Kirknewton Parish And The Townships of Kirknewton And Westnewton

The 19th Century townships of Kirknewton and Westnewton formed the basic framework for the historical summaries set out in volume XI of the Northumberland County History, edited by K. H. Vickers (NCH XI (1922), 143-52, 152-7). They comprised two of 15 townships incorporated in the huge, 38,000 acre parish of Kirknewton which embraced the bulk of the north Cheviot massif.

Kirknewton Township contained 2028 acres, whilst Westnewton comprised 1118 acres. The townships incorporated the south side of adjacent stretches of Glendale, extending southwards to include the neighbouring hills of the Cheviot massif and in the case of Westnewton stretching up the valley of the College Burn as far as the boundary with Hethpool township.

The modern civil parish of Kirknewton covers a much wider area embracing the former townships of Kirknewton, Westnewton, Hethpool, Yeavering, Crookhouse, Grey’s Forest and substantial parts of Selby’s Forest and Coupland.

The current parish church is dedicated to St Gregory, who may well represent the parish’s original guardian. It is noteworthy that when a chantry was established in the subsidiary chapel at Akeld during the 13th century, the feast day of St Gregory was amongst those religious festivals on which it was specifically stipulated that the lord of that manor, Robert of Akeld, was to attend services at the parish church rather than his chapel (NCH XII (1922), 238; Kirkham Cartulary, fol. 84).

St Gregory’s day thus figures alongside the principal events in the holy calendar, such as Christmas, Easter and Ascension Day, and much more important saints’ days, all of which would be difficult to explain unless Gregory was already established as the parish’s patron saint.

Picture : St Gregory's Parish Chuch Kirknewton