|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 8
JOHN HOBSON, rose by his skill and courage from the obscurity of a
tailor's parish-apprentice to an admiral's rank in the reign of
Queen Anne: he headed Sir George Rooke's squadron in the attack on
Vigo harbour, where a numerous Spanish fleet was entirely captured
or burned.--The little village of Bonchurch claims the honor of his
birth-place.
We shall conclude this general chapter with a brief summary of the
local history, though the annals of a small dependent isle like this,
cannot be expected to possess any very exciting interest.
[In fact it can boast of no important ancient settlements or
records--no valued chronicles of the alternate successes and
defeats of ambitious rival princes and their contending armies, or
the unpitied sufferings of the sacrificed population: and perhaps
it would never have been mentioned in the national history, had it
not been for the imprisonment of fallen royalty in the case of
Charles I. Its situation certainly exposed it to the attacks of
Danish pirates, and subsequently of the French; but these distant
events constituting but a broken and unconnected narrative, the
ensuing brief sketch will we presume be sufficient for the majority
of our readers. We refer those who wish further information on the
subject to the valuable work of Sir Richard Worsley,--from which
this article is partly abridged.]
It was subdued by the Roman troops under Vespasian, A.D. 43; but
the conquerors could not have experienced much resistance from the
natives, as no remains of their military works have been here
discovered. Under the empire, the island was reckoned to contain
about 1200 families.
The Saxon kings of the South of England several times attacked the
island with their accustomed unsparing ferocity: particularly
Cerdic, in 530, who replaced the slaughtered British by a colony of
his own countrymen; and Ceadwalla of Murcia, who having seized it
in 686, was so incensed at the idolatry of the inhabitants, that he
resolved at first to extirpate them, and repeople the island with
_Christians!_ but at the intercession of bishop Wilfred, great
numbers saved their lives by submitting to be baptized.
In the ninth and following centuries the island suffered, in common
with the neighbouring coast, from the predatory visits of the
Danes. For a time indeed they were checked by the great Alfred, who
wholly captured or destroyed one large fleet, laden with the spoils
of Hampshire and the Wight: but under the weak and disordered
reigns of his successors, the northern pirates seem to have taken
possession of this defenceless spot as often as they pleased; and
after making it a depot for the plunder of the adjacent counties,
and living freely on the inhabitants, sometimes wantonly burned
towns and villages at their departure.
The island was also severely harrassed by some of the rebellious
Saxon nobles in the reign of Edward the Confessor; but after the
Norman Conquest, its tranquillity was not materially disturbed till
the year 1346, when a party of French landed at St. Helen's; they
were soon repulsed by the islanders, though the warden, Sir
Theobald Russell, was amongst the slain. About this time a variety
of excellent regulations were made by the inhabitants for their
better security: the landholders were by their tenures bound to
defend the castle of Carisbrooke for 40 days at their own charges;
the county of Devon sent for its defence 76 men-at arms, and the
city of London 300 slingers and bowmen.
Another party of the French seem to have made a more successful
attack in the first year of Richard II: indeed the islanders at
that time had little besides their own valor to depend on for
protection; as there were no forts to obstruct an enemy's landing;
Carisbrooke Castle standing in the centre of the island, could
only serve for a partial retreat: and serious ravages might be
committed ere any assistance arrived from the mainland. This want
of domestic security so discouraged the natives, that many families
withdrew, when an order was issued to the wardens to seize the
lands of all such as refused to return.
Not long afterwards a powerful body of Frenchmen landed in the
island, the militia of which (900 in number,) had been reinforced
from Southampton and London, in expectation of this hostile visit.
The invaders were unable to reduce Carisbrooke Castle, which was
commanded by the governor, Sir H. Tyrrel--and moreover suffered
considerable loss by an ambuscade at a place near Newport, still
called Deadman's Lane; [Footnote: A tumulus where the slain were
buried, at the south entrance to the town, was exultingly named
_Noddies'_ Hill--whence the present appellation Nodehill.] yet as
the houses of the inhabitants lay at their mercy, they were at
length bought off by the payment of 1000 marks, and a promise that
no resistance should be offered, if they revisited the island
within a year.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|