Tyne and Wear HER(6642): Newcastle, Church of St. Nicholas, churchyard - Details
6642
Newcastle
Newcastle, Church of St. Nicholas, churchyard
Newcastle
NZ26SW NZ26SE
Religious Ritual and Funerary
Mixed Cemetery
Churchyard
Medieval
C15
Documentary Evidence
Northkyrkestile (1430), Odeschere (1366). Two medieval floreated grave covers were found in around 1886 - they dated to 12th century and 13th century. Bourne lists the inscriptions on the tombs, monuments and graves, including a description of a monument to Henry, Earl of Northumberland. The lane to the north side of the churchyard was called Ratunrau (1292), Ratounrawe (1335), Ratunrawe (1393) and Rattenrawe (1425) - means Rat's Row. The churchyard is said to be haunted by the spirit of Martha Williams who was murdered in the churchyard by two graverobbers {Kirkup 2009}.
2501
6403
NZ25016403
H. Bourne, 1736, The History of Newcastle upon Tyne, pp 62-73; P.F. Ryder, 1994, St. Nicholas' Cathedral, Newcastle upon Tyne - An Archaeological Watching Brief, November/December 1994; Pre-Construct Archaeology, March 2007, An Archaeological Evaluation at the Cathedral Church of St. Nicholas, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear; Rob Kirkup, 2009, Ghostly Tyne and Wear, pages 47-50; Alan Morgan, 2004, Beyond the Grave - Exploring Newcastle's Burial Grounds, pp 15-16; David Heslop, 2016, South Churchyard, Assessment; New Visions Heritage, 2018, St Nicholas Churchyard, Archaeological Evaluation