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From The Muniment Room, a resource for social history, family history, and local history.

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Contents 1 The Read brothers 1.1 Thomas Sibley of Arreton 2 Country lane at North Stoneham 3 The round hall at Stoneham House

The Read brothers

The 1938 list of tenants includes three of my Gt Uncles, the READ brothers, A READ, Arch READ and F READ.

A READ is Augustus [b 1891 in Havenstreet], known as Gus, who lived at Pitts Cottage, Down End;I don't know how long he lived there but it was some considerable time as he was there in 1920 when he took in my Mother whose mother had died and was still a tenant in 1938 [though maybe somewhere else on the Estate by then] Arch READ is Archibald [ b 1894 in Havenstreet] who lived in Church Lane Havenstreet, also from [at least] the early 1920's.

F READ is Frederick [b 1888 in Ryde] who lived ina cottage near the school on the main street, Haven St.

They were all sons of James READ who was the village baker in Havenstreet and kept a small shop there.. If any one has other information about these READs, please post it here. I should be interested to hear it.

Iwlace 11:29, 25 June 2009 (BST), S Stallard

I found an interesting note in an Estate document from 1952 -- see Pitt Cottages, where I've added it as a reference. It shows that Gus was still living at Downend in 1952, and was the estate foreman at that time. Harry. Admin 18:16, 7 July 2009 (BST)

It seems that Gus Read spent most [if not all] of his married life at Down End : he was 29 in 1920 [married 1917] and about 60, nearing the end of his working life, in 1952. Iwlace 21:38, 7 July 2009 (BST)

I know you've already seen it, but Memorial by the agricultural tenants of the Fleming Estate, Isle of Wight, 1943 includes Gus Read and Fred Read. Admin 12:50, 9 July 2009 (BST)

I found this letter: Letter of Pink & Arnold to Gus Read, 1930. Admin 13:01, 30 July 2009 (BST)

Thomas Sibley of Arreton

Thomas Sibley was a farmer who rented some 38 acres at Arreton from the Fleming Estate in the early 19th century. He is listed in the 1841, 51, and 61 censuses, but I don't know the name of the farm. Admin 14:49, 16 July 2009 (BST)

Country lane at North Stoneham

Where exactly in North Stoneham was this picture taken? Admin 29 Feb 2008 (BST)

It looks like the junction of Stoneham Lane and Chestnut Avenue. maggie port 30 Mar 2009 (BST)

The round hall at Stoneham House

I used to live in one of the thatched cottages that belonged to the Fleming Estate in North Stoneham, in the garden there I found a piece of plinth from what must have been quite a large column, it is pink white and brown and quite pourous. The inside of the round hall as depicted by Ursula Moray Williams in her book on the library, she shows columns which are remarkably like the piece I found. SO DID THE ROUND HALL LEADING TO THE LIBRARY EVER EXIST?