Brading - Whites 1878 - - Page 1

Brading, a parish and small but ancient incorporated town, which formerly had a weekly market, is situated at the head of the broad creek called Brading Haven.

The town only has about 1200 inhabitants, but the parish had 5648 inhabitants in 1871, and comprises 8272 acres, of which 33 are water, there are also 85 acres of adjacent tidal water, and 648 of foreshore.

Brading parish includes Sandown, Yarbridge, Adgestone, Bembridge, Gatten, America, and Lake, stretching 3 miles southward to Sandown Bay, 3 miles eastward to Bembridge Point, and more than 2 mile N.E. nearly to St. Helens. It anciently included St. Helen's, Yaverland, Shanklin, and Bonchurch.

At full tide the haven has the appearance of an extensive lake. Several attempts have been made by former lords of the manor to exclude the sea from this haven. The last and most costly of these fruitless attempts was in the reign of James I, when Sir Bevis Thelwall, after spending about 7,000GBP, nearly completed the embankments, which were destroyed by an extraordinary high tide and inland flood.

About 1784 immense beds of fine oysters were discovered in the haven, and for some time they supplied a rich harvest to great numbers of fishermen, who came from all parts of the south coast of England. Oysters, fine cockles, and other fish are still plentiful here.

On the shores of the haven are several wharves and quays, to which vessels upward of 100 ton burthen trade in coal, corn &c.

The Town Hall was a small ancient building, under which were the lock-up and old stocks.

On the lofty summit of Ashey Down is a stone pyramid, erected as a sea-mark in 1753. On Bembridge Down is a granite obelisk, 70ft. high, erected by subscription in 1849, by the Royal Yacht Squadron, in memory of the late Earl of Yarborough.

Brading Church (St. Mary's) is supposed to be the most ancient foundation of the kind in the Isle of Wight.

There is an Independent Chapel here, built in 1847, at a cost of 800GBP.

The Bible Christian have a place of worship, erected at an outlay of 350GBP.

The National School was built with 300GBP, left by Mr. John Long in 1823, and enlarged in 1843, at a cost of about 230GBP, and has an average attendance of 72 mixed scholars and infants.

The British School, built in 1846, at the cost of about 600GBP, and is attended by 130 mixed scholars and 40 infants.

The Social Club and Reading Room was established in 1868, and is supplied with newspapers and periodicals. Mr. James Barham is secretary and manager.

There are about 40 members, who have the privilege of obtaining books from the Town Library, which consists of 500 volumes, kept at the Town Hall. The books are supplied to non-members at a small charge. Mr. James Barham is secretary.

Railway (Isle of Wight Co.) ; George Corbett, station master

Post, Money Order, and Telegraph Office and Savings' Bank at Mr. Robert Loe's.

Acott Mr. Benjamin, Yarbridge

Arnold George, coal merchant

Arnold William, coal agent

Baker Edward, shoemaker

Barham James, Scripture reader, Mall

Barnes Robert, lodgings, Maisonette

Bartlett Ben, butcher

Barton Mrs. Ann, farmer, Barnsley

Barton Mr. Barnabas, Hawthorn villa

Bench .John William, baker, Mall

Bishop Mr. John, Morton cottage

Blake John, farmer, Glebe farm

Blanchard Mr. Wiilliam David, East view

Blythe Edward, traveller

Brading James, farm bailiff for Walter Mew, Esq.

Broadman William, market gardener

Brook Samuel Edwin, farmer, Park farm

Brook William, farmer, Nunwell

Brown John, farm bailiff

Brown William, farmer, New farm

Buckett J., miller, Alverstone mill

Buckett John, farmer, Alverstone

Bull Charles, market gardener

Bulley Samuel, British schoolmaster

Burt George, lodgings

Burt William, market gardener, Cliff close

Carley Mrs. Frances, stationer and refreshment house

Cooper Jacob, farmer, Whitefield

Cooper James, farmer, Alverstone

Cooper Micah, farmer, Lower Morton farm

Cooper Moses, builder and contractor, Yarbridge

Copp Miss Ann, Claremont

Corbett George, stationmaster, The Mall