NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE NEW ENGLAND. 



1087; the last bolowtil by James I. in 1604. Quar- 

 ter Missions are held before the mayor, recorder, and 

 aldermen, four times a year ; the assizes for the county, 

 in March and August ; a court of requests monthly, 

 for disposing of claims under forty shillings ; a may- 

 or's court, every Monday, for the determining of civil 

 actions between freemen only, and a county court, 

 every fourth Wednesday, before the under sheriff; 

 the other courts are a court of common council, court 

 of guild, and a court of admiralty. Newcastle re- 

 turns two members to the British parliament. Before 

 the passing of the reform bill, the number of free- 

 men entitled to vote was estimated at about 6,000 ; 

 but under the new bill that privilege is vested only 

 in the burgesses residing within seven miles of the 

 borough, and the resident householders paying a rent 

 of 10 annually, and upwards. 



The four parish churches of Newcastle are respec- 

 tively dedicated to St Andrew, St Nicholas, All 

 Saints, and St John. St Andrew's church at the 

 top of Newgate street, is the oldest sacred edifice in 

 Newcastle. St Nicholas is a beautiful erection, 

 founded in 1091. All Saints, at the foot of Pilgrim 

 street, is a modern structure, with an elegant spire. 

 St John's church, in Westgate street, is of ancient 

 date, built about the latter end of the thirteenth cen- 

 tury. The chapels of ease are, St Ann's, on the new 

 road, subject to All Saints church; and another, 

 dedicated to St Thomas, at Barras bridge : the latter 

 forms a most prominent architectural ornament to the 

 town ; it is adorned with a light picturesque tower, 

 140 feet in height, rising above the surrounding trees. 

 The architecture is of the early English style ; it was 

 finished in 1830, from the designs of Mr Dobson, a 

 talented architect of this town. The dissenters here 

 are an exceedingly numerous and influential body ; 

 and so great is their preponderance, that out of thirty 

 places of worship, no fewer than twenty-four are 

 occupied by congregations not in connexion with the 

 established church, including those belonging to the 

 church of Scotland, the Roman catholic church, and 

 the society of friends : the others comprise almost 

 every other sect of dissenters. 



The public schools are, the 'royal grammar-school, 

 founded in 1525: several other endowed charity 

 schools, besides those attached to the various places 

 of worship ; and there are upwards of twenty Sunday 

 schools, which give instruction to nearly four thousand 

 children. 



The market accommodations here are upon a most 

 ample and convenient scale, and the several places 

 allotted for the sale of butchers' meat, corn, fish, and 

 vegetables, are well adapted for the sale and purchase 

 of these various commodities. The market-days are 

 Tuesday and Saturday, and are numerously attended 

 by fanners, graziers, and corn merchants. There are 

 two fairs in the year, viz. on the 28th of August and 

 29th of October, of nine days' duration each, at which 

 prodigious numbers of horses and all kinds of cattle 

 are brought, and large quantities of woollen cloths. 

 The four parishes of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (including 

 those parts of the parishes of St Andrew's, All Saints', 

 and St John's, which extend beyond the jurisdiction 

 of the town), contained, by the parliamentary returns 

 for 1821, 43,507 inhabitants, and by those for 1831, 

 55,922 persons. 



Gates/lead, an ancient borough and parish, compre- 

 hended in Chester ward, in the county of Durham, is 

 situated on the southern bank of the Tyne, opposite 

 to Newcastle, a communication with which town is 

 effected by means of a handsome stone bridge. The 

 history and trade of Gateshead is so intimately con- 

 nected with Newcastle, that, with the exception of its 

 religious establishments, government, and local foun- 

 dations, little remains to be noticed of the town. By 



the reform bill, Gatesliead was placed in schedule 

 D, which conferred upon it the right of returning one 

 member to the British parliament. Here are several 

 benevolent institutions, amis- houses, and charity 

 schools ; and an hospital tor thirteen poor brethren, 

 called St James' hospital. A shoe fair is held here 

 in November. The parish of Gateshead (including 

 Gateshead fell), contained, by the returns for 1821, 

 11,767 inhabitants, and by those for 1831, 15,177. 



NEWCOME, WILLIAM, an English prelate, born 

 in 1729. His father procured him a scholarship at 

 Pembroke college, in the university of Oxford. From 

 this society he removed on a fellowship to Hertford 

 college, of which he became tutor. In 1765, he 

 went to Ireland, in the capacity of chaplain to the 

 lord-lieutenant, the earl of Hertford, and became 

 successively bishop of Dromore, Ossory, and Water- 

 ford. In 1795, earl Fitzwilliam, the then viceroy, 

 translated him to the primacy. Archbishop New- 

 come was the author of a great variety of theological 

 tracts, the principal of which are a Revision of the 

 English Translation of the New Testament (8vo, 2 

 vols.) ; an Attempt towards an improved Version of 

 the Book of Ezekiel ; a similar attempt with respect, 

 to the twelve minor prophets ; on the Harmony of 

 the Gospels ; an Historical View of the English 

 Translations of the Bible (8vo) ; on our Lord's con- 

 duct as a divine Teacher ; a Review of the chief 

 difficulties in the Gospel Account of the Resurrection 

 of our Lord, and on the Duration of our Lord's 

 Ministry. His death took place in 1800. 



NEWCOMMEN, THOMAS; a practical philoso- 

 pher, distinguished for his successful efforts towards 

 the improvement of the steam-engine. He was a 

 locksmith at Dartmouth, in Devonshire, towards the 

 close of the seventeenth century ; and notwithstand- 

 ing his humble situation, he engaged in scientific 

 researches, and carried on a correspondence with his 

 celebrated countryman, doctor Robert Hooke, to 

 whom he communicated his projects and inventions. 

 Newcommen, having had his attention excited by the 

 schemes and observations of the marquis of Worces- 

 ter, the French philosopher Papin, and by captair 

 Savary's proposal to employ the power of steam ir 

 draining the mines of Cornwall, conceived the idea 

 of producing a vacuum below the piston of a steam- 

 engine, after it had been raised by the expansive 

 force of the elastic vapour, which he effected by the 

 injection of cold water to condense the vapour. Thus 

 an important step towards the construction of the 

 very powerful instrument in question, appears to have 

 been owing to the ingenuity of Newcommen, who, in 

 conjunction with captain Savary and John Cowley, 

 took out a patent for the invention in 1705. To 

 Watt, of Glasgow, and afterwards of Birmingham, 

 the world is indebted for the extraordinary advances 

 towards perfection, subsequently made in the con- 

 struction of the steam-engine (q. v.) 



NEW ENGLAND. (See the article England, 

 New, for a few general remarks on this subject.) In 

 1606, the portion of North America lying between 

 the 34th and 45th degrees of latitude was divided by 

 James I. into two parts, called North and South Vir- 

 ginia, and granted to two companies. The London 

 company were authorized to make settlements any 

 where between- 34 and 41 (see Virginia), and the 

 Plymouth company received the same privilege in 

 regard to the country between 38 and 45. In 

 1614, captain Smith having examined the coasts of 

 North Virginia, made a map of the country, and pre- 

 sented it to prince Charles, who changed the name 

 to New England. In 1 620, a new patent was granted 

 to the Plymouth company, comprehending that part 

 of the country lying between 40 and 48 from N. to 

 S., and extending throughout the main land, from sea 



