The Old Walls of Newark

The Old Walls and Gates of Newark

There are no remains left of the old walls* which originally surrounded the Town, and none of the old plans in existence show them. The oldest plans only show the defences of the Town during the sieges, which would be outside the line of the main walls.

I have plotted the estimated location of the walls on the picture, along with the estimated location of the 3 Gates of Newark (green circles) and location of the remaining piece of the wall (blue dot) based on different accounts

Interactive map can be found at www.newarkmap.co.uk which shows the wall and gates

It is partly known by the position of the gates; at North Bar, East Bar in the middle of Bridge Street and the third at the N end of Millgate. Carter Gate and Appleton Gate are the remains of a Med "by-pass". The ditch probably dates from 878-918.

The Med town wall, a masonry wall some 2ft 9in thick, was built prior to 1368, probably in the first half of C14.

I understand there may be some partial remains of the town wall just off Lombard Street (near to where the Atrium Pub was), but this is not publicly accessible but is listed as a scheduled monument:

A length of approx 100ft of rubble walling varying in height from 4ft to 8ft. The wall forms a boundary between various properties; its inner face is exposed but its S (exterior) face is almost entirely hidden by later buildings. One small exposed area shows the facing stones to be of coarse rubble stone of better quality than the surviving inner face. A modern brick wall rests on top of the Med stonework.

Also, behind Cartergate Bed centre, there is a small section of wall, which, at the bottom, some say this was part of the original wall, but, no true accounts can verify this.

There is also mention of the ruins of a wall on Guildhall street, outside Wesley House. And also at the entrance to st Marys close. But given the direction, and location, its unlikely this was actually part of the town wall.

Update 31/12 from David Marshall including more pictures
https://www.facebook.com/.../permalink/1646345466298945/

Newarks town walls are a bit of a mystery tiny fragments remain but they are more of a boundary wall deliniating the town borough rather than defence two fragments on Lombard Street are only around 20" thick with evidence of a rampart and wooden palisade along the top further down Lombard Street and area dig in the 1970s revealed a flattered and spread rampart of clay but no wall it had kilns for pottery cut into the base before it was levelled it dated to the Saxon period.

On Cartergate there is another wall fragment built up to the alignment of the rampart several digs over many years have produced no evidence for a wall but considerable spreads of clay from a flattered rampart but no wall. Bridge Street had a bar on it pulled down in the 18th century, the early name for this Street was Dry Bridge alluding to the previously known dry moat and bank with the bar set into this.

Further evidence for an earthen rampart was found on Mount Lane another clue to its former use. The next fragment was to be found at the end of Slaughter House Lane which was uncovered during works to complete the new Morrison development this fragment has since been lost. The North Bar crossed Bar Gate here hence the name. The rampart then followed the curving line of Brewery Lane and the back of the Ossington Coffee Palace the large high wall is possible evidence for the rampart it then crossed the road to join up with the now lost bastion which was infront of the gatehouse and crossed on a bridge into the standing gatehouse.

At the other end of the Castle riverside wall a single tower base was uncovered in the 1980s and this could have been a fortified water gate defending the earlier stone castle , even the defences between the castle and Castlegate were an earthen rampart several digs on its alignment have produced evidence for earthen ramparts only no masonry was uncovered this rampart would have had a wooden palisade running along the top. The boundary wall around Newark was more of boundary to mark the borough of the town from the open countryside kilns were cut into two locations and it appears to have been strengthened in the 14th century but then it gradually deteriorated until it was again repaired during the civil war.

The Town Wall

There are no remains left of the old walls which originally surrounded the Town, and none of the old plans in existence show them. The oldest plans only show the defences of the Town during the sieges, which would be outside the line of the main walls.. more detail further down.

The Gates Of Newark

NORTH GATE, OR NORTH BAR GATE,

Near the current corner of Northgate and Slaughterhouse Lane
gate of Med town defences, demolished 1762. Area of E half excavated, but had been destroyed by later cellars. Stone wall with arch, demolished in 1762, shown in engraving of 1816. Romanticised and without scale, shows tall narrow arch in wall, all formed of thin slabs. Arch formed of double course of radially set voussoirs. Usually identifed as N gate of Med town, but close parallels in late Anglo Saxon doors, eg Brixworth.

THE EAST GATE, OR DRY-BRIDGE.

This would have been where Birds Bakery is, running through copes jewlers
The other (gate) stood in the middle of the street, leading out of the Market Place, known by the name of the Dry Bridge (Bridge Street). This was know as the East Gate, and was taken down in the year 1784. Dr Stukeley says "… the fine old arched gate of Roman work . The townspeople wonder at the name of Bridge, not discerning that it was really a a bridge over the ditch without the wall… In rebuilding the houses (here) they discovered the arches of the Bridge."
The position of the east bar near the middle of Bridge Street is now represented by nos 11 on the north side and 6 on the south.

SOUTH GATE, OR DRY-BRIDGE.

The position of the south gate is defined in local deeds - eg "the corner without the south gate at the end of Milnegate" and " a toft lying without the south gate at the corner towards Milnegate between a toft formerly John Thurbernes and the way called Pottergate

Some references below with details

Cornelius Browns history of Newark contains some info about the Gates (page 171 onwards
https://archive.org/.../historyoftow.../page/172/mode/2up...

Doctor Stukely says in his Itinerary, speaking of Newark, " I am satisfied it has been surrounded by a wall of Roman construction, at least on three sides, the Castle and the river guarding the fourth. There were three gates, two whereof still remain.

The arches are not perhaps in their present state to be pronounced Roman original, but they appear to be composed in a great measure of Roman materials. Buildings and modern improvements have in a great measure obliterated the ditch, but a street contiguous to that which guarded the south side of the town still retains the name of Potter's Ditch/1 It is an old saying, " when a man's name is up, he may take himself to bed/' the learned author says, he is satisfied there has been a wall of Roman construction, now the only evidence that there ever had been a wall of any construction whatsoever, was the two remaining gates, which said gates, though bearing undisputable marks of high antiquity, the Doctor cannot pronounce to be of Roman original, yet in part composed of Roman materials ; this is certainly tantamount to asserting they were built with old stuff, which very few who beheld them would believe.

Doctor Stukely speaks decidedly to three gates, but does not give the least hint where the third was situated, but it is not unreasonable to suppose it at the top of Cartergate, which lies on the ancient fosse-way. 11 Potter dike were the boundary of the fortification to the south, and the two gates, remaining some years since, made a part of the wall, the enclosed space, without very considerable irregularity would not have included Mdlgate, Appletongate, Baldertongate and Barnbygate, not to mention Northgate, which was anciently held distinct from Newark. It may not, perhaps be assuming too much to pronounce the gate adjoining to the Market-place, not to have been an aperture in the town wall, but a portal for some other purpose, on which it would be vain to hazard a conjecture; but that it was an internal pass may be inferred from the name of Dry -bridge, which certainly cannot be a corruption of Draw-bridge, for if the ditch ran in the front of this gate, though there would most likely be a draw-bridge over it; yet would there not at the same time be the like constructions at the north and south gates, nor would it have been wanting of a name from its horizontal bearing, the claim being full as strong to a cardinal point as that of its neighbour.

The appellation of Dry-bridge or Dry Passage, may then be understood to have obtained in contradistinction to those over the ditch surrounding the wall, which was occasionally filled with water. That there was considerable difference in the architecture of the north and east gates will appear by their description.

NORTH GATE, OR NORTH BAR GATE,

Was situated at the junction of Castlegate and the ancient adjunct called Northgate, the abutments occupied the site of a dwellinghouse the property of Mrs. Guthrie, now in the occupation of Mr. Craven, and the entrance to the premises belonging to Mr. Huggins, in the occupation of Mr. Talbot. This archway consisted of two semicircular heads, the external one had its springing considerably wider than the opening and took off two thirds of half the thickness of the wall by a very bold ovolo, and pointed fillet, the inner one, finished with an ovolo also, had for its diameter the width of the opening, which was very narrow in proportion to its height upon the square, being only one half thereof. This gate had a much greater appearance of remote antiquity than the eastern one, and had suffered considerably more from the inclemency of the weather, but perhaps that may be ascribed in part to situation. It wras removed in the year 1762.

THE EAST GATE, OR DRY-BRIDGE.

This archway stood in the small street * connecting the Market-place with Cartergate and 68 feet from the line of the former. The face of this piece of architecture presented a very different appearance to that of the North gate, the arch, which was semicircular sprang from the upright of its own architrave, which continued to the ground, there was not any impost. The front of the stones composing the architrave, about six inches in thickness, was cut into a fillet and cima recta, these formed an indented moulding in the thickness of the wall, the fillet being level with its face, bounding the whole of the aperture in the manner of a heading course. The opening of this wray was much better proportioned than the other; there was not an inner head, the soffit lying horizontally from the western to the eastern crown. The gate remained till the year 1784; the width of the abutments are still visible on the walls of the street ; the northern one, separating the premises of Mr. Thomas Stansall, and Mr. John Ridge, was digged up by the latter in 1810.

SOUTH GATE, OR DRY-BRIDGE.

THE TOWN WALLS OF NEWARK.

By R. F. B. Hodgkinson.

There are no remains left of the old walls which originally surrounded the Town, and none of the old plans in existence show them. The oldest plans only show the defences of the Town during the sieges, which would be outside the line of the main walls.

It is safe to assume that no fields would be enclosed within the walls, so any old plan which shows the fields would give a rough idea of the limits within which we have to look for the line of the walls.

Looking towards the north from where we stand on the Mount, we have on the left, North Gate House, which was described in the conveyance to Robert Heron in 1698, as being in "Northgate alias Northgate juxta Newarke." In a plan dated 1790, the gardens in front of us were shewn as being in closes, known as Appleton closes, and King's Road just on our left was only a footpath.

My assumption, therefore, is that on the North side of the Town the wall started at Trent Bridge, which was further to the north than it is now, and followed the present line of Brewery Lane, Slaughterhouse Lane, and the Mount, to Appleton Gate.

It is difficult to say where the line of the wall crossed Appleton Gate, but as the land between the north wall of the Chauntry property and the south wall of the present grounds of the Friary in 1790, was a garden or orchard belonging to the Friary, I think we may assume that the line of the wall at this point was approximately along the northern boundary of the Chauntry grounds.

At some point along this boundary the wall turned towards the south, and it is this eastern wall which gives us the greatest difficulty. The wall ran somewhere across the Chauntry Park, between the house itself and Friary Road, formerly known as "Friars Lane." In 1445 there was a grant of a section of land outside the town lying between the east end of the garden of the Chauntry on the west and land of the Priory of St. Katherine-without-Lincoln on the east.

The wall would then run behind the old Grammar School, across Bede House Lane, and slightly to the east of Barnby Gate House. There is a distinct angle in the garden wall of the latter house in Bede House Lane, in old days the main Coddington and Sleaford Road, which may be the point where the wall crossed this Lane.

The line of the wall would then run to the east of Guild Hall Street, as the Guild Hall would certainly be inside the walls, somewhere about the line of what was the Cromwell Brewery. The lower portion of the walls of some houses to the east of St. Mary's Church Rooms in Guild Hall Street, which are on the suggested line, are built of stone. The wall then crossed Balderton Gate and turned in a south west direction to Carter Gate. I think the line of the wall crossed Carter Gate, somewhere near Mr. W. P. L. Harrison's garage, as there is a room in his house which appears to me to date from the early 17th century. Beaumond Cross would be outside the walls.

From this point the line of the wall is quite easy to follow, as it ran down the north side of what is now Lombard Street, but which used to be called Potterdyke. In 1366 a messuage in Potterdyke was described as outside the Town. The wall then crossed Castle Gate and continued to the river.

It must be understood that the whole of the above remarks are only suggestions, and that I may be quite wrong as to the line of the main walls of the town. It is probable that at its earliest period the town was surrounded by walls which were not so extensive as those I have suggested.

Many old towns were laid out in the shape of a parallelogram, and if we measure the river frontage on the west, and the north and south walls as previously suggested, and an east wall along Carter Gate and Appleton Gate, we get a town with walls of approximately the following lengths :—North 1350 feet, South 1300 feet, East 1100 feet, West 1330 feet.

This suggestion accounts for the present name of Bridge Street, formerly "Dry-Brig," leading from the Market Place into Carter Gate, as it would be the street leading to the Bridge over the Moat. It might also account for the name "Middle Gate" as this street would then be the "middle gate or street of the town.

Source http://www.nottshistory.org.uk/art.../tts/tts1922/newark.htm