WOOTTON
Wootton, formerly a parish on the north of the
Island, is now only a village, having been divided in
1894 between the parishes of Gatcombe and Whippingham for civil purposes. (fn. 1) Part of Chillerton was
transferred from Wootton to Carisbrooke in 1882. (fn. 2)
It comprises the land between Fishbourne Creek and
Whippingham, lying north of the road from Newport
to Ryde. The district is mostly given up to villa
residences, and the village of Wootton Bridge, formerly in Arreton parish, has been separated from it
for ecclesiastical purposes and a new church, St.
Mark's, erected (1909) to serve it.
Fernhill, the residence of Mrs. Brodie, was built by
the Rt. Hon. Thomas Orde-Powlett, and is described
under Arreton (q.v.). There is a station on the
Isle of Wight Central railway about a mile from the
village. The soil is loam and clay with a subsoil
composed of clay and gravel.
There is a Sunday school room, erected in 1888.
MANOR
WOOTTON (Odetone, xi cent.;
Woditon, xiii cent.) was held by Queen
Edith, and at the time of Domesday was
in the king's hands, being valued at £3. (fn. 3) The
manor was held of the honour of Carisbrooke by the
service of finding a horseman for the defence of the
Isle of Wight in time of war, and doing suit at the
court of knights at Newport every three weeks. (fn. 4) It
had passed by the 13th century to the de Insula or
Lisle family, and was held by John son of William de
Lisle at the end of the century. (fn. 5) It had probably
also been held by Walter de Lisle, who was patron
of Shorwell in 1205, and is supposed to have built
the church of Wootton. (fn. 6) He died about 1224,
when his son Geoffrey succeeded. (fn. 7) Geoffrey died
about 1251–2 holding land of Baldwin de Lisle,
but the names of his manors are not given. (fn. 8) His
son William (fn. 9) was succeeded by a son John, and he is
the first member of the family who is known to have
held Wootton. He died about 1301–2, leaving a son
John, who succeeded to the estate, (fn. 10) and obtained a
grant of free warren there in 1306. (fn. 11) He died in
1331 (fn. 12) seised of the manor of Wootton, which then
included a rabbit warren and a fishery in an arm of
the sea. (fn. 13) He was succeeded by a son Bartholomew,
to whom the manor was delivered in September
1331. (fn. 14) He died in 1345 holding the manor
jointly with his wife Elizabeth. (fn. 15) Sir John Lisle,
son of Bartholomew, died abroad about 1370, (fn. 16) and
to his son and successor John the grant of free
warren made in 1306 was confirmed in 1390. (fn. 17) He
was succeeded about 1427–8 by a son John, (fn. 18) on
whose death in 1470–1 the estate passed to his son
Nicholas. (fn. 19) Nicholas Lisle, then Sir Nicholas, died in
1504 and was succeeded by a son Sir John. (fn. 20) He, the
last of the direct line, died in 1523, leaving a niece
Mary, married to her cousin Thomas Lisle, his heir. (fn. 21)
Sir John had, however, bequeathed the manor of
Wootton to his cousin and heir male, Lancelot son of
George Lisle, an uncle of Sir Nicholas, in tail-male
with remainder to Thomas and the right heirs of
John. (fn. 22) Lancelot died seised of the manor in 1543, (fn. 23)
leaving a son and heir Thomas, who died in 1562. (fn. 24)
Anthony, son of Thomas
Lisle, (fn. 25) held Wootton at his
death in 1604, (fn. 26) having settled
it on his son William on his
marriage with Bridget daughter
of Sir John Hungerford, kt.,
in 1603. (fn. 27) The manor then
followed the same descent as
Ellingham until about the
middle of the 18th century. (fn. 28)
Lisle of Wootton. Or a chief azure with three lions or therein.
The estate was probably
sold by Edward Lisle to James
Burton, who was in possession
in 1767. (fn. 29) It was sold by
James Burton in 1775 to
Joseph Tarver of Romsey and William Hearn, (fn. 30) and
in 1800 Joseph Tarver and his wife Anne conveyed
it to William Young. (fn. 31) In the 19th century the
manor was acquired by Mr. Nunn, the introducer of the
manufacture of machine lace into the Isle of Wight.
Wootton Church: Interior looking East
The manor then passed to Mrs. Harvey, whose
nephew Colonel Stephenson Clarke now exercises
the manorial rights, though the land itself for the
most part was acquired in the early part of the 19th
century by Mr. R. S. Holford. (fn. 32)
In 1492–3 reference is made to the park of
Wootton. (fn. 33)
CHURCHES
The church of ST. EDMUND is
one of the smaller or manorial chapels
of the Island, consisting of an aisleless
nave and chancel, built in the 12th century, to which
period the north and south doors belong. (fn. 34) A chantry
to the north was added at the end of the century and
dedicated to St. Edmund. (fn. 35) In the 13th century the
chapel appears to have been lengthened eastward,
probably the outcome of the building of the chantry. (fn. 36)
In the 14th century—owing, by tradition, to a destructive fire—there seems to have been a remodelling
of the structure. Ogival-headed double lights were
inserted in the south and west walls. The 15th
century is responsible for the square-headed window
in the south wall and the addition of a rood-loft. (fn. 37)
There is an ancient stoup attached to the chantry
respond and a piscina in the south wall of the sanctuary.
In the nave hangs the royal arms 1818. A western
bell turret was added in 1893 and contains one bell.
There is a silver alms-dish with handle, punched
W.P 1644, and a silver-gilt chalice and paten given
by the Rev. Richard Walton in 1787. (fn. 38)
The registers date from 1756.
The church of ST. MARK, WOOTTON BRIDGE,
a brick and stone structure, was built in 1910.
ADVOWSON
The advowson of the chapel of
Wootton followed the same descent
as the manor until 1736 or later. (fn. 39)
Mary Lisle, widow, presented in 1736, (fn. 40) and the
advowson subsequently passed to the Rev. Richard
Walton. His godson the Rev. Richard Walton White
was in possession of the advowson and rectory in
1803–4. (fn. 41) The Rev. Richard Walton White married
Mary daughter of John Popham of Newport, and
left issue an only son Francis, who took the name
of Popham in 1852 under his grandfather's will. (fn. 42)
Francis died without issue in 1894 and the advowson
belonged to his sister Miss White until her death in
1911. (fn. 43) Her nephew Captain Macpherson, R.N.,
holds the advowson for life.
The advowson of the chantry of St. Edmund the
King also belonged to the lords of the manor, (fn. 44) as did
that of a second chantry dedicated to St. Edmund the
Confessor, founded in the middle of the 14th
century. (fn. 45) The two chantries were apparently served
by the same chaplain (fn. 46) ; the later chantry was known
as that of 'Edmund the Confessor de Brocke or de
Wodyton' in the church of Wootton. (fn. 47) A chantry
at Wootton, probably including both these, was dissolved in 1536 by the parson of Wootton, as was
supposed, without the king's licence. (fn. 48)
From an entry in the Winchester registers in the
middle of the 14th century it would appear that
Wootton was then a chapelry of Bonchurch. (fn. 49) It
seems more probable, however, that it was taken
from the parish of Whippingham, as it paid 10s.
annually to that church at the end of the 18th
century. (fn. 50)
There are no endowed charities in this parish.