Newport was an ancient
mesne borough, occupying an important position on the
Welsh Marches. The town grew up around
Newport Castle, which was built early in the 12th century.
Giraldus Cambrensis, writing in 1187, calls it
Novus Burgus, probably to distinguish it from
Caerleon, whose prosperity declined as that of Newport increased. The first lord was
Robert Fitzhamon, who died in 1107, and from him the
lordship passed to the
Earls of Gloucester and
Stafford and the
Dukes of Buckingham.
Hugh le Despenser, who held the lordship for a short time, obtained in 1323 a charter of liberties for the
burgesses, granting them freedom from toll throughout England, Ireland and Aquitaine.
Hugh, Earl of Stafford granted a further charter in 1385, confirmed by his grandson in 1427, which gave the burgesses the right of self-government and of a
merchant gild. On the
attainder of the Duke of Buckingham in 1483 the lordship lapsed to the crown, of whom it was held in the 16th and 17th centuries by the
Pembrokes, and in the 19th by the
Beauforts. The town was incorporated by
Royal Charter of
James I in 1623 and confirmed by
Charles II in 1685. This created a corporation which consisted of the
Mayor of Newport and twelve
aldermen who governed the borough and were responsible for law and order. They were assisted by a
recorder and two
bailiffs. This system of government lasted in essence until the town was reformed as a
municipal borough in 1836 under the
Municipal Corporations Act 1835. This reconstituted the corporation as an elected borough council, comprising a
mayor, aldermen and
councillors. The
Newport Borough Police was also formed in 1836. In 1934 the borough was enlarged by taking in parts of the surrounding parishes of St Woolos,
Christchurch, Malpas and Bettws. When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the
Local Government Act 1888, Newport was included in the
administrative county of
Monmouthshire, being governed by
Monmouthshire County Council, which chose to base itself in Newport. Just over two years later, on 7 November 1891, Newport was one of the first places to become a
county borough (other than those which had been created directly by the 1888 act), making it administratively independent from Monmouthshire County Council.
Newport Civic Centre, designed by architect
Thomas Cecil Howitt, was completed in 1964 to serve as the council's headquarters. Further local government reorganisation in 1974 saw the abolition of county boroughs. Newport became a lower-tier
district with
borough status. The reformed borough covered a larger area than the former county borough, covering the whole of two former districts and most of a third, which were abolished at the same time: •
Caerleon Urban District •
Magor and St Mellons Rural District, except
Henllys (which went to
Torfaen) and
St Mellons (which went to
Cardiff) • Newport County Borough The enlarged borough had an area of , and was governed by both Newport Borough Council and
Gwent County Council. In 1996, another wave of local-government reorganisation reverted the council to its previous status of a self-governing county borough, taking over the functions of the abolished Gwent County Council in the area. In 2002 Newport was granted formal
city status as part of a contest for the Queen's Golden Jubilee in 2002, in which one Welsh town was eligible to be awarded city status. ==Political control==