Maryland, Brownsea Island and working on the estate of the island's new owners; daffodil fields were a particular feature. In 1927, Mrs Mary Bonham-Christie bought the island and closed down much of its employment; the redundant workers moved to the mainland, and the village was finally abandoned in the same year. During the Second World War II decoy lights were set nearby to divert German bombers from Poole and Bournemouth. The village was largely destroyed, and the ruins subsequently demolished. Maryland, Brownsea Island Maryland is a deserted village on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour, Dorset, England. It was named for the wife of
Brownsea Island in winter, when more than 50 per cent of British bird species (over 1500) can be present. Some imported stonework and statuary on the island serves as a habitat for a Mediterranean land snail, "Papillifera bidens". The first records of inhabitants on Brownsea Island occurred in the 9th century, when a small chapel and hermitage were built by monks from Cerne Abbey near Dorchester. The chapel was dedicated to St Andrew and the only resident of the island was a hermit, who may have administered to the spiritual welfare of sailors passing through Poole Harbour. In 1015, Canute led a