Kirknewton is a Northumbrian village in the north of the county of
Northumberland
Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey.
It is bordered by land on ...
, about from the town of
Wooler
Wooler ( ) is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, near the Cheviot Hills. It is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops ...
and roughly the same distance to the
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders ( sco, the Mairches, 'the Marches'; gd, Crìochan na h-Alba) is one of 32 council areas of Scotland. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian, South Lanarkshire, West Lothi ...
. The village lies in the valley of
Glendale Glendale is the anglicised version of the Gaelic Gleann Dail, which means ''valley of fertile, low-lying arable land''.
It may refer to:
Places Australia
* Glendale, New South Wales
** Stockland Glendale, a shopping centre
*Glendale, Queensland, ...
, which takes its name from the
River Glen, whose source at the confluence of the Bowmont Water and the College Burn lies at the west end of the village. The population as taken at the 2011 Census was less than 100. Details are maintained in the parish of
Akeld
Akeld is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England. It is situated around to the west of Wooler and from the border with Scotland at Coldstream. The village lies on the northern limit of Northumberland National Park and on the foo ...
.
Demography
The
parish
A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...
of Kirknewton was one of the geographically largest in the United Kingdom, but one of the smallest in terms of population, with a count of 108 residents (56 female, 52 male) in the
2001 UK Census
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194.
The 2001 UK census was organised by the Office for National ...
. Most residents live in the villages of Kirknewton,
Westnewton and Hethpool, with the remainder scattered in remote farms and steadings, many of which are now holiday properties. Prior to the 2011 Census, the parish merged with neighbouring Akeld.
Hethpool
The name Hethpool derives from "Pool at Hetha", from the name of Great Heath, a nearby hill rising to OD. Alternatively, 'heath pool'. A suburb of
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
, South Australia, is known as
Heathpool after the first European settler in that area, George Reed, who came from Hethpool/Heathpool in Northumberland.
Economy
Employment in Kirknewton is mainly based around agriculture, although following decline in this industry, most residents either work in the local towns of
Wooler
Wooler ( ) is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, near the Cheviot Hills. It is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops ...
or
Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census recor ...
or are retired. The area has a reasonable tourist industry due to the
Northumberland National Park
Northumberland National Park is the northernmost national park in England. It covers an area of more than between the Scottish border in the north to just south of Hadrian's Wall, and it is one of least visited of the National Parks. The park ...
which borders the village, and the area's outstanding natural beauty.
Transport
The village of Kirknewton used to be a
station on the
Alnwick to Cornhill railway, run by the
LNER LNER may refer to:
* London and North Eastern Railway, a railway company in the United Kingdom from 1923 until 1947
* London North Eastern Railway, a train operating company in the United Kingdom since 2018
* Liquid neutral earthing resistor, a typ ...
. This branchline carried passengers and goods until the 1950s, when it became uneconomical to run due to dwindling passenger numbers, a competing bus service, and a number of storms which had destroyed parts of the line. The station itself and the station master's house still stand and are used as private residences.
Today, Glen Valley Tours operate the 266
bus
A bus (contracted from omnibus, with variants multibus, motorbus, autobus, etc.) is a road vehicle that carries significantly more passengers than an average car or van. It is most commonly used in public transport, but is also in use for cha ...
service every Wednesday (2 buses per day) from Wooler to Kirknewton and other surrounding villages.
Education
Kirknewton School originally stood near the church. It was one of the earliest schools to be purpose built in Northumberland. It dated from 1794 (the vestry minutes showing the decision to build the school can be viewed in the archives at
Woodhorn
Woodhorn is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Newbiggin by the Sea, in Northumberland, England, about east of Ashington. In 1931 the parish had a population of 219. The village is sometimes identified with Wucestre, giv ...
) and enabled some education to be available for young children. The school was enlarged in 1886, possibly to cater for the larger numbers of children who would need places after the railway came through Kirknewton. There was a stationmaster with his family and three railway cottages together with a railway cottage at
Yeavering
Yeavering () is a hamlet in the north-east corner of the civil parish of Kirknewton in the English county of Northumberland. It is located on the River Glen at the northern edge of the Cheviot Hills. It is noteworthy as the site of a large Ang ...
, all with families and within the school catchment. Built on part of the
glebe
Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...
land in the late 18th century, the school always had connections with the church. In 1964 a new school opened and the old school became the village hall. The new school operated as a Church of England Aided Primary School for 4-11 year olds until 1981, after which – in the county of Northumberland's shift to a three-tier education system – it became a 'First' School, for 4-9 year olds, causing a sudden and dramatic fall in pupil numbers. The old school was eventually knocked down in 1999 and replaced with a new hall which opened in 2001. The school, sadly, did not survive much longer. Despite campaigning by parents, the school eventually closed in 2004, with the four remaining pupils going to nearby
Ford
Ford commonly refers to:
* Ford Motor Company, an automobile manufacturer founded by Henry Ford
* Ford (crossing), a shallow crossing on a river
Ford may also refer to:
Ford Motor Company
* Henry Ford, founder of the Ford Motor Company
* Ford F ...
First School. The school building has since been demolished, however the site still serves young people as an outdoor centre for the
Girl Guides
Girl Guides (known as Girl Scouts in the United States and some other countries) is a worldwide movement, originally and largely still designed for girls and women only. The movement began in 1909 when girls requested to join the then-grassroot ...
.
The original school building, which became the Village Hall, was itself demolished and replaced with a new purpose-build hall in the early 2000s. This is used for village events on a regular basis, and by a number of local groups and societies.
Religious sites
The church of
St Gregory the Great is situated in the middle of the village. Parts of the church date back to
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
times, and it is famous for a carving of the
Adoration of the Magi
The Adoration of the Magi or Adoration of the Kings is the name traditionally given to the subject in the Nativity of Jesus in art in which the three Magi, represented as kings, especially in the West, having found Jesus by following a star, ...
. The carving, on the wall of one of the oldest parts of the church, depicts the Magi, apparently in
kilts
A kilt ( gd, fèileadh ; Irish: ''féileadh'') is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish Hi ...
. However,
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
has been practised here long before this. In the 7th century,
Saint Paulinus baptised
Anglo-Saxon
The Anglo-Saxons were a Cultural identity, cultural group who inhabited England in the Early Middle Ages. They traced their origins to settlers who came to Britain from mainland Europe in the 5th century. However, the ethnogenesis of the Anglo- ...
King
Edwin of Northumbria
Edwin ( ang, Ēadwine; c. 586 – 12 October 632/633), also known as Eadwine or Æduinus, was the List of monarchs of Northumbria, King of Deira and Bernicia – which later became known as Northumbria – from about 616 until hi ...
at York, and subsequently many of his followers in the River Glen at
Gefrin, nearby. A monument known as the Gefrin Stone is erected at this location.
Notable people
* The social reformer
Josephine Butler
Josephine Elizabeth Butler (' Grey; 13 April 1828 – 30 December 1906) was an English feminist and social reformer in the Victorian era. She campaigned for women's suffrage, the right of women to better education, the end of coverture ...
was born at
Milfield House, about six miles from
Wooler
Wooler ( ) is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, near the Cheviot Hills. It is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops ...
. She is buried in the village churchyard.
*
Ann Lambton
Ann Katharine Swynford Lambton, (8 February 1912 – 19 July 2008), usually known as A.K.S. Lambton or "Nancy" Lambton, was a British historian and expert on medieval and early modern Persian history, Persian language, Islamic political the ...
, usually known as A.K.S. Lambton or "Nancy" Lambton, the historian of medieval and early modern Persia lived in the village.
References
External links
GENUKI(accessed: 20 November 2008)
(accessed: 20 November 2008)
{{authority control
Villages in Northumberland
Civil parishes in Northumberland