page_title: Morpeth, Northumberland
section_title: Religious sites
hierarchical_section_title: Morpeth, Northumberland / Religious sites
caption_attribution_description: English: Church of St James the Great, Morpeth
context_page_description: Morpeth is a historic market town in Northumberland, North East England, lying on the River Wansbeck. Nearby towns include Ashington and Bedlington. In the 2011 census, the population of Morpeth was given as 14,017, up from 13,833 in the 2001 census. The earliest record of the town is believed to be from the Neolithic period. The meaning of the town's name is uncertain, but it may refer to its position on the road to Scotland and a murder which occurred on that road. An alternative origin is a derivation of 'murderers' path' from the time when the gallows were on the Common. The de Marley family was granted the Barony of Morpeth in c. 1080 and built two castles in the town in the late 11th century and the 13th century. The town was granted its coat of arms in 1552. By the mid 1700s it had become one of the main markets in England, having been granted a market charter in 1199, but the opening of the railways in the 1800s led the market to decline. The town's history is celebrated in the annual Northumbrian Gathering.
  Morpeth is governed by Northumberland County Council and Morpeth Town Council.
caption: Church of St James the Great, built by the architect Benjamin Ferrey in 1846
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