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England Newcastle upon Tyne

Guide to Newcastle upon Tyne history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.



HISTORY
Newcastle-Upon Tyne (to be distinguished from Newcastle-under Lyme) is the premier city of northwest England.

The first recorded settlement in what is now Newcastle was Pons Aelius, a Roman fort and bridge across the River Tyne. It was given the family name of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, who founded it in the 2nd century AD. The population of Pons Aelius at this period was estimated at 2,000.

The Emperor Hadrian is known in history as the roman Emperor who commissioned the structure known as Hadrian's Wall. This wall, a huge civil undertaking, stretches across northern England from the west to the East, and was about 85 miles long. It's function was to act as a barrier or deterrent for the marauding Scottish hordes that were pillaging northern England.

Fragments of Hadrian's Wall are still visible in parts of Newcastle, particularly along the West Road.

After the Roman departure from Britain, completed in 410, Newcastle became part of the powerful Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria, and became known throughout this period as Monkchester. Throughout the Middle Ages, Newcastle was England's northern fortress. Incorporated first by Henry II, the city had a new charter granted by Elizabeth in 1589.

In the 19th century, shipbuilding and heavy engineering were central to the city's prosperity; and the city was a powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution. Newcastle was one of the first cities in the world to be lit up by electric lighting.

LOCATION
Newcastle upon Tyne, known commonly and locally as just Newcastle, is located on the north bank of the river Tyne. It is about 280 miles north of London, but in close proximity to Leeds, Sheffield, and Manchester. It is about 9 miles from the North Sea, and the river is navigable for oceangoing vessels as far as the city docks.

The ground beneath the city is formed from Carboniferous strata of the Middle Pennine Coal Measures Group—a suite of sandstones, mud-stones and coal seams which generally dip moderately eastwards. To the west of the city are the Upper Pennine Coal Measures and further west again the sandstones and mud-stones of the Stainmore Formation. The area to the west of the city has been known for centuries as the source of much of the coal for north east England.

RELIGION
Coventry had no particular areas of interest in the religious sphere until WWII. As a city, it had a cathedral (the British definition of a city was that it had a cathedral), but nothing especial stood out in its history.

However due to the firebombing of the city at the start of WWII, the cathedral shell became a sign of hope. St. Michael's Cathedral is now Coventry's best-known landmark and visitor attraction. The 14th century church was largely destroyed by German bombing during the Second World War, leaving only the outer walls and spire.

The new Coventry Cathedral was opened in 1962 next to the ruins of the old. It was designed by Sir Basil Spence. At 303 feet (92 meters) high, the spire of St. Michael's is claimed to be the third tallest cathedral spire in England, after Salisbury and Norwich.



INDUSTRY
Coventry has for centuries been a center of British manufacturing.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Coventry became one of the three main British centers of watch and clock manufacture and ranked alongside Prescot, in Lancashire and Clerkenwell in London.

In the late 19th century, Coventry became a major center of bicycle manufacture. The industry energized by the invention by James Starley and his nephew John Kemp Starley of the Rover safety bicycle, which was safer and more popular than the pioneering penny-farthing. The company eventually morphed into the Rover car manufacturing company.

By the early 20th century, bicycle manufacture had evolved into motor manufacture, and Coventry became a major center of the British motor industry. Many British marques were manufactured here, including Morris, Austin, and Rover. Bedford heavy vehicles were also built in the area.

The design headquarters of Jaguar Cars is in the city at their Whitley plant and although vehicle assembly ceased at the Browns Lane plant in 2004, Jaguar's head office returned to the city in 2011, and is also sited in Whitley.

By the early 1980s, Coventry had one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and crime rates rose well above the national average.[citation needed] Some 30 years later, Coventry is now considered as one of the UK's safer major cities and has gradually recovered economically with newer industries locating there, although the motor industry continues to decline.

CEMETERIES AND GRAVEYARDS
Coventry cemeteries

London road cemetery

Coventry burial records

GENEALOGY SOCIETIES
Coventry Family History

Coventry St. Michael

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