WESTBROOKE AND BRIDGEHOUSE

The estate of Westbrooke, lying between Nettlestone and Ryde, came early into the hands of the Vavascour family of Preston Vavascour alias Troublefield, near Ryde (see Section D), and was divided like their other estates among the three daughters of Thomas Vavascour about 1360. In the 1559 Survey Henry Hollis, John Middlemarsh and John Worsley, as the heirs or assigns of the Vavascour daughters, owned Westbrooke between them. In 1604 John Middleton (sic) sold his third share to Thomas Wolfrey and in 1639 John Hollis sold his share to John Wolfrey. Both these shares evidently came to Thomas Wolfrey's daughter, who married Richard Gard, junior nephew and principal heir of Richard Gard, senior. (Oglander Memoirs). Richard Gard's estate passed to his nephew Peter Gard, who in August 1653 settled his capital messuage called Westbrooke in St. Helens upon trustees and in 1657 they and Gard conveyed it to John Chapman, a London merchant. In 1678 Sarah Chapman, his widow, settled Westbrooke and other Island properties on her younger son, William. In 1734 William Chapman's daughter and heiress, Mary, and her husband, Benjamin Newland of East Cowes, owned Westbrooke and Bridgehouse, a property which had belonged to John Earlesman of Westover in 1559, and sold to Richard Gard, senior in 1609.