The Ports, Harbours, Watering-places and Picturesque Scenery of Great Britain Volume II Part 9

Weymouth and Melcombe-Regis lie on opposite sides of the same river, the latter on the east, and the former on the west. They are connected by a bridge, the central part of which can be swung open, to allow of the pa.s.sing and repa.s.sing of s.h.i.+ps. The name of Weymouth is generally given to the united towns, which are both in the county of Dorset, and about 130 miles to the south-westward of London.

Weymouth derives its name from the Wey, or Way, a small river which there discharges itself into the sea. It is a place of great antiquity; it is mentioned in a charter granted by Ethelred, about the year 880, giving certain lands there to his faithful minister, Altsere. In the Domesday Survey there are no less than eight places in the county with the name of _Wai_ or _Waia_; that, however, which is described as having twelve _salterns_, or salt ponds, was undoubtedly the Weymouth of the present time. In the reign of Edward II. Weymouth returned two members to Parliament; and in 1347, probably in conjunction with Melcombe, it supplied 15 s.h.i.+ps and 263 mariners to the grand fleet of Edward III.

Melcombe owes its adjunct, "Regis"--King's--to its having been a part of the demesne lands of the crown in the time of Edward I. It is not mentioned in the Domesday survey; but it appears to have been summoned to return two members to Parliament several years earlier than Weymouth, though the latter, in all charters, has precedence as the more ancient town. The inhabitants of the two places had frequent quarrels respecting their rights to the harbour and the profits thence accruing; and, in consequence of those dissensions, the towns were deprived of the privileges of a staple port by Henry VI. In the thirteenth year of the reign of Elizabeth the two towns were united into one borough, having their privileges in common, and jointly returning four members to Parliament. By the Reform Bill the number of members returned by the united towns has been limited to two.

The following is Leland's account of the two places at the time of his visiting them, in the reign of Henry VIII.: "Ther is a townlet on the hither side of the haven of Waymouth caullid Milton or Melcombe], beyng privilegid and having a mair. This town, as it is evidently seene, hathe beene far bigger then it is now. The cause of this is layid on to the Frenchmen, that in tymes of war rasid this towne for lak of defence. For so many houses as be yn the town, they be welle and strongly buildid of stone. There is a chapelle of ease in Milton. The paroch church is a mile of: a manifest token that Milton is no very old town ... Milton standith as a peninsula, by reason of the water of the haven that a little above the toun, spreedith abrode and makith a bay, and by the bay of the mayne sea that gulfith it in on the other side. The tounlet of Waymouth lyith strait agaynst Milton on the other side of the haven, and at this place the water of the haven is but of a small brede; and the _trajectus_ is by a bote and a rope bent over the haven, so that in the fery bote they use no oars. Waymouth hath certein liberties and privileges, but ther is no mair yn it. Ther is a key and warf for s.h.i.+ppes."[4]

In the same manner as at many other towns on the southern coast, the trade of Weymouth appears to have declined considerably from the time that the English ceased to have any possessions in France; and the comparatively small depth of water in the harbour has tended to prevent the increase of its s.h.i.+pping in modern times. The harbour at Weymouth is what is called a tide-harbour. The channel is about fourteen feet deep at high water; and at the quays on each side the s.h.i.+ps lie aground at low water. The large lake at the westward of Melcombe-Regis receives at spring tides a vast body of water, which, on its return scours the harbour and prevents the acc.u.mulation of sand. The number of s.h.i.+ps belonging to the port of Weymouth is about eighty-five, the aggregate tonnage of which is 7175 tons.

The increase of Weymouth within the last forty or fifty years is chiefly owing to the number of persons who take up a temporary residence there to enjoy the benefit of sea-bathing, for which the excellent beach affords the greatest convenience. It is said that the place first began to obtain celebrity on this account about 1763, in consequence of Ralph Allen, Esq., of Prior Park, near Bath, having derived great benefit while residing there, and recommending it to his friends. Weymouth was visited, in 1789, by George III., who resided there for about ten weeks, and was so much pleased with the place that in several succeeding years it was honoured with a royal visit.

[4] Leland's Itinerary, vol. iii., p. 79. Edition 1769.

[Ill.u.s.tration: HURST CASTLE.

_THE PRISON OF KING CHARLES I._]

HURST CASTLE

"Here Walter Scott has woo'd the Northern muse; Here he with me has joyed to walk or cruise; Hence have we ranged by Celtic camps and barrows, Or climb'd the expectant bank, to thread the Narrows Of HURST, bound westward to the gloomy bower Where CHARLES was prisoned in yon island-tower."

W. STEWART ROSE.

Among the numerous objects which confer particular interest and beauty on the neighbourhood of Lymington, the most prominent is Hurst Castle, of which a striking view is presented in the annexed Engraving. It was erected by Henry the Eighth, as a fortress for the protection of this part of the Channel from piratical inroads and hostile aggression, and to give his "loving subjects" a strong and lasting pledge of his "paternal solicitude" for their welfare. It is situated near the extremity of a remarkable, natural causeway, or point of land, which runs boldly into the sea to a distance of nearly two miles, and exhibits these ma.s.sive battlements to great advantage. Its works of defence consist of a circular tower, strengthened by semicircular bastions; and when armed and garrisoned in a manner becoming the important trust confided to it, must have presented a very formidable appearance.

Lymington, to whose neighbourhood this formidable stronghold serves as an attractive feature, is now well known and much frequented as a delightful watering-place. It stands about a mile from the narrow channel which separates the main land from the Isle of Wight. Owing to the daily increasing facilities of communication, the picturesque scenery of the New Forest, the various objects of interest and notoriety with which the vicinity abounds, and the delightful prospects which may be enjoyed from the windows of the apartments as well as from the adjoining walks, Lymington is well deserving of the commendation which it has uniformly received from all strangers.[5]

Among the many tempting rides and walks which are open to the public, and present a continual variety of sea and inland views, the most interesting are those to Mudiford, Milford, Boldre, Beaulieu, and High Cliff. On the latter the late Earl of Bute erected a magnificent edifice, in consequence of an early and strong partiality to the spot; for here, he observed, he had always slept soundly, when he could find that luxury nowhere else. The view from this point is one of the finest in the kingdom. The house, though much reduced in size, and modernized by the present owner, has rather gained than lost by the change; while the salubrious quality of the air has certainly not deteriorated. Boldre contains much picturesque scenery, which will be still more highly appreciated when the stranger is informed that in the vicarage of this parish, and amidst the scenes which daily met his eye, the late Rev. and pious William Gilpin composed his popular work on Forest Scenery.[6]

Beaulieu is interesting as having been the seat of a rich abbey, founded in 1204; the refectory of which has been long used as a parish church.[7] Mudiford possesses a fine level sandy beach, of wide extent, admirably adapted for sea-bathing, and commanding a variety of scenes and objects of great beauty. It was a favourite with George the Third and Queen Charlotte, when at Weymouth, who honoured Mr. Rose with a visit at his picturesque cottage on the beach.

[5] The cliffs which extend towards Hurst Castle abound in marine fossils, sh.e.l.ls, and petrifactions, from which many excellent collections have been made.

[6] _Remarks on Forest Scenery and other Woodland Views, ill.u.s.trated by the Scenery of New Forest, 1791._ The _Picturesque Tours_, by the same author, display a deep and correct feeling of the beauties of nature. At his death, in 1804, he appropriated a collection of his Sketches to the endowment of a school at Boldre.

[7] The pulpit belonging to this ancient refectory is the most perfect and elegant relic of its kind in England.

[Ill.u.s.tration: COWES.

_HAMPs.h.i.+RE._]

COWES.

East and West Cowes, in the Isle of Wight, lie on opposite sides, and near the mouth of the river Medina, which rises on the southern side of the island, and after pa.s.sing Newport, discharges itself into the strait--usually called the Solent Sea--that separates the Isle of Wight from the main land. The view of the harbour in the engraving is taken from West Cowes.

In the reign of Henry VIII., two castles were built at the mouth of the river Medina to defend the pa.s.sage to Newport. The old castle at West Cowes is still standing, but that of East Cowes has long been demolished. The castellated building seen in the engraving is a gentleman's seat, and is of modern erection, combining the interior comforts of modern civilization with the exterior grandeur of a baronial residence of the middle ages; but whether such a combination is lawful, admits of a doubt. Beheld from the sea, with its towers and battlements rising above the luxuriant plantations around it, has a fine and imposing effect. The grounds are extensive and well designed, possessing at once the scenery of a park and the cultivated beauty of a pleasure-ground.

Cowes harbour is s.p.a.cious and commodious; and the roads off the mouth of the river, which afford excellent anchorage, used frequently to be crowded, in time of war, with merchant-vessels waiting for convoy; and the towns derived great advantage from supplying s.h.i.+ps, while thus detained, with provisions and small stores. The loss of a great part of this trade, on the termination of the war, has perhaps been more than compensated by Cowes having become the rendezvous of the Royal Yacht Squadron, which was first established under the name of the Yacht Club, in 1815. The number of vessels belonging to the squadron is about a hundred, and their aggregate tonnage is nearly 9,000 tons. The members have a club-house at Cowes; and at the annual regatta, which generally takes place about the last week in August, there are usually upwards of two hundred vessels a.s.sembled in the roads, to witness the sailing for the different prizes.

The town of West Cowes is situated on the declivity, and at the base of a hill, on the summit of which stands the church. The streets are mostly narrow, and irregularly built; but recently the town and its vicinity have been much improved by the erection of several large houses and beautiful villas. There is a regular communication between Cowes and Southampton, by steam-boats, which, in summer, leave each place twice a day. East Cowes is a much smaller place than West Cowes; but, like the latter, it has been greatly enlarged within the last twenty years.

In the vicinity of East Cowes is situated Osborne House, the marine residence of her Majesty and the royal family, for whose accommodation great additions and improvements have been made to the house and grounds, and what was formerly the seat of a private gentleman, has now been rendered a palace worthy of the royalty of England. The brief limits to which our notices are confined preclude us from entering upon a description of an edifice to which we could do but very imperfect justice, and which, after all, must derive its chief interest from the ill.u.s.trious family who occupy its walls, and avail themselves of its peculiarly advantageous situation as the starting point for those marine excursions in which the Queen and her Consort so frequently indulge. The presence of royalty in its neighbourhood has rendered Cowes one of the most fas.h.i.+onable, as nature had previously made it one of the most beautiful, of the watering places on our southern coast, while the facilities afforded by the competing lines of the London and South Western, and London and South Coast Railways, render it at all times easy of access from the metropolis.

[Ill.u.s.tration: SOUTHAMPTON.

_HANTS._]

SOUTHAMPTON.

The town of Southampton is situated in the county of the same name, or, as it is more frequently called, Hamps.h.i.+re. It is built on a point of land at the confluence of the river Itchin with the estuary called the Anton, but which is more generally known as Southampton Water. The origin of the name of the town--which has unquestionably given its name to the county--does not appear to have been satisfactorily ascertained; some writers supposing it to be composed of the Saxon words, _ham_ and _tun_ or _ton_--which are nearly synonymous, and each equivalent to the modern English town--with the prefix _South_ to distinguish it more emphatically from Northampton. Others, however, consider that the name has been derived from the river Anton, on the banks of which the town is situated. "The town of _An_dover," says Sir Henry Englefield, "the village of Abbot's-_An_, the farm of North_anton_, and the hamlet of South_anton_, both near Overton, and not far from the eastern source of the river _Anton_ or rather _Ant_, are abundant proofs of the probability of this etymology."

Southampton, as a chartered borough, may rank with the oldest in the kingdom. Madox, in his _Firma Burgi_, says that Henry II. "confirmed to his men, or burgesses of Southampton, their guild, and their liberties and customs by sea and land; he having regard to the great charges which the inhabitants thereof have been at in defending the sea-coasts." From a grant by the same king to the priory of St. Dionysius, it appears that there were then four churches in Southampton. While the English were in possession of Guienne, the merchants of Southampton carried on a considerable trade with Bayonne, Bordeaux, and other towns in the south of France.

In 1338 the town was a.s.saulted and burnt by a party of French or Genoese; and in the next year an act was pa.s.sed for its better fortification. Whatever injury the town might have sustained from the attack of the French or Genoese, it would seem that its trade as a port was not diminished by it; for, nine years afterwards, Southampton supplied twenty-one s.h.i.+ps and four hundred and seventy-six mariners to the great fleet of Edward III. In consequence of another attack by the French, in the reign of Richard II., the fortifications were further strengthened. In 1415 the army of Henry V., destined for the invasion of France, a.s.sembled at Southampton, where, previous to their embarkation, the Earl of Cambridge, Lord Scrope, and Sir Thomas Grey, were executed for high treason. The result of this memorable expedition was the victory of Agincourt. While the English continued to hold possession of part of France, the trade of Southampton appears to have been very flouris.h.i.+ng, and the port was one of the princ.i.p.al in the south of England for the import of wine. Camden, writing about 1586, describes it as a town famous for the number and neatness of its buildings, the wealth of its inhabitants, and the resort of merchants; "but now," adds Camden's translator, writing about a hundred years afterwards, "it is not in the same flouris.h.i.+ng condition as formerly it was; for having lost a great part of its trade, it has lost most of its inhabitants too; and the great houses of merchants are now dropping to the ground, and only show its ancient magnificence."[8]

For the last fifty years the trade of Southampton, as a port, has been gradually reviving; and at present there is no port in the south of England in a more flouris.h.i.+ng condition. The arrival and departure of the numerous large steamers belonging to the Oriental and Peninsular and the West India Mail Packet Companies, give it an air of activity and importance very different from the character given of it in the preceding paragraph. The splendid docks, and the facilities afforded by the railway, have induced the government of the day to select it as an eligible point for the embarkation of a large portion of the emigrants sent out with free or a.s.sisted pa.s.sages to the Australian colonies.

[8] Camden's _Britannia_, translated by Bishop Gibson, vol. i., p. 213.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE WALLS OF SOUTHAMPTON.]

SOUTHAMPTON.