In
the Newport Charter of 1427 (re-issuing a charter of 1385)
there is a reference in a description of the borough's boundaries
to "the water course of the mill of the lord."
In 1441 there were two water-mills at Newport recorded in
the accounts of the lordship. (i) A water mill is shown
on a 1750 map of
Newport, together with the millpond, the mill mead (meadow)
and a water course. The mill was on a river inlet or pill
to the north of Newport Castle, close to where the present
Sainsbury's Store now is. Nothing now remains but the mill
is shown on the 1883 Ordnance Survey map of Newport as a
flour mill at the head of an inlet.
In
1859 Thomas Wakeman wrote an account of the "Monastery
of Austin Friars at Newport". In it he mentioned that
"In the gable end of a building, now forming the flour
mill in Mill street, are the traces of a large gothic window,
which from its size and form was apparently of the fourteenth
century". He concluded that this might be part of the
chapel of St Lawrence - but in view of other documentary
evidence this seems unlikely.
St
Lawrence Chapel
(SMR 00185g ST 33108 18830 ?)
-
8 on the conjectural view
of Medieval Newport -
St
Lawrence's Chapel was of medieval date and it can be no
co-incidence that the town fair began on the Vigil of St
Lawrence (9th August). In 1525 a grant was made of two tenements,
"between the Chapel of St Lawrence on the west, abutting
on the High Street going through the town on one side and
the other abutting upon St Lawrence Lane". In 1550
a grant to Sir William Herbert refers to "the late
chantry called St Lawrence Chapel in the Great Bailey within
the town of Newport". Further references appear for
St Lawrence Lane in 1570 and St Lawrence Churchyard in 1668.
St Lawrence Lane may be what is now known as Carpenters
Arms Lane. The entrance is between The Kings Head Hotel
and the Carpenters Arms Inn. Possibly the chapel stood opposite
the present Newport Provisions Market. Another possible
location for the chapel and churchyard is a large square
of land marked '99' on the 1750
map of Newport, and belonging to "The Honourable
Morgan Esq. Ruperra". It is recorded as a "storehouse
and garden" on Thomas
Thorpe's map of 1752. This is approximately at the east
entrance to the present Provisions Market.
St
Thomas Chapel
(SMR 08362g and 00205g ST 33081
18859)
-
2 on the conjectural view
of Medieval Newport -
St
Thomas Chapel is mentioned in the charter of 1427 in a description
of the boundaries of the borough. So presumably it was close
to the boundary, somewhere near the later road called Queens
Hill. Little more is known about this chapel except that
there may be a connection with Thomas Street (now no longer
existing) which was the probable position of the Middle
Gate into the town and where there was a well positioned
in the middle of the road, just outside the gate.
Baneswell
(SMR
00206g ST 33090 18805)
The
1570 survey of Newport refers to Paynes well as being
outside Hirstingeste dyke and also to Paynes yate
(Paynes gate). The earliest map
of Newport (1750) also shows the well as Beans Well.
There it is depicted as standing in a small space, roughly
rectangular in shape, surrounded by fields with a lane leading
back to Stow Hill. It seems likely that in the Middle Ages
Baneswell was used as a water supply by people living on
Stow Hill. It is also possible there may have been access
through the town wall, near or at the earliest west gate
to the town. It is interesting that the name still survives
in the names 'Baneswell' and 'Pump Street'.
Other
Surviving Place Names
One
interesting fact relating to Newport is the number of medieval
place names that survived into the 20th or 21st centuries.
Some of these have been mentioned in the text, but the following
are examples:
Newport:
Referred to as Novi Burgi circa 1085, and Newporte
in 1265.
Stow:
Referred to as Stowe in 1281.
St
Woolos: Referred to as St Gundlei in circa
1100, St Guntle in circa 1536 and St Wooloes
in 1653.
West
Gate: Referred to as Craks yate in 1570 (probably
a reference to the prison in the Gate).
Cinderhill
Wharf: Probably the site referred to as le Synderhull
in 1447.
Corn
Street: Referred to as Corneis lane in 1543
and Corneslane in 1570 (the present Corn Street is
now on a different alignment).
Crindau:
Referred to as Crinde in 1385.
Gold
Tops: Referred to as Coulde toppe in 1653.
High
Street: Referred to as the high street in
a deed of 1525 and shown as High Street on the map
of 1750 (note the broadening out of High Street for
the market where the 17th century Market House once stood).
Kingshill:
Referred to as Kyngeshull in 1427.
Mendalgief:
Referred to as Myndylgyffe in 1447.
Skinner
Street: Referred to as Skynners lane in 1570
(the name suggests tanning took place there).
(i) A.C. Reeves Newport Lordship 1317-1536 (1979)
page 63
©
Bob Trett 2007
