KS3 > The Reformation > Constituencies > Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Newcastle was a leading provincial town and port, often used as a base for war against Scotland. It had a population of 10,000 in 1545. There were several periods of war and unrest between England and Scotland during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI.
Newcastle was a fiercely independent parliamentary seat, and those elected to represent parliament under the Tudors were chosen by the townsmen. They were often merchants or had mining interests. These men were largely Catholic in sympathy, but there were no rebellions in the town against the Reformation. These merchants were very powerful, and in 1553 they attempted to bring the Protestant town of Gateshead under the control of Newcastle. This was despite the fact that Newcastle was largely Catholic.
Newcastle, like most of the North-East, remained stubbornly Catholic well into Elizabeth’s reign. The town’s priests were under the leadership of the Bishop of Durham, and a Protestant did not hold this post until 1561. There were several local risings associated with Catholicism or in support of Mary, Queen of Scots in the North-East, and in 1593 a Catholic priest was executed in the city.
Quartermaster's map of England and Wales (1644)
1856,0209.15 © The Trustees of the British Museum
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Borough in Northumberland
Parliamentary Constituency since 1386
During Edward VI’s reign, there were plans to create a Bishop of Newcastle. The first Bishop was to be Nicholas Ridley (who would later become a Protestant martyr at Oxford). These plans were dropped when Edward died.