Category:Yarmouth

Yarmouth in the Isle of Wight is on the easten side of the river Yar estuary. The western side of the esturay is Norton, in the parish of Freshwater.

Yarmouth is today one of the 3 main ferry ports in the Isle of Wight.

Its importance as a port with a connection to the mainland dates from the thirteenth centaury when King John is recorded as having visited. In 1277 the town suffered a blow when the French invaded and burnt it to the ground, another blow was suffered in 1524 when the French again invaded. A few years later, 1539, a castle was built for the town's protection on the site of the destroyed church - the castle was garrisoned until 1885.

Yarmouth used to return two Members of Parliament, usually with no more than 9 electors, and was a 'rotten borough' under the Reform Act 1832 when it lost its representation.