Fry's Island, also known as De Montfort Island, is an island in the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

in England. The island is on the reach above Caversham Lock at

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of letters, symbols, etc., especially by sight or touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process involving such areas as word recognition, orthography (spell ...

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Ber ...

. The centre of Reading is to the south and the suburb of Caversham to the immediate north. Fry's Island is a natural island, the only access to it being by boat. It is home to a private house (''Demontfort House''), a boatyard with a residence (''Caversham Boat Services'') and a private

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), though ...

club (the ''Island Bohemian Club''). Each of these occupants runs their own private ferry service. Administratively, the island forms part of Reading's Abbey Ward.

History

Fry's Island is famous as the location of a

trial by combat Trial by combat (also wager of battle, trial by battle or judicial duel) was a method of Germanic law to settle accusations in the absence of witnesses or a confession in which two parties in dispute fought in single combat; the winner of the ...

between Robert de Montfort and

Henry of Essex Henry of Essex or Henry de Essex (died c. 1170) was an Anglo-Norman nobleman who was feudal baron of Rayleigh in Essex (by inheritance) and of Haughley in Suffolk (by right of his second wife). He served as one of the royal constables during the ...

, the standard bearer to King Henry II. The contest took place while the royal court was in residence at

Reading Abbey Reading Abbey is a large, ruined abbey in the centre of the town of Reading, in the English county of Berkshire. It was founded by Henry I in 1121 "for the salvation of my soul, and the souls of King William, my father, and of King William, m ...

in 1163. Robert had accused Henry of Essex of cowardice and treason, because he had dropped the royal standard and called out that the King was dead during a battle with the

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

. Henry of Essex denied these charges. King Henry decreed that this dispute must be resolved in a trial by combat, to be undertaken on what is now Fry's Island. At the height of the combat, Henry of Essex fell wounded, and believing he was dead the King ordered the monks of the abbey to carry his body away and bury it. However, Henry was still alive, and the

monk A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedic ...

s nursed him back to health. Because he had lost the combat he was adjudged guilty as charged and stripped of his lands and honours; however, he was permitted to become a monk at the abbey, where he remained for the rest of his life. The first reference to the Island Bohemian Club dates back to 1908, when it held an annual general meeting under the name of the Old Codgers Club. The present name was adopted in 1909, and purchased the freehold of its part of the island in two phases in 1961 and 1968. Demontfort House was built in 1897. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

the house was used as an American Services 'club'. In the 1960s the house operated as the 'Blue Beat Island Club', the club was the subject of a police raid in 1965. Caversham Boat Services was established in 1970. The residence and large workshop are housed in the former

Reading Rowing Club Reading Rowing Club is a rowing club, on the River Thames in England, on the Berkshire bank at Reading close to the town centre just above Caversham Bridge, the westerly bridge in the town on the reach above Caversham Lock. The club was found ...

building built in 1893. The adjacent boatyard of Bridge Boats was established in 1958 as a builder of wooden boats, becoming a boat hire business in the 1980s. The business was taken over and merged with Caversham Boat Services in 2009.

References

Geography of Reading, Berkshire History of Reading, Berkshire Islands of the River Thames Trials by combat

History

See also

References