Origin / Meaning
The arms
were granted in 1938 At the centre of the shield is Carisbrooke Castle. The Blue
Field and gold anchors around this show that the county is an island.
The crest is a gold
mural crown, which will be seen over the arms of several County Councils. In the
case of the Isle Of Wight, three blue anchors have been added.
The horse supporter stands
for farming, the seahorse
for seafaring. They are coloured white recalling the links with the ancient
kingdom of Kent.
CREST OF THE
ISLE OF WIGHT THE
ISLE OF WIGHT FLAG
Isle of Wight Nostalgia - Island
Information
- Geography: The Isle of Wight is almost the smallest county in
the country (after Rutland). It measures 23 miles from east to west, and
131/4 from north to
south, giving a total area (including inland water) of 94,146 acres, or 147
square miles. The Island is divided into two boroughs - Medina & South
Wight, with Newport as the all-Island capital, although Ryde is the largest
town.
- Derivation of name: The Romans called the Island Vectis. In the
Anglo-Saxon chronicle it is Wihte ealond, Wihtland or Wiht, followed by
further variations of the spelling in the middle ages, such as Wicht, Wict,
Whyht, Wyght and Wight. The derivation cannot be established with certainty
but the name is probably of British origin and may be connected with the Welsh
gwaith (work) the Latin Vectis (lever) which share a common root. It has been
suggested that Wight could mean what has been raised i.e. above the
sea.
- Rivers: The Island's three main rivers are the Medina, the East
Yar and the West Yar. All the three flow north and drain into the Solent or
Spithead. West Wight is, in fact, almost an Island in its own right, since the
West Yar rises only a few hundred metres inland from Freshwater
bay.
- Location & height: The exact centre of the Island is at
Shide Corner, on the south-eastern outskirts of Newport. Latitude - 50° 41"
north, Longitude - 1° 18" west. The highest point is St. Boniface Down at
Ventnor, which is 240 metres (787 feet) high, although generally speaking the
highest ground extends from Culver Cliff to Tennyson Down above the Needles,
as an east-west alignment of chalk downs which straddle the Island.
- Motto & coat of arms: The Island's motto is All this beauty
is of God the arms or crest depicts a horse and seahorse symbolising
agriculture and the maritime which have supported and conditioned Island life
in so many ways. Royal associations are represented by a castle on a shield,
and the insular nature of the Island is suggested by waves of the sea lapping
the base of the arms.
- Dialect & vocabulary: Owing to its geographical isolation,
the Island's local dialect was once particularly rich. with its own
vocabulary. But easier communications, beginning with the Victorian railways,
caused it to gradually disappear. Nevertheless, Caulkheads (born on the
Island - technically 3rd generation or better!) welcome the Grockles
(visitors), and Overners (residents not born on the Island).
- Dinosaurs: Parts of northern North America, Australia, China
& the Isle of Wight all exhibit examples of the Wessex Formation from the
lower cretaceous period, but the Island yields the world's best preserved and
most varied dinosaur fauna for this phase. Brook in the west and Yaverland in
the east exhibit fossil remains which are not represented as well
elsewhere.
- Chines: Chine is the local name for a feature where a stream has
cut through solid rock. The Island has many examples on its south-eastern
& south-western shores. Chines appear very different. Some, especially on
the south-western shores are barren, while others (for example Shanklin Chine)
are rich with exotic vegetation in the unique microclimate. List of chines:-
Shanklin, Luccombe, Blackgang, Walpen, Whale, Shepherd's, Cowleaze, Barnes,
Marsh, Chilton, Compton - there are other minor chines
- Six to Eight Wonders:
- Needles you cannot thread
- Freshwater you cannot drink
- Cowes you cannot milk
- Newport you cannot bottle
- Lake you can walk through and stay dry
- Ryde where you walk! and two newer wonders...
- Newtown which is old
- Winkle street where there are no winkles
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