Jesmond
| Jesmond | |
|---|---|
 Panoramic view of West Jesmond |
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 Jesmond
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| Jesmond shown within Tyne and Wear | |
| Population |
Jesmond ward: 11,849 (2001 Census) |
| OS grid reference | NZ253654 |
| • London | 242 miles (389 km) |
| Metropolitan borough | |
| Metropolitan county | |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE |
| Postcode district | NE2 |
| Dialling code | 0191 |
| Police | Northumbria |
| Fire | Tyne and Wear |
| Ambulance | North East |
| EU Parliament | North East England |
| UK Parliament | |
| Councillors | |
Jesmond is a residential suburb and is split into two electoral wards just north of the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne, England. The population is about 12,000. Historically part of Northumberland, it is adjacent to the East side of the Town Moor, providing pedestrian and cycle paths to Spital Tongues and the city's two universities. It is widely considered to the most affluent suburb of Newcastle.
According to local tradition, some time shortly after the Norman conquest there occurred in the valley of the Ouse an apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It seems reasonable to suppose that the Virgin was beheld with the infant Christ, because up until that time Jesmond had been known as Gese Muth "the mouth of the Ouse" while afterwards it was known as Jesmond, popularly interpreted as "the hill of Jesus", or "Jesus Mound". The ruins of St Mary’s Chapel, first recorded in 1272, are in Jesmond Dene on the west side of the valley.
A trace of the processions to the shrine which occurred during the Middle Ages is found in the name of that section of the former Great North Road running north of the Tyne called Pilgrim Street. During a period in which the shrine was in need of repair it was endowed with indulgences by a rescript or edict of Pope Martin V on certain feasts of the liturgical year. A spring known as St Mary’s Well of uncertain date may also be found near to the chapel. It has the word "Gratia" inscribed upon the stone above it. The greater part of the history of the shrine, its origins and the miracles which were said to have occurred there, were lost in the 16th century when the chapel was suppressed in the Reformation and fell into ruin. The ruin and its grounds later passed through various owners (one of whom tried to turn the well into a bathing pool). It was acquired by Lord Armstrong in the 19th century and given by him to the City of Newcastle. Mass is now offered there on occasion by the local Roman Catholic priest and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Hexham and Newcastle. Flowers along with letters and candles are often left in the ruins by pilgrims and others. A booklet outlining the surviving history of the chapel may be obtained from the Roman Catholic Church of the Holy Name on North Jesmond Avenue.
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Wikipedia