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ResourcesGeography - Estuaries & Saltmarshes: Newtown
Newtown Free resources availabe to download in pdf format:
In 1256 Aymer de Valence, the Bishop of Winchester, laid out and had built a new town on the edge of the estuary. Newtown (or "Francheville" which means "free town") thrived and became a busy port and the Island's capital. The decline of the town probably goes back to the French raid in 1377 when together with Yarmouth and Newport it was attacked and burnt. Other reasons for its decline were possibly the development of Yarmouth and Southampton as ports and waterways and the silting up of its own quays. Depopulation of the Island as a result of the great conversions of land from arable to pasture may also have played a part. By 1559 it was reported that "there was neither a market nor any good house standing". In 1674 only eleven houses were recorded and in 1768 there were still only twelve. In or about the year 1657, a scheme was started for draining and embanking the haven of Newtown. The promoters appear to have been interested in the successful reclamation of Brading haven under Sir Hugh Middleton. It is not known precisely for what purpose the drainage was intended but the provision of more grazing land, the construction of saltworks and the necessary land ownership requirements for aspiring politicians, were all outcomes of the scheme. The date upon which the scheme was completed is also uncertain but a map, produced by James Mallet in 1768, clearly shows a wall and new saltworks within the reclaimed area. It was known as Newtown Marsh and in the property of Sir Thomas Worsley. Little is known about the agricultural use of the reclaimed land until the publication of the Calbourne parish tithe map in 1840. The reclaimed marsh is shown to be divided into four fields and designated as "Pasture". At the turn of the century it was still grazed, possibly by sheep. In the mid 1930's local naturalists remember the "Main Marsh" to contain common meadow plants such as buttercups and clovers. Sir Hanson Roebotham purchased the land in the early 1940's and grazed Red Poll cattle and Suffolk Punch horses. The Barton brothers, who leased part of the marsh, also grazed cattle on it and had about eight acres immediately west of the public bird hide, which they cut for hay with a horse drawn mower. In the early 1950's the land was sold to a Mr Spearing who again grazed cattle. However, during the night of November 26 1954, the wall on the eastern side was breached during a severe storm and high tides. The land was flooded to a depth of between one and five feet and was never grazed again by cattle. Silt became deposited on the once farmland and the 134 acres has reverted back to mudflat and saltmarsh. In recognition of the importance of the estuary for wildlife, much of the land was purchased by the National Trust in 1964. It is designated by English Nature as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). In 1995 it was declared a National Nature Reserve, and is jointly managed by the National Trust and English Nature. The mudflats, saline lagoons and saltmarshes are included within the Solent Maritime Special Protection Area (SPA) & Special Area of Conservation (SAC). These are European conservation areas and form part of the Natura 2000 network. The Reserve is also a Ramsar Site – another international designation recognising important wetlands. The Reserve accommodates nationally scarce species including Red squirrels and the Lagoon sand shrimp, Gammarus insensibilis, which are regarded as priority species in UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP). For more information about Newtown, a booklet has been written called Discovering Newtown by The National Trust.
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