MORPETH

This article appears in Volume V18, Page 862 of the Encyclopedia Britannica.

Encyclopedia Britannica - Main :: MOL-MOS

MORPETH , a market town and municipal and parliamentary borough of Northumberland, England, situated in a fine valley on the Wansbeck, 17- M. N. of Newcastle by the North Eastern railway the junction of several branches with the main line. Pop. (1901), 6158. The Wansbeck winds round the town on the west,

south

SOUTH
SOUTH, ROBERT (1634–1716)

and

east

EAST
EAST, ALFRED (1849- )

, and a rivulet, the Cottingburn, bounds it on the north. The parish church of St Mary, a plain building of the 14th century, is situated on Kirk Hill, a short distance from the town. It has a good example of a Jesse window. Nothing remains of the old castle except the gateway. The valley of the Wansbeck above Morpeth is well wooded and very picturesque. By its side are fragments of Newminster Abbey, a wealthy foundation of the 12th century, occupied by monks from Fountains in Yorkshire; and Mitford, with its Norman and Early English church, and ruins of a Norman castle and a manor-

house

HOUSE
HOUSE (O. Eng. hiss, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dut. huis, Ger. Haus; in
Gothic
- GOTHIC
it is only found in gudhiss, a temple; it may be ultimately connected with the root of " hide," conceal)

of the 17th century. To the north of Morpeth a good specimen of the peel tower of the 15th century is seen at Cockley Park.

Industries

INDUSTRIES

of Morpeth include tanning, brewing, malting, iron and brass founding, and the manufacture of flannels, agricultural implements, and bricks and tiles. The parliamentary borough, within the Wansbeck division of the county, returns one member and extends 8 m. eastward to the

coast

COAST (from Lat. costa, a rib, side)

, including the town of Blyth. Morpeth is governed by a mayor, 4 aldermen and 12 councillors. Area, 328 acres.
The manor of Morpeth is said to have been granted to William de Merlay soon after the Conquest and passed with the borough from his family to those of Graystock, Dacre and Howard, earls of

Carlisle

CARLISLE
CARLISLE, EARLS OF

, with whom it remains. The town is a borough by

prescription

PRESCRIPTION

and grew up round the castle attributed to the above William de Merlay. About the end of the 12th century Roger de Merlay the younger granted the burgesses right to hold of him and his heirs " as freely as the charter of the king purported which he held of the king by

gift

GIFT (a common Teutonic word, cf. Ger. die Gift, gift, das Gift, poison, formed from the Teut. stem gab-, to give, cf. Dutch geven, Ger. geben; in O. Eng. the word appears with initial y, the guttural of later English is due to Scandinavian influence)

." Charles II. incorporated the town in 1662 under the government of two bailiffs who were chosen every year in the following manner: the bailiffs for the
MORPHINE
time being chose two juries from whom the commonalty elected four burgesses, and from these four the steward of the lord of the manor appointed the bailiffs for the ensuing year. This was continued until the Municipal Reform Act of 1835. In 1200 a market on Wednesday and a

fair

FAIR

on the Feast of St Mary Magdalene were granted to Roger de Merlay, and in 1285 the

fair

FAIR

was extended for two days. The market rights still belong to the lord of the manor.

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