Chale, Isle of Wight

Historical Description

Chale, a parish in the Isle of Wight, on the south coast, 6½ miles W of Ventnor. It has a post and money order office under Ventnor, R.S.O. (Isle of Wight); telegraph office, Niton. Acreage, 2222; population, 607. The manor belonged to Carisbrooke Priory, and passed to the Pelhams. Chale Farm house is an interesting architectural relic, with features of Decorated English. The coast includes Blackgang Chine, and the interior includes St Catherine's Hill. A slight indentation of the coast, 3 miles long, bears the name of Chale Bay, is overhung by terrific cliffs, and was the scene of the shipwreck of the Clarendon in 1836. The living is a rectory in the diocese of Winchester; net value, £336 with residence. The church is partly transition Norman, has a Perpendicular English tower, and contains a piscina, and a handsome monument to Major-General Sir Henry Worsley. The graves of many of the passengers and crew of the Clarendon, with a monument to the Shores, are in the churchyard. A large mission hall was erected in 1873, and a Wesleyan chapel in 1888. There is a military road from Chale Church to Freshwater.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Civil Registration

For general information about Civil Registration (births, marriages and deaths) see the Civil Registration page.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Chale from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Chale (St. Andrew))

Maps

Online maps of Chale are available from a number of sites:

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)

Visitations Heraldic

The Visitations of Hampshire, 1530, 1575, & 1622-34 is available to view on the Heraldry page.