St Michael's Newburn

Newburn Parish Church stands in its commanding position on the north side of the Tyne Valley overlooking the village. It consists of a four bay nave with transepts and aisles, a west tower, a south porch, an unaisled chancel with a vestry and organ chamber to the north.

Before this present building, there was a wooden church on the site, which was burnt down in 1067 AD. There was a plague of Cholera in the village in 1832 in which a 66 of the 550 population died, including the vicar, The Reverend James Edmonson, and the village doctor.

Around the time of the 1067ad fire a man, Copsi, an appointee of the Norman Ruler William 1st , was found murdered near the church door. He was hated by the local lords, whom he had displaced.

The area of Newburn is steeped in history with the Romans, Picts, Scots, Saxons, Vikings and Normans all leaving their mark on the parish. From the start of the second millennium with the murder of Copsi in 1067 there have been battles between the Scottish and the English which have frequently bathed the parish in blood.

The Battle of Newburn.

It was 28th August 1640 when 20,000 Scots defeated 4000 English soliders in the battle of Newburn. The Scots had been provoked by Charles 1, who had imposed bishops and an alien prayer book on their church. The English army was ill- paid and mutinous and by no means had its heart in the fight. There were only a few hundred casualties so the fighting was not severe. The Scots also had the great advantage of the high ground around St Micheal’s church and used the tower as a gun platform. It was because of the Scots success at Newburn that King Charles 1 was forced to recall parliament for the first time in 11 years. £200,000 was needed to buy off the Scots once they occupied Newcastle following their victory at Newburn.

The Present Building. The Tower was built over a 30 year span, beginning at about 1070AD. It rises in in three irregular stages with the lower stage making up more than half the total height. It is likely that the stone came from the nearby Roman Wall. The tower suffered extensive cracking and structural distress during the 2006 fire. The Tower clock, destroyed in the 2006 fire, was installed in 1865 to celebrate the silver jubilee of Queen Victoria in 1863. The nave was added for church services and the first rector was Waldeve, appointed in 1150AD. Externally it is interesting to note that at the very edge of the south-east quoins there are a series of massive grit stone blocks, which are pre-conquest in character. This may be the oldest part of the church. The Nave roof was completely renewed following the 2006 fire. The North Aisle, with it’s Norman/Saxon arches, was added about 1175AD. Some roof damage was repaired following the 2006 fire.

The North Aisle, with it’s Norman/Saxon arches, was added about 1175AD. Some roof damage was repaired following the 2006 fire.

The South Aisle, dates from 1250AD and shows early English influence in the shape of the arches. Churches built in the middle ages in a cruciform pattern would sometimes have a weeping chancel. St Michael’s and All Angels is a clear example.

Externally at the extreme east end of the wall about 1.8m above the ground, is a re-used piece of pre-Conquest sculpture.

The Memorial Chapel.

In 1951 the North Transept was converted into a war memorial dedicated to the dead of two world wars. Many of the families represented still live in the Parish today. The present church has many Victorian elements incorporated within it’s fabric. The candlesticks and brass Cross came from Holy Trinity, Dalton. The lectern came from St Cuthbert’s Blucher.

Communion Table. The present communion table was a gift from the Reverend, C.E. Blackett-Ord, in 1891.

The processional cross was donated in 1895 by Mr R Humble of Ryton, in memory of his parents.

The reredos, choir stalls and oak panelling in the chancel were installed in 1898. The reredos was a gift from Canon W Nowell, who brought it from a disused church in Italy, after seeing it while on holiday. It is in the form of a Trytych with doors. The columns are of caen stone, and the frames of the doors are oak. As the church is dedicated to St Michael and all angels, it can be seen why the vicar thought the reredos fitting for the church as the pictures in the panels are representative of the angels ministering to the Lord.

The first panel represents the angel strengthening him in the garden of Gethsemane, (Luke 12:43)

The centre panel the two angels at the ascension, (Acts 1:10-11).

The third panel the two angels at the sepulchre, (Luke 24:4-6).

On the two doors are, on one side the archangel Gabriel announcing to the virgin Mary and on the other, the angel appearing to the shepherds with news of the birth. It is traditional to close the doors during Lent when the pictures can be seen of Paradise lost and the way back to paradise. In the centre of the reredos are three tiers of sculptured figures set in four columns. The 2006 fire occurred during Lent, so the closed doors reduced the amount of smoke damage.

The first is of angels bearing symbols of the Lord’s passion: The crown of thorns, The Ladder, A cross with rope and inscriptions, Spear, reed and sponge.

The second is angels with musical instruments: Cymbals, Lyre, Violin, Dulcimer.

The third of four archangels: Gabriel, Uriel, Michael, Raphael.

The chancel, screen and pulpit also date from 1885, were carved by Ralph Hedley, a noted, local woodworker.

The Patronage

Patronage has been varied. The last Earl of Northumberland, Robert Mowbray, gave the right of receiving tithes from Newburn

Church to Tynemouth Priory. This arrangement lapsed to the crown in 1095AD. In 1123AD Henry 1st gave the impropriation and advowson of St Michael and All Angels Newburn and St Nicholas in the City of Newcastle, to the Canons and the church of St Mary Carlisle. This was confirmed by the Bishop of Durham in 1193AD. The Rectors were to receive pensions and the vicarages were also endowed. In 1882 the Bishopric of Newcastle was created, St Nicholas became a Cathedral Church and the advowson and patronage of Newburn Church passed from Carlisle to the Bishop of Newcastle. The present patrons are The Martyrs Memorial Trust, which is administered by the Church Pastoral Aid Society, and the living is one of the few freehold parishes in the diocese.

The Famous people

There is a gravestone in the floor of the chancel to the memory of the Delaval family who are thought to be past patrons. Church records begin in the parish in 1659 and their pages help light up the past 350 years of history in the Newburn area. Plaques commemorating renowned locomotive engineers, William Hedley and George Stephenson's connection to St Michael & All Angels were erected in 2003 on the lytchgate.

The Reverend John Sinclair with Local Councillor Danny Marshal at the unveiling

The Lytchgate

Was built in 1885 to designs by W. S. Hicks in a gothic revival style. Hicks, a leading ecclesiastical architect was also engaged in work on the St Michael's including the vestries and porch. Extensive rebuilding took place following the collapse of outer wall in September 2003. Cyril Winskell was the consulting architect and the lytchgate was repaired to its former glory and reopened in 2005.

Daughter Churches

St Michael and All Angels is the Parish Church, the parish also boasted three daughter churches,

St Mary, Throckley, St Cuthbert, Blucher and Holy Trinity, Dalton. Surrounding parishes have been carved out of the ancient parish of Newburn which historically was of significant size and influence.

In 2005 the church of Dalton was made redundant as it was declared unsafe for public worship, although the churchyard continues to be used. Blucher Church has been sold.