People
Born in 1803 of respectable but modest Lincolnshire millers, by the time of his death, in 1887, Charles Seely was one of the largest landowners in the country. He owned Sherwood Lodge with coalfields in Nottinghamshire, 1 Carlton House Terrace in London and a substantial part of the West Wight. It was said that he could walk from Brook to Newport, Freshwater or Yarmouth without stepping off his own land. Charles suffered from TB when young and was sent to convalesce with an aunt on the Isle of Wight.
Charles Seely, MP, was born in Lincoln. His parents were Charles Seely (1768–1809) and Ann Wilkinson of Lincoln. He married Mary Hilton in 1831.
The extensive alterations at Brooke House, carried out by Mr James Denham, the well-known builder and contractor, of Freshwater, from the designs of Mr W T Stratton, architect, of Newport, are now completed...
As a Liberal MP. Charles Seely supported the unification of Italy and invited General Giuseppe Garibaldi to stay at Brooke House in 1864 when it was thought he was in danger of being mobbed by adoring crowds in London.
Charles Seely’s son, who later became Sir Charles Seely (1833-1915), was also a Liberal MP. In his lifetime the family fortune grew substantially and he continued his father’s commitment to improving the lives of working people.
Colonel Sir Charles Seely,MP, 1st Baronet KGStJ (11 August 1833 – 16 April 1915) was a British industrialist and politician.
When Sir Charles died he left estate of £1,052,070 (equivalent to £493 million in 2007), making him one of the richest men in the country. He had nine children, and, at the time of his death, over fifty grandchildren.
The following story about Sir Charles appeared in the Isle of Wight County Press in 1889:
Many years ago, a dear old friend, an artist, was making sketches of the coast of the Isle of Wight. Wishing to find his way to the shore at Brooke, he accosted a man whom he chanced to see ...
About 90 children from Brook and Mottistone enjoyed an out of doors treat on Tuesday 30th August, in the beautiful gardens of Brooke House.
Sir Charles Seely's speeches in the House of Commons and House of Lords.
The second Charles Seely continued his father's concern for the education of the working man. He designed and built the Reading Rooms for the men of the Brook and Brighstone.
Sir Charles, perhaps unexpectedly, left the Brook estate to his youngest son, General Jack Seely MP, who had formed strong connections and relationships with Brook village and its lifeboat.
It is said that his proudest moment was the day he became a rowing member of the Brooke lifeboat crew. For a detailed account of his life read Galloper Jack by his grandson, Brough Scott, or any of his books which are mainly autobiographical.
Adventure (1930); Fear and Be Slain (1931); Launch! (1932); For Ever England (1932); My Horse Warrior (1934); The Paths of Happiness (1938).
J. E. B. Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone
John Edward Bernard Seely, 1st Baron Mottistone CB, CMG, DSO, PC, DL, TD (31 May 1868 – 7 November 1947) was a British soldier and politician.
Like many people who lived in the area, Audrey Rann remembers seeing Lord Mottistone ride through the village on his horse:
In Galloper Jack (2002), Brough Scott, remembers his grandfather:
He was just an old man in a dressing gown, one of those red and blue silk paisley things as I remember.
Born in 1998 , the Hon Emily Grace Seely was the eldest daughter of General Jack Seely. In 1918, she served as a VAD (Voluntary Aided Detachment) in Netley Hospital and throughout the Second World War.
When he moved with his family to Mottistone Manor, Jack Seely sold Brooke House to his brother, the second Sir Charles Seely who had wished to inherit the Brooke Estate on the death of his father.
Sir Charles Hilton Seely, 2nd Baronet KGStJ (7 July 1859 – 26 February 1926) was a British industrialist, landowner and Liberal Unionist (later Liberal Party) politician who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Lincoln from 1895 to 1906 and for Mansfield from 1916 to 1918.
Hugh Seely, son of the second Sir Charles Seely, was the Joint Under-Secretary of State for Air for a substantial part of the Second World War (1941–45) and was created Baron Sherwood in 1941.
Hugh Michael Seely, 1st Baron Sherwood (2 October 1898 – 1 April 1970) was a British Liberal politician. He was the third baronet of the Seely family, of Sherwood Lodge, Nottinghamshire.
Our village’s elegant ruin
Was once owned by an eccentric Peer.
Navigating between four ladies
He would sometimes drop anchor here.
The church registers escaped the fire and are complete from 1653. Read the articles to see a full list of the rectors and their dates
Under the direction of Charles Seely and his own energies, John Pellew Gaze was instrumental in the committees formed to set up Brooke Lifeboat.
Rev. Collingwood Fenwick (1833- 1856) appears to have been one of the last of the hunting and land-owning clergy.
As an accomplished school master, the Rev. Morris was invaluable as Sir Charles Seely’s right-hand man on the Reading Room Committee...
Rector of Brook for nearly 20 years, the Rev. Shaw here leads the procession up to Brook Church for the funeral of the second Sir Charles Seely in 1926.
In the following two memories, his daughter, Mary, remembers her father and life in Brook Rectory in the 1930s and Jack Seely recounts a service that was interrupted by the lifeboat maroon.
The Rev. Kirkbride (1942 - 1949) came from Canada and was rector for a comparatively short time.
By the time the Rev. Appleton (1949 - 1953) arrived in Brook he had already retired once and was titled ‘priest in charge.’