A part-volume detailing the history of Hampshire religious houses, including the early history of Winchester cathedral.

This is a comprehensive study of the early history and inhabitants of Isle of Wight County. It begins with a graphic description of the early settlers--including accounts of Quakers and Cavaliers--and is followed by detailed histories of the various Isle of Wight families. Nearly 200 pages of this voluminous work are devoted to abstracts of deeds, land records, and quit rents. Besides a place and subject index, the work further includes a 38-page name index of several thousand entries.

"The Isle of Wight is England's largest island, but its diamond-shape is at most 23 miles long and 13 miles wide. Anchored close to the Hampshire coast, its location has created a sheltered waterway, the Solent, with its own local roadsteads and a unique double tidal system. This geography has shaped the area's history. Southampton's docks, located on Southampton Water to the north-west, had become the country's largest civilian port by the mid-twentieth century. Just north-east across the stretch of water called Spithead is the island city of Portsmouth with its ideal natural harbour. This was an internationally important port for over three hundred years, while the whole area has been places of naval significance on the world stage for even longer. From when Queen Victoria bought Osborne House in 1845 and had it remodeled as an Italianate mansion the Isle of Wight became a hub of Victorian society. The Poet Laureate Alfred Lord Tennyson lived at Freshwater, while Charles Swinburne grew up at Bonchurch, a place where Charles Dickens vacationed. Charles Darwin began his Origin of Species here, and Karl Marx came to restore his health; it was the expanding rail network that brought them there. Mark Bardell explores the Isle of Wight and Portsmouth and the surrounding maritime landscapes, revealing unexpected historical and literary associations."--PUBLISHER'S DESCRIPTION.

Based on deeply personal testimonies and factual research, this book presents a rich and diverse portrayal of Isle of Wight LGBTQ+ history.

Did you know?A new species of cat-like dinosaur, yet to be named, was discovered on the Isle of Wight in 1988.Darwin began his world famous ‘On the Origin of the Species' while staying at the Kings Head Hotel.There are 21 tourists to every Island resident.The Little Book of the Isle of Wight is a funny, fact-packed compendium of the sort of frivolous, fantastic or simply strange information which no one will want to be without. The Island’s most eccentric inhabitants, blood-curdling murders and literally hundreds of facts combine to make this required reading for locals and visitors alike. Illustrated with humorous cartoons and delivered with wit and flair, this captivating compendium is almost impossible to put down.