This once famous Castle stands on an eminence, and was built, not only with the design of repelling the invafions of foreign foes, but of keeping the inhabitants of the town and country in a state of terror and subjection. It still seems to frown defiance, and throw a kind of horrific lour at the peaceable passenger walking along the streets.

This fortress, in ancient times, commanded the principal entrance from the south, and was encompassed with two walls, of great strength and height. In the exterior wall were four gates; one large, with two portcullises: the ground within this outer wall measured three acres and one rood. But let us be' a little more particular in describing this ancient Castle, which gave a name to the town, and not the town to the Castle.

The date of its first founding, and of its being completed, is not agreed on by historians. But the most correct and authentic fix the period of the commencement of its being built in the year 1079, and finished about three years after that date.

But scarcely any one has doubted, that this mighty work was undertaken under the auspices of William the Norman, conqueror of England, and by the immediate direction of his eldest son, Robert, furnamed Curthose. It has already been flightly observed, when we treated of the origin of the name of Newcastle, that the occafion of building this strong place was, to keep his troops employed, and likewife to serve as an impregnable barrier against any future hostile vifit from their Caledonian neighbours. This last purpose it fully answered, as, during the revolution of hundreds of years, it feldom or ever was taken by an invading foe.

Its name of "Newcastle" would seem to convey an idea, that it had been built on the fite of fome former place of strength, from which, by contradiftinction, it derived a name that extended afterward to the adjacent town, and which it retains to this day.

The Milbank MS. tells us, "that this Newcastle may be diftinguished from the old one, that is, the Round Tower, fince called the Half-moon Battery; which is supposed to have been a Roman fortrefs, to command the pass of the bridge over the river Tyne, built by the emperor Hadrian, and which gave its name to the Roman station, that is, Pons Ælii."

But the strength of this mighty fortress was put to the proof almost as foon as its works were com. pleted. Rebellion is most frequently the effect of tyranny and oppreffion; and the Norman family, the conqueror and his fons, employed no methods to gain the affections of his vanquished subjects; but, on the contrary, in order to break their spirits, and extinguish every spark of sense of their pristine greatness and independence, exercised the most brutal and oppressive tyranny. Whether this was the cafe with respect to earl Mowbray is what history does not inform us. But it is certain, that this powerful nobleman raised the standard of rebellion against William Rufus, the fon and successor of William the Conqueror, made choice of this strong Castle as a place of arms, and filled it with troops. Rufus, who knew its importance, lost no time, but with a great army marched against the rebels, laid fiege to Newcastle, and, in a few days, made himself master of the place. Mowbray had found means to escape, and got safe to Balmbrough castle. Hither the king instantly directed his march; but, after a tedious and fruitless

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fruitless fiege, he converted it into a blockade, leaving a powerful body of troops before the Castle, in a new fortress, which he termed (justly enough) Malvoifin, "bad neighbour." Mowbray escaped a second time, and, instead of returning to Newcastle, whither he had been invited by some of his faithful partizans, he thought a religious asylum would be the most eligible, and took fanctuary in the church of St. Ofwin, at Tynemouth. But, alas! the conqueror's family paid little respect to altars and shrines; for the furious foldiers of Rufus dragged the unfortunate Mowbray from the altar, and carried him to a fortress, in the fouthern part of the kingdom; where, after fuffering all the hardships of a rigorous captivity, he was ignominioufly put to death.

This strong fortress appeared of vast consequence, not only to the family of William, but likewife to fucceeding monarchs, for a long course of centuries.

King John, who had a great predilection for Newcastle, fixed his refidence in it during a confiderable part of his reign; nor was he inattentive to increase its strength. For this purpose, A. D. 1213, that prince made a vast foss or trench round the Castle, and also strengthened it with some new and additional works towards the river Tyne.

In the year 1292, John Baliol, king of Scotland, did homage, for the crown of that kingdom, to Edward I. king of England, in the great hall of his palace, within the Castle of Newcastle upon Tyne.

It would be tedious and unentertaining, to give a detail of all the grants of monies, for repairing, storing, and victualling this extensive fortress; and for fubfifting a numerous body of troops, with which it was conftantly garrifoned.

Sufficient

Sufficient is it to add, that the most powerful, and the richest baronies of the north, were afsessed according to their valuation, in Doomsday Book, for the maintenance of the castle and garrifon. Among others was the baronies of Dilstone, Walton, Bolam, Bothal, Delaval, Copun, &c. Besides these extensive baronies, including their respective dependencies, there were rents, houses, closes, gardens, all the property of the Castle.

But, in proportion as artillery came to be employed in befieging or defending places of strength, this once almost impregnable place gradually loft its former consequence. It is remarkable that, from the year 1605 to 1610, this formerly august Castle, often the temporary refidence of kings, and for the defence of which the great barons, Heron, Delaval, Clavering, Bolbeck, Bertram of Bothal, Ros, Gaugy, Clifford, and Dilstone, had each a house within its liberties, had lost so completely its pristine grandeur, that it was let to the incorporated company of taylors, at the yearly rent of one pound!

To complete its downfal, the Castle, and circumjacent grounds, were granted, by king James I. to one Alexander Stephenson, a Scotchman, who begged it of him. He was, fays Mr. Bourne, (rather in uncourtly phrase) one of his close ftool. And fure enough, the good inhabitants of the Castle-garth feem to have taken a hint from this Scotchman's office; for, by the fame author we are told, that, in the 18th year of this king's reign, an inquifition was held about the Castle, wherein complaint was made of a dunghill within its bounds, containing an enormous mafs of excrementitious filth, being 98 yards in length, 10 in depth, and 32 in breadth! Its preffure was fo great

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great upon the wall, on the west fide of the Castle, which was 40 yards in length, 10 yards in height, and 2 yards broad, that it threw down a large part of it.

To consummate its ruin, its fine covering of lead was carried off; so that the poor prisoners lodged for trial in their doleful manfion within the Castle, were exposed to all the severities of the weather, and all the other miseries of a most horrible dungeon!

Such was the old Castle, famous, for ages, as a place of strength and magnificence. But the invention of artillery, these dreadful engines of destruction, the acceffion of James VI. of Scotland to the crown of England, and the union of the two kingdoms under queen Anne, precluding all danger from the north, this once barrier-fortress loft its usefulness, and with this its consequence, and so became neglected.

Before we quit the subject, it may not be unacceptable to our readers to present to their view a fuccinct and accurate view of the Castle, in its present state.

The great tower, termed by antiquaries, the Keep, measures twenty-eight yards and a quarter in height. The celebrated Mr. Pennant, in his Tour to Scotland, describing its dimenfions, as taken by himself, fays, The walls of Robert's Tower are thirteen feet thick, with galleries gained out of them; the height of this tower was eighty-two, and the square on the outfide fixty-two by fifty-four feet."

The main entrance, like the structure of all ancient castles, is at a great height from the ground. No entrances, fays Mr. King, in his ingenious Effay on ancient Castles, are to be found in the lower story, or upon the ground, but always at a confiderable height, to which we afcend by a grand staircase, about the