BRADING.
It has a station on the Isle of Wight Railway, four miles southward of Ryde. It is situated at the head of Brading Harbour, 850 acres of which was reclaimed by the Brading Harbour Company, after Sir Hugh Middleton had expended £7,000 in an unsuccessful attempt to accomplish the same object. A great number of Dutchmen were employed in the first instance, and about the middle of the estuary a well was discovered, leading to the conviction that at some remote period the harbour bed had been occupied and treated as terra firma. Bradinge, ye King’s Towne, is one of the very old corporate boroughs of the Isle of Wight, its charters dating back to periods anterior to the 16th century. It was governed by two bailiffs, a recorder, and 13 jurates, chosen annually at a court leet held in October. This state of things ceased to be in 1886, when the old civil rights and privileges were abolished by the application of the Municipal Corporations Act of 1883. It returned two members in former years, paying 4d. per day each for their services; but this was looked upon as so terrible a burden to the borough that the inhabitants begged to be disfranchised, and they were accordingly relieved of the responsibility of electing members of Parliament. The old Town Hall was taken down and a new one built a few years ago, but under the hall a semblance of the Market Place has still been left, and the old stocks have been placed in position there, so as to be seen by passers-by, with the old lock-up at the side. The borough seal as shown on an old stone panel on the west side of the Town Hall, was a Tudor rose, with the legend, “The King’s Towne of Brading. A short distance from this spot is an open space at the point where the turn is made to reach the railway station from the High street; there is still to be seen the bull ring, round which now the Salvation Army gather, not to bait the bull, but the devil. One of the objects of interest in Brading is the cottage of “Little Jane,” immortalized by the writings of the Rev. Leigh Richmond, one time curate of Brading.
LITTLE JANE’S COTTAGE.
This is the cottage in which Little Jane lived and died. We are informed that the family have all died out or left Brading.
St. Mary’s Parish Church is situated at the north end of the town arid the east side of the high road from Ryde to Ventnor, the town being built on either side of this roads The church was built of stone and in the Transition Norman and Early English styles. It consists of chancel of two bays with chapels and aisles, nave of five bays, south porch, aisles, a western tower, open arches, and spire. The belfry contains a peal of eight bells. It is said that the present church stands on the spot where St Wilfred, Archbishop of York, in the year 686 landed and raised the cross, after a voyage from Selsey across the Solent and up the harbour. In 1865 the Church was restored at the expense of Sir Henry Oglander, the lord of the manor, and under the direction of Mr Hellyer, of Ryde. Inside are a number of graves and memorial tablets. The grave of Sir John Cherewin, constable of Porchester Castle, who died in 1441, is a fine incised slab of Flemish work, with figures of the Virgin, the Child, and the twelve Apostles, and of the knight himself in full armour. The monuments in this Church are sufficient to afford interesting occupation for days and perhaps weeks to those who love to live in the past. But we must proceed, and taking a walk in the churchyard along the narrow footpath from the main entrance to the back of the chancel we encounter
LITTLE JANE’S GRAVE
which is close to the east end of the Church. Let us read the epitaph:
Ye who the power of God delight to trace,
And mark with joy each monument of grace,
Tread lightly o’er this grave, as ye explore
The short and simple “Annals of the Poor.”A child reposes underneath this sod,
A child to memory dear, and dear to God,
Rejoice, but shed the sympathetic tear;
Jane the young Cottager lies buried here.
We are informed that Little Jane was really buried under the gravel walk, and not under the mound raised as the supposed covering of her body. There are other interesting epitaphs in the grave yard, among them being the familiar one written by Mrs. Steele:
Forgive, blest shade, the tributary tear,
That mourns thy exit from a world like this;
Forgive the wish that would have kept thee here,
And stay’d thy progress to the seats of bliss.No more confined to grov’ling scenes of night,
No more a tenant pent in mortal clay,—
We rather now should hail thy glorious fight,
And trace thy journey to the realms of day.
In the churchyard also are the remains of a cross, the shaft rising from a circular base of three steps. On the top is a sundial, bearing the date 1815.
There is a brass gun at Nunwell, the seat of the Oglander family, descendants of one of William the Conqueror’s officers of that name. This gun is a much-prized relic, as it is said to have been used in resisting the several invasions of French marauders. It bears the inscription: “John and Henry. Owine, Bretheren’ made this Pese 1549, Berdynge.” it was presented to the late Sir Henry, the last of the race of Oglanders.
The Congregationalist, Bible Christians, and Salvation Army also have places of worship at Brading.
There is accommodation for visitors - hotel and private - notably the Bugle Hotel - and for information about everything we would advise our friends to turn into the shop of Mr W. Seymour, confectioner, who has held important offices in the old corporation, and would, we doubt not, only be too pleased to chaperon any visitor who may show any special interest in the beloved old town.
Postal letters are delivered at 7 and 11.10 a.m. and 6.15 p.m., and dispatched at 10.30 a.m., and 1.10 and 8.15 p.m. The letter box at Yarbridge is cleared at 7.15 p.m., with no collection on Sundays.
About a mile south, on the way to Sandown, we re-pass Yarbridge and enter the straggling village of Morton, where in 1880 Capt. Thorp, of Yarbridge, made the interesting discovery of the foundations of a Roman Villa, Mr. F. G. Hilton Price, F.S.A., F.G.S., afterwards pursuing the researches to a gratifying issue. It has been lying for centuries under a ploughed field; but on being cleared out it was discovered that the base of the building formed one of the most interesting relics of the kingdom. Thousands of people have since visited the spot, and expressed their delight at the beautiful and valuable objects of interest to be inspected there.
ROMAN VILLA.
The place has been covered in for preservation against wind and rain. Some ancient coins and pieces of old pottery were also discovered." {Railway Fares}
The Minerva Isle of Wight Pictorial and Guide - circa 1900