Preserving, documenting and promoting the social history of Ryde on the Isle of Wight.

WEEKS & DEWEY 70th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATION
On 5 May 2012 David Earle witnessed a moving ceremony in Ryde Cemetery.

WALTER PERKIS OF RYDE, TITANIC SURVIVOR
Walter John Perkis was born in Swanmore Road, Ryde in August 1874

CENTENARY OF THE TITANIC DISASTER
April 15th marks the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic, a passenger liner on her maiden voyage

ST PATRICK'S DAY
ST PATRICK'S DAY BALL - We would draw special attention to the Grand Fancy Dress Ball to be held in the Town Hall on Monday night (St Patrick’s Day). It is a Peace Ball and will be one of the most notable events of the season.

CHARLES DICKENS
Charles John Huffam Dickens was born in Portsmouth on February 7th 1812 and is generally considered to be one of the greatest English novelists of the Victorian period.

MRS BEATON AND HER CHRISTMAS PUDDING
In 1861 Mrs Beaton’s Book of Household Management was published.

SAINTS, SOULS AND SERVICEMEN
Images of cemeteries, graves and wreaths, (particularly poppies), are prominent in November and at Ryde Cemetery poppy crosses will be placed on war memorials by families and friends in memory of lost love ones.

RYDE PIER THEN AND NOW
In 1878 Ryde Pier Head was a pleasant spot for an evening's entertainment...

BOTANIC BEER
What could be more refreshing than a glass of cold botanic beer?

A FAMILY STORY AND THE ROYAL ESPLANADE HOTEL
Joy McPherson from Australia contributed her research into her great-grandfather, his brother and their families who were all resident in Ryde from around 1891 to 1923.

COL AND MRS CRADOCK’S “AT HOME”
On Thursday afternoon Colonel and Mrs Cradock gave a garden party at their residence, The Castle, Ryde.

ROYAL ISLE OF WIGHT HORTICULTURAL SHOW – JUNE 1863
The first flower show of the season took place in the beautiful grounds attached to Buckingham-villa.

A ROYAL MARRIAGE
The marriage of Princess Louise and John, the Marquis of Lorne 21 March 1871

A GIFT FOR RYDE CEMETERY
A three-light stained glass window for the East-end of the Church of England chapel at the Cemetery

St Valentine’s Day Fancy Dress Ball
St Valentine’s Day, was celebrated in Ryde with a fancy and evening dress ball at the Town Hall

Snow and Storms hit Ryde in January 1881
RYDE was visited by a terrific storm...

WE WISH YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Time-honoured Christmas is with us again. Houses are decked with holly and mistletoe; fires are burning brightly; merry groups are meeting; and the "waits" with merry and welcome voice proclaim the festival.

A WALK THROUGH RYDE IN THE EARLY 1850s
... I see the waterworks pump, with the old man, Parsons, pumping day by day...

COMPLETION OF THE MAPPING PROJECT
In July 2010 David Earle Ryde Social Heritage Group's "Map Master" completed the preliminary mapping of Ryde Cemetery.

New Burial Ground for Ryde
170 years before the successful completion of the Ryde Cemetery Restoration Project Newchurch Vestry met on Tuesday 1 September 1840 to discuss the proposed new burial ground.

Northern Lights seen at Ryde 1836
AURORA BOREALIS OBSERVED IN THE ISLE OF WIGHT, ON AUGUST 10TH

The End of the Partlands Hotel
Once famed as the grottiest pub in the whole country!

Beware the Dangers of Paddling!
...numbers of children are languid and poorly, suffering from headache and malaise from this cause...

Ryde Election Riots - 1851
At the recent election for the Isle of Wight, a Riot at Ryde so terrified Mr Cole

St Mark's flies - Bibio marci
Visit Ryde cemetery in April and you may be surrounded by swarms of black flies

Victorian Remedies
Some remedies suggested in the Isle of Wight Observer, July 28th 1894

Love is in the air!
Valentine's Day is celebrated on February 14 by many people...

New Year 1834
Several friends of the Campanologists of the town, assembled ...

Christmas in Ryde in Times Past
The image is an advert for Father Xmas at Hill's Stores in 1934

World War One - “County Press” Tobacco Fund for Islanders at the Front

To Tree, or not to Tree?
In Sept 1904 there was much debate in Ryde about planting trees in Union Street.

"A Morning Blow at Ryde"
Next to the delight of being at the seaside during this unusually hot September

Royal Visit - August 1843
The Queen has just landed, amidst the acclamations of thousands.

Open Letter to Mr G Player and The Directors of Ryde Pier Co 1817
From The Morning Chronicle (London, England), Wednesday, September 17, 1817

Pole Dance at Ryde!
The company on the Ryde Pier, were lately amused by “the pig and the pole.”

The First Typewriter in Ryde
ISLE OF WIGHT TIMES April 20, 1876 Writing by Machinery

Francis Newman JP, CE (1831 - 1904) Ryde Borough Surveyor
Francis Newman was, by all accounts, a decent and well respected man of Ryde

An Infuriated Bull on the Esplanade
Article from the Isle of Wight Times 25 September 1873

A Remarkable Circumstance
Extract from the TERRIFIC REGISTER or RECORD OF CRIMES, JUDGEMENTS, PROVIDENCES AND CALAMITIES VOL. II 1825

Christmas Past
Ann Barrett, leader of our Research Team, wrote this poem for her family of her memories of Christmas as a child.

Christmas Crackers!
Love them or hate them Christmas wouldn’t be the same without Christmas Crackers

Looking Back - How Ryde used to be
An article in the IW County Press November 1934 looked back at how Ryde used to be.

Edmund Rickard - Watchmaker and Jeweller
Edmund Rickard Watchmaker and Jeweller High Street Ryde.

Novel Mode of Transport!
NOVEL MOVE – Mr NELSON, the clown in Bridges’ circus, brought together an immense crowd on the Esplanade

Ward & Sons - Local bicycle manufacturers and motor engineers
Mr Edward Tom Ward first set up his bicycle making business in Ryde around 1878.

Sir Thomas Acquin Martin - Industrial Pioneer (1850-1906)
Sir Thomas Acquin Martin and his wife Sarah have a really beautiful memorial, in the shape of an angel and a cross, in the Catholic Section of Ryde Cemetery.

The Loss of a Fortune
Edward John COLEMAN (b1834 - d1885) bought the estate Stoke Park, Stoke Poges in Buckinghamshire, from Lord Taunton, in 1863.

The Fleet Reviews at Spithead
The townsfolk of Ryde will have witnessed many Fleet Reviews in The Solent.

William Arnold Bromfield - Traveller and Botanist
William Arnold Bromfield wrote the FLORA VECTENSIS a description of the flowering plants and ferns of the Isle of Wight.

Admiral Philip Westphal 1782 – 1880
The oldest commissioned officer in her Majesty's navy, Admiral Westphal died at Ryde

March 2008 - Southsea and Ryde Collecting Dog “Brake”
Extract from the Penny Illustrated Paper - 20 December 1884

February 2008 - Dr Alexander George Davey – Doctor of Medicine
Dr Alexander George Davey is best remembered for his work in connection with ...

January 2008 - William Knyvett – Singer and Composer
William Knyvett was an eminent singer and composer, a Gentleman of the Chapels Royal.

December 2007 - The History of the Christmas Tree
The Christmas tree has become such an important part of a traditional English Christmas that it is difficult for us to imagine Christmas without a tree, but this wasn’t always so.

November 2007 - Coachman Harry Williams’ Diamond Wedding – November 1940
Harry Williams was born in 1858 at Dudley House, John Street Ryde, one of eight children. His father, George Williams, kept a posting yard with horses and the stately carriages so characteristic of the mid-Victorian period. Even at a young age Harry owned his own horse and chaise and by the age of 18 was a fully-fledged licensed carriage driver.

October 2007 - Augustus George Vernon-Harcourt 1834 - 1919
Inventor and Chemist Born 24th December 1834 in Chelsea, London, Augustus George was the son of Admiral Frederick Edward Vernon-Harcourt and Marcia Tollemarche and grandson of The Archbishop of York, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Edward Venables-Vernon-Harcourt and Lady Ann Leveson-Gower.

September 2007 - Thomas Dashwood - Master Builder
Thomas Dashwood was born in Whippingham on 17th December 1788, he moved to Ryde as a young man to seek his fortune.

August 2007 - Suffolk Towers, 84 George Street, Ryde
Researched by Joann Bailey and Anthony J. Merry

June 2007 - Captain James Stallard - Smuggler
James Stallard was born in St Helens in about 1796. As a young man he was apprenticed to Pilot Beazley who was known as ‘Old Razza Beazley’, but soon after his service ended he entered into the business of smuggling.

May 2007 - Father de Gex, Assistant Priest at St. Michael's Church
Alexander Frederick de Gex, a native of Somerset, was Assistant Priest at St. Michael’s Church in Swanmore for 3 years until his death in April 1931.

March 2007 - After 58 years of marriage a Ryde couple die together.
A sad but touching story of a couple who had a long life together and died the same day.

January 2007 - Ryde Lifeboat Disaster 1 January 1907
One hundred years ago, two brave men lost their lives when the Selina Lifeboat capsized.

December 2006 - Christmas in Victorian Times
Ryde, Isle of Wight, has strong connections to the Victorian celebration of Christmas

November 2007 - Drummer Boy's Military Funeral
The Castle on the Esplanade in Ryde (now a hotel) was used as a hospital in WW1.

September 2006 - James Leonard FRY
Mr Fry was killed in an accident while placing bunting on a shop front in Union Street.

August 2006 - General Sir Henry Dermot Daly
Research carried out by Trish Lovell on General Sir Henry Dermot Daly

June 2006 - James Walker R.N. Chief Officer of Coastguard

June 2006 - A Local Hero
He gave his life to save two children from drowning

May 2006 - Day by Day at Lucknow
Two Sisters endure 5 months of siege at Lucknow during the Indian Mutiny

May 2006 - Do Not Stand by my Grave and Weep
A poem written by Mary Frye in 1932 to comfort a bereaved friend.

April 2006 - Miss Elizabeth Mary Eugenie CAWS
Miss Elizabeth Mary Eugenie CAWS died in a fire in her home in Ryde in 1931. The County Press recorded her death, as well as the Coroner's Inquest. She lived alone, in the upper apartment in a cottage off Hill Street.

April 2006 - General Sir Samuel BROWNE, V.C.; K.C.B.; K.G.S.I.
General Sir Sam Browne was a distinguished Army Officer who served in India and the near East. He retired to the Isle of Wight in 1898, and died in Ryde in 1901. His cremated remains are buried in Ryde Cemetery, and his grave marker is a simple stone crucifix on a three step plinth.

April 2006 - Benjamin Archer Kent M.D.
A Medical Pioneer in Southern Australia

March 2006 - Thomas Hellyer
Thomas Hellyer, Architect of Ryde, has a unique tomb in Ryde Cemetery.

March 2006 - Mr Stephen Adams, nome de plume of Michael Maybrick
Grave Type: Normal Grave Large vaulted grave with kerbs and ornate top supported on multi columns.