Charles I’s Time in Newcastle Under House Arrest
By Thomas Bainbridge The capture of Charles I in 1646 portended the end of the First English Civil War. After having fled from the Royalist… Read More »Charles I’s Time in Newcastle Under House Arrest
Newcastle
The Madness of the Newcastle Witch Trials
The Town Under Puritan Tyranny in the 1650s By Thomas Bainbridge With the conclusion of the English Civil War in 1648, the Parliamentarian forces led… Read More »The Madness of the Newcastle Witch Trials
The Origin of the Newcastle-Sunderland Rivalry
By Thomas Bainbridge The Tyne and Wear Derby is the most fiercely contested rivalry in English football. The two cities, thirteen miles apart, harbour a bitter animosity. But… Read More »The Origin of the Newcastle-Sunderland Rivalry
Benwell Condercum and Its Unique Features
By Crasterfarian The Fort and Its Remains Benwell fort, or Condercum as it was known to the Romans, sits on the high ground to the west… Read More »Benwell Condercum and Its Unique Features
Milecastle 4 And The Gate That Never Was
By Crasterfarian During various excavations of Hadrian’s Wall, it was assumed, due to dead reckoning of distance between milecastles, that Milecastle 4 was sited where… Read More »Milecastle 4 And The Gate That Never Was
Is This The Start of the Vallum in Newcastle?
To this day, no one really knows where the Vallum began. . . . This massive ditch formed a buffer zone to the south of… Read More »Is This The Start of the Vallum in Newcastle?
City Spirits
City Spirits Under Hadrian’s gaze,Rome’s distant child sprang,A bridge was laid down,With fort upon outcrop,Overlooking the work,By Neptune’s wharf and altar,Dogged burn cleft a town,From lort and sludge,To saturnine… Read More »City Spirits
How the Prior of Tynemouth Brought Newcastle to the Brink of Ruin in 1510
The following transcript is from a court case at the Star Chamber in 1510, just one year after Henry VIII came to the throne. I… Read More »How the Prior of Tynemouth Brought Newcastle to the Brink of Ruin in 1510
What the First ‘Shields’ Were Like
The priors of Tynemouth were not just pious clergymen, they were also almost like pirate kings and powerful overlords of the area. They spent much… Read More »What the First ‘Shields’ Were Like
What’s in a Name — Part 3: The Fort at the End of the Wall
Many people think that the names of Roman forts in Britain were Latin. Although the country was administered in Latin, just as in Gaul, most… Read More »What’s in a Name — Part 3: The Fort at the End of the Wall