PORTLAND, a parish, forming the liberty of Isle-of-PORTLAND,
in the Dorchester division of the
county of DORSET, 4 miles (S.) from Weymouth, containing
2254 inhabitants. Though called an island,
this parish is in reality a peninsula, connected with the
main land by an extremely narrow isthmus, called Chesil
Bank, a line of shingles thrown up by the sea, and
extending for more than, eight miles from Portland to
Abbotsbury. The parish, which contains seven villages
is bounded on the north by Portland road and Smallmouth,
leading into the waters called the Fleets, behind
Chesil Bank, across which is a ferry to Weymouth; on
the east by Portland Race, the passage of which, even
in the calmest weather, is rendered dangerous by an eddy
of two opposing currents; and on the south and west by
the channel. The island is about four miles and a half
in length, and two miles in breadth, of an elliptical form,
and nearly ten miles in circumference; the shores are
steep and rugged, but tbe summit is smooth, and the
soil produces wheat, peas, oats, and barley. At the
southern extremity, called Portland Bill, are the higher
and lower lighthouses, and a signal station called the
"Lowes:" near the former is a remarkable cavern,from
which the water rises as from a fountain. On'the
eastern side are Rufus and Pennsylvania castles'; and on
the northern side are Portland castle, and a signal station'
called Veru. The whole island is one vast rock of
stone, of very superior quality, much esteemed, and
generally used in the most magnificent buildings; it
was first brought into repute in the reign of James I.,
and the digging of it constitutes the principal employment
of the inhabitants. The quarries are in the western
part of the island, and have proved an inexhaustible
source of wealth to the proprietors. The village of
Easton is nearly in the centre of the island, and, with
the various other hamlets, is chiefly inhabited by the
families of the men employed in the quarries. This
is a royal manor, the lands being ancient demesne, and
the king's steward holds two courts yearly, viz., at
Lady-day and Michaelmas. The custom of gavelkind
prevails in it; and the inhabitants have a curious practice
of passing lands by sale, viz., by church gift: the
seller and buyer go into the church, taking with them
three or four persons, tenants of the island, and there
make the church gift, which is very concise. The
living is a rectory, in the archdeaconry of Dorset, and
diocese of Bristol, rated in the king's books at £ 18. 2. 1.,
and in the patronage of the Bishop of Winchester.
The church is dedicated to St, George. There is a
place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. In the
southern part of the island are the remains of an ancient
castle, and the ruins of the old church, which
formerly was in the centre; and behind the Portland
Arms Inn are traces of what is supposed to have been
a Roman encampment. This place gives the title of
duke to the family of Bentinck.