Mersley Explained

Mersley is a farming hamlet on the Isle of Wight. Mersley is in Newchurch Parish, and is adjacent to the village of Newchurch itself. Mersley is home to a large garlic farm which is part of the Isle of Wight Garlic Festival in nearby Newchurch, held annually since 1983 and now drawing 25,000 visitors a year.^[1] This garlic farm has also been investigated for inappropriate pesticide use in the past.^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

Potter Molly Attrill worked out of a converted barn in Mersley from 1982 to 2014.^[7]

Mersley is the subject of archaeological interest because of findings of Roman pottery in the area. Earthenware and crockery were discovered at the Garlic Farm in the 1970s and 80s.^{[8] [9]} Ridges on nearby Mersley Down^[10] might be terraces, suggesting the previous presence of a Roman vineyard.^[11] There is evidence of a possible earthwork enclosure on a farm in Mersley.^[12]

There is a chalk pit on Mersley Down.^[13]

References

1. http://www.thegarlicfarm.co.uk/garlicfestival.asp The Isle of Wight Garlic Festival
2. http://www.hse.gov.uk/fod/pir9900.pdf Pesticide Incident Report 1999/2000
3. http://www.hse.gov.uk/fod/pir0001.pdf Pesticide Incidents Report 2000/2001
4. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/business/2097718.stm Garlic baron bounces back
5. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200001/ldhansrd/vo001220/text/01220w04.htm Mersley Farm, Isle of Wight
6. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199900/ldhansrd/vo991215/text/91215w02.htm Mersley Farm, Isle of Wight
7. Web site: About Molly Attrill. 31 October 2016.
8. Trott, K., 2002, The evaluation excavation at Mersley Farm, Newchurch, Proc Isle of Wight Nat Hist Archaeol Soc 16, 95-112.
9. https://web.archive.org/web/20220123005835/https://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/get/assets/docs/archaeology/romanwight.pdf ROMAN WIGHT
10. http://www.megalithic.co.uk/article.php?sid=7064 Mersley Down
11. http://freespace.virgin.net/roger.hewitt/iwias/newsdec.htm IRON AGE VINEYARDS ON MERSLEY DOWN ?
12. http://aarg.univie.ac.at/events/aarg2000/abstracts/abstracts2000.html An assessment of LIDAR for archaeological use
13. http://www.iwight.gov.uk/council/udp/adopted_udp/text_pdfs/appendix_e.pdf DUXMORE CHALK PIT, MERSLEY DOWN, NEWPORT

50.6792°N -1.2156°W