St Lawrence

"ST. LAWRENCE, a parish in the liberty or East Medina, Isle of Wight, county Hants, 8 miles S.E. of Newport. Ventnor is its post town. The village, which is very small, is situated in the tract called Undercliff, where is a fountain of pure water springing up under a dome by the roadside. The chief part of the soil is fertile, and well cultivated. The parish consists of a narrow strip of land about 1½ mile in length, stretching along the sea-coast. There are about 20 acres of plantation, chiefly of juniper trees. The great tithes belong to the Earl of Yarborough, and the vicarial have been commuted for a rent-charge of £84. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Winchester, value £106. The church is an ancient structure built on a rock 40 feet by 12, and is the smallest in the island. A short distance from the church are the remains of an ancient chantry. There is a National school supported by subscription. "

[From The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland (1868) - transcribed by Colin Hinson ©2003]