Tynemouth History
The headland towering over the mouth of the River Tyne has been settled since the Iron Age (c. 550 B.C.).
The Romans occupied it as a signal station as it is just north of the Hadrian’s Wall frontier in the 2nd century. (The Roman fort and supply depot of Arbeia stands almost opposite it on the southern headland of the Tyne).
In the 7th century a monastery was built in Tynemouth and later fortified.
The headland was known as Pen Bal Crag.
‘Benebalcrag’
The headland where the Monastery of Tynemouth stands was called Benebalcrag by the Saxons.
The monastery was attacked by the Danes in 800, rebuilt, and destroyed again in 875, but by 1083 it was again operational.
Three Kings
Three kings are reported to have been buried within the monastery: Oswin, King of Deira 651; Osred II, King of Northumbria 792; and, for a time, Malcolm III, King of Scots 1093.
Three crowns still adorn the North Tyneside coat of arms.
Strongest Castle in the North
The queens of Edward I and Edward II stayed in the Castle and Priory while their husbands were campaigning in Scotland.
King Edward III considered it to be one of the strongest castles in the North.
After the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, Edward II fled from Tynemouth by ship.
Fishing and Trading
A village had long been established in the shelter of the fortified Priory, and around 1325 the prior built a port for fishing and trading.
This led to a dispute between Tynemouth and the more powerful Newcastle over shipping rights on the Tyne, which continued for centuries.
North Tyneside
Tynemouth was incorporated as a borough in 1849.
Tynemouth was later administered as a county borough with its headquarters at Tynemouth Town Hall in North Shields until 1974.
‘Best Paces to Live’
Tynemouth was listed in the 2018 Sunday Times report on best places to live in Northern England.
Source: Wikipedia
