my-server
← Wiki

Timeline of Newcastle upon Tyne

The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Newcastle upon Tyne in Tyne and Wear, England.

2nd Century

120s

  • 120-122
  • Pons Aelius small Roman fort and bridge was established

11th Century

1070s

  • 1072
  • According to the Chronicles of the Monk of Tynemouth, King William, returning from Scotland, encamped a large army on the River Tyne near Newcastle, which had formerly been known as Monkchester
  • 1073
  • Aldwin, Prior of Winchcombe, along with two monks from Evesham, visited Monkchester

1080s

  • 1080
  • Robert Curthose, on return from an expedition in Scotland, laid the foundation of a wooden 'new castle' to defend the Tyne crossing at Newcastle, from which the town took its name

1090s

12th Century

1130s

  • 1139
  • Under the terms of the Treaty of Durham, Northumberland, with the exception of Newcastle and Bamburgh, was ceded to Scottish rule

1140s

  • 1149
  • Newcastle was conceded to the Scots by Henry of Anjou, in return for Scottish support

1160s

1170s

  • 1172
  • Construction of The Castle, Newcastle, a stone castle with rectangular keep was begun, with £166 4s expended in the first year, according to documents in the Record Office, London
  • 1173
  • In expectation of a siege by William the Lion of Scotland, £5 was spent laying in stores and provisions
  • Expenditure on construction of the castle was £250 5s 4d
  • 1174
  • William the Lion of Scotland laid siege to Newcastle, but was unable to take it
  • Expenditure on construction of the castle was £12 15s 10d
  • 1175
  • Expenditure on construction of the castle was £186 15s 4d
  • 1176
  • Expenditure on construction of the castle was £144 15s 4d, and it was finally completed

13th Century

1210s

  • 1216
  • 28 January: A charter granted by King John to Newcastle burgesses confirmed the liberties and free customs they had enjoyed in the time of his ancestors
  • The first use of the title Mayor of Newcastle was recorded when Daniel, son of Nicholas, was called mayor

1230s

  • 1235
  • King Henry III granted to the burgesses of Newcastle the right to exclude Jews
  • 1239
  • A drought of three months in Newcastle was followed by three months of rain leading to many deaths

1240s

  • 1242
  • Fire destroyed the wooden bridge over the River Tyne
  • 1244
  • King Henry III came to Newcastle with a large army on his way to attack Alexander II of Scotland
  • 1245
  • Peter Scott became Mayor of Newcastle (until 1251)
  • 1247
  • Construction of the Black Gate at The Castle, Newcastle began, at an eventual cost of £513 15s 11d
  • 1247-1257
  • William Heron of Ford was Sheriff of Northumberland and governor of the Castle at Newcastle
  • 1248
  • After fire destroyed the wooden bridge over the River Tyne, and much of the borough, a new stone bridge was eventually constructed

1250s

1260s

1290s

  • 1292
  • John Balliol, King of Scotland, did homage for his crown to King Edward I in the castle at Newcastle
  • Newcastle was second only to London in the export of leather
  • 1295
  • Hugh Carliol, a former Mayor of Newcastle, and Peter Graper, were Newcastle's representatives as Members of Parliament
  • 1296
  • King Edward I was again in Newcastle with an army of some 34,000
  • 1297
  • William Wallace laid waste to Northumberland from Hexham up to the walls of Newcastle
  • 1299
  • A charter was granted by King Edward I to allow the incorporation of the village of Pandon into Newcastle, extending the riverfront eastward to a burn called The Swirl
  • The burgesses of Newcastle received authority to collect further tolls towards the building of the town wall

14th Century

1300s

  • 1300
  • The population of Newcastle was approximately 7,000-8,000
  • 1305
  • The right hand quarter of the executed William Wallace was exhibited at the gateway on the Newcastle side of the bridge
  • 1307
  • White Friars were rehoused in the almost empty house of the Friars of the Sack
  • 1309
  • The burgesses of Newcastle received authority to collect further tolls towards the building of the town wall

1310s

1320s

  • 1322
  • A quarter of the body of the executed Andrew Harclay, 1st Earl of Carlisle was exhibited in Newcastle
  • 1325
  • The export of coal from Newcastle is mentioned in a petition to Parliament in which Thomas Rente of Pontoise states that he loads his ship with wheat for Newcastle and returns with coals

1330s

1340s

  • 1341
  • Troops of John de Warenne, 7th Earl of Surrey damaged Blackfriars priory and caused further damage more widely in the town
  • 1342
  • February: The burgesses of Newcastle drew up a set of articles for better government of the town
  • October: The set of articles drawn up for better government received Royal assent and King Edward III renewed the charter of Newcastle after a period of suspension
  • King David II of Scotland laid siege to Newcastle, but the town was successfully defended by Lord John Neville of Hornby
  • 1345
  • Newcastle was visited by a pestilence which lasted two years
  • 1349
  • Successive outbreaks of plague led to the halving of the population
  • Fire nearly destroyed the whole town

1350s

  • 1350
  • The Burgesses of Newcastle received Royal licence to dig and take stones in certain lands outside the walls
  • 1358
  • A barbican was added in front of the Black Gate, but no trace remains

1360s

  • 1360
  • Trinitarians established a house in Newcastle, founded by William de Alton
  • 1363
  • Frost began in mid-September in Newcastle and lasted until the following April

1370s

  • 1377
  • The population of Newcastle was estimated to be 3,500-4000 inhabitants

1380s

  • 1380
  • Newcastle town petitioned the Crown for financial relief as so much of the population had been lost to plague outbreaks
  • 1383
  • King Richard II visited Newcastle
  • John Neville of Raby was appointed by the King to inspect the condition of Newcastle in terms of both men and fortifications
  • 1388
  • After Parliament had passed an Act to improve sanitary conditions, a writ for better sanitation was directed at the bailiffs of Newcastle and a proclamation made about the casting of filth into rivers

15th Century

1400s

  • 1400
  • The population of Newcastle was estimated as 3,000 inhabitants
  • King Henry IV visited Newcastle and granted county status to the town, separating the town, but not the Castle and its precincts, from the county of Northumberland, with the right to appoint its own sheriff. Newcastle was the fourth town in England to receive this mark of favour after London, Bristol and York
  • 1408
  • A quarter of the body of the executed Earl of Northumberland was put on display in Newcastle

1410s

  • 1412
  • Maison Dieu, or St Catherine's Hospital, was founded in Sandhill, Newcastle, by Roger Thornton, for the support of nine poor men and four poor women

1420s

  • 1429
  • Roger Thornton bequeathed £2 to the 'lepremen' of Newcastle

1430s

  • 1433
  • The King remitted 'all kinds of taxes' to the burgesses of Newcastle due to the 'grevious losses of shipping and merchandise at sea' and the scarcity of inhabitants due to plague

1440s

  • 1442
  • 10 October: Barber-Surgeons and Chandlers' Company of Newcastle agreed to 'uphold the light of St John the Baptist in St Nicholas' Church as long as they are of ability'

1460s

1480s

  • 1480
  • Newcastle mercers, wool merchants and corn merchants guilds were merged as the Merchant Adventurers
  • 1487
  • King Henry VII resided for several weeks in Newcastle

1490s

  • 1492
  • King Henry VII granted a charter of incorporation of The Trinity House Fellowship of Newcastle and the Guild and Fraternity of the Blessed Trinity then acquired Dalton Place in Broad Chare for a meeting place or Trinity House
  • 1494
  • The last constable at The Castle, Newcastle, Roger Fenwick, was appointed

16th Century

1500s

  • 1505
  • The Guild and Fraternity of the Blessed Trinity altered their premises in Broad Chare to provide a hall of assembly, chapel and lodgings for poor brethern

1510s

  • 1516
  • A Star Chamber decree allowed the inclusion of colliers and keelmen among the crafts of the town

1520s

  • 1525
  • Thomas Horsley was Mayor of Newcastle
  • 1527
  • Sir Humphrey Lisle escaped from prison in The Castle, Newcastle
  • 1529
  • Sir Humphrey Lisle returned to Newcastle where he was captured and hanged

1530s

  • 1532
  • Robert Brandling was Mayor of Newcastle
  • Thirty Armstrong Reivers were hanged at the Westgate gallows and their severed heads displayed on the castle walls
  • 1533
  • Thomas Horsley was Mayor of Newcastle
  • 1536
  • King Henry VIII granted the Guild and Fraternity of the Blessed Trinity a charter of incorporation allowing them to elect a master and wardens and erect two lighthouses in North Shields, as well as power to exact a toll of 4d from each foreign ship and 2d from each English ship coming to Newcastle
  • 1539
  • January: The five friaries in Newcastle were dissolved and taken over by the Crown
  • At the end of the year severe frost set in which lasted until the following February in Newcastle

1540s

  • 1540
  • The nunnery of St Bartholomew in Newcastle was dissolved and taken over by the Crown
  • 1544
  • Blackfriars bought by Newcastle Corporation
  • 1547
  • Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset made Newcastle his base during his campaign against the Scots
  • The Company of Hostmen was incorporated by charter
  • 1548
  • William Dent purchased the former Trinitarians house of St Michael
  • 1549
  • Riverfront was extended east to Ouseburn when the town absorbed the Ballast Shores

1550s

  • 1550
  • John Knox moved from Berwick-upon-Tweed to Newcastle where he remained for about two years
  • 1552
  • Blackfriars was leased to nine local craft guilds
  • 1553
  • Newcastle secured an Act in Parliament incorporating Gateshead in Newcastle, later repealed
  • 1557
  • A decree of the Privy Council was made on the regulation of craft guilds in Newcastle

1560s

  • 1561
  • John Wilkinson was Mayor of Newcastle
  • 1563
  • Newcastle population was approximately 7,000-8,000

1570s

  • 1576
  • Newcastle petitioned the Crown for possession of Gateshead on the grounds of the disorder across the river
  • 1579
  • Over 2,000 people died of pestilence in Newcastle

1580s

  • 1580
  • Richard Anderson purchased the former Grey Friars house and the former nunnery of St Bartholomew
  • The Guild and Fraternity of the Blessed Trinity was empowered to charge a toll of 1s for each foreign ship and 4d for each English ship coming to Newcastle
  • 1581
  • William Jenison was Mayor of Newcastle
  • 1582
  • William Dent passed on the Trinitarians house of St Michael to Newcastle corporation
  • 1584
  • The Guild and Fraternity of the Blessed Trinity was refounded by Queen Elizabeth I as the Master, Pilots and Seamen of the Trinity House of Newcastle upon Tyne
  • William Jenison became Member of Parliament for Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1589
  • Over 1,800 people died of pestilence in Newcastle
  • A charter of Queen Elizabeth I confirmed all existing rights of Newcastle and brought the Castle into the control of the Corporation

1590s

17th Century

1600s

  • 1600
  • 22 March: A charter of Queen Elizabeth I incorporated the guild or fraternity of Hostmen, giving members a monopoly of the sale of coal and grindstones from the Tyne, as well as a monopoly of municipal government and economic life
  • A charter refounded the Grammar School in Newcastle as the Free Grammar School of Queen Elizabeth
  • 1603
  • King James I passed through Newcastle on his journey south
  • 1605
  • The Castle, Newcastle was let to the Incorporated Company of Tailors
  • 1606
  • A charter of the Masters, Pilots and Seamen of the Trinity House of Newcastle upon Tyne defined the tolls and fees they could levy on all ships entering or leaving the Tyne for pilotage, upkeep of buoys and beacons etc, as well as for the keeping of 12 poor brethren and the relief of shipwrecked mariners

1610s

  • 1610
  • John Speed's map of Newcastle was published
  • 1614
  • July: A Commission for 'conservancy of the river' (Tyne) was established by Order in Council made up of the Corporation of Newcastle, the Bishop of Durham and justices of the peace for the two counties (Durham & Northumberland)
  • 1615
  • The glass trade was established in Newcastle
  • 1617
  • King James I was in Newcastle
  • Newcastle secured the whole authority for conservancy of the Tyne, vested in the Mayor, six aldermen and certain members of the Merchant Company and Trinity House
  • 1618
  • The Castle, Newcastle, with the exception of the parts used as a Moot Hall and the County Prison, were granted on lease to Andrew Stevenson

1630s

  • 1632
  • The building of a lime kiln and the refusal to hear complaints presented in open guild, led to rioting among apprentices (Resly's Rebellion)
  • 1633
  • King Charles I was in Newcastle
  • 1634
  • A lieutenant from Norwich said of Newcastle 'we found the people and the streets of Newcastle much alike, neither sweet nor clean'
  • 1635
  • Sir William Brereton described Newcastle as 'beyond all compare the fairest and richest town in England'
  • 1636
  • Death toll in Newcastle from the plague was 5037, an estimated 47% of the population
  • 1637
  • Dr R Jenison of All Hallows published a treatise entitled 'Newcastle's Call' stating that the plague was 'from God's Justice and Wisdom'
  • 1639
  • King Charles I was in Newcastle leading an army to destroy Scottish Covenanters
  • The 'Town Clerk's Office' was destroyed by fire

1640s

  • 1640
  • 28 August: At the Battle of Newburn the Scots army under Colonel Leslie defeated the King's forces and thereafter occupied Newcastle
  • 1641
  • August: Scots army left Newcastle after which the Government indemnified the town for its losses with a grant of £60,000
  • 1644
  • February: General Leslie (now Earl of Leven), laid siege to Newcastle, only to withdraw the bulk of his army after three weeks
  • July: General Leslie again besieged Newcastle, which held out for three months under the leadership of Mayor Sir John Marley
  • October: Siege ended when Newcastle fell to the Scots assault
  • 1646
  • 13 May: King Charles threw himself on the protection of the Scottish army which brought him to Newcastle where he was held for nine months
  • 1647
  • 3 November: King Charles was given up by his captors in Newcastle to the Commissioners of the English Parliament
  • 'Grassmen' were appointed to take care of the Town Moor
  • 1648
  • Breaches in the town wall made by the Scots were repaired by Sir Arthur Haselrig, governor of Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1649
  • William Grey, the first historian of Newcastle, published his Chorographia or survey of the town

1650s

  • 1650
  • 300,000 tons of coal were exported to London from Newcastle
  • 1655
  • Work started constructing a new Guildhall and Exchange in Sandhill (completed 1658)

1660s

  • 1663
  • Newcastle population was approximately 13,000
  • 1665
  • Some 41% of homes in Newcastle were defined as being 'in poverty'

1680s

  • 1681
  • Holy Jesus Hospital in the Manors was founded and endowed by Newcastle Corporation
  • 1682
  • A municipal school was started at St Ann's Chapel by the mayor and corporation of Newcastle

1690s

  • 1691
  • Construction of Mansion House in the Close was completed
  • 1696
  • Lort Burn was paved over as a major improvement in the residential part of Newcastle
  • 1698
  • July: Celia Fiennes visited Newcastle and described it as 'a noble town'
  • Society of Friends moved to a meeting house in Pilgrim Street, Newcastle

18th Century

1700s

  • 1700
  • Newcastle upon Tyne was the fourth largest English town
  • 1701
  • Keelman's Hospital was erected by the keelmen at their own expense
  • 1706
  • Two thirds of the 1,862 coastal shipments from Newcastle were bound for London
  • 1709
  • Newcastle investors owned 11,500 tons of shipping, nearly 4% of national shipping capacity, only exceeded by London, Scarborough and Bristol

1710s

  • 1711
  • 'The Newcastle Courant' was established as the first newspaper in Newcastle
  • 1712
  • The Brethern of Trinity House founded a school in Newcastle

1720s

  • 1722
  • Horse races moved from Killingworth to the Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1723
  • James Corbridge published a 'Map of Newcastle upon Tyne'
  • 1727
  • Daniel Defoe described Newcastle as 'not the pleasantest place in the world to live in', partly due to the 'smoke of the coals'
  • Unitarian chapel was opened in Hanover Square, Newcastle

1730s

  • 1730
  • Barber-Surgeon's Hall rebuilt in the Manors at the expense of the surgeons
  • 1736
  • The widow of Henry Bourne had his 'History of Newcastle upon Tyne' published
  • Charles Avison was appointed organist at St Nicholas' Church and began the first public subscription concerts in Newcastle
  • A new Assembly Room was opened in the Groat Market, Newcastle
  • 1739
  • Newcastle Journal newspaper was first published
  • 1739-40
  • The winter was so severe in Newcastle that many of the poor would have died had not Alderman Riley allowed them free coal supplies

1740s

  • 1740
  • The Guildhall, Newcastle upon Tyne suffered serious damage during riots in the town
  • 1742
  • 30 March: John Wesley preached at Sandgate, Newcastle
  • May: John Wesley, accompanied by John Taylor, preached at Sandgate, Newcastle
  • 20 December: John Wesley laid the first stone for a church, the Wesley Orphan House, in Northumberland Street, Newcastle, the second Methodist chapel to be built in England
  • Charles Wesley preached for some weeks in Newcastle
  • 1744
  • Presbyterians converted a malt-loft in Silver Street, Newcastle, into a place of worship
  • 1745
  • 'Newcastle Courant' advertised cockfighting at John Dawson's pit near Newgate
  • 1746
  • Joseph Barber established a library at Amen Corner, Newcastle, with over 5,000 volumes
  • Prince William, Duke of Cumberland passed through Newcastle on his way north to Scotland

1750s

  • 1751
  • April: A small group of professionals in Newcastle opened a public subscription for building of a General Infirmary
  • May: A house in Gallowgate was fitted out for reception of patients as a General Infirmary
  • September: Newcastle Corporation offered a permanent site for a General Infirmary on Forth Banks and building work was begun
  • Newcastle investors owned 21,600 tons of shipping, nearly 5% of national shipping capacity
  • A 'Race Week' was first held on the Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • A turnpike road was opened between Carlisle and Newcastle
  • 1752
  • 21 August: Richard Brown, a keelman, was hanged in Newcastle for murdering his daughter
  • 8 October: General Infirmary in Newcastle was opened with 90 beds
  • 1753
  • Oliver Goldsmith was held for two weeks in Newgate Gaol in Newcastle, on suspicion of travelling to join the French army
  • 1754
  • 19 August: Dorothy Catinby was hanged in Newcastle for the murder of her illegitimate children
  • 1755
  • Ralph Carr founded the first bank in Newcastle, the oldest provincial bank in England except for Nottingham
  • 1757
  • William Charnley established a circulating library in Newcastle
  • 1758
  • 8 August: Alice Williamson, aged 68, was hanged in Newcastle for burglary
  • Susannah Fleming was sentenced to stand for an hour in the pillory at White Cross in Newgate Street, Newcastle, for fortune-telling
  • 1759
  • 4 June: John Wesley in his Journal wrote of Newcastle 'I know no place in Great Britain comparable to it for pleasantness'

1760s

  • 1760
  • June: A new public garden was opened near the town - New Ranelagh Gardens
  • December: A lying-in hospital for poor married women was opened in Rosemary Lane, Newcastle
  • A school was established in Newcastle by Charles Hutton
  • The number of surgeons at the General Infirmary was increased from two to four to cope with demand
  • 1761
  • A charity was founded for attending poor women in Newcastle and Gateshead lying-in at their own homes
  • A subscription was opened for the levelling and enclosing of St Nicholas' churchyard
  • 1763
  • September: Streets within the town walls were lighted by public oil lamps
  • Town Guard was established in Newcastle
  • Commission for lighting and watching the streets of Newcastle (within the town walls) was appointed, employing 26 watchmen as night police
  • Demolition of the Newcastle town wall began with a section of wall bordering the Quay between Bridge End and Sandgate
  • 1764
  • Newcastle Chronicle newspaper was founded in Newcastle
  • Work began on construction of the Church of St Annes, City Road, Newcastle, designed by William Newton
  • 1765
  • A new Presbyterian meeting house was opened in High Bridge, Newcastle
  • 1766
  • May: Tobias Smollett visited Newcastle
  • A new Customs House, Newcastle upon Tyne was built near the middle of the Quayside
  • 1767
  • First local public asylum for the pauper lunatics of Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne was erected by public subscripation in Warden's Close, Newcastle
  • 1768
  • January: Magistrates ordered removal of the Bull-baiting ring in Sandhill, Newcastle
  • October: The earliest recorded course of lectures was given in Newcastle, by 'a celebrated astronomer'
  • Church of St Annes, City Road, Newcastle, designed by William Newton, was completed

1770s

  • 1770
  • Dispensary founded in the Side, Newcastle
  • Population of Newcastle estimated to be about 24,000
  • Work began on construction of Charlotte Square, Newcastle's first completed Georgian square, designed by William Newton
  • Arthur Young described the turnpike road between Carlisle and Newcastle as 'a more deadful road cannot be imagined'
  • 1771
  • 17 November: The Great Flood of 1771 saw the collapse of part of the then Tyne Bridge and its eventual demolition
  • 1773-81
  • A new bridge over the River Tyne was built, a low stone bridge of nine arches
  • 1773
  • 11 August: Samuel Johnson arrived in Newcastle on his way to join James Boswell for their tour of Scotland
  • 1774
  • 27 June: John Wesley wrote in his journal describing Newcastle as 'this lovely place and people'
  • Assembly Rooms in Westgate Road were opened, designed by William Newton
  • 1775
  • May: James Boswell visited his mentally unstable brother in a private asylum in Spital Tongues, Newcastle
  • The earliest debating society in Newcastle, The Philosophical Society, as founded
  • 1776
  • March: James Boswell again visited his brother in Spital Tongues
  • A man was executed by hanging at the West Gate, Newcastle, for highway robbery and another hung on the Town Moor for stealing from the mail
  • 1777
  • A Dispensary was founded in Newcastle

1780s

  • 1780
  • William Newton remodelled Heaton Hall (now demolished) for Sir Matthew White Ridley
  • 1781
  • Public Medical Baths founded in Newcastle
  • New stone bridge over the River Tyne was completed
  • 1783
  • The names of streets were put up for the first time in Newcastle
  • 1784-86
  • Mosley Street, Newcastle was constructed
  • 1784
  • Rev William Turner, pastor of the Unitarian church in Hanover Square, Newcastle opened two Sunday schools
  • 1786
  • Work started on construction of All Saints' Church designed by David Stephenson
  • 1787
  • Over 7,000 miners worked in and around Newcastle
  • John Howard visited the gaols of Newcastle and was disgusted with conditions in the county gaol
  • 1788
  • 'Newcastle Advertiser' newspaper first published
  • Theatre Royal, Newcastle in Mosley Street was opened, with a production of the comedy 'The Way to Keep Him'
  • 1789
  • Construction of All Saints' Church was completed
  • John Brand published his 'History & Antiquities of the town and county of Newcastle upon Tyne'
  • At Newcastle Assizes a man was charged with manslaughter in a tavern brawl, fined 6s 8d and discharged

1790s

19th Century

1800s

  • 1800
  • Newcastle was the ninth largest town in England
  • Phineas Crowther, an engineer from Newcastle, invented a vertical winding engine subsequently in widespread use in colleries in the North-East of England
  • A committee of local gentry had a grandstand erected on the Town Moor for viewing the horse racing
  • 1801
  • Rev John Baillie published his 'An Impartial History of Newcastle upon Tyne'
  • The bridge over the River Tyne had become too narrow for the volume of traffic and was widened to designs by David Stephenson
  • In the first Census in the United Kingdom Newcastle had a population of 28,294
  • Between 30 and 40 benefit societies for working men were in operation in Newcastle
  • 1802
  • 'Tyne Mercury' newspaper first published in Newcastle
  • Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle upon Tyne began to arrange a regular series of lectures
  • 1802-11
  • Pilgrim Street Gate, postern gate and West Gate on Newcastle town wall were demolished
  • 1803
  • William and John Stokoe designed Elswick Hall for industrialist John Hodgson
  • John Bell opened a second-hand bookshop in Quayside, Newcastle
  • 1804
  • Typhus or Fever Hospital built in Warden's Close, Newcastle
  • 1805
  • The population of Newcastle was estimated to be about 35,000
  • The Society of Friends built a meeting house in Pilgrim Street, Newcastle
  • 1807
  • Fenham Barracks built on part of the Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • Rev John Hodgson published his 'Picture of Newcastle upon Tyne'
  • 1808
  • An extensive new Flesh Market was opened in Newcastle
  • 1809
  • As part of the celebration of King George III's jubilee in Newcastle, ten debtors were released from prison by public subscription
  • The old Moot Hall in Newcastle was demolished

1810s

  • 1810-12
  • The town wall from Pilgrim Street Gate to Carliol Tower was demolished to make way for New Bridge Street, as well as the wall from Wall Knoll to Sand Gate
  • 1810
  • 22 July: Foundation stone of Moot Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne, designed by John Stokoe, was laid by Earl Percy and construction commenced
  • The corporation of Newcastle purchased the Castle and started to restore it
  • Collingwood Street was built linking Mosley Street and Westgate Road, Newcastle
  • Royal Jubilee School was opened in Newcastle
  • 1811
  • Newcastle Unitarians founded the Jubilee School for the Children of the Poor
  • Part of Newcastle town wall between Pilgrim Street Gate and Carliol Tower was demolished to make way for New Bridge Street
  • 1812
  • The authority of the Commission for lighting and watching was extended to the suburbs of Newcastle with an additional 30 watchmen employed
  • The second edition of John Hodgson's 'Picture of Newcastle upon Tyne' was published
  • New Bridge Street was opened in Newcastle
  • The building of the Moot Hall, Newcastle upon Tyne was sufficiently advanced for Assizes to be held there for the first time
  • Royal Jubilee School for Girls was opened in Newcastle
  • 1813-14
  • Winter frost set in for two months in Newcastle, covering the river with ice ten inches thick
  • 1813
  • The Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle upon Tyne was founded
  • Wesleyan Methodists completed a chapel in New Road, Newcastle
  • 1814
  • Lock Hospital founded in a house near the Pink Tower in Newcastle
  • 1815
  • Chamber of commerce established in Newcastle upon Tyne.
  • 1816
  • Richard Grainger set up his own business
  • 1817
  • Robert Hawthorn founded an engineering works on Forth Banks(1818 according to another source)
  • 1818
  • 13 January: The first gas lamps were lit in Mosley Street, Newcastle, watched by a large crowd
  • Robert Hawthorn opened a small engineering shed on Forth Banks, Newcastle(1817 according to another source)
  • Gas was adopted for street lighting by arrangement between the Commission for lighting and watching and the Newcastle and Gateshead Gas Company
  • 1819
  • 11 October: Protest meeting against the Peterloo Massacre took place on the Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne with 75-100,000 in attendance

1820s

1830s

  • 1830
  • Cattle market was opened west of the Forth, Newcastle
  • The medieval Chapel of St Thomas at Bridge End, Newcastle, was demolished
  • The Church of St Thomas the Martyr at Barras Bridge, Newcastle, was consecrated
  • A music hall was built in Blackett Street, Newcastle
  • 1831
  • 17 October: A crowd of 50,000 at Cow Hill, Newcastle, protested about the Reform Act
  • The population of Newcastle was 53,613, but voting was restricted to only 3,000 freemen
  • Richard Grainger started construction of the Royal Arcade at the foot of Pilgrim Street, Newcastle, designed by John Dobson
  • 1831-32
  • An outbreak of Cholera in Newcastle killed 306 people
  • 1832
  • November: The first attempt to establish a professional constabulary was made by Newcastle authorities amid public disquiet
  • Construction of the Royal Arcade was completed
  • Newcastle School of Medicine and Surgery was founded
  • William Wordsworth was in Newcastle when he was shown 'the magnificent buildings which adorn our town' by John Hernaman, editor of the 'Newcastle Journal'
  • 1833
  • September: Professional constabulary withdrawn due to public clamour
  • 1834
  • Newcastle School of Medicine and Surgery leased Surgeon's Hall, Newcastle
  • 1835
  • October: Grainger Market was opened in Newcastle
  • There were 2,485 borough voters in Newcastle
  • Municipal Corporations Act 1835 established Newcastle City Council
  • Neville Street in Newcastle was constructed
  • Newcastle School of Medicine and Surgery recognised by the College of Surgery and the University of London
  • 1836
  • May: Professional constabulary in Newcastle permanently established
  • The Chief Constable reported that there were 71 brothels and 46 houses of ill-repute in Newcastle
  • Charles Dickens was in Newcastle for the first performance of his 'The Village Coquettes'
  • Upper Dean Street was renamed Grey Street in honour of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
  • 1837
  • October: Northern Liberator newspaper was founded by Newcastle Chartists
  • Magistrates' court transferred from the Mayor's Chamber in the Guildhall to a new police station behind the Holy Jesus Hospital in the Manors, Newcastle
  • Old Mansion House in the Close sold by auction
  • 1838
  • 18 June: A through railway line from Redheugh to Carlisle was opened
  • 25 June: Northumberland Plate horse race took place for the first time on the Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • August: Grey's Monument completed in Newcastle in honour of Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey
  • 19 September: A synagogue was opened in Temple Street, Newcastle
  • Railways reach Newcastle with the opening of the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway
  • Bainbridge drapery store opened in Newcastle, possibly the first department store in England
  • Middle Street in Newcastle was demolished
  • Primitive Methodist Church in Silver Street moved to a new church built for them by Richard Grainger in Nelson Street, Newcastle
  • John Collingwood Bruce gave a series of lectures in Newcastle on the Roman Wall
  • A music hall was built in Nelson Street, Newcastle, to replace a previous one in Blackett Street
  • The eighth annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science was held in Newcastle
  • Harriet Martineau attended a meeting of the British Association in Newcastle
  • 1839
  • 20 May: A large Chartist demonstration was held on the Town Moor, Newcastle upon Tyne, presided over by Thomas Hepburn, with an estimated 70-100,000 in attendance
  • 20 August: There were riots in the Side by Chartist supporters
  • 30 August: Disorder broke out in the Forth and the Riot Act had to be read four times
  • Newcastle Chartists opened a joint-stock provision in the Side, although it only lasted for two years
  • First Redheugh Bridge was built

1840s

  • 1840
  • Charles Coutts established a shipbuilding yard at Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1841
  • August: A branch of the Anti–Corn Law League was established in Newcastle
  • Population of Newcastle upon Tyne was 31,000
  • 1842
  • June: There were 3,468 men unemployed in Newcastle, their families (8,124 women and children), being in destitution
  • The first Tyne-built iron steamer the 'Prince Albert' was launched at Coutts shipyard in Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1844
  • June: The last link in railway communication between Newcastle and London was completed with the opening of the Newcastle and Darlington Junction Railway
  • 7 July: The last mail coach ran from Newcastle to London, due to the advent of the railways
  • 1845
  • The widening of Neville Street, Newcastle, saw the destruction of many buildings
  • A separate force of river police was established
  • There were 10-12 fire engines in Newcastle, but none were owned by the Corporation
  • 1846-50
  • First phase of Newcastle railway station was built, designed by John Dobson
  • 1846
  • July: Electrical telegraph adopted by the Newcastle and Darlington Junction Railway
  • 1847
  • 5 July: The last mail coach ran from Newcastle to Edinburgh, due to the opening of railway between Newcastle and Berwick-upon-Tweed
  • WG Armstong & Co founded at Elswick, Newcastle upon Tyne, to build the hydraulic machinery Armstrong had invented
  • Work started on construction of the High Level Bridge
  • 1848
  • Public baths and wash houses for the poor were erected in New Road, Newcastle, by the corporation
  • 1849
  • High Level Bridge over the River Tyne designed by Robert Stephenson was opened
  • There was a cholera outbreak in Newcastle
  • J & G Joicey company was founded on Forth Banks, Newcastle
  • Thomas Oliver's map of Newcastle was published

1850s

1860s

  • 1860
  • John Wigham Richardson opened the Neptune shipbuilding yard at Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, taking over the former Charles Coutts yard
  • 1861
  • Charles Dickens gave readings at the Gaiety Theatre in Nelson Street, Newcastle
  • 1862
  • 2 October: Monument to George Stephenson unveiled at Neville Street/Westgate Road, Newcastle, following a march in his memory by 10,000 people
  • 1862-63
  • WG Armstrongs was the largest engineering employer in Newcastle with 8,534 employed
  • 1867
  • Tyne Theatre and Opera House opened on Westgate Road, Newcastle upon Tyne

1870s

  • 1871
  • Population of Newcastle was 128,000
  • Police force in Newcastle numbered 160
  • Bath Lane Schools were opened
  • 1873
  • July: First Medical officer of health for Newcastle, Dr Henry Armstrong, was appointed following the 1872 Public Health Act
  • August: First Home Rule Conference was held in Newcastle, hosted by Isaac Butt and attended by Charles Stewart Parnell
  • 23 December: Leazes Park officially opened
  • Death rate in Newcastle was 30.1 per 1000 people, while 24.3 per 10000 was the average for 21 large towns in the United Kingdom
  • 1874-79
  • Portuguese writer Eça de Queiroz worked in the Portuguese consular service at 53 Grey Street, Newcastle
  • 1875
  • Bandstand built in Leazes Park. Demolished in the 1960s
  • 1876
  • Swing Bridge, River Tyne was opened
  • 1877
  • Tyne Association F.C. was founded, playing early games at Northumberland Cricket Club
  • Union Club was opened, built by the Newcastle Club Company for 'modern businessmen'
  • 1878
  • Work began on the building of a horse tram network in Newcastle by the Newcastle and Gateshead Tramways & Carriage Co Ltd
  • Parkland Park Tennis Club was founded in Jesmond with 5 tennis courts and a croquet lawn
  • 1879
  • Tramway extended to Gosforth
  • Tyne Association F.C. entered the FA Cup, but lost 5-1 away to Blackburn Rovers in front of a crowd of 300

1880s

  • 1880
  • The Newcastle Chamber Music Society was established
  • Newcastle had 25,358 municipal voters
  • New public library opened in New Bridge Street, Newcastle
  • The Grandstand committee decided to move horse racing from the Town Moor to Gosforth Park
  • 1881
  • Joseph Swan set up a factory in Benwell to produce lightbulbs
  • The population of Newcastle was 149,549
  • 1882
  • Newcastle was granted city status
  • JJ Fenwick opened a department store in Newcastle
  • Diocese of Newcastle formed with a bishop and cathedral church
  • WG Armstrongs merged merged with Charles Mitchell's shipyard at Low Walker to become Armstrong Mitchells
  • 1883
  • John Cuthbert Laird became the first working man to stand for election in Newcastle, winning Elswick ward in a by-election
  • 1884
  • Natural History Museum moved to the new
  • A tennis club was established on the Grainger estate
  • 1886
  • Production ceased at the Joseph Swann lightbulb factory in Benwell
  • R and W Hawthorn merged with A. Leslie and Company shipbuilders in Hebburn to become R. & W. Hawthorn, Leslie and Company
  • 1887
  • Fleming Hospital was opened
  • 1888
  • John Wigham Richardson's Neptune shipyard delivered the 'Alfonso XII', a Spanish passenger liner and troopship
  • 1889
  • Newcastle Electric Supply Company (NESCo) founded by Theodore Merz and Robert Spence Watson
  • During building work on Westgate Road, a possibly Iron Age boat with animal remains, was excavated

1890s

20th Century

1900s

1910s

  • 1911
  • At the Census the Population of Newcastle upon Tyne was 267,000
  • 1913
  • November: Armstrong Whitworth employed 20,669 people on the Tyne
  • Fenwicks department store had a significant extension
  • 1914
  • Newcastle Co-Operative Society was largest retailer of food in the city
  • By September nearly 2,000 men from Armstrong Whitworth had enlisted in the army, as well as nearly 1,000 from Hawthorn & Leslie
  • 1915
  • Minister of Munitions, David Lloyd George, met trade unionists and Arthur Henderson in Newcastle and received 'a most enthusiastic reception'
  • 1915-16
  • Newcastle and Tyneside suffered a series of attacks by German Zeppelins
  • 1917
  • Tyne Theatre and Opera House closed
  • 1918
  • November: Numbers employed by Armstrong Whitworth had risen to just under 60,000
  • Newcastle had 1,954 indoor paupers and 3,126 outdoor paupers
  • St Peters Engine Works (Hawthorn & Leslie) on Forth Banks employed 150 women, some 7% of the workforce
  • 1919
  • Tyne Theatre and Opera House reopened as The Stoll Picture Theatre
  • Mary Laverick became the first woman councillor elected in Newcastle
  • Newcastle Shipbuilding Company established under the chairmanship of John Crass
  • RG Roberts was appointed as City Housing Architect
  • Reid's 'Plan of Newcastle' was published

1920s

1930s

  • 1930
  • 3 September: A Newcastle United club record 68,039 fans crammed into St James' Park for a match against Chelsea
  • St James Hall was rebuilt to increase capacity to 5,000
  • Newcastle General Hospital treated 3,048 patients
  • 1931-32
  • Newcastle Co-operative department store built in Newgate Street, Newcastle, designed by LG Ekins
  • 1932
  • The Stoll Picture Theatre became the first cinema in Newcastle upon Tyne to show a Talkie
  • Newcastle Co-Operative Society built a department store on Newgate Street, Newcastle
  • C&A Modes and Marks & Spencer purchased premises of Northumberland Street, Newcastle
  • Newcastle Electric Supply Company (NESCo) renamed North Eastern Electric Supply Company as it expanded to take over the entire regional supply
  • 1933
  • British Union of Fascists opened two clubs in Newcastle, one with the stated objective of 'the promotion of fascism in Benwell'. Both clubs closed after two years
  • 1934
  • J. B. Priestley, in his 'English Journey' described Newcastle as 'so ugly it made the West Riding towns look like inland resorts', although he conceded it had a 'certain sombre dignity'
  • 1935
  • By this year 11,000 houses had been built in Newcastle under RG Roberts, City Housing Architect
  • 1936
  • RG Roberts appointed as Newcastle's first City Architect
  • Newcastle General Hospital treated 6,695 patients
  • 1937
  • Bert Helmsley won the Morpeth To Newcastle Road Race
  • 1938
  • Infant mortality in Newcastle had reduced to 66 per 1,000, but was still above the national average
  • Whooping cough killed only 3 in Newcastle, a major reduction since 1920

1940s

  • 1941
  • 25 April: German bombing raid resulted in heavy casualties and damage in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne
  • 1943
  • Jackie Milburn was signed by Newcastle United F.C.
  • 1945
  • Vickers-Armstrongs plants at Elswick and Scotswood together were the largest employers in Newcastle
  • 1947
  • At coal nationalisation vesting day, the Montagu pit was the only operative pit in Newcastle
  • There were 477 convictions for drunkenness in Newcastle
  • 1948
  • Bert Helmsley won the Morpeth To Newcastle Road Race for the second time
  • Newcastle United F.C. were promoted to the First Division after the 1947–48 Football League season during which they broke the Football League attendance records with average home crowds of over 56, 283
  • An office complex for pensions and benefits was established in Longbenton

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

21st Century

2000s

  • 2001
  • Excavations at High Bridge uncovered possible Bronze Age remains, the first evidence of occupation of the town before the Romans
  • 2003
  • Bandstand rebuilt in Leazes Park based on the historical designs
  • 2009
  • Flooding caused extensive damage to All Saints' Church

2010s

2020s

See also

References

Sources