have been built by Lord Woodville, in the time of Edward the Fourth, his arms being carved on a ftone at the top, and the rofes of York on each fide. The old gate, with its wicket of ftrong Tattice-work, faftened with large nails at every croffing, is ftill re maining, and opens into the Caffle-yard. Entering the area, on the right hand ftands the chapel of St. Nicholas, with its enclofed cœmetery, but no fervice is now performed in it; the prefent building was erected on the ruins of an ancient chapel, endowed when Domesday-book was compiled. Over the former chapel was an armory, containing breaft, back, and head-pieces for two or three troops of horfe; but defenfive armour being out of use, they were fold by order of Lord Cadogan, when governor.

Over the door is carved G. II. 1738; and by a ftone tablet at the eaft end, we are informed that it was rebuilt during the government of Lord Lymington. Farther towards the left hand are the ruins of fome buildings, faid to be thofe in which King Charles the First was confined; and a window is thewn for that through which he attempted to escape; beyond thefe are the barracks and governor's house; the latter contains feveral good rooms, with coved cielings. It has, occafionally, been used for a military hofpital; and certainly a more proper place, with refpect to both air and fituation, could not have

been found.

In the north-eaft angle of the bafe court, on a mount raised confiderably above the other buildings, ftands the Keep, or Dun

geon; its figure is. an irregular polygon; the afcent to it is by feventy-two fteps up the fide of the mount, and there are more within ; each step is about nine inches. This multangular tower bears evident marks of great antiquity: fome of the angles are firengthened by walling of hewn ftone, which were probably added under- Edward the Fourth, when the great gate was rebuilt. There is a well here faid to be three hundred feet deep, but it has been partly filled up as ufelefs and dangerous: the Keep commands a moft extenfive and beautiful profpect, which is not confined to the jfland only, but takes in the New Forest and Portsdown, with the fea intervening at different points.

At the fouth-eaft angle ftands the remains of another tower, called Montjoy's Tower; the walls in fome places were eighteen feet thick; the view from it not fo extenfive as that from the Keep. The rampart between thefe towers is about twenty feet high, and eight feet thick, including a parapet of two feet and a half, which was carried quite round the caftle.

Under a fmall building in the caftle yard is another well, more than two hundred feet deep, whence the water for the use of the garrison was drawn by means of a large wheel, turned by an afs: this duty was for forty years performed by the fame animal, not long fince dead, who, on account of his long fervices, became one of the curiofities of the place. Down this well it is ufual to drop a pin, which, after a lapfe of about three feconds of time, produces

I 4

produces a greater found than can well be conceived by thofe who have not heard it.

The caftle was probably repaired by Montacute, Earl of Salifbury, who held the lordship of this ifland in the ninth year of Richard the Second, the three lozenges, the arms of that family, being placed on a buttress at the corner of part of the governor's lodgings; but much the greater portion of the buildings now ftanding, particularly the governor's apartments, the offices and outworks, were built in the time of Queen Elizabeth, who, at the folicitation of Sir George Carey, when England was threat ened with the famous Spanish Armada, gave four thousand pounds towards the expences. Sir George alfo procured four hundred pounds from the gentlemen of the ifland, and the commonalty contributed their perfonal labour, by digging the outward ditch gratis. The governor was affifted in the direction of thefe works by Thomas Worfley, Efq; and the whole amount, including the repairs of Yarmouth cattle and Sharpnore fort, is ftill extant in a leng parchment roll, figned with the acquittance of the Lord Treafurer Burghley. This roll contains many curious particulars of the prices of labour and materials at that time: a copy of it is given in the Appendix. An armourer and fletcher, paid by the queen, were refident here in that reign, as appears by the appointment in Sir Richard Worfiey's patent.

The lords of the island, and the governors fince their time, have made this caftle their place of refidence, The first charter of the Countefs Ifabella de Fortibus to

the town of Newport is dated from hence; and the will of Philippa, Duchess of York, was publithed here the ninth year of Henry the Sixth, wherein fhe ftyles herfelf Duchefs of York, and Lady of the Ifle of Wight.

Cariíbrooke caftle has been rendered remarkable by the confinement of Charles the First, who, taking refuge here, was detained a prifoner from November one thoufand fix hundred and fortyfeven to September one thoufand fix hundred and fortyeight, when he was fuffered to remove to Newport, and to renew his treaty with the parlia ment. The particulars of his treatment will be mentioned in the account given of the government of Colonel Hammond, On the king's death, it was converted into a prifon for his children, wherein died the Lady Elizabeth, whom the levelling rulers of that time are faid to have intended to apprentice to a button-maker, She was buried at Newport. It was likewife made a prifon by Cromwell and Charles the Second.

There are feveral other forts in this ifland, which were all erected about the thirty-fixth year of Henry the Eighth, when many other forts and blockhoufes were built in different parts of the coaft of England.

Sandown fort commands a bay on the fouth-eaft fide of the island, where there is a good landingplace. place. It is a very low fquare building, flanked by four baftions, and encompaffed by a ditch. Being efteemed of the greatest confequence of any fort in the ifland, it had an establishment, confifting of a master gunner, and

thirty foldiers; but this has fince been reduced, and the pay of twenty-two of the foldiers applied to encreafing the falaries of the mafter gunners of the other forts. It had been much neglected, but lately has been put into repair at a very confiderable expence to the crown, and the apartments made fit for the reception of the captain, who refides here in the fummer.

Yarmouth caftle was built for the defence of the entry into Freshwater, or Yar river: it is fituated on the north-weft part of the ifland, and at the weft end of the town: part of it ftands on the wall of the church, demolished by the French in the thirty-fifth of Henry the Eighth. It is much of the fame construction with those built in that reign, and was erected under the direction of Richard Worfley, captain of the ifland, together with another fort, called Worfley's Tower,

Carey's Sconce, or Sharpnore fort, about a mile to the weft of Yarmouth, was afterwards built by Sir George Carey, in the room of Worfley's Tower, which ftood at a very fmall diftance weftward of the Sconce, oppofite Hurst çaftle, but was then fallen to decay.

Weft Cowes caftle ftands on the weft fide of the river Medina it is a fmall ftone building, with a femi-circular battery. Oppofite, on the eaft fide of the river, was another fort of the fame kind; when entire, they jointly protected the harbour. This is now fo totally demolifhed, that there is not the least veftige of it remaining:

Hiftory and Antiquities of Carifbrooke Priory, in the Ile of Wight. From the fame.

TH

HE charters, grants, and confirmations of the Priory of Carisbrooke are registered in the Chartulary; they confift of between two and three hundred, of which very few are of confequence, being chiefly grants of inconfiderable parcels of land: the most important are,

The Charter of Earl Baldwin, in the Reign of King Stephen.

Balwin, Earl of Devon, and lord of the ifland, confirms to the Abbot and Convent of Lyra, all tithes, lands, rents, and benefices, which they hold in the Isle of Wight; to hold as freely as they held the fame in the time of William Fitz Osborne, or Richard de Redvers, father of the faid Baldwin. But under this, condition, that Geoffrey, the clerk, fhall enjoy one moiety, and Stephen, the clerk, the other moiety, during their lives; paying thirty fhillings each yearly to the Abbey of Lyra, in acknowledgment of its being the mother church; and after their deaths the church of Carifbrook fhall remain to the Abbot and Convent of Lyra, to be freely by them enjoyed, either as demefne, or they may fend Monks to the faid church. Tef tibus Pagano vice comite, Brieno de Infula, Gervafia Abbate de Quadrăria, et aliis.

The Charter of William de Vernun, in the Reign of K. John: He grants and confirms to the church of Carifbrook, two marks

per

per annum, devised by his nephew, Richard de Redvers, Earl of Devon, to be received out of the toll of the island, by the bayliff of his New Borough (Newport): and the Monks of Carifbrook, delivered into the hands of the faid earl, in the prefence of his barons, the charter of the faid Rich ard: by the terms of this grant, the Monks of Carifbrook are bound to perform daily fervice in the chapel of Newport; yet the burgeffes, both men and women, are to go to the mother church of Carifbrook on the great feftivals, according to cuftom. Teftibus Mabilia Comitiffa, Waltero Abbate, Willo fil. Stuij, Roberto fil. Brieni,

cum multis aliis.

General Charter of Confirmation

by William de Vernun.

This charter confirms to the Abbot and Convent of Lyra all former grants; namely the church of Carifbrook, with the chapels of Northwood, Shorwell, the chapel of the Infirm, and of the New Borough; the churches of Arreton, Whippingham, Newchurch, Godfhill, Niton, and Freshwater, alfo the tithes of all his demefne lands in the ifland, viz. the tithes of Freshwater, Af feton, Compton, Brook, of Ninewood, held by the Prior of Chriftchurch, and two parts of the tithes of Shalfleet, and Chefsle, the tithes of the demefnes of Robert of Shorwell, there and at Ulwarton; of the demefnes of Niton, Stenbury, Week, and Appuldurcombe, and other the demefne lands of Montfburg, and Apfe, belonging to the Canons of Chrift

church; the tithes of the demefnes of Ralph de Glamorgan, at Yaverland, alfo of Nunwell, and Whippingham: the tithes of the demefnes of Herbert FitzTurbert, and Hugh de Clerkenhull, and from Shide, of the demefnes of William de Argenton, and the moiety of the church of Chale, with forty fhillings annual rent, paid by the Monks of Quarr to the Monks of Lyra, for the tithes of Arreton, Hafely, Boucombe, and Shalcombe, twenty fhillings rent paid out of Boucombe, one yardland in Boucombe, and another in Wroxall, four fhillings from Week, and three fhillings from the two Nitons; in Freshwater, two men with a yardland; and in Compton and Brook, two men and two yardlands; and in Witcombe, one free tenement with its land; in the hamlet of Caldlands in the New Foreft, one man with his lands; two marks from the New Borough, of the toll of the ifland, according to the will of Richard de Red ers; with lands near Ca-rifbrook, given by Paverell de Argenton, and his brother William, and the lands exchanged with Robert Cross.

From the charter of Earl Baldwin it appears that he afferts a right of nominating the Monks to the Priory of Carifbrook, probably as heir to the founder; and many years afterwards, Ifabella de Fortibus claimed a right of approbation of the Prior, It being entered in the Chartulary, that Richard de Perans, appointed Prior of Carifbrook, by the Abbót and Convent of Lyra, complained that Ifabella pretended

that