National Gazetteer (1868) - Arreton

ARRETON, a parish in the liberty of East Medina, in the Isle of Wight and county of Southampton, 3 miles to the S.E. of Newport, its post town, and 8 S.W. of Ryde. The village, which consists of a long straggling street and some widely scattered farms is situated on the south side of a lofty down, on which are some large barrows, where Roman armour has been lately discovered. The hamlet of Biddlesford is included in this parish The living is a vicarage* in the diocese of Winchester, value £220, in the patronage of J. Fleming, Esq. The church, which was one of those given to the Abbey of Lyra, in Normandy, by William Fitz-Osborne, contains a brass of the year 1430, and is dedicated to St. George. In the churchyard is the grave of the Dairyman's Daughter, of Legh Richmond's well-known story. There is an endowment, founded in 1688, by John Mann, for the bringing up and apprenticing of poor orphans. It amounts to £37 per annum. There are other charities amounting to £27 per annum. In 1852 a district church was built at Haven Street, which is a hamlet, 4 miles N. of Arreton.

BIDDLESFORD, a hamlet in the parish of Arreton, liberty of East Medina, in the Isle of Wight, county of Southampton, 2 miles from Newport.

[Description(s) from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - Transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]