Town Moor Charity

Charity Details

Full Name: The Town Moor Charity
Field: Environment and Animals
Founded: 1774 (Town Moor Act of that year. Origins much earlier; possibly twelfth century)
Headquarters: Newcastle, NE2 4NL
Charity No: 227620

History and Activities

Newcastle’s town moor is one of the defining features of the city. The moor covers 988 acres of green space in the heart of Newcastle. It falls under the jurisdiction of the Freemen of the City, an ancient hereditary order, which continues to exercise its right to graze cattle on the land. A stewards committee of the Freemen takes responsibility for executive decisions. It is largely due to the doggedness of the Freemen that the town moor remains largely intact in the face of intense pressures to release land for urban development. Relations with the City Council have at times been fraught, but the Freemen have been able to resist encroachment by enforcing their legal right to graze animals on the pasture.

The origins of the Freemen of Newcastle as a collective body with rights and responsibilities are obscure but intimately tied up with the growth of the city following the Norman Conquest. Newcastle was of a place of foremost strategic importance in the on-going struggle with the Kings of Scotland over territorial rights that only finally abated with the Union of the Crowns in 1603. The loyalty of the citizenry of Newcastle and its willingness to take up arms led to the granting by the Crown of privileges and resources. The institution of the Freemen and its special privileges emerged in this way, and with time became every more formalised and entrenched, woven into the fabric of Newcastle politics and society. 

The town moor has since witnessed many significant events in Newcastle’s history, from invading Scottish armies to the Chartist assemblies of the nineteenth century. Today, the charity acts as guardians of the moor, in collaboration with the City Council, so that the public can continue to enjoy open space, fresh air and exercise.

The town moor is open to the public year-round and is perhaps best known in the region for hosting the annual Hoppings fair, begun in 1882 as an alcohol-free alternative to the Newcastle Races. It is now one of the largest funfair events in Europe, attracting over 300,000 visitors. It is one of the main ways that funds are raised for the conservancy and improvement projects that benefit Newcastle residents. Much of the work, though vital, largely goes unnoticed. The overwhelming majority of the charity’s philanthropic income comes from leasing space temporarily for events, the remainder coming from investments.

Related to the Town Moor Charity and falling within the purview of the Freemen of Newcastle are various linked or related charities formed at different times in history. St Mary Magdalene and Holy Jesus Trust almshouse charity is the oldest of these, dating back to the twelfth century. In the Early Modern period, Sir Thomas White endowed a fund in 1566 to make loans to apprentices wishing to set up in business on their own account. This survives and makes grants of up to £7,000 to young people aged 25 or under. In 1755 Thomas Davison and Richard Thompson established similar funds, which make small grants of £2,600 and £1,700 respectively. Finally, the Town Moor Money Charity receives the rental income from ‘intakes’, parcels of land leased out for sports pitches and allotments, which is used to make grants to Freemen, widows or daughters of freemen experiencing hardship or distress who are resident in Newcastle, Northumberland or Durham. 

Vital Statistics (year to 29/09/2017)

Website
http://www.freemenofnewcastle.org/

References