Cook's Castle ; thence, by Cow Pit
CUff, into ShankUn, through the town, and
return by the beach (if the tide serves) as
far as Luccombe, up the Chine, and
through the LandsUp aud Bonchurch into
Ventnor = 9 nules.
31. Cross St. Boniface Down, and by
Steven's Bush, Rew Farm, and Span, reach
Appuldurcombe Down. Descend into Sten
bury, and thence, through WhitweU, to
Niton. Eeturn by route 30 = 13 miles.
32. Along the Undercliff to Blackgang.
Cross St. Catherine's Down into Niton, and
thence, by WhitweU, to GodshiU. Eeturn
by Whiteley Bank into ShankUn, and back
by the highroad = 20 miles.
33. Through St. Lawrence to Sandrock
Hotel. Eetujn by Niton and Whitwell to
Stenbury. Ascendthe down, and return by
Eew Farm and Steven's Bush = 13 miles.
34. From Ventnor, through Shanklin,
Sandown, and Brading, into Eyde, and
back by the same route. A carriage drive.
35. From Ventnor, through WroxaU, to
Whiteley Bank. Thence, through Gods
hiU, Eookley, and Gatcombe, into New
port. Visit Carisbrooke, and pass the
night at Newport. A carriage drive.
36. From Newport, through ShorweU, to
Brighstone. Thence to Cliale, and back to
Ventnor by the UndercUff, AvaUable for
equestrians and carriages.

FROM SHANKLIN OR SANDOWN.
37. From Sandown to Yaverland. Cross

Bembridge Down, and through "the Pen
insula " to Bembridge. Cross to St. Helen's.
Keep through the viUage into the Brading
road. Thence into Brading, and by Yar
bridge to Sandown (or ShankUn) = 11 mUes
(Sandown). For pedestrians.
38. Through Sandown and Brading to
Eyde. Thence, by way of Ashey Down, to
(712)

Newchurch. Return by Queen Bower,
Lower Northwood, and Cheverton, to Lake.
Thence to Sandovm (16 mUes) or Shanldin
(18^ miles).
39. Through ShankUn, Luccombe, and
Bonchurch, to Ventnor. Eeturn by Wrox
all to Whiteley Bank, and thence into
ShankUn. About 14 miles (Shanklin).
40. From Sandown to Lake and Chever
ton. Thence to Apse Heath, and, turning
to the left, keep south to Apse Farm.
Cross through the woodlands of America
into ShankUn, and return by the shore =
9i miles.
41. From Sandown, along the shore, to
Luccombe Chine. Ascend the cUffs, and
proceed by the footpath through the Land
sUp to Bonchurch, Return by the road =
11 miles.
42. From Shanklin to Languard manor-
house. Keep northward to Merry Garden,
and north-east to Northwood, Queen
Bower, and Newchurch. Return by Wack-
lands and (south-east) Pidford to Apse
Heath. Then by Apse Farm and America,
or by Apse Farm and Cliff, into Shanklin.
About 10 mUes.
43. From ShankUn, by Whiteley Bank,
to GodshiU, and thence by Lashmere Pond,
Northground, and Stroud Green, into
Chale. Visit Blackgang, and return by the
UndercUff. For carriages = 24 miles.
44. From ShankUn, through the fields, to
Cook's Castle. Cross ShankUn and Boni
face Downs into Bonchurch. Return
through the LandsUp to Luccombe Chine,
and thence, by the shore, or from Monk's
Bay by the shore = 9 nules.
FEOM BLACKGANG CHINE HOTEL.

45. Through Cliale and Chale Street, and
across Kingston Down, to Kingston. Then
through a picturesque hoUow lane to Shor
weU. From SliorweU to Brighstone, and
return along the cUffs to Blackgang = 13
mUes. 46. Along the cUffs to Atherfield Point,
and home by the shore, if the tide permits
= 7 mUes.
47. Along the Undercliff to Ventnor, re
turning by WhitweU and Niton. For car
riages = 15 miles.
4S. To St. Catherine's Dovm. Descend
into Niton, and return by Westcliff and
Sandrock to Puckaster Cove. Then along
the CUffs to Blackgang. For pedestrians
= 9 miles.
23

310

THE TOURIST S COMPANION.

49. Through Chale, Chale Street, and
Stroud Green, to GodshUl. Eeturn by
Appuldurcombe and WroxaU into Ventnor.
Home along the UndercUff. For carriages
:^ 15 miles.
50. Through Kingston, vid BilUngham,
Eamsdown, and ChiUerton, into Gatcombe,
and thence to Newport Return by Caris
brooke, ShorweU, and Kingston. For car
riages = 21 miles,
FROM FRESHWATER GATE.
51. Along the Dovms to the Needles
Point. Descend into Alum Bay. Ascend
Headon HiU, and cross by Weston, Col
weU, and Hill Farm, to Niton. Cross to
Yarmouth, and return by Thorley, WU-
mingham. and Afton = 13 miles.
52. Descend Afton Dovra and Shalcombe
Down. Descend through the vaUey to
Brook. From Brook to Mottistone. Cross
the Down to Calbourne Bottom, and return
over Chessel Down to Shalcombe Farm.
Eeturn by road to Afton, Easton, and
Freshwater = 15 miles.

53. By boat to Yarmouth. Cross the
bridges to Norton, and return by More
Green to Freshwater village. Thence into
Middleton, and back by way of Faringford
to Freshwater Gate = 9 miles.
54. To Middleton Green. Turn to the
right, and keep towards the cliff. Then
along the cliff to ColweU and Bramble
Chines, Albert Fort, and Norton. Eeturn
by way of More Green and Freshwater = 9
mUes. 55. Carriage-road to Alum Bay. Then
proceed through Freshwater to Norton.
Cross the bridge, visit Yarmouth, and
return by way of Thorley, Wilmingham,
and Afton. [For routes from Brighstone, see
pp. 131, 132 ; and from Yarmouth,
pp. 226, 227. The routes set forth
above, and those contained in the
body of the book, are nearly 100 in
number,and comprehend a thorough
exploration of eveiy part of the Isle
of Wight.]

THINGS WORTH SEEING.

Carisbrooke Castle.
Sandown Fort, and Forts at Bembridge and
Yaverland.
Fort Victoria, the Forts and Defences at
Freshwater and Yarmouth.
Quarr Abbey, Euins of.
The Cromlech, Cairn, or Druid Stone, at
Mottistone.
The Celtic Pits and Earthworks at Eow
borough, GaUibury, and Newbarns.
The Barrows or TumuU on Afton and
Chessel Downs.
The Eoman viUas at Carisbrooke, Gurnard
Bay, Merton, near Brading.
The Alexandrian PiUar at Appuldurcombe.
The Lighthouse and Hermitage on St.
Catherine's HiU.
The Lighthouse on St. Catherine's Point.
View from Needles Down.
The Lighthouse on the Needles Eock.
The Culver CUffs and Cavern.
The Chines at ShankUn, Luccombe, Black-
gang, Walpan, Cowleaze, and Brooke.
The Natural Curiosities from Freshwater
Gate to Yarmouth, Alum Bay, Scratch
ell's Bay, Arched Eock, Caverns, etc.
Churches at Arreton— A brass, and gi-ave of
" Dairyman's Daughter."
, , Bonchurch — Norman build
ing, with mural paintings.

Churches at Brading — Oglander monu
ments, etc.
Brighstone — Interesting in
terior.
Brooke — New edifice.
Calbourne — Early EngUsh, an
old brass, etc.
Carisbrooke — Perp. , monu
ments, etc.
Freshwater.GodshiU — Eich altar- tomb,
and handsome monuments.
Mottistone.St. Thomas', Newport — Prin
cess EUzabeth's and Sir E.
Horsey's monuments.
Niton— Good church.
Swanmore, near Eyde — New
edifice.
Shalfleet — Tower and north
doorway Norman, the rest
Early English.
ShorweU — Brass, stone pulpit,
and Leigh monuments.
St. Lawrence — Small church.
Yarmouth — SirEobertHolmes'
monument.
Yaverland — Norman arches,
the rest Early English.
Parkhurst Barracks and Prison.

THE TOURIST'S COMPANION.

311

ECCLESIASTICAL DIVISIONS, POPULATION, PARISHES, ETC.
v., -Vicarage; J?., Eectory.
EAST MEDINA.

Parishes.

Acres.

Population in
18S1.

Name in Domesday Book.

1. Arreton, V 
2. Binstead, R 
3. Bonchurch, R 
4. Brading, V 
5. Godshin, V 
6. Newchurch, "V 
7. Niton, R 
8. Eyde, V 
9. St. Helen's, V 
10. St. Lawrence, E 
11. Shanklin, V 
12. Ventnor, V 
13. -Whippingham, E 
14. -WhitweU, V 
15. Wootton,R 
16. Yaverland,R 

SS33
1140 430
95646400468011703812ISSO 360950387
4390
1920 530
670

1920 813670
791813021356 801
12670 4343 249
178066844578 706104
163

Adrington.
Benestede.Bonecerce. Berarding.GoddeshuU.
Nee ton.
Sencliz.Wipingeham. Odetone.
Evereland.

WEST MEDINA.

Parishes.

Acres.

Population in
1881.

Name in Domesday Book.

17. Brixton, E 
18. Brook, E 
19. Calbourne, E 
20. Carisbrooke, V.* 
21. Chale, E 
22. Freshwater, E 
23. Gatcombe, E 
24. Kingston, E 
25. Mottistone, R 
26. Newport, V 
27. St. Nicholas-in-Castro, V...
28. Northwood, V 
29. Shalfleet, V 
30. ShorweU, V 
31. Thorley, V 
32. Yarmouth, R 

2700 750
6090
8627188047601392 833
1070 410
4270626040601574 50

630
196693
8305 681
2764 226 69
143
3233 351
81961050 622189 779

Broc. Cauborne.
Bovecome.Cela.Frescewatre.Gatecome.Chenistone.
{ Motsetone and
\ Modrestan.
Ss. Nicolaus.
Seldeflet.SoreweUe. Torlei.
Ermud.

¦ Newport, municipality of, 9075 ; the borough of, 9430.
CHURCH DIRECTORY.

KYDE.
Parish Church of All Saints— Sundays, 8,
11, 3, and 7. First Sunday in every
month, Litany and Catechising at 2.30.

Daily at 8.30 (Wednesdays and Fridays
at 11) aud 6.30. Eev. Alex. Poole, M. A.,
vicar.
St. Thomas's Church— Sundays, 11 and 3 ;

312

THE TOUEIST S COMPANION.

Wednesdays and Fridays at 11. Eev.
W. N. Harrison, M.A., curate.
Holy Trinity Church — Sundays, 11, 3, and
6.30; daily, every morning at 8, except
Wednesdays, at 11 and 8, Fridays and all
holy days at 11. Eev. A. J. Wade, M. A.,
vicar.
St. James's Church— Sundays, 11, 3.30, and
6.30, and Thursday evenings at 7. Eev.
W. H. Eedknap, incumbent.
St. John's Church— Sundays, 11, 3,30, and
6.30. Eev. H. Ewbank, M.A., incum
bent.
St. Michael and All Angels — Sundays at 7,
8, 10.30, 3.30, and 7; week days, 8 and
10.30 ; evensong, 8 o'clock daUy. Eev.
E. H. E. Wix, M.A., vicar.
St. Peter's, Haven Street— 11 and 3. Eev.
A. D. Crake, vicar. BRADING .
St. Mary's— Sundays, 11 and 6. Eev. J.
Glover, M.A., vicar.

YAVERLAND.
Church— Sundays, 11 and 3.
Lee, M.A., rector.

Eev. W. M.

SANDOWN.
Christ Church— Sundays, 11 and 6.30, Eev.
B. Stoer, M.A., incumbent.
New Church— 11 and 3.
SHANKLIN.
St. John's— Sundays, 11 and 6.30. Eev. G.
W. Southouse, M.A., rector.
St. Saviour on the CUff— Sundays, 11, 3.30,
and 6.30 ; Wednesdays and Fridays, 11.
Eev. C. I. Burland, M.A., vicar.
St. Paul's, Gatton— Sundays, 11 and 6.30.
Eev. W. Pettitt, vicar.
VENTNOE.
St. Catherine's— Sundays, 11, 3, and 6.30;

Wednesdays and Fridays at 11. Holy
Communion every Sunday at mid-day.
Eev. J. Marland, incumbent. Eev, C.
WUls officiating.
Holy Trinity — Sundays, 11, 3, and 6.30.
Holy Communion every Sunday after
morning service and on the festivals.
Daily prayers from April to November at
8 ; from November to April at 4 ; Wed
nesdays and Fridays at 11.30 throughout
the year. Eev. A. L. B. Peile, M.A., in
cumbent.
Eoyal National Hospital Church, Steephill
lload— 11 and 3.
BONCHURCH.
St. Boniface — Sundays, 11 and 3.30; saints'
days at 11. Eev. H. J. Maddock, M.A.,
rector. ST. LAWRENCE.
Sundays, 10.45 and 3. Eev. C. Maiden,
M.A., rector. NEWPORT.
St. Thomas's— Sundays, 10.30, 3, and 6.30;
Wednesdays, 7. Eev. Canon Connor,
M.A-, vicar.
St. Paul's— Sundays, 10.45 and 6.30. Eev.
W. L. Sharp, M.A., incumbent.
St. John's— Sundays, 10.30 and 6.30; Thurs
days, 7. Eev. C. Seaman, incumbent.
E.YST COWES.
St. James's— Sundays, 11 and 6.30; Wed
nesdays, 7. Eev. F. Whyley, M.A., in
cumbent. WEST COWES.
St. Mary's— Sundays, 11, 3.30, and 6.30;
saints' days, 11. Rev. AV. Barker, incum
bent.
Chm-ch of the Holy Trinity— Sundays, 11,
3.30, and 6.30 ; saints' days, 11 ; Wednes
days, 7.30. Rev. J. D. Middleton, in
cumbent.

DENOMINATIONAL PLACES OF WORSHIP.

RYDE.
Christ Chm'ch, Baptist, George Street.
Congregational (Rev. Theodore Hook),
George Street.
Baptist (Rev. — Harrison), Park Eoad.
Wesleyan Chapel, High Street.
Primitive Methodist, Star Street.
Wesleyan, Nelson Street.
St Mary's Roman CathoUc (Eev. J. B.
Cahill), High Street.

NEWPORT.
Baptist, Castle Hold (Eev. Dr. Trestrail).
Bible Christian, Quay Street.
Congregational (Eev. M. Newland), St.
James's Street.
Congregational, Node HUl (Eev. W. H.
HiU).
Irvingites, Holyrood Street.
Plymouth Brethren, Union Street
Primitive Methodist, Pyle Street.

THE TOUEIST S COMPANION.

312

The Friends, High Street.
Unitarian, High Street.
Wesleyan, Pyle Street.
Eoman Catholic (Eev. — Fryer), Pyle
Street. VENTNOn.
St. WUfred's, Eoman Catholic (Eev. J.
O'MoTxa), Trinity Eoad.
Bible Christian, St. Catherine Street.
Baptist, MUl Street.
CongregationaUst (Eev. E. Allan Bavies),
High Street.
Wesleyan (Rev. J. Newman), High Street.
Primitive Methodist, Albert Street.
WEST COWES.
Bible Christian, Cross Street.
Independent, Union Eoad.

Free Wesleyan, St. Maiy's Street.
Primitive Methodist, Market HiU.
Wesleyan, Birmingham Eoad.
Eoman Catholic, Carvel Lane.
Baptist. EAST COWES.
Congregational. SANDOWN.
Wesleyan Methodist.
Bible Christian.
Congregational Church (Rev. J. Craig).
Pi-imitive Methodist. SHANKLIN'.
Bible Christian (Rev. W. Heskin).
Congregationalist (Rev. G. Avery).
Wesleyan (Eev. D. GiU).

CONVEYANCES. Steamboats,
Steamboats run several times daily between Ryde and Portsmouth, Stokes Bay and
Eyde, Eyde, Cowes, and Southampton, and Yarmouth and Lymington; but as
the times of their departure are constantly being altered, the tourist must consult
the Monthly Time-Tables, or the advertising columns of the local newspapers, for
information. Railways.'
Cowes to Newport; Newport to Eyde; Newport to Sandown.
Eyde to Brading, Sandown, Shanklin, Bonchurch, and Ventnor
[For times at which Trains start to and from these places, see Monthly Time-Tables.]

Coach Service.

Alum Bay to Newport— 3.30 p.m.
Bonchurch to Ventnor— 8.55, 11.35, 12.30,
2.30, 5.45.
Blackgang to Ventnor— 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Freshwater to Newport — 8.30 a.m. and 4.30
P.M.
Freshwater to Ventnor— 4 p.m.
Newport to Freshwater — 11.30 a.m.
Newport to Eyde— 12.15 noon and 5 p.m.
Newport to Sandown — 4 p.m. Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
Newport to ShankUn — 4 p.m. Wednesdays
and Saturdays.
Newport to Yarmouth and Freshwater—
4 P.M.
Newport to Ventnor — 4.30 p.m.

Niton to Ventnor — 10.15 a.m. and 3.15
P.M.
Eyde to Newport— 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Eyde to Shanklin.
Sandown to Newport— 10 a.m. Mondays,
Wednesdays, and Saturdays.
ShankUn to Newport — 10 a.m. Wednesdays
and Saturdays.
ShankUn to Eyde.
Ventnor to Blackgang — 12 noon and 4,30
p.m.
Ventnor to Bonchurch— 9.12, 11.15, 12.45,
2.47, 4.4, 4.52, 6.4, 6.52.
Ventnor to Niton — 12 noon and 4.30 p.m.
Ventnor to Freshwater— 10.15 a.m.
Yarmouth to Newport — 9 a.m.

Ryde Pier Dues,
2d. each, for landing on or embarking from. Luggage — Packages of 14 lbs.
weight, carried by the owner, exempt from toll; packages not exceeding 56 lbs.,
toll Id.; not exceeding 112 lbs., toll 2d.; over 112 lbs., 3d. each cwt.

314

THE TOUEIST's COMPANION.

POSTAL ARRANGEMENTS. Box Closes. Deliveriep.
a.w. p,m. a.m. p.m.
Eyde  6.0,8.35,11.50 12.30,3.30,8.30  7.0 6.30
Newport  8.55  12.20,7.15  7.0 1.30
Cowes  9.15  12.0,1.0,7.30  7.0 1.0
Sandown  12.0  8.0  7.0 2.0
Shanklin  9.10, 12.40.... 7.30  7.0 2.15
Ventnor  11.20  6,30  7.0 2.30

Eyde— Capital and Counties Bank.
tional Provincial Bank of England.
Newport — Capital and Counties Bank.
London and County Bank. National
Provincial Bank of England.
Sandown— Capital and Counties Bank.

BANKS, Na-

Cowes — Capital and Counties Bank. Lon
don and County Bank,
Ventnor — Capital and Counties Bank.
National Provincial Bank of England.
Shanklin — Capital and Counties Bank.

DIRECTORY
To the Seats of the Gentry, Interesting Localities, etc.
Corrected up to 18S3.

I. ARRETON.
[9 miles from Cowes, 4 miles from Newport,
Smiles from Eyde, 7 miles from Ventnor,
6 miles from Sandown, and 10 miles from
Brighstone.]
Church, partly Norman, partly Early Eng
Ush ; brasses, monuments, etc. (p. 245).
Arreton Manor House, date James I. (F.
Eoach, Esq.), near the Church.
Parsonage, near the Church (Eev. J.
G. Packer).
Standen, East, near the foot of St. George's
Down, 3 miles north-west ; Barrows, on
the Down ; cottage of '* Dairyman's
Daughter ; " Haseley (p. 115), 3 miles
south-east, at the foot of Shepherd's
Lane. II. BEMBRIDGE.
[16 miles from Cowes, 11 miles from New
port, 8 miles from Eyde, 10 miles from
Ventnor, 4 miles from Sandown, 24 miles
from Brighstone.]
Church, Early EngUsh (p. 248).
Bembridge Parsonage (Eev. Canon Le
Mesurier), in Bembridge Street.
East CUff (Earl FitzwiUiam).
Bembridge Down, Wliite Cliff Bay (fossils),
and Woolverton (Wulfere's Town), 3
miles south-west.

III. BIN-STEAD.
[ll mUes from Cowes, 6 mUes from New
port, 1 mUe from Eyde, 13 miles from
Ventnor, 7 mUes from Sandown, 15 miles
from Brighstone.]
Church, Early English ; Norman gateway,
and "The Idol" (p. 248).
Binstead Cottage (Sir Charles Locock).
AVest View (Col. HiU).
Binstead Eectory (Eev. G. Garland), near
the Church.
Kite Hill, on the highroad, near AVootton.
Quarr House (Lady Cochrane), beyond
Quarr Abbey, near Fishhouse.
Quarries for fossUs and fresh-water shells ;
ruins of Quarr Abbey, about 1 mile west.
Stonelands (Lieut.-Gen. A. Beecher).
QuaiT Wood Lodge (Eev. T. V. Tippinge).
IV. bonchurch.
[16 mUes from Cowes, 11 miles from Eyde,
11 miles from Newport, 1 mUe from
Ventnor, 6 miles from Sandown, 14 miles
from Brighstone.]
Old Church, Norman ; New Cliurch, Nor
man ; graves of Adams and Sterling (p.
249).
East Dene (J. Harry Snowdon, Esq.), on
the road to the Old Church.
Hawthorndene (Rev. C. Cubitt).

THE TOURIST S COMPANION.

315

The Maples (G. GUes, Esq.), on the Upper
Terrace.
Westfield (— Pope, Esq.), near Bonchurch
Pond.
Combe Wood (Mrs. Huish).
Ashcliff (Misses SeweU).
Under Mount (Lady Elizabeth Pringle), on
the highroad.
Underrock (Et. Hon. Sir Lawrence Peel),
Pulpit Eock, Flagstaff Eock, St. Boniface
Down, Monk's Bay, The CUffs, etc.
v. BRADING.
[12 mUes from Cowes, 8 miles from New
port, 4 miles from Eyde, 8 miles from
Ventnor, 2 nules from Sandown, 21 miles
from Brighstone. ]
Old Church, Trans. -Norman and Early Eng
Ush ; monuments, Oglander Chapel, epi
taphs, etc. (p. 250).
Brading Vicarage (Rev. J. Glover, M.A.),
below the Church.
NunweU (Lady Oglander).
Brading Down ; buU ring, stocks, old
cannon (date 1549), and NunweU Park ;
Eoman viUa at Morton; embankment of
Haven. VI. BRIGHSTONE.
[12 miles from Cowes, 7 miles from New
port, 14 mUes from Eyde, 13 mUes from
Ventnor, and 12 mUes from Sandown.]
Church, Norman, Early EngUsh, Dec, and
Perp. ; stained glass, piscina, encaustic
tUes, etc. (p. 253).
Brighstone Parsonage (Eev. W. E. Hey
gate), adjoining the Church.
Brighstone Cottage (the Misses WUson), in
the viUage.
Waitscourt (Miss Arnold), near the Church.
BuU Eock, Chilton Chine, Grange Chine,
Barnes Chine, Shepherd's Chine, Cow
leaze (Cow-leas) Chine, on the coast ;
Brighstone Down, Barnes (Romano-Brit
ish pottery), and Lemerston (1^ mile
east). VII. BROOK.
[15 mUes from Cowes, 10 miles from New
port, 17 miles from Ryde, 16 miles from
Ventnor, 16 mUes from Sandown, and 3V
mUes from Brighstone.]
Church, late Early EngUsh (p. 254).
Brook Parsonage (Rev. J. P. Gaze, A.M.).
Brook House (C Seely, Esq., M.P.), on the
right of the road into the village.
Shalcombe Down (barrows), 2 miles north
west; Mottistone Down, 1 mUe north

east ; Chessel Down (ancient Saxon ceme
tery), 3 miles north ; Brook Point (fossil
forest), Brook Chine, Compton Chine,
Compton Bay, Afton Down (barrows), 4
mUcs north-west ; Freshwater Bay, about
6 miles north-west of Brook Church.
VIII. calbourne.
[10 miles from Cowes, 5 mUes from New
port, 12 miles from Ryde, 15 miles from
Ventnor, 14 mUes from Sandown, 5 mUes
from Brighstone.]
Church, Norman and Early EngUsh ;
brasses, etc. (p. 254).
Calbourne Eectory (Ven. Archdeacon Wil
son).
Swainstone (Sir J. Barrington Simeon,
Bart.), about 2^ miles north-east of the
viUage.
Westover (Earl of Heytesbury), south of the
village.
Chessel, Mottistone, Brighstone, and Gal
libury Downs ; remains of Celtic settle
ment at Rowborough ; Calbourne Bot
tom ; WatchingweU, 4 mUes north-east
of the Church. IX. carisbrooke.
[6 miles from Cowes, 1 mile from Newport,
8 miles from Ryde, 10 miles from Vent
nor, 10 miles from Sandown, 6 miles from
Brighstone.]
Church, Trans. -Norman and Perp. ; monu
ments, etc. (p. 255).
Carisbrooke Vicarage (Rev. E. B. James,
M.A.), south of the village, on the side
of the hUl.
Carisbrooke House (Major Puckle).
Marvel, 1^ mile south of Shide Bridge.
Parkhurst Barracks, on the Cowes Eoad.
Parkhurst Prison.
The Castle ; Roman viUa ; Bowcombe
Down, 2^ miles south-west; Clatterford,
2 miles south-east ; Rowborough, 5 miles
south-west ; Parkhurst Forest.
X. CHALE.
[15 miles from Eyde, 13} miles from Cowes,
8^ miles from Newport, 6 miles from
Ventnor, 12 miles from Sandown.]
Church, Trans. -Norman and Perp. (id. 259).
(Eev. C. Theobald.)
Blackgang Chine, and Hotel, 1 mile south ;
St. Catherine's HUl ; St. Catherine's
Point, and Lighthouse ; Puckaster Cove ;
the Undercliff, etc,

316

THE tourist's COMPANION.

XI. COWES, EAST.
[5 miles from Newport, 8 miles from Eyde,
15 miles from Ventnor, 14 miles from
Sandown, 12 miles from Brighstone.]
Church, pseudo-Gothic (p. 96).
East Cowes Castle (Viscountess Gort), half
a mile east of the town.
East Cowes Parsonage (Eev. F. Whylie,
M.A.).
Fairlee (W. G. Beckingsale, Esq.), 3 miles
south of Whippingham Church, on the
road to Newport.
Norris Castle.
Osborne House (Her Majesty the Queen).
Slatwoods, on East Cowes Hill.
Broadlands, Barton, nearly 4 mUes from
East Cowes.
Whippingham Parsonage (Rev. G. Prothero,
B.D.), near the Church.
Osborne ; Whippingham Church, 2 miles
south; Barton, 1 mile south-east of Os
borne, adjoiningtheroyalgardens; King's
Key, 3^ miles south-east.
XII. COWES, WEST.
[5 miles from Newport, 12 miles from Eyde,
15 miles from Ventnor, 14 miles from
Sandown, 12 mUes from Brighstone.]
Church, recent design (p. 260).
Parsonage.
Egypt, on the sea-shore, north of the town.
Eoyal Yacht Club House.
Northwood Park (J. D. Lee, Esq.) south of
the town, on the hill.
West HiU (Misses Ward).
Grantham House (G. E. Stevenson, Esq.).
Norfolk House (Lady Cosway).
Northwood Church, Norman and Trans. -
Norman, 2^ miles south; Gurnard Bay,
1^ mile west ; New Street, 2^ miles south
west ; Parkhurst, 4 miles south ; Medham,
on the river-bank, 2 miles south; and
Dodnor, 4 miles south.
XIIT. FRESHWATER.
[14 miles from Cowes, 10 miles from New
port, 17 miles from Eyde, 20 miles from
Ventnor, 19 miles from Sandown, 9 miles
from Brighstone. Freshwater Gate is
nearly 2 miles farther; Alum Bay, from
3 to 4 miles.]
Church, Trans.-Norman and Early English;
monuments, etc. (p. 260).
Eectory.

Afton House (B. Cotton, Esq.), 1 mUe north
of Freshwater Gate.
Faringford (Alfred Tennyson, Esq.), 1 mile
north-west of the Gate.
Marina, north of the viUage.
Middleton, nearly two mUes south-west.
Norton Cottage, near Norton Lodge.
Norton Lodge (Sir G. E. Hamond-Grseme,
Bart., Dowager Lady Hamond-Grseme),
opposite Yarmouth.
West HiU (Eear- Admiral Crozier, E.N.).
Alum Bay, 4 miles south-west; The Needles;
Freshwater Gate ; Yarmouth, 2^ mUes,
through Norton, and across the new
bridge; Afton Down; Brook, 7 miles
south-east. XIV. GATCOMBE.
[8 miles from Cowes, 3 mUes from Newport,
10 miles from Eyde, 8 mUes from Vent
nor, 9 mUes from Sandown, 9 mUes from
Brighstone.]
Church, Norman, late Perp.; effigy; stained
glass (p. 262).
Gatcombe House (Mrs. Lane), near the
Cliurch.
Sheat, manor house, date James I., 1 mile
south-east ; Chillerton Down, 2 mUes
south-west; Cridmore WUderness, 3miles
south ; Eamsdown, 2} mUes south-west.
XV. GODSHILL.
[10^ miles from West Cowes, 11 miles from
Ryde, 6 miles from Newport, 5 miles from
Ventnor, 6 mUes from Sandown, 7 miles
from Brighstone.]
Church, Dec. and Perp. ; effigies and orna
ments (p. 262). (Rev. T. EatcUffe.)
AppiUdurcombe Park (Eev. W. Pound),
about 1^ mile south-east, to the right of
the road to Ventnor.
Stenbury, manor house, date James I., 1^
mile south; AVroxaU Down, 2 mUes south
east; Eookley, 2 miles north-west; White-
ley Bank, for scenery, about 2 mUes east.
XVI. EINQSXON.
[13 milesfrom Cowes, 7 miles from Newport,
14 miles from Ryde, 10 miles from Vent
nor, 11 miles from Sandovm, 7 miles from
Brighstone.]
Church, Early English; brass; stained glass
(p. 267). (Rev. B. Jones.)
Kingston Manor House (Mr. H. S. Morris).
I\7^ House, half a mile north-east; BilUng-

THE TOUEIST S COMPANION.

317

ham House, half a mile beyond Ivy House;
Chale, 3 miles south.

XVTI. MOTTISTONE.
[8J miles from Newport, 13^ miles from
Cowes, 15^ miles from Eyde, 14} miles
from Ventnor, 13} mUes from Sandown,
and 1} mile from Brighstone.]
Church, Early EngUsh (p. 268).
Mottistone Manor House, date 1557, near
the Church.
Pitt Place (Colonel Brown), on the road to
Brighstone.
Mottistone Down and Longstone; Brook
Cliine, and Point, 2 mUes west; Calbourne
Bottom, 2 miles north-east.

SrViri. NEWCHURCH.
[10} mUes from Cowes, 6 miles from New
port, 6 mUes from Eyde, 6 miles from
Ventnor, 3} miles from Sandown, 11 mUes
from Brighstone.]
Church, Early EngUsh and Dec. (partly),
(p. 269).
Newchurch Parsonage (Eev. C. E. Butler,
M.A.).
Queen's Bower, 1} mile south-east; King
ston, ruins of manor house, 2 miles north
east; Ashey Down, 2 mUes north-west;
Apse, ancient manor house, 3 miles south.

XIX. NEWPORT,
[5 mUes from Cowes, 7 miles from Eyde, 10
miles from Ventnor, 10 mUes from San
down, lOj miles from Yarmouth, 13 mUes
from Alum Bay, 7 miles from Brighstone,
6 mUes from GodshiU, 10 mUes from
ShankUn, 5 mUes from ShorweU, and
9} mUes from Blackgang.]
Church, Early Decorated; tombs, etc. (p.
270).
BeUecroft (W. Major Coode, Esq., J.P.).
Holyrood House.
St. Cross (G. Kirkpatrick, Esq.), north of
the town.
Free Grammar School, Town Hall, Museum,
Parkhurst; Carisbrooke; Church and
Cattle, 1 mUe south-west; Pan Down, 1
mile south-east; Gatcombe Park, 3mUes
south; Stapler's Heath, 1} mile east;
Hunny HiU, 1 mUe north; Arreton, 4
miles south-east.

XX. NITON.
[14 miles from Cowes, 8} miles from New
port, 15} miles from Eyde, 5} nules from
Ventnor, 10 miles from Sandown, 12
mUes from Brighstone.]
Church, Early English, and Dec. ; piscina,
rood loft, monxunents (p. 276).
Eectory (Eev. G. Hayton).
Mirables (  ), on the Undercliff.
Old Park (Lady Cheape), 1} mile from St.
Lawrence.
Orchard (Sir H. P. Gordon, Bart.), half a
mUe west of Mirables.
Puckaster Cottage (F. L. Popham, Esq.),
above Puckaster Cove.
Verlands (Mrs. Velmet).
Windcliffe (Miss Kirkpatrick).
West Cliff (Capt. Kerr), on the Niton road.
St. Catherine's HiU, 1} mile west ; Whit
well, 1} mile north-east; Puckaster
Cove, 1 mile south; Blackgang Cliine,
Sandrock Hotel, Eocken End, etc.
XXI. RYDE.
[12 miles from West Cowes, 7 miles from
Newport, 12 miles from Ventnor, 6 miles
from Sandown, 17 miles from Yarmouth,
20 mUes from Alum Bay, 14 miles from
Brighstone, 13 miles from Godshill, 9
miles from Shanklin, 12 miles from Shor
well, 16 mUes from Blackgang.]
For the Churches, see p. 277.
Appley (N. Clayton, Esq.), east of the town,
above Appley Wood.
Appley Tower (Sir W. Hutt, Bart.), on the
road to Sea View.
Beachlands (Sir J. Lees, Bart.), at the foot
of Upper Dover Street.
Beldomie Towers (W. H. Anderson, Esq.),
Spencer Eoad.
Buckingham House, at the commencement
of the Spencer Eoad.
Bucklands^(Mrs. AUeyne Yard), Spencer
Eoad.
St. Clare, on the road to Spring Vale.
Seagrove House (W. A. Glynn, Esq.), on
the road from Sea View to St. Helen's.
St. John's (Gen. Carr Tate), at the top
of St. John's HiU.
St. John's Lodge (  ), at the foot
of St. John's Hill.
Oak HiU (H. Leacock, Esq.), near Fairy
HiU.
Priory, The (Marquis of Cholmondeley,
J.P.), about half a mile south-east of
Nettlestone Green, on the shore.

318

THE TOUEIST S COMPANION.

Puckpool (  ), below St. Clare.
Saxonbury Lodge, at the top of West Street.
Sea View House (Thomas Le Marchant,
Esq.), facing the sea.
Stonelands (Lieut.-Gen. A. Beecher), north
of Eyde.
Stone Pitts (Miss Brigstocke), on the Bin
stead Eoad.
Thornbury House (Mrs. Kirkpatrick), in
Spencer Eoad.
Uplands (C. Payne, Esq.), above Spring
Vale.
AVestbrook (Pakenham Mahon, Esq.), on
the road from St. John's to Sea View.
AVestridge (J. Young, Esq.), 2 miles from
Eyde, on cross road leading to Sea A^iew.
Westfield (Sir Spencer CUfFord, Bart.),
Spencer Eoad,
Woodlands (Hon. Col. Calthorpe, J.P.),
on the road from St. John's to Sea View.
For interesting locaUties near Eyde, see
pp. 159-178. XXI L SANDOWN.
[15 mUes from Cowes, 10 miles from New
port, 6 miles from Eyde, 6 miles from
Ventnor, 12 mUes from Blackgang, 22
miles from Alum Bay, and 12 miles from
Brighstone. ]
For Church, see p. 279.
Vicarage.
CUff ViUa, above the Bay.
Culver Lodge.
Beaufront (Mrs. Loveland).
Ciuadaloupe (Mr. Cartaret).
The Cottage (Eev. C. Bury).
Eoyal Heath Villa (Misses WelUngs), on
the main road.
New Pier, Shanklin Chine, 3 miles south ;
Eoman villa, 1} mile ; Brading, 2} miles
north; Yaverland, Bembridge Dowai,
WhitecUff Bay, etc.
XXIII. SHALFLEET.
[11 miles from Cowes, 6 miles from New
port, 13 miles from Eyde, IG miles from
Ventnor, 14 miles from Sandown, 7}
miles from Brighstone.]
Church, Norman and Early English (Eev.
W. F. Fisher); monumental slab, etc.
Newtown Church (Rev. H. R. Venn).
Hampstead Hill, 2 miles north-west ; AA^'ar-
lands (or WaUeran's), half a mile south
west; Ningwood, nearly 2 miles west;
Newtown, 2 miles north-east; Calbourne,
2.V miles south.

XXIV. SHANKLIN.
[15 miles from Cowes, 10 miles from New
port, 9 miles from Eyde, 3} mUes from
Ventnor, 2} mUes from Sandown, 16
mUes from Brighstone.]
Church, Early EngUsh (p. 281).
St. Saviour's and St. Paul's, new churches.
AVarren ViUa (Dowager-Lady Hatherton).
Landguard (Col. F. H. Atheriey, J.P.).
Glenbrook (J. Borrodaile, Esq.).
AVTiitwell Mead (Miss Harriet Parr).
Tower Cottage (Miss Cameron).
Eosecliff House (C. Freere, Esq.).
Lansdowne House (Lady Anson).
AVest HiU (Mrs. Scaramanga).
Old Manor House (F, ASTiite Popham, Esq.).
Beechwood (Captain Hargrove).
Eectory (Eev. W. B. Cole).
Parsonage (Eev. C. Burland, A.M.).
tihanklin Chine and Down; Sandown
Bay; Luccombe Chine, l}mUe; America,
woods, 2 miles north-west.

XXV. SHORWELL.
[10 miles from Cowes, 5 miles from New
port, 12 miles from Eyde, 11 miles from
Ventnor, 10 mUes from Sandown, 2 miles
from Brighstone.]
Church, Early EngUsh; monument, fresco,
etc. (p. 2S1).
Northcourt (Sir IT. P. Gordon, Bart.), at
the Newport entrance to the village.
Vicarage (Eev. E. S. AVilson), behind the
Church.
Atherfield Point, 3 miles south ; Gatcombe,
2 miles north-west ; Woolverton, manor
house, three-quarters of a mile south
west; AVestcourt, manor house, half a
mile west; Brighstone Down.

XXVI. ST. LAWRENCE.
[16 miles from Cowes, 11 miles from New
port, 14 miles from Eyde, 2 miles from
Ventnor, 8 miles from Sandown, 11 miles
from Brighstone.]
Church, Norman (p. 268).
St. Lawrence Cottage (Countess-Dowager
of A^arborough).
Cottage (Hon. Mrs. Dudley Pelham).
AVoolverton, ruins of chapel (house?), half
a mile south ; the UndercUff to Black-
gang; St. Boniface Down ; Ventnor and
Luccombe ; Pelham Woods,

THE TOUEIST S COMPANION.

319

XXVII, THORLEY.
[11 miles from Cowes, 16 miles from Eyde,
9 miles from Newport, 19i miles from
Ventnor, 18 miles from Sandown, 8 miles
from Brighstone.]
Church, Norman (p. 284).
Thornley Paraonage (Eev, A. Peat, M.A.) ;
Yarmouth, about 1^ mUe north-east;
Afton Down, 4 miles south.
XXVTII. VENTNOR.
[15 mUes from Cowes, 10 miles from New
port, 12 miles from Eyde, 3} mUes from
ShankUn, 13 mUes from Brighstone, 6
miles from Sandown, 2 mUes from Ap
puldurcombe, 6 mUes from Blackgang,
23 miles from Alum Bay, and 4} miles
from Sandrock Hotel.]
For churches, see p. 235.
Eoyal National Hospital for Consumption,
and Chapel.
Belgrave House (J. B. Martin, Esq.), in
Belgrave Road.
St. Boniface Manor House (Mrs. Leeson).
Elm Grove (Mrs. Haskius), above the
Church.
HiUside (late SterUng's residence), on the
old Shutes.
Parsonage (Rev. AV. WUlan), near the
Church.
SteeplehUl Castle (D. A. Hambrough, Esq.),
beyond the town.
Bonchurch, the LandsUp Wishing AVell,
the Cove, and New Pier.
London City Mission Seaside Home.
St. Boniface Dovm, St. Lawrence, 2} miles
south-west; the UndercUff, Dunnose,
Luccombe Chine, Rew, Week, and
WroxaU Dovras. XXIX. WHITWELL.
[13 mUes from Ryde, 9 miles from New
port, 14 miles from Cowes, 4 mUes from
Ventnor. ]
Church, Norman and Early English (p. 286).

Down Court, at the foot of the Down,
1} mile west. xxx. WOOTTON.
[4 miles from Cowes, 3} miles from New
port, 3 mUes from Eyde, 10 miles from
Ventnor, 9 mUes from Sandown, 16}
miles from ]3righstone.]
Church, Norman and Early English (p. 286).
Fern HiU (J. Gait, Esq.), on the road to
Arreton,
Old Eectory, on the Ne\vi3ort Eoad.
AVootton Lodge (F. AVhite Popham, Esq.).
Arreton Church and Down, about 5} miles
south from Wootton Eectory ; Firestone
Copse, 1} mUe south-east; Fishhouse, 1
mile north-east; Quarr Abbey, 2 miles
north-east ; Osborne, 3} miles north
west. XXXI. YARMOUTH.
[12 miles from Cowes, lOj miles from New
port, 17 miles from Ryde, 20-1 miles from
Ventnor, 19i miles from Sandown, 9 miles
from Brighstone.]
Church, date Charles I. ; monument, etc.
(p. 286).
Parsonage (Eev. C. T. Fisher, M.A.), in
Bank Street.
For interesting localities in this neighbour
hood, see pp. 227-244.
XXXII. YAVERLAND.
[14} miles from Cowes, 9} miles from New
port, 5} miles from Ryde, 8 miles from
Ventnor, 2 miles from Sandown, 13 miles
from Brighstone.]
Church, Norman (p. 287).
Yaverland Eectory(Eev. W. M. Lee, M.A.),
near the Church.
Yaverland Manor House, date James T.,
adjoining the Church.
Brading, 2 miles south-east; Sandown, 2
miles north-east; Bembridge Down, half
a mUe north-east; Culver CUffs, 2} miles

INDEX.

Afton, derivation, 137; manor house at,
237; Down, view from, 134.
Alexandrian Pillar, 146.
Alum Bay, 234 ; geological structure, sands,
scenery, 235.
Alverstone MiU, 178.
Appley, seat at, 176 ; Appley Tower, 176.
Appuldurcombe Park, 212 ; Down, 213 ;
Priory, 215.
Apse, 159.
Arnold, Dr., Memoir of, 299.
Arreton, ViUage of, 114 ; Down, view from,
115 ; Farm-house, 116 ; Church, 245.
Ashey Down, 165; view from, 165.
Ashey, Manor of, 164.
Atherfield Point, 140.
Barnes, Eomano-British pottery at, 135.
Barrows, or tum^di, 2, 8, 147.
Barton, ancient reUgious house at, 99, 100;
Court House, 100.
Bayeux, Bishop Odo of, intrigues for the
popedom, 17; imprisoned byKingAVill-
iara, 18.
Beachlands, near Ryde, 176.
Beacons in the island, 28.
Beauchamp, Duke of AVarwick, 34.
Beauchamp Farm, camp at, 211 ; Beau
champ House, 218.
Belgse, invasion of, 2.
Bembridge, VUlage of, 170; Down, 171;
Church, 248.
Berkeley, Sir WUliam, 36.
Binstead House, 175.
Binstead, ViUage of, 159; Church, 248.
Bishop's Acre, the, 190.
Blackgang Chine, 140.
Blackwater, 116.
Bloodstone WeU, 178.

Bonchurch, description of, 188; its place
in literary annals, 192 ; Churches, 249.
Boniface Down, 190.
Brading, Town of, 167 ; Down, 168 ;
Church, 250.
Bramble Chine, 236.
Briddlesford, Chapel at, 29, 115.
Brighstone, VUlage of, 129; day-journeys,
131 ; environs of, 132 ; Church, 253.
Brook, ViUage of, 133; Down, 134; Brook
Ledge or Point, 137 ; Church, 254.
Cadogan, WiUiam, Earl of, his government,
services, and death, 89.
Calbourne, ViUage of, 228 ; Church, 254.
Carey, Sir George, his government, 46.
Carisbrooke Castle, 118-123.
Carisbrooke, ViUage of, 117 ; the Roman
ViUa at, 123 ; Church, 126, 255.
Carisbrooke Priory, history and descrip
tion, 117.
Catherine, St., HiU of, 142; lighthouse and
chantry, 143 ; the Point and Ughthouse,
211.
Chale, ViUage of, 135; bay of, and wi-eck
of the Clarendon, 141 ; Church, 259.
Charles the First, escapes from Hampton
Court, 55 ; lands in the Isle of Wight, 56;
plans for escape defeated, 59 ; mode of
daily life, 61 ; first attempt at escape, 62;
second attempt at escape, 65; treaty at
Newport, 68; removal from the island, 71.
Charles the Second, visits Sir Robert
Holmes, 87, 224; lands at Puckaster
Cove, 211, 277.
ChiUerton, 129.
Chines, 137-140,
Churches and Chapels, ancient, particulars
of, 29.

INDEX.

321

Cicely, the Princess, Memoirs of, 37.
Clare, Amicia de, 23.
Clarendon, wreck of the, 141.
Cliff End, 236.
Coast routes: — Freshwater to Yarmouth,
231; from Brighstone westward, 136;
from Brighstone eastward, 139; from
East End to St. Catherine's Point, 215.
Compton Bay, 137.
Conway, Edward, Lord, 48.
Cook's Castle, 213.
Cowes, East, Chapel, Trinity House, popu
lation, 96, 97 ; day-journeys, 97; environs
of, 98 ; East Cowes Castle, 102.
Cowes, "West, hotels, population, 93; Har
bour, Castle, Yacht Club, Dockyard, 93,
94; Churches, 95, 260; day-]oumeys, 95;
environs of, 97.
Culpepper, Thomas, Lord, 86.
Culver CUflf, 171.
Cutts, John, Lord, 87.
Dairyman's Daughter, Cottage of the, 115.
D'Annebault attacks Sea View, 40.
D' Avenant, Sir William, imprisoned at
Cowes, 84.
Danes, invasions of, 10, 11.
Day-]OUrneys — From West Cowes, 95 ; East
Cowes, 97; Newport, 111; Brighstone,
131; Eyde, 156; Yarmouth, 226.
Deadman's Lane, 107.
Defences of the island, 43.
Domesday Book, analyzed, 12.
Downs — Afton, 134; Appuldurcombe, 213;
Ashey, 165; Bembridge, 171 ; Bowcombe,
129; Boniface, 190; Brighstone, 129; St.
George's, 115; High, 242; Mottistone,
132 ; Needles, 233 ; Newbarns, 147 ;
ShankUn, 193.
Earthworks, 133, 147, 211.
Edward I. purchases the island, 25.
Elizabeth, Princess, her infancy, 74 ; early
studies, 75 ; her gouvernante, 75 ; placed
under the Countess of Dorset, 76; pov
erty, 76 ; removal to St. James's Palace,
77; interview with her father, 77 ; letters,
78 ; last visit to her father, 79 ; removal
to Penshurst, 80 ; to Carisbrooke Castle,
81 ; her death, 82.
Environs — West Cowes, 97; East Cowes,
98; Newport, 114 ; Brighstone, 132 ; Eyde,
159; Ventnor, 209; Yarmouth, 227.
Eversley, Lord, 90.
Excursions— From Brighstone, 136; Shank
Un, 196; Sandown, 207; Ventnor, 221;
Yarmouth, 231.

Fairlee, House at, 101.
Fairy Hill, Seat of, 158.
Faringford, Seat of Alfred Tennyson, 238.
Pern HIU, lie.
Fitz-Osbert, WiUiam, his favour with King
WilUam, 13; his honours, 13; obtains
the Isle of Wight, 13; his death, 14; his
chUdren, 14.
Flagstaff Eock, 191.
Fleming, Sir Thomas, Memoir of, 296.
Fortibus, IsabeUa de, succeeds to the lord
ship of the island, 24; resides at Caris
brooke, bestows a charter upon Newport,
endows Quarr, sells the island to Ed
ward I., 24; death, 25.
Forts, construction of, by Eichard Worsley,
43 ; by Sir George Carey, 47.
Fossils, found at Brook, 139; Compton and
Brixstone, 138; Atherfield, 140; White
cUff Bay, 172; Headon HiU, 235.
French, invasions of the, 30, 32, 33, 40.
Freshwater, ViUage of, 229; hotels, The
Cabin, residence of Morland, 230 ; Fresh
water Gate, arched rocks, CUffs, 230, 231;
Church, 260.
GaUibury, earthworks and pits at, 2.
Gatcombe, ViUage of, 116; House, 116;
Church, 262.
Geological notes, 137-140, 160, 172, 187, 231,
232.
George's Down, St. , 115.
Gianibelli fortifies Carisbrooke, 122.
Godshill, ViUage of, 212; Church, 262.
Godwin, Earl, in the Isle of Wight, 11.
Governors of the island, 86, 91.
Gurnard Bay, 98.
Hammond, Col,, governor of the island, 54;
receives Charles I., 55; instructions from
ParUament, 57 ; his character, 58 ; treat
ment of the king, 58 ; repairs to Windsor,
70.
Harold, King, in the island, 11.
Harris, Earl of Malmeshury, 90.
Haseley, 115.
Headon Hill, 235.
Helen's, St., ViUage of, 173; Priory, 173;
Church, 266.
Hermit's Hole, the, 171.
Holmes, Sir Eobert, his services, honours,
death, 86, 87 ; his monument, 287.
Holmes, Lord, government and death, 89 ;
his "Parlour" and " Kitchen,".232.
Holmes, Hon. A'Court, Earl of Heytes
bury, 237.
Hooke, Dr. Eobert, Memoir of, 290.

322

INDEX.

Hopson, Admiral, Memoir of, 289.
Horsey, Sir Edward, Memoir of, 45 ; monu
ment, 273.
House of Industry founded, 90.
Ictis, the ancient name of the Wight, 2.
Island, Militia of, 52.
Jacob's Ladder, 191.
James, Dr. Thomas, Memoir of, 291.
James, Mr. Eichard, Memoir of, 294.
Ken, Bishop, 130.
King's Key, 101.
Kingston, ViUage of, 135; Church, 267.
Kite HiU, 157.
Knighton House, 166; legend, 166.
Knights made by James I., 48.
Kyme, John, 39.
Ladder Chine, 139.
Lawrence, St., ViUage of, 209; Church, 268.
Lefevre, 'V'iscount Eversley, 90.
Lemerston, 130.
Lisle, Dame AUce, 164 ; Sir John, 164.
Longstone, the, 2, 132.
Lords of the Island, the, 13-25.
Lot's Wife, the Needles Eock, 233.
Luccombe Chine, 195.
Manuscripts, British Museum, hitherto
unpubUshed, 49-51, 266, 257.
Marochetti, Baron, monument by, 275.
Marvel, near Newport, 111.
Meda, the Eoman Newport, 5.
Michael's, St., Mount, 2.
Military arrangements of the island, tevip.
Plantagenet kings, 27.
Mills in the Isle of Wight, 13.
Mirables, 217.
Monk's Bay, 192.
Monk's Meads, 159.
Montacute, Earl of SaUsbury, services,
honours, death, 30, 31.
Montague, Duke of, 89.
Morland, George, residence at Freshwater,
230.
Mottistone, Village of, 132; Longstone,
182 ; Church, 268.
Mountjoy, 111.
Mural paintings at Bonchurch, 249 ; Shor
weU, 282.
Needles, Lighthouse at the, 233; descrip
tion of the, 233.
Newbarns, earthworks at, 2, 147.
Newchurch, ViUage of, 164 ; Church, 269.

Newport, treaty of , 68; Town of, 103; munici
pality, 103, 104; pubUc buildings, 106, 106;
its annals, 106-108; honours, charities,
almshouses, 109; reUgious edifices, ex
tinct ecclesiastical foundations, 110, 111 ;
the old town. 111 ; day-journeys, 111-114 ;
environs, 114 ; Church, 270.
Newtown, ViUage of, 228.
Nicholas, St., Chapel of, 119.
Ningwood, 228.
Ninham, 178.
Niton, VUlage of, 211 ; Church, 276.
Norris Castle, 102.
Northcourt, Seat of, 144.
Northwood, Village of, 97; Church, 277.
Northwood Park, 102.
Norton Lodge, 237.
NunweU, 177.
Oglander, FamUy Memoir of the, 177, 178,
Old Park, 217.
Old Pepper Eock, 232.
Orde, W., Hon. Thomas Powlett, 90.
Osborne, 100.
Osburne, Eichard, his services to King
Charles, 63.
Padmore House, 101.
Parkhurst Barracks, Prison, and House of
Industry, 126.
Petrified forest at Brook, 138.
Pitt Place, Mansion of, 132.
Pittis, Dr. Thomas, Memoir of, 286.
Powlett, Duke of Bolton, 90.
Priory, the, near St. Helen's, 177.
Puckaster Cove, 3, 211.
Puckpool, House at, 178.
Pulpit Eock, 191.
Quarr Abbey, founded by Baldwin de
Eedvers, 19; its history, wealth, posses
sions, abbots, monuments, 160, 161; hu
man remains, 162; legendary associa
tions, 163.
Quarr House, 175.
Queen'sBower, tradition relating to,159,178.
Eedvers, Eichard de, I., his honours, life,
death, 19.
Eedvers, Eichard de, II., Memoir of, 20;
Eedvers, Baldwin de, I., 19; Baldwin de,
II., 21; Eichard de, III., 21; Baldwin
de. III., 22; Baldwin de, IV., 22; Bald
win de, v., 23.
Eoman ViUa at Carisbrooke, 123-126 ; at
Morton, 202-206.
Eomano-British pottery at Barnes, 135.

323

Eowborough, Celtic settlement at, 2.
Eussell, Sir Theobald, slain, 30.
Eyde, Town of, 147; its population, in
come, and expenditure, 148; pubUc
buUdings, 149-153; places of worship,
154, 277; history, 155, 156; day-journeys,
156; environs of, 159.
Eyde House, 175.
Sandown, ViUage of, 200 ; Fort, 200 ; John
WUkes' " villakin," 201; excursions
from, 207-209; Churches, 2SL
Sandrock Hotel, 218; Sandrock Spring, 219.
Saxon antiquities, 8.
Scales, Anthony, Lord, Memoir of, 35.
Sconce Point, 236.
ScratcheU's Bay, 233.
Sea View, 174 ; Church, 280.
Shakespeare Eock, 191.
Shalfleet, Village of, 227; Church, 280.
Shanklin, Village of, 193; descriptions of,
193, 194; Churches, 281.
ShorweU, Village of, 135; Church, 281.
Simeon, Sir John, Memoir of, 237.
Slatwoods, birthplace of Dr. Arnold, 103.
Southampton, Earl of. Memoir of, 47, 48.
Spring Vale, 174.
Standen, East, 114; West, 115.
Stanley, Eight Hon. Hans, 89.
SteephiU Castle, 216.
Stickworth, 116.
Stone Pitts, 157.
St. Clare, 176.
St. John's, 177.
Sun Corner, 232.
Swainston, 236.
Sydenham, Colonel, Memoir of, 73.
Tennyson, residence of, 238.
Thorley, ViUage of, 227; Churches, 284.
Totland Bay, 236; Church, 285.
TyriU, Sir Hugh, repulses the French, 30.
UndercUff, the, 185; description of, by
Eev. James White, 185; by Lord Jeffrey,
186; by Mrs. EadcUffe, 186; temperature
of , 188 ; general survey of, from East End
to St. Catherine's Point, 216-220.

Ventnor, Town of, 179; Esplanade, 181;
Churches, 182, 285; Hotels, 182; Pier,
183; National Hospital for Consump
tives, 184; the UndercUff, 185; excm--
sions from, 221-223 ; environs of, 209.
Vernon, William de, Memoir of, 21, 22.
Waitscourt, 146.
WaUop, John, Lord, 89.
Wardens of the Island, the, 26-64.
Warwick, Duke of, made King of the
island, 34.
Watches and wards appointed, 52.
Webb, General Eichmond, 88.
Wedge Eock, the, 232.
WeUs— NunweU, 177; St. Boniface, 189;
St. Lawrence, 210.
Westcourt, 146.
Westfield, seat of Sir A. CUfford, 174.
Weston, Lord, 49.
Westover, seat of Earl of Heytesbury, 237.
Whippingham, ViUage of, 98; Churches,
285.
WhitecUff Bay, 172.
WhitweU, ViUage of, 210 ; Church, 286.
Wight, meaning of the word, 1.
Wight, Isle of, during the Celtic Period,
1-3; under the Eomans, 3-6; the Saxons,
6-12 ; condition of, at the Norman Con
quest, 12; lords of, 13-25; wardens of,
25-55 ; during the Commonwealth, 84, 85;
governors of, 86-91.
WoodviUe, Sir Edward, 36.
Woolverton, seat of, 146.
Wootton, VUlage of, 163 ; Lodge, 164 ;
Church, 286.
Worsley, Sir James, 39; Sir Eichard, 40;
annals of the famUy of, 213, 214.
WroxaU, 191 ; Church, 286.
Yarbridge, Hamlet of, 170.
Yarmouth, Town of, 223; Fort, Church,
Town HaU, 224, 225; day-journeys, 226;
environs, 227 ; Church, 286.
Yaverland, VUlage of, 172, 173; Church,
287.
York, Richard, Duke of. Lord of the island.

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