Arreton
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Arreton is a village in the central eastern part of the Isle of Wight, England. It is about 3 miles south east of Newport. It can be found at grid reference SZ535865.
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[edit] Name
The town has had different names and different spellings over the years. For example, the town was called Adrintone in the 11th century, Arreton in the 12th century, Artone in the 13th century, Atherton and Adherton in the 14th century, Adderton in the 16th century, and Aireton in the 17th century.
[edit] Description
The village has two inns with a long history, the White Lion and the Red Lion.
There is a manor house in Arreton rebuilt during the reign of James I of England by Sir Levinus Bennet. The original manor house was far older, however.
There is a famous Church of St. George, part of which dates from the 1100s. On the road to the church is the 17th century Stile Cottage which was previously used to store ales for the church.
There are or were several ancient mills in Arreton. The mill at Horringford was apparently a papermill.
[edit] Arreton Manor
Arreton Manor apparently has a history dating back to at least 872 AD. This fact is recorded in the Domesday Book It was also noted in the will of King Alfred the Great in 885. The manor was owned by King Edward before the Norman conquest.
After 1086, it was owned by William the Conqueror. In 1100 it was granted to Richard de Redvers, and was part of an endowment given to the monks of the Quarr Abbey by his son Baldwin in 1131.
The manor was farmed by the monks in Quarr Abbey for about 400 years until 1525. In 1525, it was leased by Abbot William Rippon to a parish landholder, John Leigh.
The manor was rebuilt between 1595 and 1612. Charles I visited the manor several times.
Arreton manor was leased to several different farmers until 1628, when it was granted by the king to trustees to settle the king's debts to the City of London. It was then bought by two merchants from the trustees. It was later bought by Lord Culpeper (Thomas II), Governor of the Isle of Wight. On Lord Culpeper's death, his daughter Lady Katherine acquired the property. Lady Katherine married Lord Fairfax and it stayed in the Fairfax family for 230 years.
It is claimed that Queen Mary often visited Arreton Manor. Queen Victoria supposedly planted a conifer on the south lawn of Arreton Manor.
[edit] Other history
The Arreton church of St. George was first begun in the Norman era. The monks of Quarr helped to extend the Church of St. George around 1160. A tower was added in 1299. In the fourteenth century, a brass effigy of Harry Hawles, Steward of the Island on behalf of Montecute, Earl of Salisbury, was added to the church's interior. The brass effigy is missing its head and also the coat of arms.
There is a note marking Hawle's resting place that reads:
- Here is ybried under this grave
- Harry Hawles, his soul god save
- Long tyme steward of the yle of wyght
- have m'cy on hym, god ful of myght.
A renowned bowling green in Arreton Parish flourished during the 16th and 17th centuries. "I have seen," wrote Sir John Oglander (1595–1648), "with my Lord Southampton at St. George's Down at bowls some thirty or forty knights and gentlemen, where our meeting was then twice every week, Tuesday and Thursday, and we had an ordinary there and card-tables."
The parish of Arreton was at one time one of the largest on the Isle of Wight. In 1894, Arreton was divided into the parishes of North Arreton and South Arreton. In 1898, part of South Arreton was transferred to Godshill, and part of Godshill was transferred to South Arreton in return. North Arreton was absorbed into Whippingham in 1907.
[edit] References
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