St Catherine's Oratory
Encyclopedia
St. Catherine's Oratory is a medieval lighthouse
on St. Catherine's Down near the southern coast of the Isle of Wight
, the Back of the Wight
. It was built by Lord of Chale
Walter de Godeton (sometimes spelled "Goditon") as an act of penance for plundering wine from the wreck of St. Marie of Bayonne
in Chale Bay on April 20, 1313 AD. The lighthouse tower is known locally as the "Pepperpot".
The lighthouse is a stone structure 4 stories high. It is octagonal on the outside and four-sided on the inside. It originally was on the west side of an adjacent building. The remnants of three other walls are visible at the site.
de Godeton was put on trial in Southampton
before an Island jury for the theft of the wine, and fined 287.5 marks on February 27, 1314. However, de Godeton was also tried for the theft in Church courts as well, since the wine was headed for the monastery of Livers in Picardy
. The Church threatened to excommunicate de Godeton unless he built a lighthouse near Chale Bay.
There was already an oratory
on the top of the hill, dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria
. This was augmented by the construction of the lighthouse, so there would be a chantry
to accommodate a priest tending the light. The priest would also say Mass
for those lost at sea.
Although de Godeton died in 1327, the lighthouse was completed in 1328. The facility was in active use until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
, ca. 1538-1541. In the 18th century Sir Richard Worsley of Appuldurcombe House
bolstered the structure by adding 4 large buttresses to prevent its collapse.
Nearby there are the footings of a replacement lighthouse that was begun in 1785 but never completed. The remnants of this "new lighthouse" are known locally as the "salt cellar". A nearby Bronze Age
barrow was excavated in 1925.
The site is too frequently shrouded in fog to be useful for a lighthouse. The current lighthouse, constructed after the 1837 wreck of the Clarendon, was built much closer to sea level.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
on St. Catherine's Down near the southern coast of the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, the Back of the Wight
Back of the Wight
Back of the Wight is an area on the Isle of Wight, England that has a unique history and social background. Part of this stems from the fact that the area was and still is very cut off from the rest of the island and is made up of small villages strung out along the coast, such as Brighstone,...
. It was built by Lord of Chale
Chalé
Chalé is a Brazilian municipality located in the state of Minas Gerais. The city belongs to the mesoregion of Zona da Mata and to the microregion of Manhuaçu.-See also:* List of municipalities in Minas Gerais-References:...
Walter de Godeton (sometimes spelled "Goditon") as an act of penance for plundering wine from the wreck of St. Marie of Bayonne
Bayonne
Bayonne is a city and commune in south-western France at the confluence of the Nive and Adour rivers, in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, of which it is a sub-prefecture...
in Chale Bay on April 20, 1313 AD. The lighthouse tower is known locally as the "Pepperpot".
The lighthouse is a stone structure 4 stories high. It is octagonal on the outside and four-sided on the inside. It originally was on the west side of an adjacent building. The remnants of three other walls are visible at the site.
de Godeton was put on trial in Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
before an Island jury for the theft of the wine, and fined 287.5 marks on February 27, 1314. However, de Godeton was also tried for the theft in Church courts as well, since the wine was headed for the monastery of Livers in Picardy
Picardy
This article is about the historical French province. For other uses, see Picardy .Picardy is a historical province of France, in the north of France...
. The Church threatened to excommunicate de Godeton unless he built a lighthouse near Chale Bay.
There was already an oratory
Oratory (worship)
An oratory is a Christian room for prayer, from the Latin orare, to pray.-Catholic church:In the Roman Catholic Church, an oratory is a structure other than a parish church, set aside by ecclesiastical authority for prayer and the celebration of Mass...
on the top of the hill, dedicated to St. Catherine of Alexandria
Catherine of Alexandria
Saint Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Saint Catherine of the Wheel and The Great Martyr Saint Catherine is, according to tradition, a Christian saint and virgin, who was martyred in the early 4th century at the hands of the pagan emperor Maxentius...
. This was augmented by the construction of the lighthouse, so there would be a chantry
Chantry
Chantry is the English term for a fund established to pay for a priest to celebrate sung Masses for a specified purpose, generally for the soul of the deceased donor. Chantries were endowed with lands given by donors, the income from which maintained the chantry priest...
to accommodate a priest tending the light. The priest would also say Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
for those lost at sea.
Although de Godeton died in 1327, the lighthouse was completed in 1328. The facility was in active use until the Dissolution of the Monasteries
Dissolution of the Monasteries
The Dissolution of the Monasteries, sometimes referred to as the Suppression of the Monasteries, was the set of administrative and legal processes between 1536 and 1541 by which Henry VIII disbanded monasteries, priories, convents and friaries in England, Wales and Ireland; appropriated their...
, ca. 1538-1541. In the 18th century Sir Richard Worsley of Appuldurcombe House
Appuldurcombe House
Appuldurcombe House is the shell of a large 18th-century baroque country house of the Worsley family. The house is situated near to Wroxall on the Isle of Wight....
bolstered the structure by adding 4 large buttresses to prevent its collapse.
Nearby there are the footings of a replacement lighthouse that was begun in 1785 but never completed. The remnants of this "new lighthouse" are known locally as the "salt cellar". A nearby Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
barrow was excavated in 1925.
The site is too frequently shrouded in fog to be useful for a lighthouse. The current lighthouse, constructed after the 1837 wreck of the Clarendon, was built much closer to sea level.