National Gazetteer (1868) - Morpeth

"MORPETH, a parish, market town, municipal and parliamentary borough, in Castle and Morpeth wards, county Northumberland, 15 miles N. by W. of Newcastle by road, or 161 by railway, and 289 miles N.N.W. of London by road, or 291½ via the Great Northern, or 320 via the Midland railway. The North-Eastern and Blyth and Tyne railways have stations here. The town stands in a healthy valley, on a sort of peninsula formed by the windings of the river Wansbeck, which is here joined by the Cottingburn rivulet, and across which are three bridges: the one which carries the Newcastle road is a stone structure of three arches, designed by Telford; that on the W. is a suspension bridge, and the third is of wood, the two last being only for pedestrians. In ancient records it is called Morpathia and Morepath, signifying the town or path over the moor, and at the time of the Norman conquest was given to William de Merlay, whose descendants were lords of Morpeth. In the 14th century it passed to the Greystocks, who built the castle, the ruins of which occupy an elevated site on the other side of the river a little S. of the town, and having a deep natural valley to the N. and S. Some portions of the outer walls fronting the brow of the hill to the E., and the entrance gateway, which has recently been restored, are the only portions of this once strong fortress now remaining. From the Grey stocks the lordship passed to the Dacre and Howard families, the latter of whom are the present barons of Morpeth, and bear the title of viscount from this place, in addition to that of earls of Carlisle. Morpeth is a borough by prescription, and returned two members to parliament from the reign of Edward VI., who conferred on it a shield of arms, with the appropriate motto, "Inter sylvas et flumina habitans." Since the passing of the Reform Bill it returns only one member, at which time its boundaries were extended so as to include the townships of Morpeth, Buller's Green, Catchburn-with-Morpeth-Castle, Hepscott, Newminster Abbey, Stobhill, and Tranwell-with-Highchurch, and the parish of Bedlington. The area of the old borough was 270 acres; that of the new borough 147,670, with a population in 1851 of 10,012, and in 1861 of 13,794. The municipal borough, which received its first charter of incorporation from Charles II., contained, in 1851, 4,096, and in 1861, 4,296 inhabitants. Under the Municipal Corporations Act, passed in 1835, it is governed by a mayor, 4 aldermen, and 12 councillors, with the style of the "mayor and burgesses of the borough of Morpeth." Its revenue is about £750. Morpeth is the head of a Poor-law Union containing 72 parishes and townships, and the seat of a new County Court district, also of a superintendent registry. It is a polling-place for the northern division of the county. The appearance of the town, which is almost surrounded by the windings of the Wansbeck, has been much improved of late years. The streets are irregularly laid out, but contain several good residences, and two convenient hotels, besides many inns and shops. It is paved, lighted with gas, and supplied with water from a spring at Stobhill. The principal public buildings are the townhall, a stone edifice, with rustic piazza and turrets, situated on the S. side of the market-place; it was erected in 1714 at the expense of the Earl of Carlisle, from a design by Vanburgh, and faces the old market cross erected in 1699. The new gaol or county house of correction is a spacious stone edifice, resembling a baronial castle, and occupying a commanding site on the S. bank of the river Wansbeck; it was finished in 1828, at a cost of nearly £80,000, and is reckoned one of the most secure and commodious gaols in the kingdom. The gateway is an imposing mass of building, and contains the chapel, the sessions-house or hall for county business, in which the Easter sessions for the county are held, and other offices. The union poorhouse is a plain building, situated in Newgate-street. The old market-house was on pillars; and in Oldgate-street stands the clock-tower, containing the fire-engine, and a peal of musical bells, which, in consequence of the church being at some distance from the town, are used for the ordinary parochial purposes. The county asylum, situated in a commanding spot overlooking the valley of the Wansbeck, is a spacious structure, not yet completed. There are, besides, four commercial branch banks, savings-bank, a dispensary, gas-works, and the mechanics' institute, situated in Scotch-yard, near the market-place, which has a library of 2,700 volumes. The principal employments are in the weaving of flannel, corn-mills, malting, tanning, brewing, brick and tile making, saw-mills, iron and brass founding, rope and twine making, market gardening, and manufacturing agricultural implements. Although the manufactures are not of much importance, the town enjoys a flourishing general trade, being situated in the midst of a rich agricultural district. Until recently the largest cattle market in England, except Smithfield, was held here for the supply of the populous districts of the Tyne and Wear, but this market has been removed to Newcastle, as more commodious. The petty sessions for the county, and the spring quarter sessions, are held at the new court-house. Morpeth gives name to a deanery in the archdeaconry of Lindisfarne, and diocese of Durham. The living is a rectory* with the perpetual curacy of Ulgham annexed, in the diocese of Durham, value £1,611. The parish church, dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, is a plain stone edifice of the 14th century, situated on an eminence called Kirk Hill, about a mile from the town. Besides the parish church there is the new church of St. James the Great, erected in 1846, at a cost of £7,000, and situated in Newgate-street. The rector is the incumbent. The Roman Catholic church, dedicated to St. Robert, is situated in Oldgate-street, and is adorned with a spire and several painted windows. There are places of worship for Presbyterians, Independents, and Wesleyans; also National and infant schools adjoining St. James's church in Newgate-street, and borough schools for girls and infants in Well-way. The free grammar school, founded by Edward VI. in 1552, was until recently held in the old chantry chapel, near the bridge; but since the termination, in 1857, of the Chancery suit "the Attorney-General versus Trevelyan," which lasted for about 150 years, a new schoolhouse, with class-rooms and lecture-rooms adjoining, and head master's residence, has been erected in a situation overlooking the town, and was opened in 1859. The school has an extensive play-ground of nearly 4 acres. The principal antiquities are the remains of the castle, with its entrance gate mentioned above, and traces of a Cistercian abbey at Newminster, founded in 1138 by Ranulph de Merlay, the site of which, at the Dissolution, was given to the Brandling family. Turner, the botanist, Gibson, who wrote a herbal, and Morrison, the missionary and eminent Chinese scholar, were natives; and Horsley, author of "Britannia Romana," was a minister here. The races, formerly held at Cottingwood, have been discontinued. Market day is Wednesday. Fairs are held on the 25th March and 25th October for cattle and horses, and on the Wednesday and two following days before Whitsuntide, and the Wednesday before the 22nd July; also a statute fair for hiring servants on the Wednesday before Martinmas."

"BULLERS GREEN, a township in the parish and borough of Morpeth, Morpeth ward, in the county of Northumberland, close to Morpeth."

"CATCHBURN, a village in the township of Morpeth Castle, and parish of Morpeth, Castle ward, in the county of Northumberland, 2 miles from Morpeth."

"HEPSCOTT, (or Liepscott), a township in the parish of Morpeth, E. division of Castle ward, county Northumberland, 2 miles S.E. of Morpeth by the Blyth and Tyne railway, on which it is a station. It is situated near the river Wansbeck.

"HIGH-CHURCH AND TRANWELL, a joint township in the parish of Morpeth, W. division of Castle ward, county Northumberland, half a mile from Morpeth."

"LEIPSCOTT HEPSCOTT, a township in the parish of Morpeth, E. division of Castle ward, county Northumberland, 2 miles S.E. of Morpeth."

"MORPETH-CASTLE, a township in the parish of Morpeth, E. division of Castle ward, county Northumberland. It is situated within the limits of the borough, and contains the hamlets of Catchburn, Parkhouses, and Stobhill, also the site of the old castle."

"NEWMINSTER-ABBEY, a township in the parish of Morpeth, W. division of Castle ward, county Northumberland, half a mile W. of Morpeth. It is situated in a small valley on the river Wansbeck. It had formerly a Cistercian abbey, founded in 1198 by Ranulph de Merlay, which at the Dissolution had a revenue of £140 10s. 4d. Of this structure only a part of the northern gateway remains. The Morpeth foxhounds are kennelled here. There are corn and woollen mills."

"PARKHOUSES, a village in the township of Morpeth Castle, parish of Morpeth, county Northumberland, near Morpeth, within which borough it is situated, and 14 miles N. by W. of Newcastle."

"SHILVINGTON, a township in the parish of Morpeth, W. division of Castle ward, county Northumberland, 4½ miles S.W. of Morpeth."

"STOBHILL, a village in the township of Morpeth Castle and parish of Morpeth, county Northumberland, near Morpeth."

"TRANWELL WITH HIGH CHURCH, a township in the parish of Morpeth, W. division of Castle ward, county Northumberland, 2 miles S.W. of Morpeth. The parish church is situated at the hamlet of High Church."

"TWIZELL, a township in the parish of Morpeth, W. division of Castle ward, county Northumberland, 5½ miles S.W. of Morpeth, on the river Blyth."