and Town-Moor were valued, at the same time, at twenty-feven pounds per annum. This ground was always valued tythe-free.

On this tract of the town's ground, the late Mr. Smith built, a few years ago, an extensive manufactory for tobacco and snuff, with some elegant dwelling-houses and gardens. They are still poffefsed by Mr. Harrison, his fon-in-law.

Another material and extensive part of the townlands is

THE TOWN-MOOR.

It is, fays Bourne, a very spacious piece of ground, containing 1037 acres I rood 2 perches. In very remote times, it is said to have been a wood, famous for oaks, out of which have been built many hundreds of ships, and also all the houses of the old town of Newcastle. Whether the houses were built from oaks cut upon the Town-moor or not, is not easily afcertained; but that most of the houses on the Sandhill, the Close, &c. were built with that wood, is certainly true; for, from dates on some of them, they are of great antiquity.

The Moor, together with the Castle-Leazes, called also the Castle-moor and Castle-field, were the right of the town, and accounted fo, in the reign of king Edward III. who, in the fresh charter which he gave the town, confirmed to the burgesses all their former privileges, their holding of those lands, working coal, stones, &c. in them, together with all the profits arifing from them, in the fame manner he had confirmed all the immunities and privileges which had been granted by the kings, his predeceffors, to the burgesses of Newcastle.

The

The ancient bounds of the Town-moor, which are the fame at this day, are thus described in the above charter of king Edward III. viz. "From a certain place called Thorn-bush, near the Cross; (which feems to have been on the north fide of the Barrasbridge, near a Cross which was erected there before St. James's chapel, and which was thrown down by the town-surveyor, no doubt to prevent what he thought idolatry) and then, by certain divisions, set up towards the faid town of Newcastle, as far as the gallows, one poft of which stood on the boundary between the land of the prior of Tynemouth, and the other on that of the town of Newcastle; and fo on by the Quarrel-dyke, (that is, the Quarry-dyke) and thence, by the king's way, to the faid town."

By an inquifition taken at the Castle of Newcastle upon Tyne, August 13, in the 18th year of the reign of James I. Castle-moor appears to have contained 848 acres; and the boundaries are described, at that time, as beginning at a certain house, called Sickman's-house, on the fouth, and so extending to the fields of Jesmond on the east, to a certain corner there; and from thence turning westward, to the gate leading from Newcastle to Morpeth, and fo on westward, near the limits of Coxlodge, on the north, to the corner of the Nun's-moor: on the west, to a certain corner, where a hedge was anciently, near the Cow-gate, leading from Newcastle to Hexham; by the boundaries of the fields of Elfwick, on the fouth, to the gallows; and from thence turning westward and north, by the bounds and territories of East-field on the west, to a certain corner of the Castle-field; and turning south and east, by the boundaries of the Castle-field on the fouth, to the faid house, called Sick-man's-house.

In

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In the times of the commonwealth, it was reported, says Bourne, that the coal-mine, or colliery, in the Town-moor extended itself one hundred acres, and that the value of it was to the town thirty-five pounds per annum.

In the year 1739, an advertisement appeared in the Courant paper, to "let the colliery of the Townmoor." By this it would appear, that the design entertained by the corporation, of "claiming the royalty, minerals, and surface of this extenfive property," was not fuddenly taken up, in 1770; the open avowal of which occafioned the famous trial, of which we will give an impartial account.

Upon the petition of Humphrey Gill and John Cooke, dated October 28, 1657, to make a way, and bring coals out of Fenham-fields, over the Townmoor, at the distance of fixty yards from the highway leading over the faid moor; leave was given by the common council, to cause a gate to be hung, and the way to be paved from the gate, to the faid highway, upon Mr. Ord, of Fenham, paying annually one shilling. This, and other fimilar grants, gave great offence to the burgesses, and produced great contention in the public meetings.

In the year 1747, the turnpike-road, over the Town-moor, on the way leading to Morpeth, was begun by the corporation, at their own expence. It was in the form of a large causeway, eleven yards in breadth, well paved with whinstones, and was completed in the year 1749; William Joyce, surveyor. That from Gallowgate to West Cowgate, was made anno 1753.

Newcastle has not, like towns of less consequence. and opulence, affected taking the lead in fashionable amufe

amusements. Horse-races, which at present are annually run upon the Town-moor, appear formerly to have been run upon Killingworth-moor, in the vici. nity of that town. But, by an act of common-council, a race-ground was formed on the Town-moor; and in the year 1756, another order, by the fame authority, was given, for seventy-five pounds to be laid out towards putting the race-ground in good condi. tion. The course is two miles in circumference, and is excellently calculated for that amusement.

But as the races always take place in June, and about the fummer solstice, it frequently happens to be rainy weather; luckily for victuallers, but luckless indeed for pedestrian spectators, who are often completely drenched.

This year, 1801, the races at Newcastle were attended by the greatest number of running horfes ever known north of Newmarket and York; near fifty being entered for the various sweepstakes, plates, and matches, during the week.

Adjacent to the starting-post, Mr. Loftus has erected an elegant edifice, two stories high, now called the Grand Stand, which, being built of stone, presents a very striking appearance. It is intended, not merely as a place of accommodation for spectators at the races, but as a public tavern during the summer season, being handsomely furnished and fitted up for that purpose. The external aspect of the building is equal to that of any gentleman's manfion in the neighbourhood, and from the galleries on its roof the spectators command a view nearly all round the course.

The first king's purse of an hundred guineas, run for upon the Town-moor, was won by a horse called Cato, Cato, the property of George Bowes, Esq. June 5th, 1753

NUN'S MOOR.

This large tract lies between the thorn-bush and the hedge that separates it from the grounds of Kenton. Richard I. confirmed to St. Mary's and the nuns of St. Bartholomew, the lands which had been granted them by Afelack, the foun. der of that hofpital. The land, from its becoming the property of these nuns, got the name of Nun's Field, or Nun's Moor. In the fourth year of Henry VIII. Dame Joan, prioress of the monastery of St. Bartholomew, and the convent of the fame, granted a lease of the Nun's Moor for one hundred years, at the annual rent of twenty-three shillings and fourpence, to the mayor and commonalty of Newcastle.

After the diffolution of the aforesaid monastery, it became the property, by royal grants, of several gentlemen; and, in the year 1651, it was purchased from Mr. Charles Brandling, of Gateshead, by the corporation of Newcastle, who have annexed it to the Town-moor.

Thus this vast extent of uncultivated land generally named the Town-moor has been conveyed down from time immemorial to the free burgesses of Newcastle, to this day, and who confider it not only as the most substantial mark of the paternal regard of their forefathers for the real interests of their pofterity, but alfo, as it conftitutes the most unalienable, so it is the most valuable of their franchises and property, as burgesses and freemen !

The value of lands, however, continually rifing, and it being well known that the seams of coal in the