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Early Newark/Newricks How far back can we go? by Michael J.
Newark Burgh Castle and Vicinity (near Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft) How
far back can we go in tracing the Newark family of Burgh Castle and
area? A chain of reliable documentary evidence leads us back to the
year 1695. Before that time, existing records for the region are
too fragmentary to allow further linkages. However, as the Table below shows, we know
for sure that Newark families lived there as early as 1661. By
inference we can extrapolate back to about 1600 given that one or some of
those who were buried in Belton during the late 1600’s lived a full life and
had parents who also lived around Burgh Castle and Belton. The
traditional name James, a name that was carried forward in almost every
generation of Burgh Castle Newarks to the present
day, carried into war, and also into other countries, is mentioned several
times in the Table. It is easy to believe that these early Newarks are in fact ancestors even if direct evidence is
lacking, and were living on the Island of Lothingland
as early as 1600. These Newarks (some of whom were also known by the variant name
Newrick) of Burgh Castle and area were considered
of little consequence by history. They were common folk, labourers,
farmers, fishermen and carpenters and hence nothing much of their lives has been written or recorded. They eked out their
existence on the geographically isolated Island of Lothingland,
and only appear out of the mists of time when records of their christenings,
burials and marriages began to be made in the Parish registers of the region. East Anglia, Lincolnshire
and London Venturing
away from the Burgh Castle area, we find that in nearby Norwich, Norfolk
where records exist back into the 16th century, the name Newark can be
frequently found. As early as 1575, Robert Newark is recorded as being
a Parish Constable. Further afield around Grimsby, Lincolnshire there
are many records of Newarks going back as far as
1565. In London, An account of Richard de Newerk, cordwainer, occurs in London in 1275/6, the earliest
known use of the name. Yorkshire and England It
appears that there have been five main source regions in England for the
Newark name; Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, East Anglia, London and the West Midlands.
Families from these different regions do not appear to be related to each
other, and even within an individual region, different mechanisms could have
given rise to the name, so that unrelated sub groups can exist.
However, one thing can be said with certainty, the name Newark has a long
history in England. As a family name it was first used in the 1200’s by
Henry de Newark, the Archbishop of York and his kinsman William de Newark the
Archdeacon of Huntingdon. They were natives of Newark-on-Trent and took
the name of the town as their surname. They were powerful and
influential men who owned manorial estates in many parts of England.
Another early use of the name was by William
Newark (1450-1509) who was a composer and choirmaster who enjoyed royal
favour under both Edward IV and Henry VII. Yet another powerful
individual was Alan Newark (known in Latin as Alani
de Newark, born ? - died 1412) who from the years
1380 to 1405 was included in almost every commission on the affairs of
England’s borders. He was buried in the Cross Aisle of York Cathedral.
Alan's Coat of Arms belongs to a documented Newark family
living at Acomb, Yorkshire until the late 1600’s.
GEN
(Gender) column: M = Male; F =
Female; W = Wife Sources [1]
Belton CMB registers 1650-1715. No Newark or variant marriage
entries. Gap in marriage register 1643-1664. Gap in burials register
1642-1650. [2]
Bradwell C register
1650-1715. No Newark/Newrick or variant entries. [3]
Gorleston C register 1678-1715, (this NNAS filmed
transcript contains extracts only. Parish registers still held at the
Church). No Newark/Newrick or variant
entries. [4]
Great Yarmouth C register 1650-1715. (Yarmouth
register is in poor condition and some entries on each page in general are
illegible). No Newark/Newrick or variant
entries. [5]
Hearth Tax [6]
Suffolk Archdeaconry Admons. Sureties: John Punchard & John Earle of Framlingham
[7]
Weekly Register Bills, Great Yarmouth 1774-1778. No Newark/Newrick or variant entries. [8]
Roll of freemen of Yarmouth, 1429-1847. No Newark/Newrick
or variant entries. [9]
Wills 1750-1812, Courts of the Archdeaconry of Norwich and the Archdeaconry
of Norfolk. None for Newark/Newrick or
variant entries. Search
of sources 1 to 4 made by Dr. Joanna Martin, Genealogist and Record Agent,
Ipswich, Suffolk, and reported January 20, 1992. Report
on search of sources 5 to 9 supplied April 9, 1976 by Anthony J. Camp,
Director of Research, Society of Genealogists, London. |
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