NEWCHURCH
The village of Newchurch lies on the high
ground traversed by the road from Langbridge to
Apse Heath, which here crosses the Eastern Yar.
Creeper-covered cottages line the village street on
either side, and Parsonage Farm lies in the low ground
of the Newchurch valley, while on the bluff above
stands the church of All Saints, making a picturesque
feature in the landscape with its wooden tower and
spire visible for many miles round. Just to the east
of the church is the vicarage, built in 1888. On
Ashey Down opposite is the truncated obelisk erected
in 1735 as a sea-mark. Here till the middle of the
19th century stood a semaphore and signalling station
placing the south of the Island in communication with
Portsmouth. Under the north slope of the down
lie the Ryde waterworks erected in 1856.
Newchurch was formerly the largest parish in the
East Medine, stretching from sea to sea. On the east
it touched the parishes of St. Helens, Brading, Shanklin
and Bonchurch; and on the west those of Binstead,
Arreton, Godshill and St. Lawrence. Since 1866
the parishes of Ryde, Ventnor, Ashey and Wroxall
have been taken out of it, and it now comprises
2,960 acres. (fn. 1) There is a station on the Isle of Wight
Central railway and a post-office in the village. The
school is a Council school, which followed the Board
school built soon after the Act of 1870 was passed.
Before that the children were educated in the schoolhouse given by Lieut.-General Maurice Bocland.
Ryde may be said to owe its importance to the
Player family (see below under Ryde Manor), who in
the beginning of the 18th century acquired that
portion of the manor of Ashey and started to develop it.
Henry Player erected a mansion for himself close to
the shore and a house was built on the quay on the
site of the old Watch House, (fn. 2) afterwards known as
the Black Horse Inn. A chapel was erected by
Thomas Player on a piece of free land called Picket
Close at his own cost, dedicated to St. Thomas and
consecrated by Bishop Trelawney in 1719. (fn. 3) By 1756
the old quay had become so dilapidated that it was
agreed between Lord Mount Edgcumbe, Sir John
Barrington, Sir John Oglander and other influential
Island gentlemen to rebuild it and make a convenient
Hard from the high to the low-water mark—judging
by Fielding's experience two years before a very
necessary undertaking. (fn. 4) Ryde consisted of an upper
and lower village, (fn. 5) separated by fields called Node
Close, the upper being the residential part, the lower
a mere collection of fishermen's cottages. Under the
Player family the lower Ryde quickly developed. The
sloping, timbered Node Close, with its pack-way (fn. 6)
crossing it from north to south, was selected for
building sites, and in 1780 Union Street was laid out,
probably on the line of the old pack-way, the first
house (fn. 7) erected being that now known as Yelf's Hotel.
Ryde now began to be popular, and lodging-houses
were erected for the accommodation of visitors. Other
houses speedily sprang up in George Street, West
Street and Nelson Street; and people of position,
such as the Duke of Buckingham, Earl Spencer and
Hon. Charles Anderson Pelham, settled in the town.
The place now progressed so rapidly that in 1827
the old chapel of St. Thomas gave place to the present
structure, and in 1829 St. James' Church was built. By
the middle of the century the population had risen
to 7,000 and Ryde was established as a seaside resort.
Its annual regatta rivalled, and for some years surpassed, that held at Cowes; its house property was a
sound investment. It boasted of an excellent theatre,
a fine town hall (fn. 8) and two pre-eminently handsome
churches—those of All Saints and Holy Trinity.
Southward the town had spread to Swanmore, westward to Binstead, while the St. John's estate had
been laid out as a flourishing suburb to the east. But
by the end of the century a reaction set in, from
which the town is at present happily recovering.
Appley Tower, Ryde
The pier, a structure originally 174 ft. in length,
was begun in 1813 in order to take the place of the
old quay or Hard, and has been repeatedly added to
till it is at present half a mile long. In 1880 a railway pier was built alongside of it for the convenience
of the boat service. It was at Ryde Pier the Empress
Eugénie disembarked from Sir John Burgoyne's yacht,
the Gazelle, after her flight from Paris in 1870.
The Victoria Pier, built by an extinct 'Isle of
Wight Steam Ferry Co.,' is now used as a bathing
establishment.
Ryde was constituted a separate parish under the
Newchurch Parish Act of 1866, (fn. 9) and two years later
was incorporated as a borough, (fn. 10) comprising most of
the parish and a portion of St. Helen's, and divided
into east and west wards. The corporation consists
of a mayor, six aldermen and eighteen councillors.
There is an ample water supply from Knighton
under Ashey Down, with pumping station built in
1856. There are two railway stations—St. John's
Road and the Pier Gates. The cemetery in West
Street, containing 10 acres, was consecrated in 1842.
The Royal Victoria Yacht Club House in St. Thomas
Street was built in 1846, it is said, on the site of the
old manor-house of the Players, and enlarged in 1864.
It contains some fine rooms with a pleasant look-out
to the Solent and Spithead. The theatre where
Mrs. Jordan made her last public appearance in 1816
was rebuilt on its present site in 1872. There is
a Young Men's Christian Association and Literary
Institute in Lind Street, (fn. 11) Temperance and Oddfellows' (fn. 12) halls in High Street, and a Foresters' hall
in Warwick Street. (fn. 13) In Union Street there are
branches of the Capital and Counties Bank, the
National Provincial Bank and the Wilts and Dorset
Bank. A dispensary was established in 1842 and
rebuilt in 1895 at the junction of the Swanmore Road
and West Street. The Royal Isle of Wight Hospital
was erected in the Swanmore Road in 1849, and has
been enlarged 1865, 1882, 1888, 1898, 1904,
1907. There are almshouses in Newport Street,
founded in 1854 by the widow of Francis B. S. Wilder
for twelve poor women; and in Player Street, built
in 1891, by Miss Brigstocke. There is a school of
art in George Street, the foundation stone of which
was laid in 1874 by the Empress Frederick of Germany,
then Crown Princess. There are provided schools
in Bettesworth Road (1877), St. John's Road (1883),
and a Higher Grade school; National in Green Street,
and those of Holy Trinity and St. John's, Oakfield;
Catholic elementary school, High Street.
Ventnor originally formed the southern portion of
Newchurch parish, from which it was separated by
the Newchurch Parish Act of 1866. (fn. 14) It comprises 744 acres, of which 67 are arable land and
203 acres permanent grass. (fn. 15) The town is built on a
succession of terraces sloping to the south rising to
over 400 ft. above the level of the sea, sheltered by
St. Boniface Down, which rises another 400 ft. above.
It sprang into notice about 1830, till which time
it had been merely known as a picturesque cove with
a few fishermen's cottages, an old inn, 'The Crab
and Lobster,' and a corn mill turned by a little
stream which afterwards fell in a cascade on to the
beach. Sir James Clark in his book on The Sanative
Influence of Climate on Disease drew attention to the
advantages of Ventnor and it soon became a favourite
residence for invalids. Till 1864, when the Local
Government Act of 1858 was adopted, (fn. 16) the rising
town was governed by a Board of Commissioners
elected under the provisions of a local Act. In 1848
a sea wall was built and an esplanade made along the
front. In 1866 the town was supplied with excellent
water from the springs in the down 300 ft. above
the sea level. A pier was built in 1872, which
after the damage by storm in 1882 was repaired and
lengthened. There is a town hall in Albert Street,
a Literary and Scientific Institution in High Street
with a free library, a London and City Mission seaside home built in 1867 at the sole cost of Captain
Mark Huish; St. Catherine's Home for Consumptives
in Grove Road, and a convalescent home of the Royal
Hants County Hospital in Madeira Road. To the
westward of the town in St. Lawrence parish (q.v.)
lies the National Hospital for Consumption, with
its chapel dedicated to St. Luke, founded in 1868.
Under the Local Government Act of 1894 the affairs
of the town are administered by an urban district
council of eighteen members. There is a nine-hole
golf course on Rew Down belonging to the Ventnor
Golf Club.
At Ventnor there are National schools for boys,
girls and infants, and mixed schools at Lowtherville
and Longdown, and attached to the Roman Catholic
church of St. Wilfrid.
Wroxall was constituted a separate civil parish in
1894. (fn. 17) The village is composed of a number of
modern houses and cottages grouped round the
station and extending along the road to Shanklin,
and is of little interest. Wroxall became a separate
ecclesiastical parish in 1908. (fn. 18)
Stone was early dug from the side of the down
and in the 13th century was used in the repairs and
buildings at Carisbrooke Castle. (fn. 19) There is a
Council school at the north end of the village by the
side of the road leading to Appuldurcombe.
Ashey was constituted a separate parish from the
rural part of Ryde in 1894. (fn. 20) It contains 3,365
acres, of which, in 1905, 556 acres were arable land,
1,644 acres permanent grass and 105 acres woodland. (fn. 21)
MANORS
It does not appear that there was
ever a manor of NEW CHURCH. The
manorial rights there which now belong
to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners are probably
those belonging to the manor of the rectory of
Newchurch. This manor passed with the advowson to the see of Bristol, (fn. 22) and was sold with the
parsonage-house by the Parliamentary Commissioners
in 1652 to John and Walter Bourchier. The manor
had been leased in 1626 by the bishop to Thomas
Cotele, (fn. 23) and in 1641 to Piers Edgcumbe, grandson
of Thomas, and Mary his wife and Richard his son
for their lives, (fn. 24) and had been sequestered as the
property of a delinquent in 1646. (fn. 25) The descendants of Piers evidently continued to lease the
manor, as it was held with Niton (q.v.) by the Lords
Mount Edgcumbe during the 18th century. (fn. 26)
APSE
APSE (Apsa, Hapsa, xii cent.; Apps, xvii cent.;
Apse Canonicorum, xix cent.), situated just within
the eastern boundary of the parish, was granted by
Roger del Estre (? de Estur) at the solicitation of
Richard de Redvers (1100–7) to the canons of
Christchurch Twyneham, (fn. 27) with whom it remained
till the Dissolution. (fn. 28)
It then passed to the Crown and was leased from
time to time. Thomas Rice appears to have been
the lessee about the middle of the 16th century, (fn. 29)
holding under a ninety years' lease from the monks
dated 1535. The manor after the expiration of
Rice's lease was granted in 1595–6 for forty years to
Elizeus Wynne. (fn. 30) It seems afterwards to have passed
to the Basketts, John Baskett being in possession in
1583, (fn. 31) and Thomas Baskett apparently succeeding
him. (fn. 32) The Basketts were probably lessees under
the Crown, for in 1624 at the request of John
Ramsey Earl of Holderness the manor was granted
to Edward Ramsey of Hethersett, Norfolk, and
Robert Ramsey of London, at a fee-farm rent of
£25 5s. 4d. (fn. 33) The Ramseys sold the manor in the
same year to Richard Baskett, (fn. 34) and he died in 1626
seised of the manor, (fn. 35) leaving a son and heir Richard,
who sold it in 1640 to John Warner, Bishop of
Rochester. (fn. 36) He devised it to his nephew Dr. John
Lee, D.D., whose son and heir Lee Warner, of the
Inner Temple, sold it in 1678 to Edward Courthop. (fn. 37) Apse must have passed from Courthop to a
member of the Dillington family, for Worsley states
that it was purchased of a Dillington by Edward
Leigh of Newport, who left it to John Chichester. (fn. 38)
John Chichester was dealing with it in 1716, (fn. 39) and,
as Sir John Chichester, was still in possession in
1747. (fn. 40) The manor was sold by him or his son Sir
John towards the end of the 18th century to Sir
Richard Worsley. (fn. 41) It passed from him with Appuldurcombe (fn. 42) to Lord Yarborough, who sold it in 1854
to George Young. From him it was probably purchased by Mr. Gassiott, who in 1896 sold it to Lord
Alverstone, the present owner. The house is
pleasantly situated just to the north of the high road
from Shanklin and still retains a good room with a
stone fireplace and a heavy panelled Tudor ceiling.
ASHEY
ASHEY (Aissheseye, Aschesaye, Asshaye, xvi cent.)
was granted to the abbey of Wherwell near Andover
before 1228, (fn. 43) and in 1291 was of the considerable
annual value of £41 6s. 2d. (fn. 44) It certainly extended
to the seashore, and the passage from Ryde to Portsmouth was one of its sources of income. (fn. 45) Ashey
remained with Wherwell until the Dissolution. (fn. 46) It
was leased by the last abbess, Morphita Kingsmill, to
Giles Worsley and Elizabeth his wife 4 December
1538. (fn. 47) After the Dissolution Giles Worsley continued as tenant and collector of dues (fn. 48) till the grant
of the manor to him by the Crown in 1544. (fn. 49) He
died in 1558, (fn. 50) leaving a son James, who died intestate soon after his father, (fn. 51) when the estates were
claimed by Sir Robert Worsley of Worsley, Lancs.,
as cousin and heir-at-law to Giles. This claim was
contested by Richard Worsley, half-brother of James,
in the Court of Wards and Liveries in 1563, when
it was awarded that Sir Robert was to take a third,
afterwards known as the manor of Ryde, while Richard
was to have the part which had been bequeathed by
Giles to his widow Margaret, comprising the site
of the manor. (fn. 52) Richard Worsley died at Ashey
31 August 1599, (fn. 53) when the manor came to his son
Bowyer, (fn. 54) afterwards knighted by James I. According to his contemporary, Sir John Oglander, Sir
Bowyer Worsley was a reckless, improvident man.
His son John having predeceased him, he sold Ashey
in 1624 to Thomas Cotele. (fn. 55) The manor then
followed the same descent as Niton (q.v.) until 1789,
when George Lord Mount Edgcumbe sold it to Mr.
Joseph Bettesworth. (fn. 56) He devised it in 1805 to his
wife, with remainder to his younger daughter Augusta
wife of Alexander Shearer, (fn. 57) whose son Bettesworth P.
Shearer conveyed it to George Player of Gosport.
Player's daughter Elizabeth Lydia married Captain
Thomas Robert Brigstocke, R.N., whose grandson
William Player Brigstocke is the present owner. (fn. 58)
RYDE
RYDE (La Rye, xiv cent.; le Rythe, xv cent.;
Ride, xvi cent.) was parcel of the manor of Ashey, (fn. 59)
and seems to have formed the portion of John the
youngest son of Giles Worsley. (fn. 60) Ryde Manor was
awarded to Sir Robert Worsley in 1563, and in
1565 he sold to Anthony Dillington (fn. 61) an estate
which at the time of the death of Anthony's son Sir
Robert in 1604 is called 'the manors of Ashley and
Ryde.' (fn. 62) Sir Robert was succeeded by his nephew
Robert, and with the Dillington family (see Mottistone) the manor remained
till Sir John Dillington in
1705 sold it to Henry Player
of Alverstoke. (fn. 63) The Player
family seem to have held
courts unchallenged by the
Edgcumbes. (fn. 64) Considerable
friction arose between the
Bettesworths and the Players
as to shore rights, which in
1811 were adjudged to belong
to Mrs. Bettesworth. (fn. 65) By
the middle of the century the
Players, who seem from the
first to have attempted encroachments (fn. 66) on the manorial rights of Ashey, had
acquired that manor, which since 1588 had always
been called in Court Rolls the manor of Ashey and
Ryde. Thus the ancient manor was again united
under one owner. The present lord of the manor
of Ashey and Ryde, William Player Brigstocke, lives
at Ryde House. (fn. 67)
Player. Azure a pa'e or sprinkled with drops of blood.
LANGBRIDGE
LANGBRIDGE (Longebrugge, xiii cent.; Langebrigge, xiv cent.) was held of the manor of Ashey,
and presumably took its name from an early bridge
over the Yar on the site of the present one. It was
probably granted to the abbey of Wherwell with
Ashey, and the manor and church of Langbridge,
with an annual pension of half a mark payable to the
parish church of Newchurch, was confirmed to the
Abbess of Wherwell in 1228 by Pope Gregory. (fn. 68) It
followed the descent of Ashey (q.v.), and at a court
of that manor held by Thomas Cotele in 1624
Thomas Lovinge is returned as holding Langbridge. (fn. 69)
It is now the property of Mr. Edward Carter, who
purchased it in 1906.
BRANSTON
BRANSTON
(fn. 70) (Brandestone, xi cent.; Brondeston,
xv cent.) was held at Domesday by William son of
Azor, (fn. 71) and may have passed to the de Aula family, (fn. 72)
as it was held at the end of the 13th century under
William Russell of Yaverland by the lord of Whitefield
for knight service. (fn. 73) In 1346 John atte Hale held
this estate in Branston. (fn. 74) He was still in possession
in 1384–5, when the reversion after his death was
granted by Richard Couper, one of the heirs of John
Wyvill, to Annora widow of John. (fn. 75) In 1428 the
estate was divided between Henry Howles and Richard
Russell. (fn. 76) Some land at Branston was glebe of the
church of Newchurch, and was claimed in 1414 by
John Clerk. (fn. 77) Branston is now divided among various
owners.
BIGBURY
BIGBURY (Bikeberye, xiii cent.; Bydeborough,
xvi cent.; Bidborowe, xvii cent.), a small holding to
the north of Apse Heath, was confirmed to the abbey
of Quarr by Isabel de Fortibus, (fn. 78) and remained in the
possession of the abbey until the Dissolution, (fn. 79) when
it passed to the Crown. It was granted in 1610 to
Lionel Cranfield, (fn. 80) who surrendered it in the following year. (fn. 81) In 1631 Basil Nicoll and others obtained
a grant of the messuage or grange of Bidborowe. (fn. 82)
CHILLINGWOOD
CHILLINGWOOD (Chellingwood, xiii cent.;
Chelyngwod, xvi cent.) was held of the honour of
Carisbrooke. (fn. 83) Geoffrey de Chillingwood held it for
the service of a thirteenth part of a knight's fee in
1262–3, (fn. 84) and Roger de Chillingwood was in possession at the end of the century and at the beginning
of the 14th. (fn. 85) Robert de Barton is returned in 1346
as the holder. (fn. 86) Chillingwood passed with Barton's
other estates (see Osborne in Whippingham) to the
Raleighs of Walpen, (fn. 87) but another estate at Chillingwood belonged in the 14th century to the Gorges of
Knighton, (fn. 88) and descended with Knighton (q.v.) to
the Gilberts. (fn. 89) The Raleighs' estate followed the
same descent as Walpen to George Raleigh, who died
seised of it in 1545–6. (fn. 90) The whole was probably
acquired by Thomas Cotele, as it was held in the
18th century by the Edgcumbe family and sold in
1787 by George Lord Mount Edgcumbe. (fn. 91) It is
now owned by Mr. Edward Carter of East Upton,
Ryde.
HAVEN STREET
HAVEN STREET (Hethenstreet, xiv cent.) may
perhaps be identified with Strete, which was held in
the 12th century by the de Estur family, who granted
to Geoffrey Aitard (son of Etard) (fn. 92) land there which
Geoffrey afterwards gave to the abbey of Montebourg. (fn. 93) Matthew son of Herbert gave to the abbey
of Montebourg the land of 'Streta,' which William
de Estur gave and Roger de Mandeville confirmed.
This he did by the wish of Joan Patrick, his
wife. (fn. 94) This or another estate called Haven Street
(Hethene Street) belonged at the end of the 14th
century to the Raleighs of Walpen in Chale.
Thomas Raleigh died seised of it in 1398, and it
followed the descent of Walpen until the death of
William Raleigh in 1419. (fn. 95)
The principal landowner in Haven Street was the
late Mrs. Rylands, whose husband Mr. John Rylands
built the Longford Institute for the use of the parish
in 1886. Her house is now the Longford Home of
Rest.
CLEAVELAND
CLEAVELAND (La Clyve, xiii cent.) was held of
the honour of Carisbrooke for the service of a
thirteenth part of a knight's fee and the petty serjeanty
of finding a man to guard the castle in time of war
for forty days. (fn. 96) It was held in 1262 by Richard
de la Clyve and at the end of the 13th century by
William de la Clyve, who died seised of it in 1323–4,
leaving a son John. (fn. 97) It had passed before 1333 to
Sir John de Weston (fn. 98) and descended with Milton in
Brading. (fn. 99) Like Milton it was divided at the end of
the 14th century, one-half passing to the Gilberts and
the other to the Cookes of East Standen. (fn. 100) The
Gilberts' moiety was purchased of George Gilbert by
Richard Worsley of Appuldurcombe just before his
death in 1565. (fn. 101) The Cookes' moiety appears to
have been divided in the same way as East Standen
between the Bannister and Meux families and was
purchased before 1572 by John Worsley, brother of
the above-mentioned Richard. (fn. 102) This estate, known
as Cleaveland, passed with Appuldurcombe to Lord
Yarborough and was sold in 1854, apparently to a
Mr. Williams; Mr. Robert Williams was holding in
1860. It has been split up in modern times and a
terrace of houses occupies part of its site. A ranger's
cottage at Cleaveland Shute is owned by Mr.
Quickthorne.
Another estate known as Cliff by Shanklin is
possibly to be identified with the manor of Undercliff held by John Lisle of Wootton at his death in
1471. (fn. 103) It appears in the inquisition on his greatgrandniece Mary Lisle as land in Cliff, (fn. 104) and passed
on her death in 1539 to one of her co-heirs, Thomas
Philpot. Sir George Philpot died seised of it in
1624, leaving a son John. (fn. 105) It was probably acquired
by the Knight family, who sold it to William Pike in
the 18th century. It then followed the history of
Landguard and is now owned by Mr. Arthur Atherley.
HOLLOWAY
HOLLOWAY (Holewey, xiii, xiv cent.; Hollowey, xvi cent.) lies just to the north of Ventnor. It
was held of the honour of Carisbrooke and formed
part of the estate of John de Lisle in the Island at
the end of the 13th century. (fn. 106) It followed the
descent of South Shorwell (fn. 107) until 1641, when it is
mentioned for the last time. (fn. 108) It is probably the
same as the modern manor of VENTNOR, which is
mentioned for the first time in 1755 and then
belonged to the Pophams of South Shorwell. (fn. 109)
Nearly all the land in Ventnor was sold in 1820 by
the Hill family to John Hamborough and building
speculators, (fn. 110) and the manor no longer exists.
Holloway can now only be identified by the Holy
Well spring on the down, from which possibly the
holding derived its name. In a dispute as to
boundaries in 1617, witnesses deposed that Ventnor,
Littletown (fn. 111) and Holloway were tithings of themselves and that Sir Edward Dennis' ancestors kept
court and law day at Holloway, where his tenants did
suit royal. (fn. 112)
STEEPHILL
STEEPHILL was another holding belonging to the
Lisle family towards the end of the 13th century. (fn. 113)
It followed the descent of South Shorwell (q.v.) until
about 1820, (fn. 114) when it was sold by the Hills to John
Hamborough, who erected Steephill Castle in 1835.
The house occupies the site of a cottage where
Hans Stanley resided during his governorship of the
Island. (fn. 115) It now belongs to Mr. John Morgan
Richards.
KNIGHTON
KNIGHTON (Chenistone, xi cent.; Kinytheton,
Kynzteton, xiii cent.; Knyghteton, xiv cent.) was
held of the manor of Carisbrooke. (fn. 116) It occupies the
ground between the Eastern Yar and Ashey, and is
no doubt identical with the 'Chenistone' of Domesday
held by the king. (fn. 117) It must have been a considerable holding, as it is returned as three knights' fees
in the Testa de Nevill. (fn. 118) The early 13th-century
holders were a family of De Morville, of whom John
or Ivo de Morville died in 1256, leaving a daughter
and heir Ellen married to Ralph de Gorges, (fn. 119) who
survived her husband and was in possession of the
manor at the end of the century. (fn. 120) She died seised
in 1291–2, leaving a son Ralph, (fn. 121) who in 1305
leased the manor to William de Caleshale and his
wife for the term of their lives. (fn. 122) The manor
seems to have reverted to Ralph de Gorges before
1316. (fn. 123) Ralph (afterwards Sir Ralph) and his wife
Eleanor had one son Ralph, who died without issue,
evidently before 1330–1, when Sir Ralph settled the
manor in tail-male on two younger sons of his daughter
Eleanor, who had married Theobald Russell of
Yaverland. (fn. 124) William, the elder of the two, died
without issue and the manor was delivered to his
brother Theobald Russell in 1343. (fn. 125) He appears
thereupon to have assumed the name de Gorges, and
as Theobald de Gorges was sued in 1346–7 by
Elizabeth widow of Ralph de Gorges the younger for
the manor. Judgement was given in Elizabeth's
favour, (fn. 126) but as she had no issue by Ralph the manor
reverted to Theobald, who was in possession in
1362. (fn. 127) He (then Sir Theobald) died in 1380 and
the manor passed successively to his sons Sir Randolf,
who died in 1382, Bartholomew, who died in 1395–6,
and Thomas, (fn. 128) who died in 1404. (fn. 129) Thomas left a
son John, who only lived to be fifteen, and left his
brother Theobald, a boy of ten, as heir in 1413. (fn. 130)
Sir Theobald Gorges was in possession of the manor
in 1462, (fn. 131) and probably died without issue, as the
manor passed to the heirs of Thomas Russell, greatgrandson of Theobald Russell and Eleanor de Gorges
by their eldest son Ralph Russell of Yaverland. (fn. 132)
Thomas Russell's heir was his cousin John Haket, son
of his aunt Alice. (fn. 133) John Haket's daughter and
heir Joan married John Gilbert, and the manor passed
with Wolverton in Brading in the Gilbert family (fn. 134)
until 1563, when George Gilbert sold it to Anthony
Dillington. (fn. 135) Anthony's son Sir Robert died seised
of it in 1604, leaving it to his nephew Robert. (fn. 136)
Sir Tristram Dillington, great-grandson of the lastnamed Robert, was the last of the direct line. (fn. 137)
Dying without issue in 1721 (fn. 138) he left his sisters
Mary and Hannah as heirs. Hannah died intestate.
Mary died unmarried, leaving the estate in common
between her nephew Maurice Bocland (fn. 139) and her
niece Jane wife of John Eyre. (fn. 140) General Maurice
Bocland was in possession of the manor in 1750 (fn. 141)
and died in 1765, when it descended to his nephew
George Maurice Bissett, who held the manor at the
beginning of the 19th century. George Young was
in possession in 1878, (fn. 142) and the manor is now held
by Mr. Edward Carter, who acquired it under the
will of his father, Mr. Edward Carter.
The house, a remarkably good example of Tudor
work, (fn. 143) was burnt, and demolished in 1820 and not
a vestige now remains.
SMALLBROOK
SMALLBROOK, lying at the north-eastern
boundary of the parish, doubtless took its name
from the stream that here forms the boundary of
the parish. It is of ancient origin, as in 1280
William de Smallbrook (Smalebroo) granted land to
his son Hugh. (fn. 144) It was held at the end of the
14th century by the Wyvill family, (fn. 145) and remained
in their possession until 1491–2, when Stephen
Wyvill, the last of the family, sold it to Henry
Howles. (fn. 146) Smallbrook passed in the Howles family
until the reign of Elizabeth, when it was divided
between co-heirs and sold to Sir William Oglander. (fn. 147)
In the court held at Ashey, 1 November 1624, Sir
John Oglander is returned as a freeholder and free
suitor of the manor for his farm called 'Smallbroke.' (fn. 148)
The estate has since descended with Nunwell (fn. 149) (q.v.),
and is now held by Mr. J. H. Oglander, who has
the Court Rolls in his possession.
WINSTON
WINSTON (Wenechetone, xi cent.; Wyneston,
xiii cent.), judging from the Domesday entries, was
an important manor held in part by the king (fn. 150) and
in part by William (fn. 151) and Gozelin, (fn. 152) sons of Azor.
The king's portion formed two manors with a virgate
of land in Soflet (fn. 153) and was valued at £3, while the
Azor land was held by six tenants (fn. 154) and was worth
70s., which makes up a considerable holding if the
entries refer to the same place. It seems to have
early been among the endowments of Christchurch
Twyneham, being confirmed to the convent by
William de Redvers Earl of Devon. (fn. 155) In 1241
Richard Quor gave up to the prior all his right in
the manor, (fn. 156) and the priory still held it at the end
of the century as a thirteenth part of a fee. (fn. 157) Its
further history is not known, but it came in the 19th
century into the hands of Mr. Alfred Smith, whose
daughter's trustees now own it.
WROXALL
WROXALL (Warochesselle, xi cent.; Wrockeshal,
xiii cent.; Wroxhale, xiv cent.) was held before the
Conquest by Countess Gytha (Gueda) of her husband
Earl Godwin as a free manor, and at Domesday was
in the king's hands, being one of the most valuable
holdings in the Island. (fn. 158) It belonged to the lords
of the Island, (fn. 159) and passed on the death of Isabel de
Fortibus in 1293 to Edward I, who leased it in
1304–5 for life to Matthew son of John. (fn. 160) Matthew
died about 1308 and in 1309 the manor was granted
by Edward II to Piers de Gaveston and his wife
Margaret, the king's niece, (fn. 161) on whom the lordship
of the Island had been conferred, but in the same
year they restored it to the king. (fn. 162) The manor was
evidently granted with the lordship of the Island to
Edward Earl of Chester, (fn. 163) and was given in 1355 to
the Princess Isabel for life. (fn. 164) It remained a Crown
possession (fn. 165) until 1624, when James I granted it
with Apse and Bleakdown to Edward Ramsey. (fn. 166)
He sold it in the same year to Richard Baskett, who
held the manor courts from 1627 to 1634. (fn. 167) At
the end of the century it was in the hands of the
Hopson family. (fn. 168) It afterwards came to Thomas
Cotele, (fn. 169) and passed from him with Niton to Lord
Mount Edgcumbe, who owned it in 1771, when it
was divided into North and South Wroxall; the
former, comprising Winford, Queen Bower, Borthwood and Hill Farms, was sold in different lots in
1787. The latter, including Wroxall Farm and Hide
Place, also put up for sale in 1787, was bought in for
Lord Mount Edgcumbe. (fn. 170) The whole has since
been split up and is now in the hands of numerous
owners.
In the reign of Henry II, Richard Earl of Devon
bequeathed to the monks of Quarr twenty solidates
of land in his manor of Wroxall. (fn. 171) The land was
confirmed to the abbey by Isabel de Fortibus and
her grant was confirmed by the king in 1333. (fn. 172)
Nothing further is known about the holding.
PRINCELET
PRINCELET (Premsloud, xiii cent.; Prymesflode,
xiv cent.; Prynslode, xv cent.; Princelade, xvi cent.),
a small holding to the south-west of Apse Heath,
was held of the Lisles of Wootton. (fn. 173) Of them it
was held by the Kingstons of Kingston until the
middle of the 14th century. (fn. 174) It was held in 1428
by Richard Hearn and John Mayhew. (fn. 175) Princelet
was purchased at the end of the 16th century by
Richard Gard, who in 1617 left an annuity issuing
out of it to the poor of Newchurch. (fn. 176) In 1780
John White paid a fee-farm rent for it, (fn. 177) but in
1837 it was owned by William Thatcher; the
present owner is Mr. Charles Allen.
WACKLAND
WACKLAND (Wakelond, xiii, xiv, xv cent.) was
held in the 13th century under the Lisles of Wootton, (fn. 178)
but in 1311–12 was said to be held of Ralph de
Gorges of Knighton. (fn. 179) At the end of the 13th
century it was held by John de la Brigge, from
whom it passed with Bridge Court (q.v.) to the
Kingstons. (fn. 180) It followed the descent of Kingston
until 1424, (fn. 181) when Robert Dingley and Lewis Meux
conveyed it to John Taillour, who was returned in
1431 as holding Wackland. (fn. 182) Its descent has not
been traced from that time until the end of the
18th century. Some time before 1786 it must have
been in the possession of Thomas Davis, as he left a
charge of 20s. upon it for charities. (fn. 183)
In the early part of the 19th century Wackland
was the residence of a hunting farmer, well known
as 'Squire' Thatcher, who kept and hunted a pack
of harriers. Mr. E. Carter was lord of Wackland in
1878, (fn. 184) and it now belongs to the trustees of the
late Mr. Thomas F. Perrott. (fn. 185)
CHURCHES
The church of ALL SAINTS
may be described as a cruciform
structure of the 13th century with a
south porch. The earliest building must have been
of the 12th century, as there are evidences of 13thcentury additions. The transept piers do not bond
into the east wall of the nave, which with its wall
4 ft. in thickness probably formed part of the original
church; the eastern arches of the aisles spring from
plain-splayed imposts, and the starting pier of the
south aisle does not bond into the west wall. The
13th-century builders practically remodelled the whole
structure, leaving it much as it is to-day—a nave of
three bays, a fourth being formed by the transept
arches, north and south aisles, a long chancel,
north and south transepts and a south porch supporting a wooden tower containing six bells. The
massive piers at the entrance to the transepts suggest
a central tower. (fn. 186) Both transepts are singularly deep
and must have been original features, (fn. 187) though the
south one has been lengthened 10 ft., probably in
the 16th century when the east window was inserted.
The original north wall of the chancel still remains
with its blunt-lancet ungrooved window openings.
The aisles must have been undertaken later in the
century, as they are not in alignment with the
transept piers. (fn. 188) They both end in pointed arches,
that to the north being splayed inwards for some
ritual purpose, while the south one has been rebuilt
when the way to the rood-loft was cut through in the
15th century. The south wall of the nave is lighted
by 14th-century windows with cusped heads, and has
been raised to admit of their insertion. The north
wall is pierced by two windows and a door of the
13th century, the westernmost window having been
converted into a single round-headed light in the
17th century. Over the chancel arch is a wide
splayed lancet window or opening of early 13thcentury detail.
The entrance to the rood-loft still remains, with
its steps on the aisle side. (fn. 189) It has a semicircular
head, from which springs the cross arch of the aisle
with its two rings of voussoirs. The transept and
chancel arches are very massive in appearance, with
pointed heads and triple-splayed orders springing
from slightly curved abaci, forming a continuous
moulding round the piers. The responds to the
latter end in clumsy square bases the whole thickness
of the wall, as if intended for a stop to some feature
since removed.
The chancel, unusually long for its width, is
lighted on the north by the three blunt lancets
already referred to, on the east and south by threelight 16th-century windows. In the south wall is a
priest's door. For some structural reason its east
and south walls have been rebuilt in the 16th century,
and it is probable that at this time the south transept
was lengthened 10 ft. and the porch widened eastward to form the sub-structure of a wooden tower
containing the three bells mentioned in the inventory
of 1553. (fn. 190) The west wall of the nave appears to
be all of one date—c. 1200— and is pierced with
three original windows, a small narrow lancet in
each aisle, a circular window with simple cusped
filling in the centre of the gable. The crown of the
west entrance has been lowered to admit of the
insertion of a large 'churchwarden' window and the
external jambs have been replaced with plain cut
stone.
Plan of All Saints', Newchurch
In the 17th and 18th centuries a certain amount
of 'tinkering' was done by the Dillingtons, then
owners of Knighton. Both transepts appealed to
them as excellent places for family vaults, so in 1688
Sir Robert Dillington obtained a faculty to build a
vault in the north transept. (fn. 191) In 1725 the south
transept received their attention (fn. 192) as a further burialplace for the family, and it is doubtless to the
Dillingtons we owe the churchwarden creations in
the north transept and the west wall and the final
remodelling of the tower.
The oak pulpit with its quaint sounding-board
and canopy, as also the carved 'Pelican' lectern said
to have been brought from Frome, belong to the
Dillington period.
There are memorials in the north transept to the
Dillington family, 1674 to 1749, wall tablets to
Lieut.-General Maurice Bocland, 1765, and William
Thatcher, 1776. Over the south door is a panel
with the royal arms of William III, dated 1700.
The bells are six in number, four of which were
founded in 1810 by Thomas Mears of London (fn. 193) ;
the other two are inscribed 'ANNO 5189 [1589].
ANTHONY BOND MADE ME 1626.'
The ancient communion plate consists of a chalice
8 in. high and 3½ in. in diameter, with the date 1620
pricked on the cover. The alms-dish is inscribed
'The gift of Mrs. Dillington to the Parish of Newchurch anno 1737.' There is also a Sheffield plate
flagon, probably given at the same time, inscribed
'DEO ET ALTARI SACRUM.'
The registers begin—burials 1690; baptisms and
marriages 1692. (fn. 194)
The church of ST. JOHN, WROXALL, consisting
of chancel, nave, south porch, west belfry and one bell,
was erected as a chapel of ease to Newchurch in
1875, and is in the gift of the Bishop of Winchester.
The parish church of ALL SAINTS, RYDE, consisting of a nave, six bays, north and south aisles, north
porch, chancel, north chapel, tower and spire with
eight bells, was erected in 1870 from designs by Sir
Gilbert Scott. It has a fine spire, which formed a later
addition. The registers, taken over from St. Thomas,
the original parish church, date from 1719.
The church of the HOLY TRINITY is also of
the same style, though bearing large evidence of the
cheapening process, and was built in 1845–6. The
ecclesiastical parish was formed in 1846 from Newchurch and Ryde. (fn. 195)
The church of ST. THOMAS, a chapel of ease to
All Saints, built by Thomas Player, and rebuilt by
his grandson George in 1827, contains some monuments to the Player and Brigstocke families.
ST. JAMES' Church, in Lind Street, erected in
1829 as an Episcopal proprietary chapel, can only be
described as debased Gothic.
Swanmore, formed into an ecclesiastical parish from
Newchurch in 1864, (fn. 196) possesses a somewhat striking
church in ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS,
a cruciform building of 13th-century motif, with a
square central tower having three bells, an apsidal
chancel, a nave of four bays, with north and south
aisles and transepts, completed in 1874. The living
is a vicarage in the gift of trustees.
There is a chapel at Ashey served from All Saints.
The first church to be built in Ventnor is that of
ST. CATHERINE, erected in 1837 by Mr. John
Hamborough at his sole expense on a site called
Ventnor Farm Mead, restored 1872 and enlarged
1897. It consists of nave, chancel and steeple tower.
The registers date from 1837, the ecclesiastical parish
having been formed in 1836. (fn. 197) The living is a
vicarage, chiefly endowed by pew rents, in the gift of
the Church Patronage Society.
The church of ST. MARGARET, Lowtherville,
erected in 1882, is a chapel under the vicar of
St. Catherine's.
The ecclesiastical parish of HOLY TRINITY,
Ventnor, was formed in 1862. (fn. 198) The church, consisting of aisled nave of three bays, transepts, chancel
and tower, owes its existence to the three daughters
of Bishop Percy, and was consecrated in 1862, from
which year the registers date.
The church of ST. PETER, Haven Street, consisting of chancel, nave, south porch and bell turret,
with one bell, was built in 1852. The ecclesiastical
parish of St. Peter, Haven Street, was formed from
Arreton and Newchurch in 1853. (fn. 199) The living is a
vicarage, in the gift of the trustees of the Society for
the Maintenance of the Faith.
ADVOWSON
Newchurch was one of the six
churches mentioned in Domesday (fn. 200)
as belonging to the abbey of Lire,
probably by gift of William Fitz Osbern or his son
Roger Earl of Hereford. Lire took the great and
small tithes of the manor of Wroxall and great tithes
of Apse, Holloway and Knighton. (fn. 201) The advowson
remained with the abbey of Lire until 1409, (fn. 202) when
it was given by the Abbot of Lire to the Abbot of
Beaulieu. The Abbot of Beaulieu at the same time
obtained licence to appropriate the rectory, provided
adequate endowment was made for the vicarage and
a sufficient sum of money annually distributed to the
poor. (fn. 203) The advowson remained with the abbey of
Beaulieu until the Dissolution, and was granted by
Henry VIII in 1542 to his newly-founded bishopric
of Bristol. (fn. 204) The advowson remained in the see of
Bristol (fn. 205) until 1852, when by an Order in Council
it was transferred to the see of Winchester. (fn. 206) Under
the Newchurch Parish Act of 1866 the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners were authorized to sell the advowson
of Newchurch and to apply the proceeds to erecting
a church at Ryde. (fn. 207) The Rev. W. Thomas was
apparently the purchaser, as he was patron in 1869. (fn. 208)
The advowson passed in the same year to the Young
family, and they held it until 1876, when it was
apparently purchased by J. C. Dicker. (fn. 209) It remained
in his possession until 1897, (fn. 210) when it was sold to
Thomas Henry Broughton Bamford, the present
patron.
There was a chapel at Knighton, the advowson of
which belonged to the lords of Knighton, (fn. 211) but it
was not mentioned after the beginning of the 15th
century, and was probably disused before the beginning of the 16th century, as no record of it has been
found among the chantry certificates.
There is a Roman Catholic church in Trinity
Road, built by subscription in 1871, and dedicated
to the honour of our Lady and St. Wilfrid, and
another in High Street, Ryde, dedicated to the
Blessed Virgin, built in 1845 by Georgiana Countess
of Clare, with nave, chancel, aisles, baptistery and
four bells.
There are denominational chapels at Langbridge
(Congregational), Haven Street (Wesleyan), and Apse
Heath (Wesleyan). At Ryde: Congregational, George
Street (1871), and smaller churches in Weeks Road
and Marlborough Road, Elmfield; Christ Church,
Baptist (1870), Wesleyan, Garfield Road (1845);
Zion Chapel in William Street, Swanmore (1853);
Evangelical Protestant, Newport Street (1893), United
Methodist, Newport Street (1860); and Primitive
Methodist chapels in High Street and Wells
Street.
The denominational places of worship at Ventnor
are: Congregational Church, High Street, rebuilt
1852, enlarged 1872; Wesleyan Methodist, also in
High Street, built 1860, with a small chapel of
the same denomination at Upper Ventnor;
Baptist in Pier Street, built 1875; Primitive
Methodist in Albert Street; United Methodist
in Victoria Street, built 1881. There is also
a mission hall in St. Catherine Street, and the
Salvation Army use the Albert Hall in Victoria
Street, built in 1887.
CHARITIES
Thomas Davis, as appears from the
parliamentary returns of 1786, gave
a rent-charge of 20s. for the poor,
issuing out of an estate called Wackland.
In 1617 Richard Gard, by his will (among other
charitable gifts), devised for the poor 20s. out of an
estate called Blackpan (now Merry Gardens), and
10s. out of an estate called Princelet.
In 1748 William Bowles, by his will, proved in
the P.C.C., left £100, the interest to be distributed
among ten poor labouring families. The legacy is
now represented by £99 12s. 6d. consols, with the
official trustees, who also hold a sum of £49 16s.
consols, representing a legacy of £50, for the poor,
by will of Mary Dillington, dated 1749. The annual
dividends, amounting together to £3 14s. 4d., are in
accordance with the trusts distributed at Christmas
time.
The charity, formerly known as the School, founded
by will of William Bowles, above referred to, and
Mrs. Elizabeth Bowles, his widow, and by deed of
Maurice Bocland, 1755, is endowed with £274 7s.
consols, with the official trustees, who also hold a sum
of £105 16s. 10d. consols, arising under the will of
the Rev. John Swinton, proved in the P.C.C., 1777.
The annual dividends, amounting together to
£9 9s. 8d., are applied in prizes and awards to
children attending public elementary schools. (fn. 212)