Newton-Hall - Newton-Purcell

A Topographical Dictionary of England. Originally published by S Lewis, London, 1848.

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'Newton-Hall - Newton-Purcell', in A Topographical Dictionary of England, (London, 1848) pp. 409-413. British History Online https://www.british-history.ac.uk/topographical-dict/england/pp409-413a [accessed 24 March 2024]

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Newton-Hall

NEWTON-HALL, a township, in the parish of Bywell St. Peter, union of Hexham, E. division of Tindale ward, S. division of Northumberland, 7¾ miles (E. by N.) from Hexham; containing 95 inhabitants. It adjoins the township of Newton on the north, and is situated not very far from the river Tyne, which runs on the south: the road from Newcastle to Corbridge also passes on the south of the village.

Newton-Harcourt

NEWTON-HARCOURT, a chapelry, in the parish of Wistow, union of Billesdon, hundred of Gartree, S. division of the county of Leicester, 6¾ miles (S. E. by S.) from Leicester; containing 278 inhabitants. The Union canal passes through the chapelry. The chapel, rebuilt a few years since, is dedicated to St. Luke, and is endowed with 16 acres of land, awarded by an act of inclosure in 1792 in lieu of tithe. There is also an allotment of 10 acres, let in portions of a rood each to labourers, and producing a rent of £12, which is distributed to the poor in clothing.

Newton-in-Cleveland

NEWTON-IN-CLEVELAND, a parish, in the union of Guisborough, W. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh, N. riding of York, 5 miles (N. E.) from Stokesley; containing 147 inhabitants. At the time of the Conquest this was a demesne of the crown. It was afterwards granted to Robert de Brus, lord of Skelton, to be held of the king in capite; the Thwengs subsequently possessed the estate; and among other families that have owned property here, occur those of Welbury and Norton. The parish comprises 1163a. 29p., of which 590 acres are arable, 289 pasture, 65 wood, and about 217 moorland common: there are quarries of blue whinstone for roads. The village is situated on the road from Guisborough to Stokesley, about midway between the two towns. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of T. K. Staveley, Esq., and has a net income of £45. The church appears to have been anciently dependent on that of Ayton, and with it was given in 1123, by Robert de Meinell, to the convent of Whitby; at the Dissolution it was made parochial. The celebrated Roseberry Topping is in the parish; it is a pyramidal mountain 1488 feet above the level of the sea, the base composed of an immense stratum of alum rock. Near the summit, which commands a wide and beautiful prospect, extending over a large part of the county of Durham, and including the mouth of the river Tees, is a spring of excellent water.

Newton-in-Maker-Field

NEWTON-IN-MAKERFIELD, a market-town and parish, in the union of Warrington, hundred of West Derby, S. division of Lancashire, 4 miles (N.) from Warrington, 15 (E. by N.) from Liverpool, 47 (S. by E.) from Lancaster, and 192½ (N. W. by N.) from London; containing 3126 inhabitants. This place was at a very early period of sufficient importance to give name to one of the hundreds of the county, but the distinction has been lost for many centuries. During the civil war, and in or about the month of Aug. 1648, a skirmish took place at Red Bank, near the town, between the parliamentary forces and a party of Highlanders, the latter of whom, being defeated and made prisoners, were hanged in a field (through which the turnpike-road now passes) that retains to this day the name of the Gallows Croft. The town consists chiefly of one broad street with some respectable houses, and many important works are carried on in its vicinity. Two large foundries for locomotive-engines and iron-work of almost every description, employ between 700 and 800 hands. The extensive alkali-works of Messrs. James Muspratt and Sons employ nearly 300 hands; and this firm also, commenced here in 1845 the manufacture on a considerable scale of Baron Liebig's patent manure. Messrs. Ackers and Company have an establishment for the manufacture of crown-glass. A large hotel has been built adjoining the Liverpool and Manchester railway station at this place, which is about halfway between those two towns; and the North-Union and Birmingham railways form a junction, near the town, with the Liverpool and Manchester line. It was at the Parkside station, in the parish, on the occasion of opening the last-mentioned railway, in Sept. 1830, that the Rt. Hon. William Huskisson met with the accident which caused his death; and a tablet to his memory has been erected near the spot. Races annually take place, in July, on a large common within a short distance of the town; a fine course has been formed at the cost of Thomas Legh, Esq., lord of the manor, and owner of five-sixths of the parish, and that gentleman has also built a grand stand of elegant design, besides which, is a range of substantial stands of brick, commanding a view of the whole course. A branch from the Birmingham railway, directly to the course, affords facility for visiters to it from the neighbouring towns and almost any part of the kingdom. A market-house was erected in 1840, by Mr. Legh. Fairs are held on May 17th and August 11th for horned-cattle, and on May 18th and August 12th for horses. Newton, the head of a barony, and formerly a borough by prescription, returned two members to parliament from the first year of the reign of Elizabeth to the 2nd of William IV., when it was disfranchised. Courts leet and baron for the ancient fee of Makerfield are held three times a year, at which small debts are recoverable.

Seal and Arms.

The parish comprises 3101 acres, whereof about 697 are arable, 1958 meadow and pasture, 28 wood, and the remainder villages, roads, and waste or common. The district is delightful and healthy, and the land very fertile, the soil being one-third clay loam and two-thirds loam, with a substratum of the new red-sandstone formation, of which there are excellent quarries. Newton Hall, a venerable building of lath and plaster, stands on the south side of the town; the vestiges of a moat, formerly visible, have merged in the adjacent brook, and the ancient mount or tumulus, with its subterraneous passages and walls, now forms part of the embankment of the Liverpool and Manchester railway. The late John Blackburne, Esq., M.P. for Lancashire, sold this Hall and estate to Mr. Legh. Oak-tree House, at the northern extremity of the town, is another fabric of frame-work; the Brotherton family were the ancient proprietors, and sold it to the Leghs. Hey, in Newton, consists of two farms; Old Hey was the mansion of the Brothertons, by whom the property was sold to the Leghs at the beginning of the present century.

Newton was formerly a chapelry in the parish of Winwick, but was erected into a distinct parish, by act of parliament, in 1844. The living is a rectory, in the patronage of the Earl of Derby: the tithes have been commuted for £300, and there are two acres of glebe land, and a glebe-house. The parish church, situated at Wargrave, and dedicated to Emmanuel, was built in 1841, and is a neat stone structure in the early English style, with a spire, forming a commanding object in the scenery: the cost of its erection was defrayed by the rector of Winwick. The old chapel, which was dedicated to St. Peter, was built in 1682, by Richard Legh, Esq., and rebuilt in 1834; it is also in the pointed style, and of red-sandstone. After the creation of the parish of Newton, it was made a district church. The living is a perpetual curacy; net income, £114; patron, Mr. Legh. The burial-ground has been extended, and inclosed with a stone wall and iron palisades, by the patron; it contains an obelisk formed of one very large block of stone (brought from Lyme Park, in Cheshire), in lieu of an ancient cross. There is a free school, the master of which receives about £50 per annum, arising from the proceeds of certain inclosures of Leyland common, and the rent of a messuage called Dean-School; and national schools, adapted for 400 children, have been built by government grants and private subscription, on a site given by Mr. Legh, from the designs of his agent, Mr. Mercer.

About half a mile northward of the town are the remains of a barrow, supposed to be of great antiquity, named Castle Hill; it is from eight to nine yards in height and about 25 in diameter, and beautifully situated on a high bank near the confluence of a small brook with the river Dean; the sides and summit of this barrow are covered with venerable oaks. At the distance of about a quarter of a mile south of the town, in the footpath of the turnpike-road leading to Warrington, is a large stone laid in the pavement, called the Bloody Stone, on which the peasantry of the surrounding country invariably spit when passing. The legend is, that on this stone, the Welsh knight who had married Lady Mabel Bradshaigh, of Haigh Hall, on the supposed death of her husband, Sir William, in the Holy wars, fell murdered by the latter, who had been taken prisoner in Palestine, and returned after a long captivity.

Newton-in-the-Thistles, or Newton-Regis (St. Mary)

NEWTON-IN-THE-THISTLES, or Newton-Regis (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Tamworth, Tamworth division of the hundred of Hemlingford, N. division of the county of Warwick, 5¾ miles (N. E. by E.) from the town of Tamworth; containing 454 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1239a. 15p., and is the most northern in the county, surrounded by portions of Stafford, Derby, and Leicester; it is intersected by the road from Tamworth to Ashby. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £14. 1. 5½.; net income, £300; patrons, Sir R. Burdett, Bart., and W. P. Inge, Esq., the former for two turns, and the latter for one. The tithes were commuted for land and a corn-rent in 1795; the glebe comprises 33½ acres. The church is an ancient structure.

Newton-Juxta-Malpas

NEWTON-JUXTA-MALPAS, a township, in the parish of Malpas, union of Wrexham, Higher division of the hundred of Broxton, S. division of the county of Chester, 1½ mile (S. W.) from Malpas; containing 19 inhabitants. The township comprises 172 acres, of which the soil is partly clay and partly sand. The tithes have been commuted for a rent-charge of £26.

Newton, Kirk (St. Gregory)

NEWTON, KIRK (St. Gregory), a parish, in the union of Glendale, W. division of Glendale ward, N. division of the county of Northumberland, 5¼ miles (W. by N.) from Wooler; containing 1726 inhabitants, of whom 83 are in the township of Kirk-Newton. The parish consists of the townships of Akeld, Couldsmouth with Thompson's-Walls, Coupland, Crookhouse, Greys-Forest, Heath-Pool, Howtell, Kilham, Kirk-Newton, Lanton, Milfield, West Newton, Paston, Selby's-Forest, and Yeavering. In Kirk-Newton township are 2218 acres of land; the surface is mountainous, and mostly in sheep-walks: there are quarries of whinstone. The rivers Beaumont and Colledge join here, and become the Glen, running down the valley eastward. The living is a vicarage, endowed with a portion of the rectorial tithes, valued in the king's books at £8. 13. 4., and in the patronage of Miss Davidson; net income, £491; impropriators, Mr. James and others. The vicarial tithes of the township of Kirk-Newton have been commuted for £25, and there are eleven acres of glebe. The church, a neat structure with a campanile tower, was repewed in 1810.

Newton-Kyme (St. Andrew)

NEWTON-KYME (St. Andrew), a parish, in the Upper division of the wapentake of Barkstone-Ash, W. riding of York, 2 miles (N. W. by W.) from Tadcaster; containing, with the hamlet of Toulston, 201 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the road from Tadcaster to Otley, comprises about 1350 acres of arable and pasture land in nearly equal portions; the scenery is pleasingly diversified, and enlivened by the river Wharfe, which runs on the north and east. The substratum abounds with limestone of good quality, which is quarried for the roads. Newton Hall, long the seat of the Fairfax family, was new fronted, and embellished with a colonnade of the Corinthian order, by the late proprietor, Thomas L. Fairfax, Esq.; in the grounds are some remains of the ancient baronial residence of the Kymes, of whom the last baron died in 1338. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £14; net income, £300; patron, Mr. Fairfax: there is a glebe of 44 acres. James Brown, Esq., is impropriator of a portion of the tithes designated "St. Mary tithes." The church is a venerable structure, with a square embattled tower, and contains in one of the windows the armorial bearings of the Kymes. A school was built in 1788, and endowed with £21 per annum, by Robert Fairfax, Esq., for 6 free scholars. A fund of £27. 6. per annum, arising from land purchased with a bequest by Lord Fairfax in 1673, is distributed in bread to the poor.

Newton-Le-Willows

NEWTON-LE-WILLOWS, a township, in the parish of Brompton-Patrick, union of Leyburn, wapentake of Hang-East, N. riding of York, 4 miles (W. N. W.) from the town of Bedale; containing 334 inhabitants. It comprises by computation 2200 acres of land. The village is pleasantly seated near the foot of a lofty acclivity, on the south side of a rivulet to which it gives name. The tithes have been commuted for £21. 7. payable to the rector of Fingall, and £260. 16. to an impropriator; there is a glebe of about 7 acres. The Wesleyans have a place of worship.

Newton St. Loe (Holy Trinity)

NEWTON ST. LOE (Holy Trinity), a parish, in the union of Keynsham, hundred of Wellow, E. division of Somerset, 3½ miles (W.) from Bath; containing 527 inhabitants. The parish comprises 1504 acres, and is situated on the river Avon, which is here crossed by a bridge: the Great Western railway, also, passes through. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £17. 18. 4., and in the gift of the family of Langton: the tithes have been commuted for £400, and the glebe comprises 36 acres. A school was erected in 1698, in pursuance of the will of Richard Jones, who endowed it with about £60 per annum.

Newton, Long (St. Mary)

NEWTON, LONG (St. Mary), a parish, in the union of Stockton-upon-Tees, S. W. division of Stockton ward, S. division of the county of Durham, 4½ miles (S. W. by W.) from Stockton; containing 293 inhabitants. This parish comprises more than 4000 acres, of which about 3000 are arable, and the remainder, with the exception of a few acres of plantations, meadow and pasture. The surface, though generally flat, is elevated, and commands some fine views of the Cleveland hills and Roseberry Topping; the soil is a strong clay, well adapted for wheat and other grain, and stone of good quality for the roads is wrought to some extent. The village, which is situated on the road from Stockton to Darlington, has been recently improved by the Marquess of Londonderry, who has given to each cottager a portion of inclosed ground. The Stockton and Darlington railway passes for nearly two miles through the parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £20, and in the gift of the Bishop of Durham: the tithes have been commuted for £612, and the glebe comprises 10 acres, with a commodious house. The church, which was rebuilt in 1806, is a neat structure. The chancel windows are embellished with stained glass presented by the Marchioness of Londonderry, heiress of the ancient family of Vane, and whose ancestors are interred in a vault in the chancel; a monumental window to the late Dr. Van Mildert, Bishop of Durham, was inserted in 1843. In the churchyard are two fine sycamore-trees of great antiquity.

Newton-Morrell

NEWTON-MORRELL, a township, in the parish of Barton, union of Darlington, wapentake of GillingEast, N. riding of York, 4½ miles (S. W.) from Darlington; containing 34 inhabitants. It comprises 586 acres, of which about two-thirds are arable, and the remainder meadow and pasture. The soil is fertile, and the fields are inclosed with fences of thorn, thickly planted with hedge-row trees, adding much to the effect of the scenery, which in some parts is pleasingly picturesque. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £31. 14. 8., payable to the incumbent of Gilling.

Newton-Mulgrave

NEWTON-MULGRAVE, a township, in the parish of Lythe, union of Whitby, E. division of the liberty of Langbaurgh, N. riding of York, 9 miles (N. W. by W.) from Whitby; containing 105 inhabitants. This township, sometimes called Newton-juxta-Ellerby, from its situation near Ellerby, in the northern part of the parish, was anciently the property of the Mauleys, barons of Mulgrave. It comprises about 1950 acres of land, partly open moors. At a short distance north of the hamlet is Mulgrave Castle, the seat of the Marquess of Normanby.

Newton-Near-Sudbury (All Saints)

NEWTON-NEAR-SUDBURY (All Saints), a parish, in the union of Sudbury, hundred of Babergh, W. division of Suffolk, 3¼ miles (E.) from Sudbury; containing 443 inhabitants. It comprises by measurement 2197 acres, of which 40 are common or waste: the soil is various, but chiefly a rich loam on gravel; the surface is pleasingly undulated, and a small brook flows through part of the parish. The living is a rectory, valued in the king's books at £17. 3. 9., and in the gift of St. Peter's College, Cambridge. The church has some remains of Norman architecture.

Newton-Nethercote

NEWTON-NETHERCOTE, a hamlet, in the parish of Swepstone, union of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, hundred of West Goscote, N. division of the county of Leicester; containing 125 inhabitants.

Newton, North

NEWTON, NORTH, a chapelry, in the parish and hundred of North Petherton, union of Bridgwater, W. division of Somerset, 4¾ miles (S.) from Bridgwater. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the gift of Sir Thomas D. Acland, Bart.: the incumbent receives a rent-charge of £70 out of the tithes.

Newton, North (St. James)

NEWTON, NORTH (St. James), a parish, in the union of Pewsey, hundred of Swanborough, Everley and Pewsey, and N. divisions of Wilts, 3¼ miles (S. W. by W.) from Pewsey; containing, with the tythings of Hilcott and Rainscombe, 342 inhabitants. The living is a vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 1. 3.; net income, £204; patron, the Prebendary of North Newton. Two schools are supported.

Newton, Old (St. Mary)

NEWTON, OLD (St. Mary), a parish, in the union and hundred of Stow, W. division of Suffolk, 3 miles (N. by E.) from Stow-Market; containing, with the hamlet of Dagworth, 712 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the river Gipping, which has been made navigable from Stow-Market to Ipswich; it comprises by measurement 2370 acres. The lands formed part of the estates belonging to the unfortunate Countess of Salisbury, who was beheaded in the reign of Henry VIII. The living is a discharged vicarage, valued in the king's books at £7. 15. 5.; net income, £143; patron, the Rev. William Burgess; impropriator, Sir J. Shelley, Bart. The church is a handsome structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower, and contains a finely-sculptured font, and some portions of stained glass. A good parsonage-house was built in 1825, by the Rev. Charles Bridges. There is a place of worship for Primitive Methodists.

Newton-on-the-Moor

NEWTON-ON-THE-MOOR, a township, in the parish of Shilbottle, union of Alnwick, E. division of Coquetdale ward, N. division of Northumberland, 5½ miles (S. by W.) from the town of Alnwick; containing 290 inhabitants. The soil is generally poor: coal and limestone of excellent quality are obtained. The village is pleasantly seated on the road from Alnwick to Morpeth, and commands an extensive prospect of the surrounding country and of the sea. The vicarial tithes have been commuted for £11. 18. Frances and Jane Strother about 1770 left £300, the interest of which is applied to education. There is a powerful chalybeate spring near the village; in the neighbourhood are vestiges of an ancient fortification.

Newton, Out

NEWTON, OUT, a township, in the parish of Easington, union of Patrington, S. division of the wapentake of Holderness, E. riding of York, 4 miles (E.) from Patrington; containing 54 inhabitants. It is situated on the coast, and comprises upwards of 600 acres of land, which, with the exception of a few pastures, are arable; the soil is productive, but the surface naked and uninteresting. Dimlington Hill, here, is the most elevated ground in this part of Holderness. The tithes have been commuted for £183, payable to the Archbishop of York, and there is a glebe of half an acre. Near the cliff are the ruins of a chapel of ease.

Newton-Park

NEWTON-PARK, a township, in the parish of Mitford, union of Morpeth, W. division of Morpeth ward, N. division of Northumberland, 3 miles (W. by N.) from Morpeth; containing 15 inhabitants. The Bertrams, Eures, and Reveleys, occur among the former owners of this place; the present proprietors are the family of Mitford, of whom was William Mitford, Esq., author of the History of Greece, who made some additions to the farmhouse, and frequently visited NewtonPark. He was intimately acquainted with the language, literature, and customs of the ancient Greeks. The township comprises 275 acres of meadow, pasture, and tillage ground, and 6 acres of wood, lying between Benridge and the picturesque banks of the Font. The impropriate tithes have been commuted for £17. 10.

Newton-Poppleford

NEWTON-POPPLEFORD, a chapelry, in the parish of Aylesbear, union of St. Thomas, hundred of East Budleigh, Woodbury and S. divisions of Devon, 3¾ miles (N. W. by W.) from Sidmouth; containing 549 inhabitants. The chapel, dedicated to St. Luke, was originally founded as a chantry by Edward III., about 1330. In the neighbourhood is Woodbury Castle, occupying the brow of a considerable eminence; it is deeply intrenched, and within its inclosure are the remains of a building which commanded a view over the Exe, and the vale, to Exeter, Honiton, &c.

Newton, Potter

NEWTON, POTTER, a township, in the parish of Leeds, W. riding of York, 2 miles (N. by E.) from Leeds; containing 1241 inhabitants. This place is supposed to have derived the prefix to its name from the establishment of extensive potteries here at an early date. It is unquestionably of antiquity, and about the period of the foundation of Kirkstall Abbey, was the property of Richard de Newton, whose son William granted three acres of land towards the endowment of that monastery. It was subsequently the residence of the distinguished families of Mauleverer, Scot, and Hardwick, but there are no remains of ancient mansions. The township comprises about 2000 acres of land in a high state of cultivation; the surface is richly wooded and boldly undulated, commanding fine views of Leeds and the surrounding country. The village is situated on a gentle acclivity, and on a site called New Town, near the road to Harrogate; several plots of land for building have been set out by Earl Cowper, on which some pleasing villas have been already erected. The great tithes have been commuted for £280, and the small for £31. There is a place of worship for Independents. In the hamlet of Gipton, in which is a fine wood of twenty acres, were formerly remains of a Saxon intrenchment, now entirely obliterated.

Newton-Purcell (St. Michael)

NEWTON-PURCELL (St. Michael), a parish, in the union of Bicester, hundred of Ploughley, county of Oxford, 5 miles (N. N. E.) from Bicester; containing 118 inhabitants, and comprising by computation 560 acres. The living is a rectory, with that of Shelswell annexed, valued in the king's books at £3. 15. 5.; net income, £150; patron, J. Harrison, Esq. The tithes of Newton-Purcell have been commuted for £124, and the glebe consists of 28 acres. The church has on the north side a curious Norman doorway with zigzag mouldings, walled up.