Arreton

Gazetteer of Isle of Wight by William White 1859

ARRETON, a pleasant village on the south side of Arreton Down, 3 and half miles S.E. of Newport, gives name to a large parish, which contains 1902 souls and 8833 acres of land, extending westward to the Medina river, southward to Godshill, and northward to a large village of Wootton Bridge, the greater part of which it includes, as noticed above. Arreton parish also comprises BRIDDLESFORD, from 2 to 3 miles E. by N. of Newport, and the scattered farms and houses of Standen, Bottebridge, Merston, Haseley, Hale, Fernhill, Horringford, as named with their occupants in the subjoined directory. It also includes most of the village of BLACKWATER, which has a post office, and a bridge across the Medina river, two miles S. of Newport and E. of Arreton village. On Arreton Down, several ancient weapons were found in a marl pit, in 1736. Among them were some spearheads and axes, similar to those sculptured on Roman altars. On the summit of the same lofty eminence are two barrows or tumuli. St. George's Down is another lofty range of high land in this parish, rising on the eastern side of the Medina River. Chas. Wykeham Martin, Esq., is lord of the manor of Arreton; but J.B.W. Fleming, Esq., is lord of Haseley manor, and a great part of the parish belongs to the Holmes, Ward, Hawker, Thatcher, Jolliffe, Saunders, Roach, Blake, Urry, and other families. FERN HILL, a neat mansion, with pleasant grounds, near Wootton Bridge, is the seat of Arthur Saunders, Esq., and was built in the latter part of the last century by the late Lord Bolton, when Governor of the Isle of Wight. At one end of its lofty tower, which gives it the appearance of a church, and commands extensive prospects. STANDEN HOUSE is the seat of General Evelegh. Arreton Church (St. George) is an ancient structure of the twelfth century, with a massive tower and four bells. The arches and columns of the nave are slender and graceful, and much of the woodwork of the pews is of considerable antiquity. Here are many mural monuments, and several old brasses. A Stone in the churchyard, erected by subscription in 1822, marks the spot where repose the remains of a very humble individual, the story of whose piety and virtue has attained an almost unexampled circulation, under the title of "The Dairyman's Daughter". With so much interest has the pen of the late Rev. Leigh Richmond invested the subject that the cottage in which Elizabeth Wallbridge resided has become an object of curiosity, and is visited annually by numbers of tourists. The writer of the popular little work was born in Liverpool in 1772, and in early life was curate of the adjacent parishes of Brading and Yaverland. In 1805, he obtained the rectory of Turvey, in Bedfordshire, where he died in 1827. Arreton Vicarage, valued in K.B. at £15. 14s. 9d. and now at £220, is in the patronage of J.B.W. Fleming, Esq., and the incumbency of the Rev. James B. Snow, who has a good residence, built in 1812, and about seven acres of glebe. The tithes are commuted for £1284. 15s. 4d. and the small tithes for £250. 13s. 1d. per annum. The former belong to the patron and other impropriators. The School was built in 1833. The Wesleyans and Bible Christians have several small chapels in various parts of this large parish. In 1688, John Mann, Esq., left a yearly rent-charge of £46, out of his estate at Sheriff's Hutton, in Yorkshire, to be applied in schooling and setting up poor children of Arreton parish. The Earl of Carlisle owns the estate, and after deducting £9. 4s. for land tax, he remits the remainder (£36. 16s.) to the overseers of this parish, who apply it in schooling and apprenticing poor children. The poor parishioners have also a farm of 52 acres, which is now let for £30, and was purchased in 1592, with £100, left by Wm. Serle; and two yearly rent-charges of 10s. each left in 1617 and 1781.

To the north of the dyke or the road to Havenstreet with its junction of Briddlesford Road is the area called North Arreton prior to the revision of boundaries in 1925. This area included Wootton Common, Littletown and all the area of modern Wootton Bridge south of the High Street.

At Wootton Common from 1888 Mrs. Harvey of Shanklin built an iron church, also known as 'St Michael & All Angels'

St Michael & All Angels
Minister	Position	Home
Rev. William Joseph Betts	curate-in-charge	Hillgrove, Common [1888]
Rev. Mills Robbins	curate-in-charge	St Pauls Clergy House, Common [1894]
Rev. Herbert Reg Scott	curate-in-charge	Hillside [1897]