CHALE
Cela (xi cent.).
Chale, a parish 8½ miles south south-west from
Newport and some 7 miles west of Ventnor, was
established at the beginning of the 12th century.
The soil is Upper and Lower Greensand, with chalk
above the former, and the chief occupation is dairying,
early lamb breeding and barley growing. The parish
contains 2,220 acres of land, of which 936 acres are
arable, 1,158 permanent grass and 36 acres woodland. (fn. 1) There is an independent water supply from
the Upper Greensand 400 ft. above the sea level.
The village is somewhat scattered, the nucleus being
about a mile and a half from Chale Green, where
the three roads from Newport via Shorwell, Gatcombe and Rookley join. Blackgang, with its famous
Chine, is a hamlet in this parish, and at Chale Green
is a grouping of cottages with a blacksmith's shop
and a post office letter-box. To the east of the
parish, dividing it from Niton, is St. Catherine's
Down, rising at the southern end to 800 ft. above the
sea, where in the early part of the 14th century a
lighthouse, still standing, (fn. 2) was erected to warn mariners
off this dangerous coast. This interesting building is
worth more attention than is generally bestowed upon
it, the scheme of radiation slits from the square interior
to the octagonal exterior being very ingenious. It is
of four stages, square within, octagonal without, terminating in a pyramidal roof, the whole being 36 ft.
high. (fn. 3) The entrance to the two lower stages is
through doorways with four-centred arched heads.
To the east are the foundations of a small buttressed
building, which may have been the oratory (fn. 4) mentioned in Bishop Stratford's letter to the Archdeacon
of the Isle of Wight 17 August 1328, (fn. 5) and whose
roof certainly abutted against the pharos, as is shown
by signs on the ashlar facing. It can have been of
but little use on this fog-wrapt down, and after the
suppression of the chantries probably owed its preservation to its use as a sea-mark. It was at this
point that a beacon was always
kept stacked ready for firing. (fn. 6)
Just to the south of it is the
stump of the Trinity lighthouse, begun in 1830 but
abandoned when the lighthouse was built on the lower
level of St. Catherine's Point.
At the north end of the down
is the column, 72 ft. high,
erected by Michael Hoy (fn. 7) to
commemorate the visit of the
Emperor Alexander I in 1814.
Plan of St. Catherine's Tower, Chale
Chale Farm, the manorhouse, lying under the west
slope of St. Catherine's Down,
is one of the most interesting
in the Island, remaining much
as it was planned in the 14th
century, a main hall with an
undercroft and a western annexe. In the 15th century a
staircase was added to the east
for better access to the main
room on the first floor, and
this wing was further extended
in the 16th century to obtain
an entrance lobby with a room
over. The 18th century was
responsible for the cutting up of the main block into
smaller living and sleeping rooms. The hall, now
transformed into bedrooms, is lighted at the north
end by a two-light transomed window rebated for
shutters and finishing in a pointed head with simple
tracery. Small ogival windows in the east and west
wall originally lighted the south end, and a 14th-century
doorway leads into the annexe. The undercroft still
retains the two ogee-headed windows now blocked
by a modern cellar, and apparently had a pentice on
the east face. (fn. 8) The 16th-century kitchen, now used
as a living room, formed from the original undercroft,
has an interesting fireplace with side ovens. (fn. 9) Modern
offices have taken the place of a range of buildings
erected in the reign of Elizabeth and pulled down in
1845, and the main entrance till 1870 was through
a Tudor arch in the outer wall now blocked up. (fn. 10) A
fine buttressed barn of the 14th to 15th century lies
to the west of the house, and still retains one of the
original principals.
The house at Walpen is merely a superior farm cottage
of the 17th century, stone-built, with mullioned windows and coped gables at either end, and having a porch
with a room over entered by a flat arched opening.
The road in connexion with the South Coast defence,
known as the military road, starts close to the church
and ends at Freshwater Gate, a distance of 10½ miles.
Chale Common was inclosed before 1855, when
an amendment to the original award was made by
the Inclosure Commissioners. (fn. 11) There are parochial
schools (non-provided) built in 1843, and partly supported by an endowment of £22.
Plan of Manor-house, Chale
There is a golf club, started in 1905, with a
9-hole course, on the down. The Star Brewery, close
to Chale Green, supplying this side of the Island,
is owned by Mr. Oscar Sprake.
Thomas Letts, the inventor of Letts's Diary, purchased land in Chale, and built a small Doric temple
there in memory of Shakespeare. (fn. 12)
MANORS
The manor of CHALE has always
been held of the lord of Carisbrooke
Castle. (fn. 13) In 1086 William son of Stur
held the manor, having succeeded the Saxon tenant
Chetle. (fn. 14) At the end of the 12th century (fn. 15) Hugh
Gernon, probably as lord of the manor, built the
church of Chale. Roger de Langford was holding
the manor in the 13th century, (fn. 16) possibly as successor
of Richard de Langford, who had died c. 1254
holding certain lands in the Isle of Wight. (fn. 17) The
younger Roger died in 1309–10, and was succeeded
by his grandson John, (fn. 18) who in 1318 settled Chale
on himself and his wife Joan, with reversion to his
son John. (fn. 19) It was probably the son John who received a grant of free warren in Chale in 1333, (fn. 20)
and who died seised of it in 1342, leaving it to his
son Thomas. (fn. 21) The latter, who was afterwards
knighted, married Joan daughter of Nicholas de la
Bere, (fn. 22) who survived him and held the manor until
her death in 1393. (fn. 23) It then passed to Sir William
Langford, son and heir of Sir Thomas, who was
succeeded in 1411 by his son Robert. (fn. 24) The latter
seems to have left a son Edward, (fn. 25) whose grandson
John died in 1509, leaving an only daughter and heir
Anne. (fn. 26) She married a certain William Stafford, (fn. 27)
and with him sold the manor to William Pounde, (fn. 28)
who left it by will to his younger son William. (fn. 29) In
1562 Thomas Pounde, son of the latter, sold it to
John Worsley. (fn. 30) From that date it descended with
Appuldurcombe in Godshill (fn. 31) (q.v.) until in 1797
Sir Richard Worsley disposed of all his Chale property
to various parties. (fn. 32)
Chale Farm, the old manor-house, is said to have
been granted by Sir Richard Worsley to his illegitimate son Thomas Worsley, who is described by
Sir John Oglander as a 'brave wyse and stout gentleman lived well and gott a good estate out of Chale
ferme.' (fn. 33) After his death it reverted to the lords of
the manor, and belonged to them until about 1810,
when it was sold to two brothers named Jacob. In
1844 it was purchased by Sir James Willoughby
Gordon, bart., whose granddaughter, Mrs. DisneyLeith, now owns it. (fn. 34)
From the 13th to the 16th century there was
another so-called manor in Chale. It was in origin
a sub-manor held of the chief manor of Chale (fn. 35) at
first by Gilbert de Coskevile, who is mentioned in the
Testa de Nevill
(fn. 36) as holding a quarter of a fee in
Chale and Sheat of Roger de Langford. In 1271–2
Gilbert de Coskevile granted this holding to Oliver
de Insula (Lisle) to hold of him and his heirs by the
service of half a knight's fee. (fn. 37) Oliver sold the estate
to Thomas de Winton to hold of the chief lords of
the fee by the rent of 1d. (fn. 38) In the 14th century
the estate belonged to John de Kingsbury, who
granted it to Hugh de Beauchamp and Aundrina
his wife (fn. 39) and their heirs, of whom William Beauchamp died in 1419 seised of the 'manor' of
Chale. (fn. 40) His granddaughter and heir, Joan daughter
of John Beauchamp, (fn. 41) held the manor in 1431 as
Joan Malday. (fn. 42) Some years later it was in the
possession of Bolours or Bullers, probably through
marriage with Joan. (fn. 43) John Buller, possibly her
grandson, died seised of a quarter of the manor of
Chale on 16 October 1485. (fn. 44) He was succeeded
by his grandson Alexander Buller, who married
Elizabeth Horsey and died in 1525–6. The manor
then passed to Alexander's son John Buller, who died
in 1528–9. (fn. 45) The latter's posthumous son John
Buller sold it to William Pounde in 1556, (fn. 46) when it
became part of the chief manor of Chale.
GOTTEN
GOTTEN (Gadetune, xi cent.; Godeton, xiv cent.),
now only a small farm-house, was held before the
Conquest by a certain Bruning and his brother, but
belonged in 1086 to William son of Stur. (fn. 47) The
overlordship passed like Gatcombe (q.v.) to the
descendants of William son of Stur, being held in the
13th century as part of a fee in Whitefield (fn. 48) and
Gotten, &c., of Maud de Estur, lady of Gatcombe. (fn. 49)
In the 13th and 14th centuries the intermediate
tenants of Gotten were the lords of Whitefield (q.v.),
the Tracy family, who held the above fee, (fn. 50) while
the intermediate tenants who held Gotten of the lords
of Whitfield for one-twelfth of a knight's fee were
the family of Goditon or Gotton, who were also
holding Southale in Hale (fn. 51) (q.v.). Thus in about
1305 William de Goditon or Gotton died seised of
a tenement in Gotton, held as above, and was
succeeded by his son Robert, (fn. 52) and from this date it
appears that Gotton descended like Southale in Hale
(q.v.), being possibly merged in the same. In the
16th, 17th and 18th centuries estates in both Hale and
Gotton were in possession of the Oglander family, that
in Gotton being termed half the manor of Gotton. (fn. 53)
This estate seems subsequently to have been acquired
by the lord of Chale and annexed to that manor.
WALPEN
WALPEN (Valpenne, xi cent.; Walpanne, xiii
cent.; Walpeham, xvi cent.), now part of Chale,
was formerly a separate manor held of the lords of
Carisbrooke Castle. (fn. 54) Before the Conquest it
belonged with Atherfield and Dungewood in Shorwell
to three thegns, but was in the possession of the king
in 1086. (fn. 55) In the 13th century it belonged to
William d'Aumale, (fn. 56) from whom it passed to the
Raleigh family, with whom it descended until the
16th century. (fn. 57) Henry de
Raleigh and Mabel his wife
settled the manor in 1302 on
their son John and Joan his
wife. (fn. 58) From John Raleigh,
who was living in 1324, (fn. 59) it
passed to a son of the same
name, (fn. 60) who was succeeded
by a son Thomas. (fn. 61) The latter
was a man of considerable
importance and was twice
Sheriff of Warwickshire (fn. 62) and
Leicestershire. He died in
1398, leaving a son Thomas, (fn. 63)
who six years later was succeeded by a son William. (fn. 64)
Chale Manor-house: North Front
Raleigh. Argent crusilly and a mill-rind cross gules.
William Raleigh died unmarried in
1419, his heir being his sister Joan wife
of Gerard Braybrooke, (fn. 65) who married as
her second husband Edward Bromflete.
In 1428 the manor was divided between
this Edward Bromflete and Lord Grey,
evidently the Sir Reginald Grey of
Ruthin who had married Joan widow
of the last-named Thomas Raleigh. (fn. 66)
Edward Bromflete and Joan his wife,
who dealt with the manor by fine in
1427, (fn. 67) must have subsequently given up
their right to Joan's cousin William
Raleigh, who died seised in 1460. He
was succeeded by his son Sir Edward
Raleigh, (fn. 68) Sheriff of Warwickshire and
Leicestershire in 1467, (fn. 69) from whom the
manor passed to his son George Raleigh
in 1512–13. (fn. 70) Simon Raleigh son of the
latter (fn. 71) had sold it before 1581 to
Thomas Worsley, (fn. 72) and since that date
it has followed the same descent as
Chale.
A mill, at one time a windmill, (fn. 73) and
at another a water mill, (fn. 74) belonged to the
manor in the 15th century.
In the 13th century a virgate of land
in Walpen which the Abbess of Lacock
had held belonged to the Barton Oratory
in Whippingham parish. (fn. 75) In 1439
the oratory and all its possessions were
granted to Winchester College, (fn. 76) to which
the land at Walpen still belongs.
CHURCH
Of the original church of
ST. ANDREW, standing
four-square to the winds
with open and bleak surroundings,
there is little trace beyond the opening in the south
wall of the chancel. The date of its building, 1114,
is ascertained from the Chartulary of Carisbrooke
Priory, (fn. 77) and a south chantry (fn. 78) must have been
built soon after by the founder, Hugh Gernon.
The church consists of a nave with south aisle, a
chancel with south chapel and a tower at the west
end. The early church, built for the tenants of
the manor, was of the usual aisleless type of the
manorial chapel, with a short chancel having a south
chantry chapel. Towards the close of the 12th
century this chantry chapel was lengthened westward (fn. 79) and a pointed arch inserted in the south wall
of the nave directly west of the chancel. A further
extension westward was shortly after undertaken,
resulting in the curious second arch with its two
rings of splayed voussoirs stopping against the ashlar
work above the caps. The narrowness in proportion
to the first bay is to be accounted for by the fact of
the original nave evidently ending here. No further
work seems to have been attempted till the 15th
century, when the nave was lengthened westward
and the aisle extended both east (fn. 80) and west and
probably widened. At the same time the tower was
added at the west end and a rood-loft placed across
the chancel arch. In a restoration of 1872 the
chancel was extended in alignment with the chantry
and new windows inserted in the east wall (fn. 81) ; a north
porch, partially blocking the 15th-century window,
was added, the present chancel arch (fn. 82) built and a
large window placed in the west wall of the tower.
There is little of interest in the church beyond
the tower and some good modern glass by Kemp.
In the angle of the south porch is a 15th-century
stoup and a wall painting is said to have formerly
existed over the north door. (fn. 83)
In the jamb of the central window of the north
wall is a rough niche much decayed (fn. 84) and the
remains of a 13th-century piscina in the south wall
of the chancel aisle. (fn. 85) The windows are all of the
15th century, square-headed, except that in the west
wall of the aisle, which is pointed. The tower (fn. 86) is
evidently the first of a series comprising Gatcombe
and Carisbrooke. It lacks the coarseness of these
latter and must have been built quite early in the
century, as its buttresses project from the wall faces
and not from the angles, and were it not for the
interior arch moulding might have been erected in
the reign of Edward III. These buttresses start
from bases enriched with quatrefoil panels and terminate about 5 ft. above the floor of the ringers'
chamber. The perforated openings in the belfry
walls are cut into tracery and the mouldings of the
internal arch connecting the tower with the nave run
down to the floor level, a string at the springing
forming a cap. According to a date stone under the
belfry light the tower was repaired in 1768.
There are two bells, (fn. 87) the oldest a 14th-century bell
inscribed in Lombardic letter '() Sancta Margareta,'
the other, a tenor, bears the legend 'ANTHONY · BOND ·
MADE · ME 1628. W.B. R.T.'
The plate consists of a chalice and paten, 1698,
inscribed the 'gift of Mrs. Bridget Worsley to the
Church at Chale,' and two larger patens, dated
respectively 1842 and 1862, the gift of Anne the
wife of Andrew Gother, rector.
The registers are contained in three books: (1) and
(2) baptisms 1685 to 1812, burials 1679 to 1812,
marriages 1701 to 1753; (3) marriages 1754 to
1812.
ADVOWSON
The church of Chale was built
by Hugh Gernon at the beginning
of the 12th century and dedicated in honour of St. Andrew by William Giffard,
Bishop of Winchester, in 1114. Worsley quotes a
dispute between the founder and the priest of Carisbrooke, who asserted that the church of Chale was
dependent on the parish church of Carisbrooke, but
gave up his right on condition that he should have
half the tithes in Chale. (fn. 88) The advowson belonged
to the lords of the manor until the early 19th
century, (fn. 89) when it was sold to the Rev. C. Richards. (fn. 90)
It was in the hands of his trustees in 1849, (fn. 91) but
before 1885 was purchased by the present rector and
patron, the Rev. C. W. Heald. (fn. 92)
There is a Bible Christian chapel in the parish
built in 1842 and rebuilt in 1884, and also a
Wesleyan chapel built in 1888 and an undenominational mission near the church.
CHARITIES
The following charities are regulated by a scheme of the Board of
Education 28 April 1905, namely,
the charities of
(1) Robert Weekes, will, 1784, trust fund,
£166 13s. 4d. consols, producing £4 3s. 4d. yearly,
held by the official trustees;
(2) John Barber, will, proved at Winchester, 1797,
trust fund, £484 18s. 8d. consols, yearly income
£12 2s. 4d., held by the official trustees; and
(3) Rev. Francis Worsley, founded by codicil to
will, proved in P.C.C. 1808, consisting of a rentcharge of £5 issuing out of land at Rookley, Godshill.
It is directed by the scheme that the income of
Weekes' charity and a moiety of the income of
Barber's charity should be applied in prizes to
children attending the public elementary school and
the residue in maintenance of exhibitions, &c.
The Parish Lands, comprised in indentures of
lease and release, dated 18 and 19 November 1779
respectively, formerly consisted of several parcels of
land held by the parish from time immemorial by
the parishioners. The lands were sold in 1906 and
the proceeds invested in £136 7s. 3d. consols with
the official trustees, producing £3 8s. a year, which
is applied for church purposes.
The Chale and Brook Shipwreck Fund, founded
in or about 1849, consists of £315 3s. 6d. consols,
with the official trustees, producing £9 9s. yearly,
which in pursuance of a scheme of the Charity Commissioners 25 April 1899 is applied in supply of
clothes and other relief to persons shipwrecked on
the coast between St. Catherine's Point and Freshwater Gate—unapplied income exceeding £50 to be
invested in augmentation of endowment.