THE HAMPSHIRE ANTIQUARY & NATURALIST. 



in 



called Schaldeflet and that the mill refers to Wootton 

 mill. This grant is made by William, son of 

 Gaufridus (see Worsley's History, appendix, No. 

 LXXVII). 



Let me now read to you a brief historical descrip- 

 tion of our church, written for us by our architect, 

 Mr. William Tucker Stratton, of Newport, in which 

 he says : 



The church of Shalfleet (one of the four mentioned by 

 name in Domesday) possesses in some degree points of 

 greater interest than any other of the Island churches ; of 

 these the massive Norman tower, with its walls of solid 

 masonry five feet in thickness, and originally built without 

 external apertures, is the most prominent. 



It is generally thought to have been so constructed as a 

 place of refuge for the parishioners on the occasion of any 

 sudden incursion, for which the proximity of navigable 

 inlets of the sea gave facilities. 



Another point of special interest is the peculiar form 

 (supposed to be unique) of the window tracery in the 

 south aile, which consists of three pointed ovals (of the 

 shape known as the " vesica piscis") arranged in the 

 heads of the three-bayed windows. The bays of these 

 windows are of unequal widths, the sides being but three- 

 fifths of the widths of the central bays, and the ovals are 

 so arranged as to fill the pointed heads, the centre one 

 being vertical and the sides sloping toward it. 



Besides the tower the only poition of the original Nor- 

 man work now apparent is the north doorway ; this has 

 plain recessed arches springing from engaged columns of 

 the usual type, and enclosing a spandril or tympanum, on 

 which is carved in relief some mystic subject not yet satis- 

 factorily explained. The other portions of the north wall, 

 with the pseudo-medieval windows having wood mullions, 

 was reconstructed early in the present century. 



The church originally consisted of tower, nave, and 

 chancel only ; the latter was evidently re-constructed 

 about the middle of the isth century, and at the same time 

 the great arches between it and the nave and between the 

 nave and tower were formed. 



The construction of the south aile seems to have fol- 

 lowed closely on the rebuilding af the chancel, but was 

 clearly designed by other hands, as, although the details 

 are generally characteristic of lh same period, the con- 

 tours of the moldings and the window tracery before re- 

 ferred to are distinctly different. From the descriptions of 

 the church in Worsley's " History " (1781), and Tomkins's 

 " Tour " (1794) of the Island, it is clear that some of the 

 aile windows contained the armorial bearings of the Lady 

 Isabella de Fortibus, and it is not improbable that this 

 addition to the church was made under her auspices. It is 

 divided from the nave by four pointed arches springing 

 from three columns of Purbeck marble with molded caps 

 and bases, the whole being of most graceful and beautiful 

 proportion and excellent workmanship. 



As far as can be seen from below, the original framing 

 of the roof appears to remain, although it has been 

 partly hidden by a plastered ceiling, and shrouded in 

 many coats of whitewash. 



From the fact that the south wall of the aile had no 

 wind AV to the eastermost (the present one is an insertion 

 of i6th century work), I am disposed to think that it must 

 have been erected as a distinct church for separate ser- 

 vicespossibly the vicarial and divided from tke nave 

 (the rectorial church) by an oaken screen. This arrange- 

 ment certainly prevailed about the same period at Arreton 

 Church, and a somewhat similar one at Carisbrooke, where 



the south aile was so divided from the nave of the priory 

 church perhaps in lieu of the church of the manor of 

 Buccombe mentioned in Domesday. 



I have now only to call your attention to our old 

 oak pulpit of Elizabethan make, and two monumental 

 slabs dug up in the churchyard some years ago to be 

 seen HOW in the chancel ; also to the slab of Purbeck 

 marble in the flooring of the chancel, supposed to be a 

 stone altar. 



The register goes back to 1604. 



A grant of the tithes and advowson ot the benefice 

 was made by Henry VIII, in 1537, to Thomas 

 Wriothesley, afterwards Earl of Southampton. When 

 he was attainted it reverted to the Crown, and Mary 

 granted it to the Bishop of Winchester, but under an 

 Act of the ist of Elizabeth the benefice again reverted 

 to the Crown, where it remained till James I granted 

 the tithes to Morrice and Phelps, in the seventh year 

 of his reign. This third grant did not include the 

 advowson, hence the Lord Chancellor has ever since 

 the reign of Mary presented on behalf of the Crown, 

 though the tithes (rectorial) have remained in lay 

 hands. These are commuted at ^981 43. nd. 



Since 1701 there have been 13 vicars : Rob. 

 Harvey (1701), J. Woodford, Leonard Troughear, 

 William Dickenson, Henry Worsley, Geo. Burrard, 

 Ed. Francis Arney, Thomas Cottle, Alex. G. Shaw, 

 Huddlestone Brown, Frederick Harper, Frederick W. 

 Fisher, and J. Thomas. 



WEATHER REPORT FOR THE WEEK. 



From the meteorological register made at the Ordnance 

 Survey Office, Southampton, under the direction of Col. Sir 

 Chas. Wilson, K.C.B., K.C.M.G., F.R.S., R.E. Lat. 50 

 54' so"N. ; long. i 24' o" W. ; height above sea, 84 feet. 

 Observers Sergt. T. Chambers, R.E., and Mr. J. T. Cook. 



* Black bulb in vacuo. 



