Volume 1, Number 19
The dangerous state of Stow Hill pavement, Is Newport a littery town?, the furthest distance flown by a young pigeon to Newport, Bets the Cripple and the Leicester Duchess and stealing a sack of flour.
Uncovering Newport's interesting past
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For Sale: Numbers 1 and 3, Clarence Place
Two adverts appeared in the Monmouthshire Merlin a few months apart — the first in December, 1833 for the sale of No. 1, Clarence Place, the second in March, 1834 for the sale of No. 3 Clarence Place. Like previous posts on houses for sale (e.g. Two Cottages near Chepstow...
For Sale: Two Cottages Near the Royal Oak Pub
An advert from 1842 for two newly built cottages located near the Royal Oak pub off Chepstow Road.
The 1836 'Hurricane'
On the evening of Monday 28th and into Tuesday 29th November, a violent storm hit Newport, the rest of Monmouthshire and the Bristol Channel causing damage and some deaths.
Crimes in the 15th Century
Cattle stealing, housebreaking, assault, rape, robbery. A record of the crimes being committed in Newport and surrounding areas in the late 15th century.
For Sale in 1778: A Mansion House Called the Fryers
A 1778 advert from the Bath Chronicle described a mansion house for sale called the Fryers.
For Sale: One Used Slave and Whaling Vessel
The short history of how a ship called the African Queen shipped slaves from Africa and went whaling in the South Seas ended up for auction in Newport in 1802.
The First Motor Car In Newport
On Tuesday 24th November, 1896 a Benz motor car was exhibited at the Tredegar Show and it may have been the first car to appear in Newport.
Fire-Eater Visits Newport
For six decades Robert Powell toured the country with his fire eating show where he would eat hot coals as if they were bread, eat a soup of brimstone and lead and even broil beef over a hot coal on his tongue. In 1753 and 1766 he visited the King's Head in Newport.
The Prison Dietary
A report from 1854 discussing the diets of the prisons of the county gaols including ensuring that the food was below that of a workhouse to discourage people choosing a prison life.
Volume 1, Number 13
Breaking the Sabbath in Caerleon, taking a nap in a hay loft, boy steals 20lb of bacon and complaining about the speed of public coaches.
Alteryn Skating Field
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Allt-yr-Yn was home to a very popular ice skating field. Hundreds would attend daily making its owners a sizeable sum of money.
For Sale: A Commodious Dwelling-House
In September 1770, a large house belonging to a Mrs Kemeys was advertised for sale located near the Market House on High Street. But where exactly was it?
Charles Morgan’s Tredegar Cattle Show
The Tredegar Cattle Show ran for over 100 years from 1819 first at Court-y-Bella Farm and then Newport Cattle Market. This is just a brief snippet from a few years in the 19th century.
Dickey Taylor, the Idiotic-Looking Elf
A miserable, lean, and idiotic-looking elf with the vacant stare of a maniac, and the tattered appearance of a thoroughbred vagrant. A Baneswell resident charged with singing in the street.
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Volume 1, Number 5
Lazy people at the Free Library, a muddy Stow Hill, the Wild West Show digging up Shaftesbury Park, Caerleon protesting at busy buses and what’s on at the cinema in wartime.
Why is Trade Bad in Newport?
It’s no secret that trade in Newport has been in free fall for some time but who‘s to blame? A fascinating letter from 1907 reveals that problem has been around for some time.
Volume 1, Number 4
Twelfth Night festivities and horse racing at Tredegar Park, the price of making a phone call and parents being advised to give their criminal son a ‘thrashing’.
Volume 1, Number 3
Lady Tredegar hands out blankets to the poor, the new St Mark’s Church on Gold Tops is announced and a man is found in the mud of the river Usk with a cask of beer.
Volume 1, Number 2
A 50 mile cycling race, pirated music, a new lighting scheme proposed for Caerleon and new branch post office on Watchhouse Parade.
Volume 1, Number 1
A foot race on Marshes Road, the Gas Cooking Exhibition of 1897, sheep stealing and man trying to use a lamppost to light a cabbage leaf.
