Brook (St. Mary)

BROOK (St. Mary), a parish, in the liberty of West Medina, Isle of Wight division of the county of Southampton, 5 miles (S. E.) from Yarmouth; containing 150 inhabitants. It is bounded on the south by the sea, and comprises 712 acres, of which 490 are arable, and 222 pasture: the village is seated in a sheltered valley formed by two lofty hills. The living is a discharged rectory, valued in the king's books at £1. 18. 9.; net income, £250; patron and incumbent, the Rev. Collingwood Fenwick. The church, a small edifice partly overspread with ivy, is situated on rising ground, and consists of a nave and chancel, with a low tower. On Brook Down are several tumuli, each of which is encompassed with a fosse. Vestiges of a Roman encampment, and the remains of an amphitheatre, are discernible in the parish; and several human skeletons and daggers have been found.