NITON
Niton (Neeton, xi cent.; Neuton, xiii cent.;
Newton Regis, xiv cent.; Nyton, xv cent.; Crip
Niton, xvii cent.; Crab Niton, xix cent.) is a large,
somewhat straggling village of thatched cottages lying
at the foot of the down of the same name, about 5
miles west of Ventnor. There are many good class
houses in the neighbourhood, as Niton became in the
middle of the 19th century a favourite locality for
residence owing to its sheltered position and mild air.
Here fuchsia and myrtle flourish as nowhere else in
the Island. The White Lion Inn is a quaint old
hostelry and the neighbourhood of the Undercliff is
famed for its beauty. The main street runs north
and south, intersected by the road from Whitwell,
which continues towards the church at the western
end of the village. Puckaster Cove in the south of
the parish was the scene of the landing of Charles II
in 1675, (fn. 1) and the lighthouse on St. Catherine's Point
is of world-wide reputation. Begun in 1838 and
completed two years later, it was one of the first lighthouses to be illuminated by electric light, with which
it was fitted in 1888. The height to the top of the
lantern is 86 ft. By the side of it is a steam siren to
warn ships off the dangerous 'Rocken End' in foggy
weather. There is a coastguard station at the point.
The soil is very varied, from the chalk downs to
the lower level of greensand, below which is gault and
heavy clay. The inclosure award for Head Down and
Upper and Lower Common Fields in this parish is
dated 14 May 1859. (fn. 2) In 1608 there were commons
in the parish of Niton called Brokenberry Gore
Common, Chalden Common, Heathdown, Greenleyd
and Ereborrough. (fn. 3)
The parish includes 1,334 acres, the extent of
arable, grass and woodland being 407¼ acres, 784½
acres and 23 acres respectively. (fn. 4)
MANORS
The manor of NITON was held by
the king at the time of Domesday,
having formerly been held of King
Edward by two freemen. (fn. 5) The overlordship was
evidently granted with the lordship of the Island, for
the three manors into which Niton afterwards became
divided were all held of the honour of Carisbrooke. (fn. 6)
A holding which appears to have been the capital
manor of Niton was held under the lords of Carisbrooke in the 13th century by Robert de Pavilly. (fn. 7) It
was probably this estate which, as a messuage and a
carucate of land in Niton, was granted in 1279–80 by
William de Braddene and his wife Joan to Isabel
Countess of Albemarle, for John de Pavilly put in a
claim to the estate, (fn. 8) and at the time of the Testa de
Nevill Robert de Pavilly's estate was held by the
countess in demesne. (fn. 9) Niton passed with the rest of
the possessions of the countess to the king, (fn. 10) and from
that time was frequently called 'Newton Regis.' It
followed the same descent as the honour of Carisbrooke from this time (fn. 11) until the death of the last
lord, Sir Reginald Bray. The manor then reverted
to the Crown and the capital messuage or farm was
leased from time to time. (fn. 12) It remained a Crown
possession until the time of Charles I, (fn. 13) when it with
many others formed part of the security for a loan by
the City of London to the king. (fn. 14) In May 1632 it
was conveyed by the City trustees for the sum of
£720 to Sir Thomas Cotele, a rent of £18 4s. 4d.
being reserved. (fn. 15) Sir Thomas was succeeded by a
daughter Mary, wife of Sir Richard Edgcumbe, (fn. 16) and
the manor passed from her to her great-grandson
Richard, who was created Lord Edgcumbe of Mount
Edgcumbe in 1742. (fn. 17) George son of this Richard
was in possession of the manor in 1771 (fn. 18) and sold it
in 1787 to James, John and Joseph Kirkpatrick, (fn. 19)
whose representative, Mr. Richard T. G. Kirkpatrick,
still holds land in the parish. The manor came by
marriage to Sir Henry Daly, whose executors sold to
the late Charles Allen. His son Mr. Charles Allen
now holds it.
BEAUCHAMP
BEAUCHAMP (Bewchamp, xvi cent.), which in
1669 contained 233 acres, is a farm-holding forming
part of the manor of Niton, and represents the quarter
fee held at the end of the 13th century by William
son of Walter de Lisle. (fn. 20) This estate had passed
into the king's hands before 1299–1300, (fn. 21) whether
through William's forfeiture or on account of failure
of heirs does not appear. From a lawsuit of 1414–15
it appears that the estate was given by John de
Kingsbury to Hugh de Beauchamp and his wife
Aundrina, and Hugh was in possession in 1316. (fn. 22) In
1346 this quarter fee was held by Idonea Beauchamp,
who was probably the widow of John son of Hugh de
Beauchamp. (fn. 23) William Beauchamp, son and successor
of John, sued Robert Smith and six others for this
estate in 1414–15, and died seised of it in 1419,
leaving a granddaughter Joan, daughter of his son
John. (fn. 24) She was probably the Joan Malday who was
holding in Chale in 1431, (fn. 25) but John Beauchamp of
Devon was holding Beauchamps Court at that date. (fn. 26)
The manor then passed with Chale to the Buller
family. (fn. 27) John Buller sold Chale in 1556, and he
may have parted with Beauchamps Court at about the
same time, for John Meux of Kingston died seised of
the 'manor of Bewchamp' in 1568. (fn. 28) It then
passed with Kingston (fn. 29) to Sir Edward Worsley of
Gatcombe, on whose death in 1762 (fn. 30) the manors of
Beauchamp and Caines Court, then held together, were
divided and sold to different purchasers. (fn. 31) The former
belonged in 1859 to George Kirkpatrick, (fn. 32) and is now
the property of Rev. G. A. Willis.
CAINES COURT
CAINES COURT (Keyneys Court, Caynes Court,
xvi, xvii cent.) took its name from a family of Caines
who held a messuage and 40 acres of land in the
manor of Niton in the beginning of the 14th century. (fn. 33)
Baldric de Noneton or de Nonyngton (co. Somers.)
held a quarter of a fee in Niton at the end of the
13th century. (fn. 34) He died about 1309–10, but before
his death he had given all his lands in the Isle of
Wight to Robert de Pidele, who had married his
daughter Margery. (fn. 35) Robert was in possession in
1316, (fn. 36) but the manor had passed before 1328 to
John Caines. He died seised of it in that year, and
was said to hold it only for life with reversion to
Richard de Stapeldon, (fn. 37) but it passed to John's descendants the Caines, (fn. 38) and followed the same descent
as Tangley in Pastrow Hundred (q.v.) to the Spekes. (fn. 39)
The last member of the family who owned Caines
Court seems to have been John Speke, who died in
1508. (fn. 40) It was afterwards apparently sold to John
Meux, who died seised of it in 1568. (fn. 41) It then
followed the descent of Beauchamps Court, with
which it appears to have become partly merged, as
in 1630 it is called 'the manor of Kaynescourt alias
Bewchamp.' (fn. 42) Buddle and Kingates formed in 1669
part of Caines Court, which then included some 280
acres. Caines Court after its sale in 1762 (see
Beauchamps Court) became attached to the manor of
Niton and was sold with that manor by the executors of Sir Henry Daly to Mr. Charles Allen, of
whom it was purchased by the Rev. G. A. Willis,
who sold it to the present owner, Mr. Attrill.
In an inspeximus of 1313 a charter is mentioned
whereby William de Redvers confirmed gifts made by
Baldwin his father and Richard his brother to the
canons of Christchurch Twyneham of land at Preston
and Niton, (fn. 43) but this land is not mentioned in any
other grants and the canons do not appear to have
held any land at Niton at the Dissolution.
Two mills in the capital manor of Niton are
mentioned in 1299–1300, and at the same date a
water mill called Memelne belonged to the manor of
Beauchamps Court. (fn. 44)
CHURCH
The church of ST. JOHN BAPTIST
stands at the west end of the village
under the down and comprises a nave,
chancel and north and south aisles, with a western
tower surmounted by a stone spire. The oldest part,
the nave, may have been part of the original 11th-century structure, but this is difficult to determine, as
at the end of the 12th century a north aisle was
added and early in the 13th a south aisle, thus
obliterating any earlier features. A chancel was
erected at the time, or soon after, the south aisle was
built and was remodelled in the 14th century (fn. 45) and
a porch added to the south door of the church. (fn. 46)
In the 15th century the south aisle was evidently
widened and extended eastward to the line of the
chancel east wall, and a four-centred arch was inserted
in the chancel south wall. To resist the thrust of the
chancel arch, when the east wall of the south aisle
was removed, a buttress was built against the south
side of the pier. (fn. 47)
The north aisle about this time seems to have
fallen to decay and been taken down, the material
being used to fill in the arcade, and two-light windows (fn. 48)
inserted in each bay. Towards the close of the
century the tower was built, and in the 16th century
new square-headed windows were inserted in the
south aisle wall. The spire was added to the tower
probably at the beginning of the 17th century. In
the south wall of the chancel there is the usual 15th-century opening to the rood-loft and in the eastern-most pier of the north aisle a piscina is inserted,
pointing to the former existence of an altar here. In
the churchyard stands the base of a churchyard cross, (fn. 49)
on which has been placed a modern one of Celtic
motif. In 1864 a general restoration took place. The
old north aisle was rebuilt, the 15th–16th-century
gun-house removed, another bay added to the north
arcade by piercing the solid wall west of the second
bay, and the 15th-century buttress south of the
chancel arch done away with.
The church plate, consisting of two chalices, a
paten, two dishes and a baptismal shell, is of the 19th
century.
The registers are in nine volumes; baptisms and
burials begin 1559, marriages 1561.
In the vestry there is a panel of the royal arms of
George III, dated 1803.
ADVOWSON
The church was one
of those granted to the
convent of Lire by
William Fitz Osbern, (fn. 50) and remained
with that body until Carisbrooke Priory,
the cell of the abbey of Lire in the Isle
of Wight, was suppressed by Henry V. (fn. 51)
The church of Niton was given with the
other possessions of Carisbrooke Priory
to the Charterhouse at Sheen. (fn. 52) It probably remained with this house till its
dissolution in 1539, though it is not
mentioned in the valuation taken in
1536, and thus passed to the Crown.
It remained with the Crown until
Charles I gave it in 1626, at the solicitation of Queen Henrietta Maria, to
Queen's College, Oxford, (fn. 53) in whose gift
it still is.
The parishioners of Niton claimed the
church house of Niton in 1608 under an
indenture dated 14 March 1605. (fn. 54)
There are denominational chapels for
Baptists (1847) and Wesleyans (1864).
CHARITIES
The educational charities of Robert
Weeckes, will 1784, Mr. — Pittis,
and Robert Slayner Holford, deed
1855, are regulated by scheme, 24 July 1900. The
official trustees hold the sums of £179 16s. 7d.
consols, £119 17s. 9d. consols, and a moiety of
£61 13s. 9d. consols, in respect of each of the donors
respectively. The annual dividends, amounting together to £8 14s. 8d., are applied for educational
purposes. (fn. 55)
In 1858 the Rev. Richard Dixon by his will,
proved at London 28 July, left £100, the interest to
be distributed in bread at Christmas to poor members
of the church. The legacy was invested in
£108 16s. 11d. consols with the official trustees,
who also hold a sum of £44 12s. 9d. consols, representing a legacy of £20 and one-third of residuary
estate, left for the poor at Christmas by will of
Henry Creswell Priddle, proved at London 7 January
1887.
The official trustees further hold a sum of
£59 3s. 11d. consols in respect of a gift of Mrs. Jane
Barwis for bread for cottagers, and the sum of
£61 13s. 9d. consols, above referred to as the
charity of Robert Slayner Holford, a moiety of
which is applicable in food or clothing for the
poor.
Plan of Niton Church