Isle of Wight Historical Review Staff

 
From left to right:
Ben Attrill, Ben Attrill's brother, James Lucas's mother's wife, James Lucas, James Lucas's mother,Theresa Stallard, Tony Cornell, Julie Bartlett, James Lucas's mother's friend.



  • bringing a more objective and rigorous system to the study of the Island's past.
  • making available primary sources.
  • developing a multi-disciplinary approach in the research of Isle of Wight history.

We are therefore dedicated to

  1. reviewing, revising and re-evaluating accepted Island history with a view to exocising any myths, distortions and layers of inaccurate entrenched traditions.

  2. supporting and promoting good historical practice.

  3. facilitating and encouraging the use of primary sources in preference to secondary evidence.

  4. publicising and strengthening sound secondary historical work.

  5. providing an open forum for the free discussion of historical issues relating to the Island.

  6. developing the use of the internet as a powerful research tool.



    It is the intention of this site to provide a platform on which to evaluate new, as well as established information on Isle of Wight history through reliance on primary sources and through thorough and critical debate. An efficient system, whatever it is, needs to have an effective means of error-correction through a feedback mechanism. This site hopes to provide such a channel for feedback and critical analysis.

    Historical issues shall be presented on this site in the form of a short article or essay, often with illustrations, to which the Island public are invited to e-mail in their thoughts, ideas, comments or any relevant information. However traditional, however unconventional, however iconoclastic, however irreverent the views are, they need all to be considered, for it is essential that Island history, like all history, is viewed from various angles and standpoints in order to arrive at the fullest, most accurate picture. And often what ,at first sight, we consider to be false or ridiculous, sometimes can contain a small piece of valuable evidence. Comments will be posted on the site in the relevant section so that readers will be able to access the various ideas. The three sections, shown below in the table, are:

    • Spotlight on...
    • Point to Ponder
    • Forum for Heresy?!

    There shall also be a regular look at a personality from history, be they humble or mighty, whose existence has impinged somehow on Island history.