Newport (pop. 159,587) is a local government area in Wales. It is a unitary authority, the primary form of local government in the United Kingdom. The area is centered on the city of Newport, which has extensive port facilities. The Welsh name for Newport is Casnewydd. It was once the leading coal port in Wales. Today, its industries include metalworking, engineering, and the manufacture of chemicals and electrical equipment. The River Usk runs through Newport city, and along its banks lie the remains of a Norman castle built in the 1100’s. Newport’s St. Woolos Cathedral stands on the site of a church built in the A.D. 500’s. Nearby is the site of a Roman military settlement at Caerleon, which some people believe was the location of Camelot, the legendary home of King Arthur.
In 1839, a Chartist protest in Newport led by John Frost resulted in the deaths of more than 20 people. Frost was the leader of the Chartist Movement in Wales, a political movement of the British working class during the early 1800’s. Several other towns in the United Kingdom are also named Newport. See also Arthur, King; Chartism; Frost, John; Wales, History of.
