NEWPOR T. 
22 
appear to have formed the fouth-eaft portion of the edi¬ 
fice, which was furrounded by a very broad and deep 
moat, having a command of water. Under the caftle was 
a gaol for the confinement of felons who had been appre¬ 
hended by the lofd's tenants ; for the proprietor of this 
caftle poffeffed the power of life and death as abfolntely 
as the monarch himfelf. Indeed the privileges of the 
lord of Cemaes were greater than thofe exerciled even by 
the lord palatine of Pembrokefhire. A writ of error ran 
out of the king’s courts into the palatinate ; but here 
the parliament renewed errors. Here the lord marcher 
had inteftates’ goods, which the earls palatine had not; 
and he was fworn to perform contracts like any free and 
abfolute prince, whereas the earls bound themfelves by 
covenant as other fubjedls w'ere accuftomed to do. 
The fituation of Newport is highly pi6turefque. Be¬ 
hind the caftle, the mountain of Carn-Englyn rifes with 
the utmoft boldnefs ; and a view of the bay, which derives 
its name from the town, opens beautifully in front. From 
the diftribution of the ftreets, interfering each other at 
right angles, this appears to have been once a very confi- 
derable place. About two centuries ago, the inhabitants 
carried on an extenfive trade in woollens ; but, owing to 
a great mortality which happened towards the clofe of 
the fixteenth century, the town fell fo much to decay, 
that even its market was difcontinued. The market, 
however, has been revived for many years; and of late 
trade has again begun to flourifn, and fill up a few of the 
chafms in the depopulated ftreets with new buildings. 
As the Nevern is navigable for nearly two miles above the 
town, and forms a commodious bay for the anchorage of 
flapping at its confluence with St. George’s Channel, the 
pofition of Newport would be extremely favourable for 
commerce, but for a bar of land at the entrance of the 
bay. It has, betides, the advantage of having in its im¬ 
mediate vicinity large quarries of Hate, capable of being 
rendered an important article of traffic, as there is a defi¬ 
ciency of that material throughout a great extent of the 
weftern coaft. The government of this town continues 
to be veiled in a mayor, a recorder, two bailiffs, and fix 
conftables, in conformity to its original charter. Thefe 
are empowered to hold courts for the recovery of final! 
debts, and alfo for the punilhment of trivial offences. 
The petty-feflions for the hundred are held here. The 
market is on Saturday; and there is a fair for cattle on the 
27th of July. Here was anciently a large houfe of friars 
of the order of St. Auguftine. In the church, a very old 
edifice in the fhape ofa crols, may be feen two monuments, 
fuppofed to commemorate fir William Martin and his lady, 
the lord Rhys’s daughter. The living is a difcharged 
rectory. According to the parliamentary returns of 
1811, this parilh contains 355 houles, and a population 
of 14.33 perfons. 
NEWPORT, a poft-town of the county of Tipperary, 
Ireland, where is a charter-fchool. It is on the river 
Muikerna, near the foot of the Keeper Mountain : eighty- 
fix miles fouth-weft from Dublin, and eight north-eaft 
from Limeric. 
NEW'PORT, a maritime county of Rhode Ifland, 
comprehending Rhode Ifland, Canonicut, Block, Pru¬ 
dence, and feveral other fmall iflands. It is divided into 
feven townfliips, and contains 14,845 inhabitants. 
NEW'PORT, the chief town of the above county, 
and the femi-metropolis of the ftate of Rhode Ifland, 
iituated on the fouth-weft end of Rhode Ifland, five miles 
from the fea. This town was firft fettled by Mr. William 
Coddington, afterwards governor, and the father of 
Rhode Ifland, with feventeen others, in 1639. Its har¬ 
bour, which is one of the finell in the world, fpreads weft- 
ward before the town. The entrance is eafy and fafe; 
and a large fleet may anchor in it, and ride in perfedt le- 
curity. The town lies north and fouth, upon a gradual 
afcenr, as you proceed eaftward from the water; and exhi¬ 
bits a beautiful view from the harbour, and from the neigh¬ 
bouring hills, which lie weftward upon the Main. Weft 
of the town is Goat Ifland, on which is a fort. Between 
this ifland and the towm is the harbour. Newport con¬ 
tained, in the year 1790, about 1000 houfes, but chiefly 
of wood, and 5530 inhabitants. It has nine houfes for 
public worlhip; viz. three for Baptifts, two for Congre- 
gationalifts, one for Epifcopalians, one for Quakers, one 
for Moravians, and a fynagogue for the Jews. The other 
public buildings are, a ftate-houfe, and an edifice for the 
public library. The fituation, form, and architecture, of 
the ftate-houfe, give it the preference to mod public 
buildings in America: it Hands fulficiently elevated; 
and a long wharf, and paved parade, lead up to it from 
the harbour. The building for the library confifts of one 
large room thirty-fix feet long, twenty-fix feet broad, and 
nineteen feet high, where the books "are kept, with two 
fmall offices adjoining. In the year 1747, Abraham Red¬ 
wood, efq. gave 1294 volumes, valued at 500I. fterling, as 
the foundation of a library. This elegant building is now 
much out of repair; and one-third of the books in the li¬ 
brary were either carried off or deftroyed by the Britifli 
foldiers, during the war. It is twenty miles fouth-fouth- 
weft of Providence. Lat.41.25. N. Ion. 71.15. W. 
NEW'PORT, a river of North Carolina, which runs 
into the fea in lat. 34. 43. N. Ion. 77. 5. W. 
NEW'PORT, a townfhip of Nova Scotia, in Hants- 
county, on the river Avon.—A townfhip in Chefhire- 
county, New Hampfhire, eaft of Claremont; incorporated 
in 1761, and containing 1266 inhabitants.—A townfhip 
in Lower Canada, twenty miles eaft of Afcot, including 
about thirty inhabitants.—A fmall poft-town in New- 
caftle-county, Delaware, on the north fide of Chrif- 
tiana-creek, three miles weft of Wilmington; contain¬ 
ing about 200 inhabitants, and carrying on a confider- 
able trade with Philadelphia in flour: thirty-one miles 
fouth-weft of Philadelphia.—A townfhip in Luzerne- 
county, Pennfylvania, on the fouth-eaft fide of the eaft 
bridge of the Sufquehannah-lake, Wilkfborough.—A 
fmall poft-town in Chefter-county, Maryland: ninety- 
four miles fouth-by-weft of Baltimore.—A very thriving; 
fettlement in Liberty-county, Georgia, fituated on a na¬ 
vigable creek: thirty-four miles fouth of Savannah. 
This place, commonly known by the name of “ Newport 
Bridge,” is the rival of Sunbury, and commands the 
principal part of the trade of the whole country.—A place, 
with a poll-office, in Cooke-county, Tenneffee: 529 miles 
from Wafnington. 
NEWPORT BA'Y. See Clew Bay, vol. iv. 
NEWPOR T PAG'NELL, a market-town in thecounty 
of Buckingham, fituated fifteen miles diftant from the 
county-town, and fifty-one from London, on the road to 
Northampton, near the banks of the river Oufe, and is 
divided into two unequal parts by the fmall river Lovet. 
The town has been of confiderable confequence from a re¬ 
mote period. The latter term in its name was derived from 
the Paganells, or Pagnels, to whom the manor defcended 
from William Fitzanfculf, who poftefled it at the time 
of the conqueft. The Paganells had a caftle at New¬ 
port, the fite of which is ftill called the Caftle Mead : 
Leland and Camden both mention this edifice; but there 
were no remains of the building even in Camden’s time. 
In the early part of the civil wars in Charles I’s time, 
Newport was garriloned by prince Rupert; but loon after 
the firft battle of Newbury it was abandoned by the 
royalifts, and proved an ufeful ftation to the parliamentary 
army during the remainder of the conteft. Sir Samuel 
Luke, the fuppofed Hudibras of Butler, was governor in 
the year 1645. 
The parilh-church of Newport is an ancient and fpacious 
ftrudture. The vicar is always mailer of an ancient hof- 
pital, originally founded by John de Somery in the year 
1280, and dedicated to St. John: it was refounded by 
Anne, queen of James I. and from her named Queen 
Anne’s Hofpital. Two other hofpitals were founded here 
at a very remote period ; but the lateft accounts relative 
to them reach no farther back than 1270. In thechurch- 
yard 
