Black's Picturesque Tourist and Road-book of England and Wales

Bishop Wearmouth received a charter from Hugh Pudsey in the twelfth century, and, in 1634, it received a new charter of incorporation from Bishop Morton. During the civil wars it was garrisoned for the Parliament. The church is a very ancient building, but was much altered in the early part of the present century. The river is crossed by an iron bridge of one arch, erected near the close of last century by the public spirited exertions of Rowland Burdon, Esq. of Castle Eden. It cost L.61,800. The space of the arch is 236 feet, the height above low water is 94 feet to the centre of the arch, so that ships of 300 tons pass under it by lowering their top gallant masts. The harbour at Sunderland is formed by two piers on the north and south sides of the river. Near the termination of the north pier, an elegant light-house was built in 1802; but, in consequence of an alarming breach which took place in that pier in 1841, it was resolved to remove the light-house in an entire state to the eastern extremity of the new pier, a distance of nearly 150 yards, which was accordingly done in a very ingenious manner under the direction of Mr Murray, engineer. There is not the slightest appearance of crack in any part of the building. The gross weight moved was 338 tons. The principal manufactures of Sunderland are of bottle and flint-glass, anchors, chain-cables, &c. Ship-building is carried on to a greater extent than in any other sea-port of the British empire. During the year 1839, upwards of 300 ships of various burthens were launched. Here are some rope-walks on a very large scale. Brick-making, digging coal, and the quarrying grindstones, are carried on in the neighbourhood. Upwards of 500 vessels are engaged in the coal trade, which is very extensive. Lime, glass, and grindstones are also exported. Timber and iron are imported from the Baltic; butter, cheese, and flax, from Holland, &c. A considerable fishery is carried on. The borough contains a spacious church, several chapels, and meeting-houses; a custom-house, an excise-office, mechanics' institute, and an exchange, a theatre, and an assembly room. On the town moor of Sunderland are extensive barracks. Near the town, on the coast, is a chalybeate spring. A quarter of a mile above the bridge is the celebrated Pemberton shaft, 273 fathoms deep. Two M. P. Pop. of townsh. 17,022. There is a railroad from Sunderland to Durham.

SOUTH SHIELDS is situated on the south bank of the Tyne, near its mouth. It derived its name and origin from the fishermen of the Tyne, who built here along the shore sheds, locally termed sheels," or " shields," to defend themselves from the weather. The Romans had a station at South Shields, and various Roman antiquities have been found here. The principal trade of the town is in coal, great quantities of which are shipped here. Ship-building is carried on with great activity, and there are very extensive glass-works, a pottery, and manufactures of soda and alum, breweries, and rope-walks. South Shields was once noted for the manufacture of salt, but that branch of industry is now nearly extinct. The church contains several monuments, and a model of the life-boat, presented by Mr Greathead, the inventor, an inhabitant of this town. South

Shields has several churches, meeting-houses, and charitable institutions, a mechanics institute, a theatre, &c. The borough is in the parish of Jarrow, famous for its Benedictine monastery, of which some remains still exist. The original building was destroyed in the invasion of William the Conqueror, but was subsequently repaired, and ultimately became a cell to Durham. Some remains of the ancient conventual church are embodied in the present church of Jarrow, and in the vestry there is preserved a chair which is said to have been the seat of the venerable Bede, who spent the greater part of his life in the monastery of Jarrow. About a mile distant is the village of Monkton, where he was born, and where his well is still shown. One M. P. Pop. of township, 9082. A railroad leads from South Shields to Stanhope.

NORTH SHIELDS extends about a mile along the north bank of the Tyne, opposite South Shields. It is a town of considerable antiquity, having arisen about the time of Edward I., under the protection of the Prior of Tynemouth, who established a market, and formed a harbour; but in consequence of the opposition of the burgesses of Newcastle, who regarded the formation of this town as a violation of their charter, he was compelled to destroy the buildings he had erected. During the time of the Commonwealth an act was passed by Cromwell for the formation of quays, and the establishment of a market; but it was not till the seventeenth century that the restrictions upon the trade of the place were removed. North Shields possesses a spacious new church, a chapel of ease, several meeting-houses, a scientific and mechanics' institute, a subscription library, and a theatre. It is a place of very considerable trade, and exports great quantities of coals, chiefly to London, and the eastern coasts of England and Scotland. Ship-building and its kindred branches of manufacture are actively carried on. At the entrance of the town from the sea are two lighthouses, and near them is Clifford's Fort. Pop. 7509.

TYNEMOUTH is a Parliamentary borough and seaport at the mouth of the Tyne, where ships receive their cargoes from Newcastle. It has been supposed that the Romans had a post on the site of Tynemouth Castle. On the same site a religious house was afterwards erected, which was enclosed and fortified in the time of William the Conqueror. Here Malcolm, King of Scotland, and his son, Prince Edward, were interred in 1094. It was twice besieged and taken during the great civil war. Considerable remains still exist both of the priory and the castle. The priory church was used as the parish church until the time of Charles II., when a new church was built at North Shields. There are a lighthouse and some other modern buildings in the castle. Tynemouth is much fre quented in the bathing season, and some elegant baths have recently been erected. The Marsden Rocks, a few miles from Tynemouth, are frequently visited by parties of pleasure. Tynemouth sends one member to Parliament. The parliamentary borough comprehends the township of Tynemouth, North Shields, Chirton, Preston, and Cullercoates.

Cullercoates is a small bathing town two miles from Tynemouth. Eight miles

from Tynemouth is Seaton Delaval, formerly the seat of the Delavals, now the property of Lord Hastings. It was erected from designs by Sir John Vanbrugh, and was one of the finest mansions in Northumberland, but was unfortunately destroyed by fire about twenty years ago. There is a mausoleum within the grounds, and the chapel, which is as old as the time of William the Conqueror, is one of the most complete and beautiful little pieces of antiquity in England.

CXVI. FROM LONDON TO KIRBY MOORSIDE THROUGH HELMESLEY BLACKMOOR, 2273 Miles.