that people. The congregation is faid to be numerous, and of decent deportment, with a stated pastor among them.---See churches and chapels.

Almoft adjoining to the manfion, house, is another meeting-houfe, or place of worship, in which affemble a congregation, with their minifter, attached to the principles of the church of Scotland, and is faid to be numerous and refpectable. Their terms of communion differ from thofe of the other diffenters in Newcastle.

But the edifice that principally draws the attention in the Clofe, is the MANSION-HOUSE.----See publicbuildings.

This building Mr Bourne terms, "A building grand and stately, and, confidering its fituation, is very ornamental." Its foundation was laid in the year 1691, and coft the corporation 6000l. befides the neceffary furniture and utenfils. Upon the election of a new mayor, annually at Michaelmas, he generally quits, for the year of his mayoralty, his own private house, and takes up his refidence in the manfion-house, commonly making no change among the male fervants there. He is allowed a handsome statecoach, a barge, in which he, attended by numbers of other gentlemen of the corporation, perambulate the river, on Afcenfion. Thursday, and is fupplied with a genteel falary, to fupport his expences, by the corporation.

It is in this manfion that the judges of affize, with their attendants, are entertained, during the time. of their refidence here on their circuit.

There used to be given by the newly elected mayor, a public entertainment, on Michaelmas Monday. The body of freemen at large generally thought

them

themselves entitled to fhare in its good things; fo that, on many occafions, shameful exceffes happened: to prevent which, the common council refolved, July 7, 1773, to discontinue the custom; the propriety of which was acknowledged by the fober and decent among the free burgeffes of the town.

The regalia, or magisterial robes, are kept in the manfion-house, and ufed on public occafions.---They confift of a large mace of filver, gilt, having on it the following infcription : "Made for the corporation of Newcastle upon Tyne, anno regni Jacobi Secundi, tertio, annoq. Domini 1687, Nicholas Cole, Efq. mayor; Thomas Pace, Efq. fheriff. The arms of the town, with those of Cole, on the knob at the bottom: on the part under the crown, the rose, thistle, and fleurs-de-lis, and the harp, with a crown over each, and the initials I. R.---Under the mound, the king's arms, with I. 2. R. This principal piece of the regalia is carried before the mayor, on proceffions, by the water-bailiff. Here alfo are kept two fwords of ftate, of elegant workmanship; the one is covered with black, the other with scarlet, velvet the former is ufed in ordinary proceffions, the latter on festivals: it is then that the magiftrates wear fearlet gowns.

The manfion-house is like wife furnished with a rich and elegant fervice of plate.

On a filver bafon and ewer, are the following infcriptions: "This bafon and ewer were, by Sir Gil-. bert Gerrard, Bart. and his two fons, Gilbert and Samuel Gerrard, Efqrs. grand-children to the Rev. Father in God Dr. John Cofins, late bishop of Durham, presented to the right worshipful Sir Nathaniel Johnfon, of the court of aldermen of the ancient town

of

of Newcastle, and is defigned for the ufe of the mayor that annually governs; accordingly, to be delivered by the present mayor to the court of aldermen, and by them to the next mayor that shall be chosen, and fo fucceffively for ever. June 8, 1681." The arms of Newcastle, and of the family of Cole, are also engraven on these pieces of plate. On the ewer is the following infcription: "This ewer, with a bafon, was prefented by Sir Gilbert Gerrard, Bart. and his two fons, Gilbert and Samuel Gerrard, Efqrs. to the use of the annual mayor of the ancient town of Newcaftle, for ever. June 8, 1681." Arms alfo of Johnfon and Gerrard, with thofe of the corporation, are engraven on the ewer. Here is alfo a large filver bafon, with the following infcription: "Ex dono Lioneli Vane armigeri, majori et burgenfibus, villæ & comitatus Novi Caftri fuper Tynam." Arms of the town, and thofe of Vane and Fenwick.

On a filver bowl, given by Mr Bowes, is infcribed, "The first royal purfe of one hundred guineas run for at Newcastle upon Tyne, was won, June 25, 1753, by a bay horse, called Cato, belonging to George Bowes, Efq, who generously prefented it to the corporation, to purchase a piece of plate, in remembrance of his majesty's grace and favour." The king's arms, with those of the town and of Bowes.

The manfion-house has also a gilt filver cup, of very elegant defign and execution, in which it is ufual to prefent mulled wine to the new mayor, at his first entrance into the manfion: for which purpose it is faid to have been given to the corporation,

In the grand faloon of the manfion-house are placed the fire-arms belonging to the corporation. Over the chimney

chimney-piece, fome fragments of ancient armour are well worth being feen by the curious antiquary.

The history of several other houses in the Close, which bear the marks of venerable antiquity, and probably were once the abodes of feftivity and opulence, having fallen into decay, or been converted into warehouses, is, of confequence, uninteresting.--But it is to be obferved, that it is near the place where the Close-gate stood, that the extensive glassmanufactories are to be feen, and where the whiteglafs is made in the most beautiful manner; which not only brings a large revenue to government, (as will be seen in its place) but, next to the coal, is a chief fource of the wealth of this opulent town.

WEST GATE,

Or the Street that leads to the Weft Gate.

It has been already obferved, that on account of the vast number of religious that flocked to the town, the fubject of this hiftory, it got the name of Monkchefter, or the town of the monks, with which it seems to have abounded, of all orders and denominations. In modern times, after the ancient and opulent families, for the moft part, had quitted the lower streets on the Quay and in the Close, and retired to the higher parts of the town, both for the circulation of purer air, and for other conveniences, they chiefly fettled in Weftgate, which, till the buildings in Pilgrim-ftreet, Savile Row, &c. was the principal place of refidence. The ftreet itself is airy, and has many handfome and well-finished houses, generally inhabited by a fingle family, now having

beautiful

beautiful pieces of ground flower plots, &c. backwards. We will only make fome curfory remarks upon the private buildings. In this part of the town ftood the

BLACK FRIARS.

This order, named, fays Bourne, Black Friars, Preaching Friars, and Jacobine Friars, arrived in England A. D. 1262 and 1268. They took their name from St. Dominick, the founder of the order, a Spaniard by birth. Their monaftery ftood near the foot of Westgate-ftreet, near to White Friar Tower, and was called the House of the Friars of the Sac, or of the penance of Christ.

This very ancient monaftery was founded by Sir Peter Scott, who was the firft mayor of Newcastle in the year 1251, and by Sir Nicholas Scott, his fon, who was one of the four bailiffs of the town. But the fite was given by three fifters, whose names Mr Bourne laments are ungratefully loft.

The exact time of its being founded and finished is uncertain; but it must, adds the fame authority, have been earlier than the 8th of the reign of Edward I. as that prince granted a licence to the black friars to break a door through the new wall into their garden, and fo their priory muft have been built fome time before. The fame author obferves, that it had been a ftately and very beautiful building, as appears by its prefent remains. The area, or grafs-plot, is about 87 feet in length, and the fame in breadth. On the eaft fide was the chapel, which is now the hall of the company of fmiths. On the weft fide was a curious old well, which ferved the monaftery

K