Newtown is a small village in the civil parish of Calbourne, Newtown and Porchfield, on the Isle of Wight, England. In medieval times it was a thriving borough.

Newtown is located west of the town of Newport on the large natural harbour on the island's north-western coast. It is now mostly a national nature reserve owned and managed by the National Trust.

The Caul Bourne streams through Calbourne, passes Newbridge and Shalfleet and empties into the Solent at Newtown.

Name

The name means 'the new town or borough', from Old English nīwe and tūn. It was originally called Francheville 'the free town' until the 16th century.

1189-1204: Niwetune

1254: nouum burgum de Francheuile

1255: Newtone

1257: Frauncheuile

1339: la Nywetone

1512: Newtowne alias Frauncheuyle

History

thumb|left|[[Newtown Old Town Hall|Newtown Town Hall]]

thumb|left|View over the marshes, with Newtown church on the skyline

thumb|left|[[Newtown River|The harbour; looking north with the mainland in the far distance]]The village was originally called Francheville (i.e. 'the free town'), and only later renamed Newtown in the 16th century.thumb| [[Holy Spirit Church, Newtown|The Church of The Holy Spirit in Newtown.]]

The earliest known charter was granted by the Bishop-elect of Winchester, Aymer de Valence. He signed it at his ecclesiastical estate of Swainston Manor in 1256. The early hopes for its success are reflected in the names of its streets, such as Gold Street and Silver Street. However, it will have had competition from Yarmouth, Newport and Southampton. In 1284 it was somewhat reluctantly given to Edward I. Apparently there were about 60 families living in Newtown at the start of the 14th century. In 1318 Edward III granted it the right to a market and fair.

By the middle of the 16th century, it was a small settlement eclipsed by the more easily defended town of Newport. A survey in 1559 noted that Newtown no longer had a market, and did not have a single good house still standing. Its harbour slowly became clogged with silt and inaccessible to larger vessels.

In the 1600s 11 houses were recorded. Church of The Holy Spirit was built in 1837.

The Newtown Arms Inn was closed in 1916. It was in an unusually shaped building referred to locally as "Noah's Ark."

Newtown remained small, but this has preserved its original layout, which is of historical interest. There are two square ponds by the boathouse, which were dug as salterns as part of the former local salt industry. The harbour and salterns have since become a habitat for fish native to the Isle of Wight and its surrounding waters, with large populations of Flathead grey mullet living in both the harbour and the salterns. Although there are a number of private residences still in use and the harbour is still accessible and used by small to medium vessels, Much of the land Newtown is situated on is now under the ownership of the National Trust, with the hamlet being at the centre of a nature reserve built around the old harbour. Newtown is popular with tourists and birdwatchers, as numerous uncommon native species use the salt marshes to nest.

Legend

There are stories of a pied piper, hired for 50 pounds to save Newtown from an excess of rats, which are similar to the story of the Pied Piper of Hamelin, Germany. He is said to have played his pipe and led the rats into the Solent, where they drowned. The townspeople refused to pay the agreed price, and gave the piper 20 pounds, so he then led the children away. The town lost an entire generation, so had no young people to defend it when the French attacked in 1377.

Transport

Southern Vectis operates an infrequent bus route 35, Newbridge to Newport, via Newtown, Porchfield and Mark's Corner.

References

  • National Trust site for the Town Hall