Mayor of Newport
Encyclopedia
The Mayor of Newport is the civic figurehead and first citizen of the city of Newport
in the United Kingdom
. The position is now largely ceremonial, but it still has high-profile rôle in maintaining and promoting the interests of the city and its people. The Local Government Act 1972
states that as chairman of the City Council
, the Mayor shall have precedence in the city over all but members of the Royal Family
or the Lord Lieutenant
, representing the Royal Family.
The mayor for municipal year 2011-12, Councillor Mrs Margaret Cornelius, is the 379th recorded Mayor of Newport. The first mayor is recorded as Ralph Dery, who took up office in 1314. The role was then left unrecorded until 1401, when Roger Thomas held office.
One of the most famous mayors of Newport was John Frost
in 1836, who less than four years later was condemned to death for treason
, for his involvement in the Chartist uprising
. The sentence was later commuted to transportation for life
.
In 1856 John Frost was given a full pardon and returned to Newport. Several mayors have, over the years, held office for more than one term.
of the City forms an integral part of the Mayoral Chains, of which there are two, one for the Mayor and one for the Mayoress. The Mayor’s chain consists of an original chain and detachable medallion depicting the shield surmounted by the cherub
, which was the original Coat of Arms of the County Borough of Newport before the supporters were added. This original chain and medallion were presented to the Corporation
for the use of Mayors of the Borough on the 9th November 1886 by Edwin James Grice, the then Mayor of Newport.
Mounted on either side of the centre medallion are the medallions of the former Caerleon
Urban District Council, and Magor and St Mellons Rural District
Council. These two authorities were merged into Newport in 1974.
. NDW 1 indicates the first registration in the N series of registrations; N in this instance presumably also indicating Newport.
As of 2008 the Mayoral car is a 3.2-litre automatic
Jaguar XJ8
. Previous cars included a stretched
Ford Granada
.
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. The position is now largely ceremonial, but it still has high-profile rôle in maintaining and promoting the interests of the city and its people. The Local Government Act 1972
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....
states that as chairman of the City Council
Newport City Council
Newport City Council is the governing body for the city of Newport, one of the subdivisions of Wales within the United Kingdom. It consists of 50 councillors, representing the city's 20 wards. Since the 2008 election, the council has been controlled jointly by the Conservatives and Liberal...
, the Mayor shall have precedence in the city over all but members of the Royal Family
British Royal Family
The British Royal Family is the group of close relatives of the monarch of the United Kingdom. The term is also commonly applied to the same group of people as the relations of the monarch in her or his role as sovereign of any of the other Commonwealth realms, thus sometimes at variance with...
or the Lord Lieutenant
Lord Lieutenant
The title Lord Lieutenant is given to the British monarch's personal representatives in the United Kingdom, usually in a county or similar circumscription, with varying tasks throughout history. Usually a retired local notable, senior military officer, peer or business person is given the post...
, representing the Royal Family.
The mayor for municipal year 2011-12, Councillor Mrs Margaret Cornelius, is the 379th recorded Mayor of Newport. The first mayor is recorded as Ralph Dery, who took up office in 1314. The role was then left unrecorded until 1401, when Roger Thomas held office.
One of the most famous mayors of Newport was John Frost
John Frost (Chartist)
John Frost was a prominent Welsh leader of the British Chartist movement in the Newport Rising....
in 1836, who less than four years later was condemned to death for treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
, for his involvement in the Chartist uprising
Newport Rising
The Newport Rising was the last large-scale armed rebellion against authority in mainland Britain, when on 4 November 1839, somewhere between 1,000 and 5,000 Chartist sympathisers, including many coal-miners, most with home-made arms, led by John Frost, marched on the town of Newport,...
. The sentence was later commuted to transportation for life
Penal transportation
Transportation or penal transportation is the deporting of convicted criminals to a penal colony. Examples include transportation by France to Devil's Island and by the UK to its colonies in the Americas, from the 1610s through the American Revolution in the 1770s, and then to Australia between...
.
In 1856 John Frost was given a full pardon and returned to Newport. Several mayors have, over the years, held office for more than one term.
The Mayoral Chains of Office
The Coat of armsCoat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
of the City forms an integral part of the Mayoral Chains, of which there are two, one for the Mayor and one for the Mayoress. The Mayor’s chain consists of an original chain and detachable medallion depicting the shield surmounted by the cherub
Cherub
A cherub is a type of spiritual being mentioned in the Hebrew Bible and cited later on in the Christian biblical canons, usually associated with the presence of God...
, which was the original Coat of Arms of the County Borough of Newport before the supporters were added. This original chain and medallion were presented to the Corporation
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
for the use of Mayors of the Borough on the 9th November 1886 by Edwin James Grice, the then Mayor of Newport.
Mounted on either side of the centre medallion are the medallions of the former Caerleon
Caerleon
Caerleon is a suburban village and community, situated on the River Usk in the northern outskirts of the city of Newport, South Wales. Caerleon is a site of archaeological importance, being the site of a notable Roman legionary fortress, Isca Augusta, and an Iron Age hill fort...
Urban District Council, and Magor and St Mellons Rural District
Magor and St Mellons Rural District
Magor and St Mellons Rural District was created on 1 April 1935 from Magor Rural District and St Mellons Rural District in the administrative county of Monmouthshire...
Council. These two authorities were merged into Newport in 1974.
Mayoral Car
The Mayor and Mayoress have use of the Mayoral Car for all official engagements. The Mayoral Car has changed over the years, but always carries the number plate NDW 1, where '"DW" are the original registration letters for Newport CorporationNewport City Council
Newport City Council is the governing body for the city of Newport, one of the subdivisions of Wales within the United Kingdom. It consists of 50 councillors, representing the city's 20 wards. Since the 2008 election, the council has been controlled jointly by the Conservatives and Liberal...
. NDW 1 indicates the first registration in the N series of registrations; N in this instance presumably also indicating Newport.
As of 2008 the Mayoral car is a 3.2-litre automatic
Automatic transmission
An automatic transmission is one type of motor vehicle transmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver from having to shift gears manually...
Jaguar XJ8
Jaguar XJ
Jaguar XJ is the designation that has been used for a series of luxury saloon cars sold under the British Jaguar marque. The first XJ was launched in 1968 and the designation has been used for successive Jaguar flagship models since then. The original model was the last Jaguar saloon to have had...
. Previous cars included a stretched
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
Ford Granada
Ford Granada (Europe)
The March 1972 released Granada succeeded the British Ford Zephyr, and the German P7-series as Ford's European executive car offering. At first, lower models in the range were called the Ford Consul, but from 1975 on they were all called Granadas. The car soon became popular for taxi, fleet and...
.