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WIGHT, ISLE OF

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 627 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WIGHT, ISLE OF , an See also:island off the See also:south See also:coast of See also:England, forming See also:part of See also:Hampshire, separated from the mainland by the See also:Solent and Spithead. It is of See also:diamond shape, measuring 222 M. from E. to W. and 134 from N. to S. (extremes). The See also:area is 147 sq. m. The south coast is for the most part cliff-See also:bound and See also:grand, and there is much quietly beautiful scenery both inland and along the See also:northern shores. Although See also:east winds are at times prevalent in See also:winter and See also:spring, and summer heats may be excessive, the See also:climate, especially in certain favoured spots, is mild and healthy. As a result numerous watering-places have grown up on the coasts. A range of high See also:chalk See also:downs crosses the island from east to See also:west, terminating seaward in the Culver cliffs and the cliffs near See also:Freshwater respectively. It is breached eastward by the Yar stream flowing N.E., in the centre by the See also:Medina, the See also:principal stream in the island, flowing N., and by another Yar, flowing N., in the extreme west. These downs reach a height over 700 ft. west of the Medina, but east of it do not greatly exceed 400 ft. The slope northward is See also:gradual. The See also:north-west and north-east coasts, overlooking the Solent and Spithead respectively, rise sharply, but hardly ever assume the cliff See also:form; they are beautifully wooded, and broken by many picturesque estuaries, such as those of the western Yar and See also:Newtown on the north-west, the Medina opening northward opposite See also:Southampton See also:Water, and Wootton See also:Creek and the mouth of the eastern Yar on the north-east.

The streams mentioned rise very near the south coast; the western Yar, indeed, so See also:

close to it that the high See also:land west of the stream is nearly insulated. A second range of downs in the extreme south, between St See also:Catherine's Point and Dunnose, reaches the greatest See also:elevation in the island, exceeding Boo It. in St Catherine's See also:Hill. Below these heights on the seaward See also:side occurs the remarkable See also:tract known as the Undercliff, a See also:kind of See also:terrace formed by the collapse of rocks overlying soft strata (See also:sand and See also:clay) which have been undermined. The upper cliffs shelter this terrace from the north winds; the climate is remarkably mild, and many delicate See also:plants flourish luxuriantly. This part of the island especially affords a winter resort for sufferers from pulmonary complaints. Along the south coast the See also:action of small streams on the soft rocks has hollowed out steep gullies or ravines, known as chines. Many of these, though small, are of See also:great beauty; the most famous are See also:Shanklin and Blackgang chines. The western See also:peninsula shows perhaps the finest development of See also:sea-cliffs. Off the westernmost promontory rise three detached masses of chalk, about See also:loo ft. in height, known as the Needles, exposed to the full strength of the south-See also:westerly See also:gales See also:driving up the Channel. During a See also:storm in 1764 a See also:fourth See also:spire was undermined and See also:fell. See also:Geology.—The geology of the island possesses many features of See also:interest. Its form has been determined by the, See also:simple monoclinal See also:fold which has thrown up the Chalk with a high northward See also:dip, so that it now exists as a narrow See also:ridge See also:running from the Needles east-See also:ward to Culver Cliffs.

Owing to a kink in the fold the ridge expands somewhat south of See also:

Carisbrooke. On the north side of the ridge the Chalk dips beneath the See also:Tertiaries of the Hampshire See also:Basin. Immediately north of the Chalk the See also:Lower See also:Eocene, See also:Reading beds and See also:London Clay form a narrow parallel See also:strip, followed by a similar strip of Upper Eocene, Bracklesham and Bagshot beds. The remaining northern portion of the island is occupied by fluvio-marine Oligocene strata, including the Headon, See also:Osborne, Bembridge and Hamstead beds. The various See also:Tertiary formations are exhibited along the north coast, and may also be studied to great See also:advantage in See also:White Cliff and See also:Alum Bays. In Alum See also:Bay the See also:vertical disposition of the strata is well shown, and the highly-coloured Bagshot sands and See also:clays form a conspicuous feature. From the excellent coast sections many fossils may be obtained. South of the Chalk ridge that See also:rock has been completely removed by denudation so as to expose the underlying Upper See also:Greensand, which has slipped in many places over the underlying See also:Gault (locally called " See also:blue slipper "), forming picturesque landslips. The Lower Greensand formation may best he studied in the cliff See also:section from Atherfield Point to Rocken End, and in the chines of Shanklin and Blackgang. Beneath the Greensand the See also:Wealden is exposed in the section from See also:Brook to Atherfield, and also, to a much less extent, in See also:Sandown Bay. The Wealden strata have yielded abundant fossil remains of See also:extinct See also:reptiles (See also:Iguanodon), especially in the neighbourhood of Brook and Cowleaze Chines; and at Brook Point an extensive fossil See also:forest exists, being the remains of a great raft of See also:timber floated down and deposited in estuarine mud at the mouth of a great See also:river. At Brook also the characteristic Wealden mollusk, Unto valdensis, occurs abundantly.

Towns, &c.--See also:

Newport at the See also:head of the Medina See also:estuary is the See also:chief See also:town; See also:Cowes at the mouth the chief See also:port. The principal resorts of visitors are Cowes (the headquarters of the Royal Yacht See also:Squadron) ; See also:Ryde on the north-east coast; Sandown, Shanklin and See also:Ventnor on the south-east; Freshwater See also:Gate on the south-west, and See also:Yarmouth on the Solent. Others are Totland Bay near the mouth of the Solent, See also:Gurnard near Cowes, and Seaview and Bembridge south of Ryde. The principal lines of communication with the mainland are between Cowes and Southampton, Ryde and See also:Portsmouth, and Yarmouth and See also:Lymington. Newport is the chief railway centre, lines running N. to Cowes, W. to Yarmouth and Freshwater, S. to Ventnor, with a See also:branch to Sandown, and E. to Ryde. A See also:direct See also:line connects Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor, and has a branch to St See also:Helen's and Bembridge. There are few See also:industries in the island. The land is chiefly agricultural, a large proportion being devoted to See also:sheep-grazing. Fishing is carried on to a considerable extent on the south coast—lobsters, crabs and prawns being plentiful. See also:Oyster cultivation has been attempted in the Medina, in Brading See also:Harbour and in the Newtown river. At Cowes See also:shipbuilding is carried on, and timber is grown for the See also:British See also:navy in a part of the See also:ancient forest of Parkhurst, between the Medina and the Solent. The See also:general See also:trade of the island centres at Newport, but in the coast towns the chief occupation of the inhabitants consists in providing for visitors.

The island shares in the defences of the Solent, Spithead and Portsmouth; there are batteries at Puckpool near Ryde, and on the eastern See also:

foreland, and along the west coast between the Needles and Yarmouth. Strong associations connect the Isle of Wight with the British royal See also:family. Osborne See also:House, near Cowes, was a See also:residence and the See also:scene of the See also:death of See also:Queen See also:Victoria, and was presented to the nation by See also:King See also:Edward in 1902 (see COWES). Princess See also:Beatrice succeeded her See also:husband See also:Prince See also:Henry of See also:Battenberg as honorary See also:governor of the island in 1896. The island is divided into two liberties, East and West Medina, excluding the boroughs of Newport and Ryde; and it forms one See also:petty and See also:special sessional See also:division of the See also:county. The See also:urban districts are Cowes, East Cowes, St Helen's, Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor. Until 1885 there was one member of See also:parliament for the island and one for the See also:borough of Newport; now, however, there is only one member for the whole island. Episcopally the island has for many centuries belonged to the see of See also:Winchester. Pop. (1891) 78,672; (1901) 82,418. See also:History.—Among the most interesting See also:relics of the See also:Roman occupation of the Isle of Wight following its See also:conquest by Yespasian in A.D. 43 are the villas at Brading and Carisbrooke, the See also:cemetery at Newport, and remains of See also:foundations at Combly See also:Farm, Gurnet, and between See also:Brixton and Calbourne.

Of the See also:

settlement of the island by the See also:Jutes no See also:authentic details are preserved, but in 661 it was annexed by See also:Wulfhere to Wessex and subsequently bestowed on his See also:vassal, the king of See also:Sussex. In 998 it was the headquarters of the Danes, who levied their supplies from the opposite coasts of Hampshire and Sussex. From the 14th to the 16th See also:century the island was continuously under fear of invasion by the See also:French, who in 1377 burnt Yarmouth and Francheville (the latter being subsequently rebuiltand known as Newtown), and so devastated Newport that it See also:lay uninhabited for two years. In 1419, on a French force landing in the island and demanding See also:tribute in the name of King See also:Richard and Queen See also:Isabella, the islanders replied that the king was dead and the queen sent See also:home to her parents without any such See also:condition of tribute, " but if the Frenchmen's minde were to fight, they willed them to come up, and no See also:man should let them for the space of five See also:hours, to refresh themselves, but when that See also:time was expired they should have battayle given to them "; a proposition prudently declined by the Frenchmen, who returned to their See also:ships and sailed home again. A more formidable See also:raid was attempted in 1545 when a French See also:fleet of 150 large ships, 25 galleys, and 50 smaller vessels See also:drew up off Brading Harbour, and in spite of the brave See also:defence of the islanders wrought much serious destruction. See also:Wolverton near Brading having lain a ruined site ever since. As a result of this, the last French invasion, an organized See also:system of defence was planned for the island, and forts were constructed at Cowes, Sandown, Freshwater and Yarmouth. During the See also:Civil See also:War of the 17th century the island was almost unanimous in support of the parliament, and Carisbrooke See also:Castle was the See also:prison of See also:Charles I. from 1647 to 1648, and in 165o of his two See also:children, the princess See also:Elizabeth and the See also:duke of See also:Gloucester, the former dying there from the effects of a chill after only a few See also:weeks of captivity. The lordship of the island was granted by See also:William the Conqueror to William Fitz-Osbern, but escheated to the See also:crown by the See also:treason of See also:Roger, son of William, and was bestowed by Henry I. on See also:Baldwin de Redvers, whose descendant Isabella de Fortibus sold it to Edward I. in 1293 for 6000 marks. Hence-forth the island was governed by wardens appointed by the crown, who in the reign of Henry VII. were styled captains, a See also:title revived in 1889 in the See also:person of Prince Henry of Battenberg. The ancient See also:place of See also:assembly for the freemen of the island was at Shide See also:Bridge near Newport, and at Newport also was held the Knighten See also:Court, in which cases of small See also:debt and trespasses were judged by those who held a See also:knight's See also:fee or part of a knight's fee of Carisbrooke Castle. The feudal tenants held their lands for the service of escorting their lords into and out of the island, and of serving See also:forty days at their own cost in defence of Carisbrooke Castle.

In the Domesday Survey twenty-nine See also:

mills are mentioned, and See also:salt-See also:works at Boarhunt, Bowcombe, Watching-well and See also:Whitfield. The island quarries have been worked from remote times, that of Quarr supplying material for Winchester See also:cathedral. Alum was collected at Parkhurst Forest in 1579. Alum and sand for See also:glass-making were formerly obtained at Alum Bay. In 1295 the See also:united boroughs of Yarmouth and Newport made an isolated return of two members to parliament. From 1584 the boroughs of Lymington, Newport, Newtown ,and Yarmouth returned two members each, until under the See also:act of 1832 the two last were disfranchised. By the act of 1868 Lymington and Newport lost one member each, and by the act of 1885 were disfranchised. Antiquities.—See also:Early antiquities include British See also:pit villages near. Rowborough, See also:Celtic tumuli on several of the chalk downs, and the so-called See also:Long See also:Stone at Mottiston, a lofty See also:sandstone monolith. The Roman See also:villa near Brading contains some beautiful and well-preserved examples of tesselated pavements. Carisbrooke Castle is a beautiful ruin built upon the site of an ancient British stronghold. There are slight remains of Quarr See also:Abbey near Ryde, founded for See also:Benedictines (afterwards See also:Cistercians) by Baldwin de Redvers in the first See also:half of the 12th century.

The most noteworthy ancient churches are those of Bonchurch (See also:

Norman), Brading (transitional Norman and Early See also:English), Shalfleet (Norman and Decorated), and Carisbrooke, of various styles. See Victoria County History, Hampshire; See also:Sir R. See also:Worsley, The History of the Isle of Wight (London, 1781) ; Richard See also:Warner, The History of the Isle of Wight (Southampton, 1795) ; B. B. See also:Woodward, History of Hampshire, including the Isle of Wight (3 vols., London, 1861–1869) ; See also:Percy Stone, Architectural History of the Isle of Wight (London, 1891).

End of Article: WIGHT, ISLE OF

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