.Meaning literally inside the castle the tiny church of St Nicholas stands in the south-west corner of Carisbrooke Castle courtyard. Not surprisingly, being a Norman fort, it also contained a Norman church. During its history the church has suffered mixed fortunes, being several times ruined and then rebuilt.
The Domesday Survey
Following the Norman invasion of 1066, William I left the Island in the care of his cousin William Fitz Osbern. As a co-regent, when the Conqueror returned to France, Fitz Osbern was responsible for security in Britain and it is he who is credited with building Carisbrooke Castle in its present form and erecting St Nicholas Church. Fitz Osbern died in 1071 and the work was completed prior to the Domesday survey where it is mentioned . To support the church it was granted lands at Shalcombe.
Isabella de Fortibus and St Peter's Chapel
By the 12th century the lands at Carisbrooke had passed into the hands of the powerful de Redvers family. Baldwin de Redvers as the Lord of the Island gave the right of appointing a priest at St Nicholas to Quarr Abbey and so it remained until the time of the Dissolution.
In 1262 Baldwin de Redvers died and the lordship passed to his sister Isabella de Fortibus, a young widow. He left her extensive holdings in Devon while through her husband she inherited vast areas of land in Yorkshire and Cumberland.
For thirty years, Isabella lived at Carisbrooke, fighting off all attempts to wrest her power from her through marriage. During this time all six of her children died and when she became mortally ill in 1293 ownership of the castle was taken back by the king. She was probably the richest woman ever to live on the Isle of Wight and was the first person to install glass windows at Carisbrooke.
During her time Isabella had granted farm fee rents for Newport to St Nicholas. In 1297 a total of £27.2.2d was collected of which 13/6d went to St Nicholas church.
St Peter's Chapel
For whatever reason, Isabella preferred to have her private place of worship and in 1269 a new chapel was built in the north-eastern corner of the castle dedicated to St Peter. In the ensuing centuries changes were made to the domestic buildings and additional floors and new windows were added obscuring St Peter's chapel. In 1724 the then governor, Lord Cutts further changed it by inserting a staircase. It now lies somewhere beneath the King's bedroom.
The Church's Changing Fortunes
In the 16th century the Island was on high alert, expecting a Spanish invasion and the castle fortifications were extended. At the same time, the residents of Newport were asking for their own church. In 1559 they requested that as no service had been held at St Nicholas for 30 years, the profits from the vicarage might be annexed to the chapel of Newport.
In the mid 17th century Carisbrooke was bulging with the military facing civil war while between 1647-8 it was guarding King Charles I. By this time it seems that St Peter's Chapel was no longer in use so the king may well have worshipped at St Nicholas before his untimely removal.
Meanwhile, St Nicholas' chapel slowly decayed. In 1734, the then governor Lord Lymington had it partially demolished, reducing the stonework to within three feet of the ground and erecting in its place a stone and brick building. By 1856 it was again roofless and it was presented as a pseudo ruin.
The Parish of St Nicholas
The castle apart, St Nicholas Parish included some far flung lands at Castlehold (around Newport Upper High Street), Cosham (roughly around South Street), part of Shide Down, and parts of Rowborough and Dodnor. In 1894 the Parish of St Nicholas was absorbed into those at Newport, Northwood and Carisbrooke. Since the time of the Dissolution the advowson had once again become the gift of the Castle governors.
The Church's Modern History
In 1904, recognising its historical importance, the chapel was again re-built, the commission going to Percy Stone, the Island’s favourite Edwardian architect. It was he who designed the Victoria Memorial in St James’s Square Newport. Mindful of Charles I’s unhappy stay at Carisbrooke, the chapel was dedicated to his memory, being consecrated on January 30 the anniversary of the king's execution. A memorial service is still held on that day each year.
In 1912 Princess Beatrice, the Island's Governor, moved into Carisbrooke Castle where she lived until her death in 1944. What is now Princess Beatrice’s garden is believed to have been the castle burial ground.
Following the First World War, it was agreed to make St Nicholas the Official Island War Memorial and its walls are panelled with 1,642 names of Islanders who died in conflict.
The chapel has the quaint title of Queen’s Peculiar, in that it is responsible directly to the monarch rather than to a bishop.
Source: History of the County of Hampshire Vol 5 (pages 253-265)
Carisbrooke Castle Museum.
