Newport Whites Directory in 1863
NEWPORT, a large and pleasant village, near the confluence of three sources of the river Cam, or Granta, and on the London and Newmarket road, has a Railway Station, 10 miles N. by E. of Bishop’s Stortford, and 3½ miles S.S.W of Saffron Walden. It was anciently a market town, and has still two annual fairs, on Easter-Tuesday and November 17th. The latter was granted by King John, and is celebrated for colts, &c. The parish contains 886 inhabitants, and 1664 acres of land, exclusive of roads and wastes.
In the village are several good inns and shops, a Free Grammar School, and a Police Station, where Petty Sessions are held for Walden Division. In the reign of Edward the Confessor, Newport belonged to Earl Harold, afterwards King, on whose death it became the property of the Conqueror. It remained with the Crown till the reign ofEdward VI., and under the early monarchs, it enjoyed ample privileges, with a market and freedom from toll.
The Empress Maud granted lands here to Geoffrey de Mandeville, with license to remove the market to his borough of Saffron Walden; and soon afterwards King John granted it a fair on St. Leonard’s day. Gerard de Furnival, in 1507, surrendered the town and castle of Newport to King John, who granted the manor to Baldwin de Haverkert, to be held of the Crown. Since this period there is no recorded notice of the castle. William Charles Pitt Smith, Esq. , is now lord of the manor, and has a handsome seat on the north side of the village, called SHORTGROVE, standing in a large and beautiful park, on a commanding eminence, at the foot of which flows the river Granta, or Cam, through a well-wooded lawn. Behind the Hall is a second lawn, with pleasure grounds and fish ponds. The common field lands of the parish have lately been enclosed. Capt. Byng, and several smaller owners have estates in the parish, mostly free and partly copyhold : the latter subject to arbitrary fines. St. Leonard’s Hospital, which stood on Birchangre side, near the river, was founded by Richard de Newport, in the reign of King John, for a master and two chaplains. Its revenues were valued at £23. 10s. per annum, at the time of its suppression, since which its site has been held by the succeeding lords of the manor.
The Church (St. Mary) is a spacious building, consisting of a nave, side and cross aisles, and a chancel, with a lofty tower, surmounted by embattled turrets, and containing five bells. A handsome wooden screen separates the chancel from the cross aisles, and behind it, under what was formerly the rood loft, are six stalls, ornamented with curious carved work. In the wall, near the altar, are three stone seats and a piscina. Over the altar are two fine old paintings of Moses and Aaron. The tower was rebuilt, and the nave, aisles, and transepts restored, about five years ago, at the cost of about £4000.
Before 1353, the church of Newport belonged to the College of St. Martin-le-Grand, London, with which it was given by Henry VII. to Westminster Abbey. The appropriate rectory was afterwards settled on the See of London, and it is now held on lease by Capt. Byng. The discharged vicarage, valued in K.B. at £9.10s. , and in 1831 at £144, is in the patronage of the Lord Chancellor, and incumbency of the Rev. John Chapman, M.A., who has a good residence and about 25A. of glebe, partly purchased with augmentations from Queen Anne’s Bounty, and private benefactions. About 6A. of the glebe is in Widdington parish. The tithes were commuted in 1839, the vicarial for £114 10s. , and the rectorial for £285 per annum. Here is an Independent Chapel, built in 1778. The parish has a National School, bult in 1839, at the cost of £118 ; a Free Grammar School ; and several Charities.
The FREE GRAMMAR SCHOOL was founded in 1586, by Joyce Frankland, who endowed it with all her great tithes in Banstead parish, Surrey, (now yielding £203 1s. 11d. per annum), and with her two houses, in Little Distaffs lane, London, let for £80, and a
tenement at Hoddesdon, let for £16 a-year. At the time of the bequest, this property only yielded an annual income of £23. 10s. , which the foundress directed should be applied as follows : £20 to the master ; £2 to the master of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, for his trouble as visitor ; and £1. 10s. for repairing the school-house. The yearly income ofthe school is now about £250, of which about £200 is paid to the head master, and about £15 to the repairing fund. About 1846, a new school was erected on the site of the old Town-House, or Guild Hall, which was granted to the parish by Robert Drivers, in the 1st of Philip and Mary, for the public good and use of the inhabitants. The 50 free scholars are taught reading, writing, arithmetic, geography, and all other branches of English literature ; and also Latin and Greek if required, but seldom more than 6 or 8 of the free boys learn the dead languages. The foundress bequeathed to the master, fellows, and scholars of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, three houses in Aldermanbury, and £1540, to be laid out in the purchase of an estate; and directed the whole yearly proceeds to be appropriated for the foundation of six fellowships and 12 scholarships, in the said College, and for the augmentation of four scholarships founded by her mother, Mrs. Trappes.
The Church Mead, 1A. , was purchased by the churchwardens in 1637, for £20. It is let for £3, which is applied to the repairs of the church. In 1529, John and Agnes Coville gave for the poor of Newport, reduced by misfortune, a farm of 50A. , called the Graces, now let for £50 a year, which is distributed on Hock Monday. It was conveyed to thirteen new trustees in 1827. The poor widows and widowers of the parish have £2. 12s. a year from Martin’s Charity, as noticed with Chrishall. A house, left to the poor by John Lythall, in the 29th of Elizabeth, was burnt down about 1650. In 1799, the Hon. P. C. Wyndham, then lord ofthe manor of Newport Pond, granted a freehold close and the buildings thereon, upon trust, that they should be used as the Parish Workhouse and Garden; but part of the land to be planted with elm and forest trees for firing. The ancient name of Newport Pond was derived from a large pond, which formerly existed near the south end ofthe village ; where there was an ancient Cross, and a seat called Pond Cross, long occupied by the Nightingale family.
NEWPORT.
POST OFFICE at Thos. O. Crane’s. Letters via Bishop’s Stortford.
Burgess Rev. Robert Burdett, M.A. rector of Chickney
Carter Mr Charles
Chapman Rev. John, M.A. vicar
Chapman Mrs, schoolmistress
Clark Mrs P.
Clark Joseph, sexton
Cornell Mrs, and Miss, dressmaker
Debnam Charles, watchmaker, &c.
Drage James, stationmaster
Fennell William, lime burner
Flood John, police superintendent
Hayden Mr John
Glasscock Mrs
James Rev. John, (Independent)
Johns Mrs Jane, National School
Lampkin Edward, straw hat manufacturer
Moss Mr Isaac
Malyon Stephen
Newell Sus. saddler, & A. dressmaker.
Norman Charles, tailor
Patmer Robert swine dealer & postman
Peacock Charles Kentish, solicitor
Robinson George Strickland, surgeon
Robinson John, retail brewer
Shrewsbury Gifford, corn merchant
Smith William Chas. Esq. Shortgrove
Stallibrass Miss
Totten Miss C.
Sturgeon Miss E. schoolmistress
Trott Philip, bricklayer
Turner James, rope and twine maker
Wells William, relieving officer & registrar
Wisken Rev. John, M.A. headmaster of Grammar School
FARMERS.
Barnard George Hayden (and coal merchant), Parsonage
Brook Henry
Day William H.
Edwick John
Gayford Dudley
Johnson John
Skipper David
Mascall James Henry, Sparrow End
Shirley Thos. (& builder) , Pond Cross
Trott Thomas
Woodcock John
INNS AND TAVERNS.
Coach and Horses, James Warren
Hercules, Benj. Buck, wheelwright
Old Three Tuns, Jane Matthews
Rose and Crown, Isaac Taylor
Star, William Revett Trott, carrier
BAKERS, &c.
Gayler David
Muggins John
Parratt Eliza
Richardson Chas. Cakebread
Stiles Henry
BLACKSMITHS.
Brand John
Hayden John
CARPENTERS And Builders .
Crane Thomas O.
Day Joseph
Wedd William
BOOT & SHOE MAKERS
Banham William
Bayley Chas. and parish clerk
Johns James
BUTCHERS
Barker George
Mascall William
CARPENTERS, and builders
Crane Thomas O.
Day Joseph
Wedd William
PLUMBERS, Painters & GLAZIERS
Bunten John
Johns Chas. colr.
GROCERS, &C.
Barnard Abm. & insurance agent
Wakefield Thos. N. & druggist
SHOPKEEPERS. (See Bakers.)
Bird William
Crane Thomas O.
Gayler James
RAILWAY
Trains to London, &c.5 times a day
CARRIERS
To London. Trott William R. daily
Lampkin T. Thursday