MORPETH, a parish, county of NORTHUMBERLAND, comprising the townships of Catchburn and Hepscot in the eastern, and Newminster- Abbey, Shilvington, Tranwell with High Church, and Twizell, in the western, division of CASTLE ward; and Buller's Green, and the borough and market-town of Morpeth, in the western division of MORPETH ward, county of NORTHUMBERLAND, and containing 4292 inhabitants, of which number, 3415 are in the town of Morpeth, 15 miles (N.) from Newcastle upon Tyne, and 289 (N.) from London. This town, which is stated to derive its name from "Moor-path," or the road across the moor, was an inconsiderable' village prior to the Conquest, when it became the head of a barony, and, in 1358, a castle was erected by William, Lord Greystock. In 12.15, the town was set on fire by the barons, in order to obstruct the military operations of King John; and in 1689, it was again nearly destroyed by an accidental conflagration. Morpeth is agreeably situated in a valley on the northern bank of the river "Wansbeck, which is crossed by a stone bridge of two arches, and on the great road from London to Edinburgh, in the centre of a richly-cultivated district: an elegant bridge of three arches, from a design by Mr. Telford, is now being erected a little below the old bridge. The town consists chiefly of one long street, which is not lighted, and but indifferently paved with pebbles; the houses are of an inferior description; an abundant supply of water is conveyed into the town, through pipes, from a spring at Stobhill, the works having been constructed in 1820; and there is a large well at the end of Manchester-lane, called St. Thomas well. Races are held annually in September, on Cottingwood, immediately northward of the town. A subscription library, established in 1817, is well supported; and in 1825 a mechanics' and scientific institution was founded, which at present consists of about two hundred members, and is furnished with a good library and lecture-room. The trade principally arises from a colliery in the neighbourhood, two manufactories for flannel, and one for carpets, and there is considerable business in tanning and brewing. The market cross, built in 1699, and rebuilt in 1783, at the expense of the corporation, stands in the centre of the town, and is a small edifice supported by eight stone pillars and arches. The market, which is on Wednesday, is one of the principal markets in the North of England for live cattle, and is generally well supplied with corn and provisions; fairs are held on Wednesday week before Whitsuntide, and the Wednesday before July 22nd, for sheep and cattle; and there is a statute fair for hiring servants, on the Wednesday before Martinmas- day. Morpeth is a borough by prescription, and received a charter of confirmation from Charles II. The officers of the corporation are two bailiffs, a serjeant at mace, two ale-tasters and bread-- weighers, two fish and flesh lookers, four constables, and an indefinite number of free burgesses, seldom exceeding two hundred and twenty in the whole. The Earl of Carlisle, as lord of the manor, holds two courts leet annually, one on the Monday next after Easter week, and the other on the first Monday after Michaelmas- day, at which latter the officers of the corporation are annually elected. The corporation is composed of, and contains within itself, seven inferior companies, or fraternities, each governed by an alderman, and consisting of freemen who are members of the general body corporate, and of persons who are members only of their respective companies, and called free brothers. The freemen are appointed by the seven companies, who elect, from among their own free brothers, the full number of twenty rfour; viz., the Merchant-Taylors four, the Tanners six, the Fullers and Dyers three, the Smiths three, the Cordwainers three, the Weavers three, and the Butchers two; the whole being sworn and admitted freemen at the ensuing court leet, after which the companies may elect twenty-four more; the free brothers become such by servitude, or by being sons of freemen who are brothers of some particular company. The borough is within the jurisdiction of the county magistrates, who hold a petty session on the first Wednesday in every month. Quarter sessions for the county are held here alternately with Alnwick, Newcastle, and Hexham. On the south side of the town are about four hundred acres of common land, on which each of the freemen and free brothers is entitled to turn two head of cattle. The borough first returned representatives to parliament in 1553: the two members are elected by the bailiffs and the free burgesses; the bailiffs are the returning officers, and the parliamentary influence is enjoyed by the Earl of Carlisle and the Ord family. The town hall is a plain structure of hewn stone, with a piazza and turrets, erected in 1714, by the family of Howard: it is generally appropriated to meetings for public business, and the lower part is occasionally used as a theatre. A large and commodious gaol for the county, with a magnificent sessions-house and offices, has been lately erected, at the south entrance to the town: the first stone was laid on the 24th of July, 1822, by his Grace the Duke of Northumberland; the estimated expense of erection was £80,000. The prison wards are arranged in the form of a radiated octagon, with the houses of the governor and turnkeys in the centre, and a chapel on the east side; the sessions-house and a turreted gateway form the grand western entrance: the area consists of about three acres of ground, and the height of the outer wall is twenty-one feet. The living is a rectory, with Ulgham annexed, in the archdeaconry of Northumberland, and diocese of Durham, rated in the king's books at £32. 16. 8., and in the patronage of the Earl of Carlisle. The church, dedicated to St. Mary, is situated upon an eminence called " Kirk Hill," at a considerable distance from the town; it is a plain structure, in the ancient style of English architecture, with a low square western tower; in the chancel is a fine east window, which was formerly of painted glass throughout. An old square tower of hewn freestone, called the Clock House, standing near the market-place, contains a clock and a ring of six bells. On the north of the bridge is a small but handsome chapel of ease, built of freestone. There are places of worship for Independents, Presbyterians, and Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists, also a Roman Catholic chapel. The free grammar school was founded by Edward VI., in 1552, for the sons of freemen, and endowed with the lands of dissolved chantries here and at Nether Witton, the proceeds of which amount to about £240 per annum, of which sum, the master receives two-thirds, and the usher the remainder. An English free school, supported by the corporation, was erected in 1792: the master receives a salary of £70 per annum, and about sixty children of burgesses are educated. A dispensary, established in 1817, is liberally supported by voluntary contributions; and a savings bank has lately been erected. The remains of the ancient baronial castle consist of the old gateway tower, with part of two exploratory turrets, together with the outer wall: near the gateway tower, towards the north, is a large mound of earth on a natural elevation, the height of which appears to have been greatly increased by art: this was probably part of the outworks. William Turner, M.D., the first English writer on botany, who died in 1568, was born here; and Dr. Robert Morrison, the celebrated Chinese linguist and missionary, and author of a Chinese dictionary, is also .a native of this place. Morpeth gives the title of viscount to the family of Howard, Earls of Carlisle.