Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for JOHN-NEWCASTLE (ST.)

JOHN-NEWCASTLE (ST.), a parish in Newcastle-upon-Tyne district, Northumberland; partly within Newcastle-upon-Tyne borough, and partly extending westward thence along the river Tyne, the Newcastle and Carlisle railway, and the Roman wall. It contains a suburb of Newcastle, and the townships of Benwell, Elswick, and Westgate; and its post town is Newcastle-upon-Tyne. The area of the suburban or borough part is returned with Newcastle. The area of the other parts comprises 2, 276 acres of land, and 82 of water. Real property of the whole, £620, 530; of which £585, 701 are in railways. Pop., of the borough part in 1851, 9, 858; in 1861, 9, 145. Houses, 1, 046. Pop., of the whole, in 1851, 31, 146; in 1861, 46, 533. Houses, 6, 409. The increase of pop. was mainly in Elswick and Westgate, and arose from extension of Sir William Armstrong's ordnance and engineering works, from extension of the iron trade, and from facilities in building. Some of the oldest collieries in England are within the parish; and some ancient coal workings, which may have been Roman, were discovered, about 1860, at Benwell. The Roman station Condercum was at Benwell; two Roman altars, and other relics, found by recent excavation, are preserved there; and the northern portion of the Roman station there is now occupied by the high service reservoir of the Newcastle Water company. Other objects of interest are noticed in the articles BENWELL and NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Durham. Value, £355. * Patron, the Vicar of St. Nicholas-Newcastle. The church stands in Westgate-street; was erected prior to 128 7; was found, in the course of recent repairs, to have some Norman portions; is chiefly early English, greatly modified by modern alterations and enlargements; has a chancel rebuilt in 1848, and adorned with stained glass windows; is cruciform and spacious; has a square embattled tower; and contains an ancient font, and several ancient monuments. The p. curacy of Benwell is a separate benefice. There are several dissenting chapels and public schools.


(John Marius Wilson, Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales (1870-72))

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "countries, 4th order divisions")
Administrative units: Newcastle upon Tyne RegD/PLU/PLPar       Northumberland AncC
Place names: JOHN NEWCASTLE ST     |     ST JOHN NEWCASTLE
Place: Newcastle upon Tyne

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