Arreton

Parish of Arreton

Some interesting details from the parish register and other sources collected by an unknown author, the information is unfortunately not referenced nor dated, but considered well worth preserving for viewing and research.

Manor/Estates

Manor of Arreton

In 1050 the manor was held by King Edward the Confessor followed by William Fitz Osborne, Lord of the Island in 1067, then William’s son Roger, Earl of Hereford until 1075 as a result of acts of treason by the earl the manor reverted back to the king. After the Norman Conquest around 1100 A.D. the manor was granted to Richard de Redvers who gave to the Abbey of Quarr. It remained under the control of the abbey until early in the 16th century when the suppression of the monasteries took place and the estate reverted back to the crown. Charles I. in order to pay his debits he sold the manor to the City of London, who to recover their money then sold it again. A document held in the public records office dated 1609 shows that the manor was leased with Staplers to Peter van Loer, a jeweller of London who was knighted by the King on the 5th November 1621 and died in 1627.
The manor was then sold to Sir Thomas Bennet in 1627, sold again by his grandson Sir Levinus Bennet in 1667 to Cheyney & Alexander Culpeper, next to the Martin family, and in 1668 to Catherine wife of Lord Fairfax in whose family it remained until 1793. At a date not found manor was in the possession of Denny Martin, record show that in 1918 Wykeham Martin sold the estate to H. Cawley Way who again sold in 1936 to C.B. Yates. In 1958 it was sold to Chevalier Slade, a descendant of the old Saxon family of Slade, who held lands in Somerset and Devon in the 10th to the 18th century most by Knights fee.

Horringford Manor

Was the home of the Fleming family for around 200 years; Sir John de Fleming was there in 1268, followed by John le Fleming in 1297. Records show John le Fleming there in 1313 when he was Commissioner of the Island, and lastly Hugh le Fleming in 1338. Sir John Trenchard lived there in 1495 and in 1560 Henry Trenchard granted the manor to James Collyer.

Note: - It is reported that William Cromwell died there in 1720

East Standen Manor

Held by Sir Thomas de Evercy in 1282, and it is recorded that his son Peter de Evercy was holding it in 1306, Peter’s daughter and heiress Amy de Evercy married Sir John de Glamorgan, Lord of Brooke.
In 1503 Princess Cecily Plantagenet who was the daughter of King Edward IV and her second husband Sir Thomas Kyme were living there. Princess Cecily died on the 24th August 1507 and was buried at Quarr.

Budbridge Manor

Was held in 1326 by Henry de Budbridge; in 1331 it records a Robert de Budbridge [one assumes his son?] in residence. In 1481, the manor was settled on Elizabeth Bramshott, a widow, for life, with the remainder in tail to William Bramshott [son] and her daughter Agnes Hawles. In 1510 George Bramshott sold the manor to Thomas Cooke.

Pagham Manor

Held by John de Pagham who died in 1335, leaving a daughter Mary de Pagham. In 1342, Nicholas de la Flode was Lord of the Manor. Records show a Robert Cole in residence in 1871. At the time of these notes being drafted A.E. Brown were owners.

Combley Manor

Leased by the Abbot of Quarr to Richard Wyght in 1491 for seven years. On suppression of the monastery sold to Thomas Wryothesley in 1538 [see article below]

Manor of Combley

14th May 1538 of bargain and sale by Thomas Wryothesley to John Myll of Southampton, whereas the king by letters patent dated Westminster 23rd February 1536, granted to Thomas Wryothesley the Manor of Combley in the Isle of Wight, late of the suppressed monastery of Quarr with all presentation etc. of churches, chapels, chantries, vicarages, and all messuages, buildings, tofts, tenement, mills, culverhouses, lands etc. belonging in Arreton, Newchurch, Godshill, St Boniface, Brading, Whippingham, Carisbrooke, Shalfleet, Freshwater, Kingston and Newport, all tithes growing upon the premises, all tithes of cheese, hay, peas, oats, beans, hemp and other fruits, with Luccombe, Haseley, Combley, Arreton and Rowborough, leet and view of frankpledge within the manor, free warren, waifs and strays, felons, fugitives, goods deadans and treasure trove; and whereas the King by other letters patent dated at Westminster on the 6th November 1537 granted to him, among other things, the wood and grove called Sholfleet wood in the same Isle; now Thomas bargains and sells to John Myll as well the premises as the letter patent of 23rd February and all other evidences concerning them, which he covenants to deliver before the nativity of St John the Baptist [24 June] following; to hold for ever. covenents by Thomas Wryothesley to make to John Myll a good estate in fee simple of the premises before the feast, and further assurance within two years upon request, and that at the making of such estate the premises shall be discharged of all encumbrance leases whereof the customary rent is reserved only excepted. For the bargain and sale etc. John Myll paid Thomas Wryothesley £620.00 in hand, with acquittance and discharge. The manor was then leased to the princely family of Colnet [see Briddlesford], they continued with the lease when the Fleming family bought Combley. The next record is of the Rogers family leasing Combley in 1687, then the Jolliffe family until 1750. The next known family is George Watson with his wife and five children and six servants in 1841, 1871 sees William and John Lock, later it became the home of J.V.Wills Fleming.

Rectory and Church of Arreton

After the dissolution the church remained in the hands of the crown until 1549 when it and the advowson, donation, free disposal, and right of patronage of the Vicarical parish Church of Arreton was granted to George Myll a Southampton merchant, for money consideration. In 1610 it was sold by George’s nephew and heir Sir Richard Myll to Sir Thomas Fleming.

Duxmoor Farm was leased by the Myll family to Ackland family until 1570, then to the Mellish family until they moved to Heasley in 1609.

Prince Elizabeth Lisle of Briddlesford

[Daughter of Prince William Colnett of Combley], in her will dated 1631, and proved at Winchester in 1641, requested that she be buried next to her husband in Arreton Church. The inventory of her estate is valuable because it provides a full list and valuation of both the farm stock live and dead, and all household equipment, the Will also gives a picture of what the manor was like at that time. It shows us a small group of people, living and working together who with the Lisle family constituted a small community who were largely self-supporting. The men worked in the fields, the women in the kitchen, bake house, dairy and brew house, assisting in the fields at harvest time. It would appear that their food consisted of meat, cheese, milk, bread and other cereals. Her daughter Mary, married Bamfield Chaffin of Chetle, Dorset, and they settled in Arreton; Bamfield is listed in the Hearth Tax of 1646. It is possible that they lived at Briddlesford prior to Elizabeth’s death and continued to live there afterward. Elizabeth other daughter Frances, married William Muschamps of Rowbarnes in Surrey. In the Visitation of Surrey 1623, William & Frances are listed as having four children, Agmondisham son, [heir] aged 4 years, William, John and daughter Frances.

Stile House

Next to Arreton Church and Hale Manor belonged to John Oglander who was Mayor of Newport in 1652; he was the son of George Oglander of Ryde House, Ryde and a descendent of Oliver Oglander of Nunwell. His son George, lived at Hale, died, and was buried at Arreton Church in 1717, his son also called George lived at Hale and died in 1760. The estates were then divided between his nieces and nephews, James John and Elizabeth Smith of Bathingbourne and Prince James Colnett of Wydcombe.

Wills

William Serle of Stone

Will dated 1595, proven P.C.C. 1596; - To my brother in law John Erlisman of Calbourne, my cousin John Serle of Cosham, my brother George Serle and his sons Richard & John, Grace Potnall, Jane Legg, Joane Serle his daughters & the maid £10.00 each. My brother John Serle, his son Nicholas and daughters Elizabeth Horden, Alice Urry, Jane Blondell & Margaret Hawle £10.00 each. My sister Anne Newenham and her sons William & Nicholas £10.00 each, my cousin William Serle of Birchmore, £5.

Andrew Ripley of Woodhouse, Arreton

Will dated 24th June 1607, proved at Winchester 1619; - To my wife Alice, my daughter Joane Dore and my grandson Edward Dore 20 nobles and to Thomas Dore £3.00.

William Read of Arreton

Will dated 15th June 1623; - To my wife Alice, sons Thomas [at the age of 21 years] and Phillip £100.00 each, my sons John, Richard and my daughter Alice £80.00, my brother Phillip £5.00, my brothers John & George £1.00 each, my brother in law John Lidger £2.00. To my daughter Frances and her two children £10.00 each and too my loving friend William Cook £5.00. To the poor of Arreton & Newchurch 20/- each. I ordain my cousin Richard Champion and William Cook of Duxmoor, my trusty and loving friends to be my executors.

Edward Keddon of Redway, Arreton

Will dated 27th May 1629; - My house of Redway to my brother Ralph.

William Haward of Merston, Arreton

Will dated 10th September 1640, proved Winchester 1641, His property; - Stone House, Merstone; Rowlands, Chillingwood; Church House, Arreton and Greenlane, Newchurch. To my sons William, Thomas, David & my daughter Susan, overseers of my will David Wavell of Stanham & Ralph Keddon of Stone.

Richard Mackett of Arreton

Will dated 1645; - To my eldest daughter Elizabeth Pays, wife of Richard of Newchurch £10.00, to my daughter Jane the sum of £6.00. To the three children of Elizabeth, Richard, Ellnar & Elizabeth pay 20/- each. To my daughter Rebecca wife of John Greenwood 40/- and her children 20/- each. To my sons William [eldest], John & Thomas £50.00 each. Note: - Mackett’s farm is still in the Parish of Arreton, but is now quite small. In the inventory of all the goods of Richard [senior] it mentions the following, his wearing apparel worth £10.00, In ye parlour, in ye hall, in ye grim chamber, in ye cock loft, in ye dairy, the meale house, the brew house, the pantry, the kitchen, the cart house and the horse stable.

William Cromwell of Shanklin

Will dated 14th August 1720, and proved at Winchester the same year; - Give and bequest Horringford Farm in the Parish of Arreton to my beloved wife Martha Cromwell and after her decease, to go to Henry Roberts the younger of Apse, Newchurch, gent, and his heirs and assign for ever.
To Caleb Crew, son of James Crew of Smithbank, Isle of Wight, the sum of £300.00. To Barnabas & William Crew, the sons of James, £200.00 each. To my nieces Hester Crew and Jane, wife of John Bull [both daughters of James Crew] £100.00 pounds each. To my brother in law William Blow of Widcombe and his wife Anne, to Frances the wife of James Lock of Newchurch, to Frances wife of James Cooker of Aldermore, twenty shillings each. I request Mr. Henry Roberts the elder of Apse, Mr John Urry of Arreton and Mr. William Ruffen of Birchmore to oversee my will. Note:- This is only an extract of the original.

Edward Wight of Little Budbridge

Will dated 28th July 1767; - To my only son John all my messuages lands and tenements in Arreton, Carisbrooke & Newchurch, to my wife Sarah, an annuity of £15.00 per year. To my daughter Mary Wright the sum of £100.00, to John base born son on of Ann Edwards and lately wife of James Wise of Newport the sum of £10.00. To Elizabeth the wife of William Fareley of Dodnor, Carisbrooke £50.00.

William Burden of Arreton

Yeoman, will dated 20th September 1775, proved at Winchester 1776; - to my wife Mary, two shillings and six pence per week and the usage of my goods and to live in my house with my grandson William Burden [junior] till he is age, if she lives so long. If she dies before my grandson is of twenty-one years of age, I desire Mr. William Tharle to take care of him in trust and if my son dies without issue, I give to my sister Sara Bret all my money. Be it remembered that the houses and land be not mortgaged nor sold and come to my grandson all free when he comes to twenty one years of age. Nor none of the money is to be embezzled away all come free and clear to him when he attains the age of twenty on years.

Henry Roach of Arreton Manor

Will dated 7th August 1812; - To his son John, the farm at Arreton, and his other son Henry his house at Redway, where the family continued lived until the end of the century.

Events

11th July 1488. Recovery, John Styll and Thomas Hawles by William Mordaunt, their attorney verses Elizabeth Bramshott widow, the Manor of Wode and North Hale, half the manor of Pagham with lands in Arreton, Brading, St Helens & Newport.
28th November 1548. Recovery, William Curle by William Harvye his attorney verses John Hawles and his wife Margaret. The Manor of Northehale and lands in Brading, Arreton, Newchurch, St Helens, Carisbrooke & Newport.
28th November 1591. Recovery, Edward Richards & George Shambler [gents] verses Martin Curle [gent], the Manor of Hale and lands in Hale and Arreton.
9th May 1608. Recovery, John Smith and John Mose verses William Shambler, the manor of Hale and land in Hale and Arreton.
24th March 1651, Quitclaim, Dorothy Jones of Arreton, spinster, one of the daughters of William Jones late of Arreton [deceased]. To John Oglander [gent] of Newport, her estate in or title to a piece of meadow called Roundmead totalling 2.5 acres, lying near Horringford Mill in Arreton.

Miscellaneous Notes

Mathew Norris, who was killed in a man pit, buried 18th June 1715.
Henry Low who died at Weeks farm was buried 1st December 1717.
William Cromwell of Horringford* was buried in the churchyard on the 20th August 1720, his red brick tomb is by the porch, he was a grandson of Oliver Cromwell the Protector of England.
Elizabeth Stone widow, buried aged about 100 years 2nd May 1728.
Rev Mr. Griffin Buried 26th December 1732.
Martha Cromwell widow of Horringford*? buried 22nd February 1743.
James Colnett buried 16th November 1749, was the grandson of the Rev. Prince John Colnett and lived in Havenstreet.
Ann, wife of John Jolliffe of Haesley Manor was buried 12thNovember 1750.
Mary, wife of Jeremiah Jolliffe of Combley Manor was buried 1st July 1753. [See Manor of Combley]
Jane Bussell, buried 30th November 1781 aged 93 years.
All the way through the register the following family names re-occur; - Adams, Blake, Bull, Calaway, Denham, Fry, Gatrell, Harvey, Hill, Jackman, Jacobs, Richards, Salter, Sheath, Squibb, Stallard, Saunders, Toogood, Warne & Waterman one must assume these are local village names.

On the downs at Arreton are two large barrow, in which, when opened in 1815, were discovered some pieces of Roman armour, spear head, combs and a considerable number of bronze Celts, also items in a piece of marshy ground north west of the church. As early as 1735 there were accounts of discovery of socketed daggers dated B.C.650, the area has now been flattened.

Michael Morey was an interesting person; he was the son of John Morey and Alice Redstone who were married at Arreton on the 19th November 1667. Michael was baptised in the old font at Arreton, on the 24th April 1672. He married and had four children who were also baptised at Arreton, the first Mary on the 16th November 1696, Joane on the 23rd April 1701, Richard on the 22nd July 1703 and finally Thomas on the 29th March 1706. One of his daughters married a person called Dore and they had a son called James, who lived with Michael in Burnt House Lane [road to Newport]. In June 1736 on a dark night Michael killed his 14-year-old grandson with an axe in order to steal the small amount of money that James had inherited. The body was dismembered and buried in a nearby wood and not found until three months later, in an effort to hide his crime, Michael set fire to the cottage and fled the scene hiding in a cave in the chalk pit on Arreton Down. Here he hid for several weeks surviving on food given to him by local people who though he was a hermit. In due course he was found and arrested, then taken to Newport to await trial. The trial was held at Winchester March 1737 and Michael was sentenced to death for his crime, though he never admitted his guilt he was hung within an hour of sentencing Later his body was brought back to Isle of Wight and re-hung on Arreton Down near the spot where the murder to place, as was the custom in those days. Some time later the body was taken down [burial site is unknown] followed by the gibbet. Some of woodwork was used as part of the tap room in the nearby inn [Hare & Hounds] and Mr Jolliffe of Haesley Manor bought the ironwork and had part of it made into a pipe rack by the local village blacksmith. There have been tales about strange happenings which occur at the hump were he was hanged, if someone at midnight walks round the hump twelve times and calls out ‘Michael Morey’ three times; it is said that his ghost appears after the third call has been made.

From the church wardens accounts we find the following information; - 16th July 1736, paid Richard Morey for keeping his father for two weeks 8/-; Expenditure in searching for Michael Morey after the body of James Dore was found 2/3; 24th July, paid several persons for searching for Michael Morey after he absconded 12/9; 27th July, paid for a warrant for Richard Morey 1/-; Expended the day that Michael Morey was taken £1.18.0; 1st August, paid the reward for taking Michael Morey by order of the vestry £2.2.0; 1st August, paid for carrying Michael Morey to Newport 6d.; Paid for carrying and searching after the body of James Dore 6/-; 15th August, paid John Lake for a labourer & horse hire to fetch Ann Harvey in the case of Michael Morey as evidence 2/6; Paid at Winchester in prosecuting Michael Morey £6.17.11; Paid for carrying Michael Morey to jail £1.17.0; Also paid Thomas Smalle what he expended in carrying Michael Morey to jail 1/3; 19th October, paid Mr. Redstone as coroner and his bailiff and the jury with four men to watch the body of James Dore until the jury was made £3.2.6; Paid ye Widow Small for twice coming from Calbourne to be examine as a witness 6/-: Paid John Hance and Henry Low for carrying body to grave1/-; Expenses at Mrs Stallard at ye taking up ye body after burial etc. 4/6; Paid William Blake in money for taking up ye body and burying again 6p; Paid Richard Norris for reward for finding Dore’s body £2.2.0.; Paid Richard Morey what he paid for garnish [note- fee paid by the prisoner to the jailer] for his father in Winton jail 12/8; Expenditure in prosecuting Michael Morey with evidence etc. £16.17.6; April 11th 1737, paid Collins of Cowes for going after judge in Michael Morey case £2.00; 11th April, paid John Phillips for Michael Morey’s gibbet £6.5.0; Total cost £36.11.1.

Footnote: - There are many other small pieces of information contained within these documents, which will be handed to the Isle of Wight County Records for safekeeping.

Source: Transcribed from authors notes, historical accuracy not guaranteed. H. R. Murphy. 5 March 2009

This page was last edited on: 26th January, 2022 17:50:43

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