Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for NEWENT

NEWENT, a town, a liberty, a parish, a sub-district and a district, in Gloucestershire. The town stands in Dean forest, on the Hereford and Gloucester canal, 2¼ miles E of the boundary with Herefordshire, 4½ N E by N of Longhope r. station, and 8 N W of Gloucester; datesfrom the time when a road was made across its site from Gloucester into Wales; was originally called New Inn, from a single house which formed its nucleus; grew, around that nucleus, to such importance as to have ninestreets and lanes; became a borough, governed by abailiff; passed afterwards into a state of decadence; consists now chiefly of one long street, with many well-built houses and some good shops; is a seat of petty sessions and county courts, and a polling-place; and has a post-office‡ under Gloucester, three chief inns, a police station, a market house, a church, three dissenting chapels, a national school, alms-houses for six men, and alms-houses for six women. The market house is a Tudor timber structure of the 16th century, became verydilapidated, and was recently restored. The church is ancient and of various dates; was so repaired in 1679 as tolose interiorly all vestiges of antiquity; has a tower and spire 153 feet high; and contains a very ancient monument, supposed by some to be of Baron Grandison, and many other curious monuments. The dissenting chapelsare Independent, Baptist, and Wesleyan. The national school was erected recently, and has capacity for 300 children. A weekly market is held on Friday; fairs areheld on the Wednesday before Easter, the Wednesday before Whit-Sunday, 12 Aug., and the Friday after 18 Sept.; the manufacture of nails and linen fabrics is carried on; and some trade is done in cider and perry, produced within the parish and held in great repute. Real property of the town in 1860, £7, 145; of which £63 werein gas-works. Pop. in 1821, 1, 287; in 1851, 1, 547. Houses, 304.

The liberty is conterminate with the town. The parish contains also the tythings of Malswick, Cugley, Compton, and Boulsdon and Killcott. Acres, 7, 803. Real property, £18, 432. Pop. in 1851, 3, 306; in 1861, 3, 182. Houses, 674. The manor belongs to R. F. Onslow, Esq. New Court is the seat of J. B. H. Burland, Esq.; Pigeon House, of E. Edmonds, Esq.; Ford House, of John Wood, Esq.; and Bury-Hill House, of T. Hankins, Esq. A Benedictine priory was founded, at New Court, by Roger Montgomery, as a cell to Cormeillein Normandy; was given, at the suppression of alienmonasteries, to Fotheringay nunnery; and has left somevestiges. A Roman settlement was at Coneygore. Coalwas once worked in Boulsdon. A mineral spring, of similar quality to the springs of Cheltenham and Gloucester, is near the town. Some splendid scenery lies aroundthe spring; and May Hill, formerly called Yartledon Hill, situated in the S W of the parish, commands a magnificentview. There are several flour-mills and several maltings. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Gloucester and Bristol. Value, £1,076.* Patrons, the Onslow family.—The sub-district contains also the parishes of Oxen-hall, Taynton, Tibberton, Rud ford, Upleadon, Pauntley, Linton, and Aston-Ingham, the two last electorally in Hereford. Acres, 23, 122. Pop., 6, 689. Houses, 1, 435. The district comprehends also the sub-district of Redmarley, containing the parishes of Dymock, Kempley, Preston, Bromsberrow, Corse, Hartpury, Staunton, and Redmarley-D' Abitot, the two last electorally in Worcester. Acres of the district, 45, 281. Poor-rates in 1863, £8,001. Pop. in 1851, 12, 575; in 1861, 12, 420. Houses, 2, 673. Marriages in 1863, 52; births, 420, of which 25 were illegitimate; deaths, 227, of which 78were at ages under 5 years, and 12 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 706; births, 4,022; deaths, 2, 404. The places of worship, in 1851, were 17of the Church of England, with 2, 799 sittings; 1 of Inpendents, with 400 s.; 2 of Baptists, with 310 s.; 10 of Wesleyans, with 1, 278 s.; 1 of Bible Christians, with 55s.; and 1 of Roman Catholics, with 90 s. The schools were 15 public day-schools, with 895 scholars; 15 private day-schools, with 224 s.; and 18 Sunday-schools, with981 s. The workhouse is in the town of Newent; and, at the census of 1861, had 57 inmates.


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

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a town, a liberty, a parish, a sub-district and a district"   (ADL Feature Type: "cities")
Administrative units: Newent CP/AP       Newent SubD       Newent RegD/PLU       Gloucestershire AncC
Place names: NEWENT     |     NEW INN
Place: Newent

Go to the linked place page for a location map, and for access to other historical writing about the place. Pages for linked administrative units may contain historical statistics and information on boundaries.