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Morpeth
Morpeth Courthouse
Morpeth  Morpeth shown within Northumberland
Population	13,833 (2001 census)[1]
OS grid reference	NZ2085
Unitary authority	Northumberland
Ceremonial county	Northumberland
Region	North East
Country	England
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Post town	MORPETH
Postcode district	NE61
Dialling code	01670
Police	Northumbria
Fire	Northumberland
Ambulance	North East
EU Parliament	North East England
UK Parliament	Wansbeck
List of places: UK • England • Northumberland

Morpeth, Northumberland

Morpeth grew up at an important crossing point of the River Wansbeck ^[4]. Following the Norman Conquest the town came into the possession of the de Merlay family, and a motte and bailey castle had been constructed by 1095 ^[4]. Newminster Abbey was founded by Ranulf de Merlay, lord of Morpeth as one the first daughter houses of Fountains in 1138^[5]. The town became a borough by prescription. King John granted a market charter for the town to Roger de Merlay in 1199^[6]. The market is still held on Wednesdays. The town was badly damaged by fire in 1215 during the First Barons' War ^[7]. In the thirteenth century a stone bridge was built over the Wansbeck, replacing the ford previously in use ^[4]. Morpeth Castle was built in the fourteenth century by Ranulph de Merlay on the site of an earlier fortress: only the gatehouse and parts of the ruined castle walls remain ^[7].

For some months in 1515-16 Margaret Tudor (Henry VIII's sister)and Queen Consort of Scotland lay ill at Morpeth, having been brought there from Harbottle Castle. She eventually reached London in May 1516.

Morpeth was described, in 1540, by the royal antiquary John Leland, as "long and metely well-builded, with low houses," and as "a far fairer town than Alnwick."

In 1552, William Hervey, Norroy King of Arms granted the borough of Morpeth a coat of arms. The arms were identical to those of Roger de Merlay, with the addition of a gold tower. In the letters patent, Hervey noted that he had included the arms of the "noble and valyaunt knyght"... "for a p'petuall memory of his good will and benevolence towardes the said towne "^[8].

Morpeth received its first charter of incorporation from Charles II. The corporation it created was controlled by seven companies or trade guilds : the Merchant Tailors, the Tanners, the Fullers and Dyers, the Smiths, the Cordwainers, the Weavers and the Butchers.^[7] This remained the governing charter until the borough was reformed by the Municipal Corporations Act 1835.

William Cobbett the famous radical journalist, author of Rural Rides stayed with Robert Blakey in 1832, during his speaking tour of the North East. Blakey enjoyed some eight hours of illuminating discussion with the great man.

Until the nineteenth century Morpeth had one of the main markets in northern England for live cattle ^[7]. The opening of the railways made transport to Newcastle easier, and the market accordingly declined ^[4].

On 6 September 2008, Morpeth suffered its worst flood since 1963. The flood defences were breached after a month's rainfall fell in 12 hours.^[9]. An estimated 1,000 homes were affected^[10].

Morpeth has two tiers of local government.

The lower tier is Morpeth Town Council with 15 members. Morpeth is a civil parish with the status of a town. For the purposes of parish elections the town is divided into four wards: North Central, Kirkhill, Stobhill and South, each returning between three and five town councillors.^[11]

The upper tier of local government is Northumberland County Council. Since April 2009 the county council has been a unitary authority. Previous to this there was an intermediate tier, the non-metropolitan district of Castle Morpeth, which has been abolished along with all other districts in the county. The county council has 67 members, of whom 3 represent the electoral divisions of Morpeth Kirkhill, Morpeth North and Morpeth Stobhill. All three are members of the Liberal Democrats.^[12]

The A1 road provides a link to Edinburgh and Newcastle. Morpeth railway station has direct trains to London taking a little over three hours. The town of Morpeth has what is reputed to be the severest curve on any main railway line in Britain. This curve has been the scene of several train crashes over the years.

The local state school – King Edward VI High School (Granted a grammar school charter in 1552 by King Edward VI) gained Beacon and Leading Edge status in 2003 and 2004 respectively. There is also two middle school within Morpeth built next to each other called Newminster and Chantry. A first school called Abbeyfields is located within Kirkhill, along with Goosehill First School, nearer the town centre. Children of Roman Catholic families in Morpeth normally attend St. Benet Biscop Catholic High School in the nearby town of Bedlington.

The ancient Church of England parish church of Morpeth is St Mary's at Kirkhill. The oldest remaining parts of the structure belong to the Transitional Early English style of the mid to late twelfth century. The church, which was the only Anglican place of worship in tha area until the 1840s, has been rtestored on a number of occasions.^[13]

In the graveyard of St Mary's can be found the grave of Emily Wilding Davison, the suffragette who famously threw herself under the King's horse during the Epsom Derby in 1913. Her gravestone bears the slogan of the Womens Social and Political Union "Deeds not words".^[13]

The need for a second church, in the centre of the town, was apparent by 1843. Accordingly, the church of St James the Great, designed by Benjamin Ferrey, was consecrated for worship on 15 October 1846. Ferrey designed the church in a "Neo Norman" style, based on the twelfth century Monreale Cathedral, Sicily.^[14]

A third chrch, St Aidan's, was opened to serve the Stobhill housing estate in 1957. It is a modern red brick building with a vaulted roof.^[15]

The Roman Catholic church, dedicated to St. Robert of Newminster, was built in Oldgate in the mid nineteenth century.^[16]

St George's United Reform Church was built in 1861, and stands immediately to the south of Telford Bridge. It is notable for its octagonal spirelet.^[17]

The present Methodist church in Howard Terrace was opened as a Primitive Methodist place of worship on 24 April 1905. It was built from local quarry stone, and was designed by J Walton Taylor. Although the Primitive Methodists were united with the Wesleyan Church to form the Methodist Church of Great Britain in 1932, a separate Wesleyan church continued to function in Manchester Street until 1964, when the congregations were united at Howard Terrace.^[18]

Sport is popular in the town: Morpeth Town A.F.C., Morpeth RUFC, the cricket, hockey and tennis club and the golf club all play competitively. The Morpeth Harriers cater for those wishing to compete in athletics. The town also offers opportunities to play sport on a non-competitive basis through facilities such as Carlisle Park, the common and the leisure centre.

Storey Park football field normally hosts Sunday League Matches. Morpeth Town's football ground is located on Morpeth Common a five minute walk from Morpeth Golf Course.^{[citation needed]}

From 1870-1959 the Morpeth Olympic Games were held.^{[citation needed]}

At the foot of Dogger Bank is a pathway leading to a footbridge over the River Wansbeck. A pair of whalebones nearby which form an arch mark the site of Whalebone Cottage.

The remains of a drift mine can be visited on the grounds of a farm at Shadfen just outside Morpeth; the mine closed in 1991. see map.

A nuclear bunker is located underneath the former council building at Morpeth County Hall near Loansdene.

Down Old Bakehouse Yard, which stretches westwards off Newgate Street, is an garden wall many of whose stones were taken from the ruins of nearby Newminster Abbey. Masons' markings can be seen on some of the stones.

In the cemetery of St Mary's Church near Loansdene can be found the grave of Emily Wilding Davidson, the suffragette who famously threw herself under the King's horse during the Epsom Derby in 1913. Her gravestone bears the epitaph "Deeds not words".

Behind St Robert's Catholic church near the town centre is a playing-field which was formerly an orchard. The stone wall on the north side of the field contains piping through which hot air was pumped to raise the temperature of the air and assist the growth of more exotic fruits such as peaches.

Morpeth's railway station is on the main east coast line which runs between London and Aberdeen. A non-passenger line still operates between Morpeth and Bedlington. Traces of various other lines remain, and many can be walked. One former line runs west from Morpeth to Scots Gap (from where there was a branch line to Rothbury), then west to Redesmouth, from where there was a northern branches to Scotland and a southern branch to Hexham.

Notable people

James (Jim) Alder MBE, athlete, (born in Glasgow 1940)

Emerson Muschamp Bainbridge 1817–1892, founder of Bainbridge Department Store in Newcastle upon Tyne, the first such store in the world (still the largest John Lewis outside London). Bainbridge lived at Eshott Hall, seven miles from Morpeth, from 1877.^[20]

Arthur Bigge, 1st Baron Stamfordham, 1849–1931, private secretary to Queen Victoria and George V. Born at Linden Hall, near Morpeth, June 18, 1849.^[21]

Robert Blakey 1795-1878, radical journalist and philosopher. Born in Manchester Street, Morpeth, May 18, 1795^[22].

Luke Clennell 1781—1840, engraver and painter born in Morpeth.

John Davison, 1793–1863, theologian, author of Considerations on the Poor Laws . Born in Morpeth May 28, 1793.^[23]

William Elliott, Baron Elliott of Morpeth, Conservative politician, (born 1920)

Thomas Gibson died 1562, printer and physician. Born in Morpeth.^[24]

John Cuthbert Hedley, 1837–1913, Benedictine monk and Roman Catholic Bishop of Newport. Born at Carlisle House, Morpeth, April 15, 1837^[25]

Edward Knott 1581-1656 Most important English Jesuit of his day.

Robert Morrison 1782-1834, first Protestant missionary in China. Translator of the Bible into Chinese. Born at Buller's Green, Morpeth, January 5, 1782^[26].

John Peacock, c 1756-1817, piper, born in Morpeth.

Katy Pullinger Television presenter.^{[citation needed]}

John Urpeth Rastrick, 1780–1856, railway engineer born in Morpeth January 26, 1780^[27]

Joe Robinson (1919–unknown), played for Blackpool F.C. in the 1948 FA Cup Final.

William Turner, 1509/10–1568, ornithologist and botanist, born in Morpeth^[28]

Alan Weedy, born 1933, administrator for Northern California Cricket Association, born in Morpeth.^[29]

Robert Whinham (1776 - 1861), nurseryman.^{[citation needed]}